TKR Zombies Love to Dance<

Well, I blew off a PT evaluation today. My knee is just too swollen and painful for this torture today. Sleepness nights are starting to take its toll. I am so tired when I go to bed and then kabam I'm wide away, uncomfortable and restless. Last night it was the worse with the pain. Took 2 Tylenol and a Tramadol at 4am so I am a little goofy today! The only reason I was going to PT was OS was worried about my flex and extension at 6 weeks was 90 and 8 and so I went about 3 times. Brought those numbers to 110 flex and 3 extension at 8 weeks . To them it is not great and at 10 weeks with all the swelling and pain it would not be any better. I see the OS again Sept 23. and it will be what it will be. This is all so depressing I am afraid to call in for more Tramadol but when this knee hurts it hurts - shooting pain like a knife! Today is also 9/11 so sad what happened to us in 2001, so much has changed and I get pretty depressed. This is also the one year anniversary of my stroke! That's probably why I didn't sleep well. Hubby also was up in pain with his shoulder and he pulled a muscle in his back! Poor guy goes in Friday for a new Shoulder I sure hope he has a good outcome. So I need to put on my big girl panties on and switch to being the "Caregiver"!
 
Some days are better, some are worse, I'm wishing you more of the better. Glad you blew off PT. Sometimes you just have to do what makes you feel calmer psychologically and let the chips fall where they may. Just doing your day to day activities will probably help your knee just as much. I agree, it was a solemn day.
 
Well, I blew off a PT evaluation today. My knee is just too swollen and painful for this torture today.
That was a good decision. Well done!

PT should not be painful, and particularly not torture. If it is, then it's the wrong sort of PT for a healing knee.

Brought those numbers to 110 flex and 3 extension at 8 weeks . To them it is not great and at 10 weeks with all the swelling and pain it would not be any better. I see the OS again Sept 23. and it will be what it will be.
Your ROM now is quite good and it's going to continue to improve, as your knee heals and its swelling goes down.
try not to do anything that increases your pain or swelling. Your knee is going to get plenty of exercise as you look after your husband, so you won't need additional exercises.

It's not exercising that gets you your ROM - it's time. Time to recover, time for swelling and pain to settle, and time to heal. Your knee is capable of achieving good ROM right from the start, and its ROM will gradually increase as it heals and its internal and external swelling decrease.

There's no need to rush to get ROM (Range of Motion) because it can continue to improve for a year, or even much longer, after a knee replacement. There isn't any deadline you have to meet:
Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR

I'm sorry you're feeling depressed. Things do seem to be ganging up on you. remember, though,that it's normal to get the blues after a nee replacement and this stage will pass.
Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
 
Thanks all...I guess it's true that its always darkest before the dawn!. Had a funeral for a coworker today. Had to drive 2 hours there and back in the rain. It was a long but beautiful service and surprisingly I did well . I did alot of sitting and standing and the knees held up (not perfect, but better)! The choir and soloist were phenomenal and did my soul good.
Your right, PT was more a psychological torture than physical. My first knee was proof of that - once I quit PT it started getting better without the worry of if I will make those "numbers" its just fine now. I have come to realize that each knee is different and this one wants more time for gentle healing. So be it.
Finally - Post Op Blues are for real!
 
Awww, sorry to hear the blues have hit. Sometimes these events all happen together and overwhelm us and then it can be tough to move on. You've had a lot to deal with so it's not surprising in many ways. Be kind to yourself and your knees. You, and they, deserve it. I hope your husband's surgery is successful and he makes a good recovery. Take care now. You will get through it. Sending a big hug across the airwaves to you. :console2:
 
@Lindylee a big hug and thank you to my UK friend! Hubby is ready and I am now in caregiver mode. I hope your 2nd knee surgery (when you decide) goes smoothly for you. I am sending good vibes across the Atlantic to you
 
Hubby received a reverse shoulder replacement yesterday, Friday the 13th no less! All went well his OS said it was a mess, bone spurs , torn rotor cuff and that his bones were so hard that it wore the ball flat! So I am taking care of him. Icing his shoulder and my knees at the same time. Both knees are extremely swollen with the whole hospital thing and so are my feet so elevating and icing again.
 
:console2:Hugs to both of you!
 
@Zommom
I hope that, while caring for you husband, you can find enough time to rest, too. I can picture both of you, resting and icing, recovering together.
 
Good to hear it's over and done with. I can see your ice machine being in constant use between the two of you. I hope you can sync your rests together and get plenty of them. :sleep::sleep:
 
In between your caregiving, try and get as much icing, elevating and resting that you can.
 
8 month left knee replacement and 8 week right knee replacement. My left is doing well, strong, stable with minimum stiffness. ROM continues to improve. Right knee aka The BRAT has decided to take its sweet time with healing. I had another OS checkup Monday and was relieved to hear that the extension and flexation had improved since the last visit. I told him I went to 3 PT sessions but the majority of increase ROM was due to my quiting PT and concentrating on pain management and icing on my own. I told him I have alot of swelling and pain on the medial part of the knee. He said that was were the majority of the work was done and he had to do a lot of cutting in a zig zag pattern and pulling (first time I heard that). Told me to do what i am currently doing and he is now putting me on Celebrix for the inflammation. Actually told me I need to cut back on my activities to let this settle down. I did overdo it with running around for my husband after his shoulder surgery, taking care of my 2 dogs, a Walmart run, working full time, and taking my 85 year old mom to her appointments. I do well until evening and then I swell up, knee becomes really warm, so then starts the Tylenol and Tramadol and icing all night. I keep thinking I am further along than I am but the Brat reminds me otherwise.

My new goal along with walking well (I look like a drunk sometimes)my legs have always been bowed and now they are pretty straight with knees more inward is to be able to sleep on my side! I have always been a side sleeper but since these knees started acting up I am on my back elevating and icing. My knees do not like heavy blankets on them and my feet are now hot instead of cold! So it is a process to get the cooling cuff in the right position, elevating those legs and then adjusting the blankets. I have one that goes to my knees and another for adding on to the top. Legs are hot and top is cold! Add in my CPAP and my yorkie and you have got quite a sight! All in all I am in a much better place than where I was at last year at this time. Another phenomenon is my shoe size. My left is normal size to a little swollen and my with right I'm having a problem keeping my feet from slipping out of my shoe!

A few more weeks and I may even forget the pain and sleepless nights. What a blessing that will be. Hang in there everyone normal is just a few weeks, months or a year away but it will come!
 
You have been very busy! It can't be easy looking after everything in addition to working full time. You must be superwoman! Hardly surprising that brat of a knee is playing up so early in recovery. Great to hear the first one is doing well. :yes!: Let's keep,our fingers crossed that you reach those goals soon.

I hope I do as well as you after my second!
 
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Wow! Bad math skills. My second knee is closer to 11 weeks!
 
3 month right knee replacement I am still dealing with more pain than I had with the left at almost 9 months along. Sure I sometimes get stiff but quickly can come out of that. The right knee I am experiencing more soft tissue pain, muscle pain, swelling with the knee as well as my feet! The swollen hot feet thing is new and affects my walking like my feet are blocks of wood.

I experienced the worse zinger I have ever had while driving on the way to work! Whew, thank goodness I came upon a stop light shortly after it hit. I was reading up on recovery time frames in these forums and realize that I am still in the early stages of healing and Zingers are common.

Enough of the bad stuff and now on to the progress. I no longer need a Tramadol at night last one taken was 7 days ago - I just take Tylenol PM. I am sleeping through the night and last night I even fell asleep on my side - first time in over a year! I still will ice a couple hours a day to help keep down the swelling but now my knee is balking at doing the cold thing.

I am heading to a business trip next week and feel confident I can actually do the airport and venue walking that needs to be done. Had to cancel last years.

I do not regret giving up PT after only a couple of sessions I can only imagine how this knee would feel if I followed their plan! I have read so many horror stories from some members and what they are subjected to. I hope they find the courage as well as trust in their bodies self healing.
 
Forgot to mention hubby is doing well after his shoulder replacement. It gave him a little insight on my journey:)
 
Glad to hear hubby's shoulder and your left knee are doing well, sorry the right is not playing nicely yet. Great that you're able to reduce the meds though. Go easy on that trip, but all looking good for you it seems. I hope I do as well!
 
Thought I would pop in and sneak a peak at the latest posts and new members. Seems like the whole world is getting their knees replaced! Reading some of these threads brings back those initial weeks and the pain, sleepless nights, depression PT nightmares and worse of all the set backs. I can relate to all that are going through it now. Hang in there it really does get better. Our expectations and reality sometimes don't match.

I am now at 9 1/2 months for the left and 4 months for the right. the left has been great very little stiffness great ROM but my problem child is the right. I had hoped that at this point in time it will be feeling the same as the left NOPE -it is still a work in progress. They are right when they say no 2 knees are the same. This was the 1st week that I did not have that shooting pain on the inside knee. I am walking better but the swelling and inflammation rears its ugly head and it gets hard to bend, etc. but honestly each day gets me closer to healed.

Saw my OS on Monday and he was happy with my progress. I stated that the right just doesn't want to comply. He laughed and said I spent a little extra time on it too - stubborn from the beginning and had to do some cutting. Seriously he said everything looks good, healing well and I will probably be dealing with this for another month or two, he said you are still in the early phase - give it a year! OMG I said have you been reading Bonesmart? Next appointment in April.

I get around pretty good, stairs ok, driving ok, I even flew for a business trip - walking through the airport and then of course the meeting venue it was slow and thoughtful but I DID IT. Recovering from these outings takes less time now.

I have met some wonderful people here and I have valued everyones opinion, followed many suggestions and read everything that was to offer. Take care all. I may be back ....My hips are aching a bit! :unsure:
 
I stated that the right just doesn't want to comply. He laughed and said I spent a little extra time on it too - stubborn from the beginning and had to do some cutting
This is SO why we shouldn’t compare our recovery to anyone else’s. We don’t know all that went on in each of our surgeries that didn’t happen in someone else’s. Thank you so much for mentioning this!

You are doing great!
 
@Zommom Great to hear from you. I've been wondering how you're getting on. You sound as if you're in a good place in spite of the issues with the right knee. Hopefully, the right will catch up with the left before much longer.

My next one is booked and I'm at the crossroads between being relieved and panicking!
 

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