Next Step, Knee Replacement

[JEBar]

tomorrow morning will mark one week since having my right knee replaced .... thankfully, there have been positive developments but unfortunately, most of those developments have come at a cost .... the first couple of days were spent taking heavy narcotics ..... they did help with the pain but for me dealing with the side effects wasn't worth it .... Tylenol helps .... surgical pain is constant, hopefully the natural healing process will lower it over time .... the worse frustration comes from wearing the tight surgical thigh-high stockings .... no doubt they are doing their job of helping reduce the possibility of blood clots but that pressure on the surgical site sure seems to keep it stirred up .... there has been no such thing as a good night's sleep, hopefully that too will improve .... another visit from a physical therapists is due tomorrow .... thankfully, progress is being made

[Les]

I know what you mean about the stockings. Mine were only knee length, but they were hot and uncomfortable to wear. I had to take blood-thinning tablets to avoid clotting, and the stockings had to stay on until the tablets were finished. I don't think the last pill was halfway down my throat before I pulled those socks off!

The worst part for me initially was trying to get the quadriceps tendons/ligaments functioning again. They get pretty well sliced up during surgery, so that lifting the leg up from the bed was very difficult. Fortunately, with a lot of quiet cussing, face pulling and determination it's now a lot easier. The first out-patient physio is on Tuesday, and the staples also come out on Tuesday evening, so that will be another step along the road to recovery.

JEBar, I hope you continue to make good progress. I can honestly say "I know what you're going through", but it does get easier. I think it's more stubbornness than technique that's getting me through it, but I'll do whatever it takes. I'll also be doing my darndest to look after my good knee .... I certainly don't want to go through this again any time soon!

Have you tried using ice packs to reduce the swelling and bruising? Packets of frozen peas wrapped in a towel make excellent DIY packs. Just put them back in the freezer for 20 minutes once they have warmed up. I wouldn't recommend eating them afterwards, though!

[JEBar]

great to hear you are recovering .... hopefully the pace of the recovery will pickup quickly

I know what you mean about the stockings. Mine were only knee length, but they were hot and uncomfortable to wear. I had to take blood-thinning tablets to avoid clotting, and the stockings had to stay on until the tablets were finished. I don't think the last pill was halfway down my throat before I pulled those socks off!

I was told I should wear the socks for 3 weeks and that's what I'll do .... wish I could have gotten away with knee-highs but the cut on the front of my left knee runs from 3 - 4" above the knee to about the same below .... I make it a point to change the bandages daily and, thankfully, there has been very little evidence of bleeding .... no sign of any infection

The worst part for me initially was trying to get the quadriceps tendons/ligaments functioning again. They get pretty well sliced up during surgery, so that lifting the leg up from the bed was very difficult. Fortunately, with a lot of quiet cussing, face pulling and determination it's now a lot easier. The first out-patient physio is on Tuesday, and the staples also come out on Tuesday evening, so that will be another step along the road to recovery.

all too well understood on the difficulty with lifting my leg up from the bed .... thankfully, that issue began to improve quickly .... right now I find it hard to bend my leg at that knee .... doing so stretches the area of the incision which makes it very stiff

JEBar, I hope you continue to make good progress. I can honestly say "I know what you're going through", but it does get easier. I think it's more stubbornness than technique that's getting me through it, but I'll do whatever it takes. I'll also be doing my darndest to look after my good knee .... I certainly don't want to go through this again any time soon!

I do thank you for your insights and comments .... it helps to hear from someone who has personal experience .... I keep telling myself that the current phase will come to an end .... if forced to, I'll have the other one done .... but, I'll be better mentally prepared for the aftermath

Have you tried using ice packs to reduce the swelling and bruising? Packets of frozen peas wrapped in a towel make excellent DIY packs. Just put them back in the freezer for 20 minutes once they have warmed up. I wouldn't recommend eating them afterwards, though!

[BrokenolMarine]

A couple tricks when you start working on range of motion recovery.
(I had nine knee surgeries on the right knee, the last two a total replacement in'98, and a revision of that replacement in '12. Last year, I fell and did major damage to the right femur. It turned the foot 90 degrees out. The knee and hip took a real beating. I was five months learning to walk again.) Meh... I know about pt and recovery.

First.. when you are allowed back in the tub... if you can... work the knee in a hot tub. Really worked wonders for me on the speed at which I got back my ROM.

Second.. get a chair or stool with wheels, and preferably one you can raise and lower.
Plant your foot on the floor and pull the chair toward the desk until you feel pain. Go just a tad more and hold for a few seconds. Push back. Repeat five to ten times. Whatever your pt guy says is good. When this gets too easy... lower the chair.

[BrokenolMarine]

With the surgery for the femur, that makes twenty two...
The one thing I learned from my own experiences, and watching those around me, is you get out of PT exactly what you put in.
Half-azzed effort on the patient's part yields poor results... or at least takes forever to reach the goal.

On the flip side... pushing... giving a solid effort, both in the pt office, and at home: produces solid results in a much shorter time.

[JEBar]

On the flip side... pushing... giving a solid effort, both in the pt office, and at home: produces solid results in a much shorter time.

I couldn't agree more .... if it was easy, you probably didn't need to do it .... I now have 2 sessions with a therapists but have spent much more time working on the exercises alone

[JEBar]

physical therapy continues and progress is being made .... in short, so far, so good ..... two more sessions here at home, to be followed by at least 6 sessions spread over 2 weeks at a Physical Therapy office .... since its my left knee, I can go back to driving .... that's a good thing ...

[Sir Henry]

Glad you are doing better. I'm sure not looking forward to hip surgery. I'm delaying it as long as possible.

[JEBar]

two weeks ago right now, I was in surgery .... overall things continue to go well/improve .... Physical Therapy is going well, somewhat less painful but certainly is more productive .... no issues I'm aware of with the area around the incision .... I am adapting to the compression hose but still detest them .... biggest current issue remains trouble sleeping .... getting up to 4 hours a night would be most welcome .... first followup appointment with the surgeon is scheduled for a week for tomorrow

[RanchRoper]

Hang in there.

[JEBar]

Hang in there.

absolutely .... part of it is most certainly age, part physical condition, part nature of the operation .... given I don't heal up as quickly as I used to, the recovery from this surgery has been the most difficult so far .... the physical therapists says that is true for most folks with a knee replacement

[Les]

Tomorrow (Tuesday) will be 3 weeks since my TKR. The scar is healing nicely, but the knee is still quite swollen. I have really been pushing myself on the exercises, and I've found that I'm beginning to get back to almost the point I was at before the operation, (but obviously without the bad knee joint).

It is definitely a worse operation than a hip replacement, in terms of post-op mobility and pain, but I'm definitely beginning to see the wood for the trees.

Hang in there, JEBar ...... it will definitely start to get easier.

[JEBar]

good to hear that yours is going well .... my incision seems to be healing nicely .... thankfully, I've not had much in the way of drainage or swelling .... its still pretty stiff but after a couple of steps it loosens up and seems to be doing OK

[RanchRoper]

Do they recommend Rem Oil or Hoppe's lube on the new knee? Is it a toggle link system?

[JEBar]

not that I know of but I believe Ballistol might be worth considering ..

[Les]

Do they recommend Rem Oil or Hoppe's lube on the new knee? Is it a toggle link system?

I had a grease nipple fitted to mine so I can just repack the joint whenever it starts to get too stiff.

[BrokenolMarine]

About six or eight years after my tkr, the knee was swollen about the size of a grapefruit.
It had happened slowly, over time, wasn't particularly painful, just a feeling of pressure, and you could push in, and the skin slowly came back.

Went to see the ortho doc, and he said he needed to drain the knee. Slowly, over time, the "plastic" kneecap sheds minute particles of itself into the area around the knee, and the body surrounds them with a coating to protect itself. This forms the "water on the knee effect" we see here...

He poked my knee. The nurse brought in a tray, with a huge syringe on it, fitted with a long 6" horse needle. The surgeon had been my guy for more than a decade at that point, and he knew me. He knew my attitudes and pain tolerances.

Rather than a major production, just wiped on a topical anesthetic, Miss T moved in for a closer look, and he pushed the needle in the side of my knee. When he started his draw, the liquid was pale green, and like syrup. "Yup, that's the stuff!" He said, and grinned. He pushed the needle a little farther each draw... the nurse looked green. "I will get the wraps," she said, and was gone. He gave another light push, and the skin on the far side tented. "There she is!" He said... and pulled back on the syringe. He drew enough liquid out to nearly fill the body of the syringe, then injected back a small amount. "Lubes the joint." He said.
(The stuff he pulled out and sent for testing, just in case, looked just like the stuff we bought for the kids to play with, called - Slime. Remember it? It came in a small trash can, and stuck to the wall when they threw it.)

As he drained the buildup, we watched the knee deflate, and with only a topical, I could feel the pressure drain off. The procedure really wasn't painful, and didn't have to be repeated. The buildup had begun again, but the revised the replacement, (rebuilt it,) at the 14 year mark.

[BrokenolMarine]

So... at least you have that to look forward to.

Nah, nah... just kidding.. I went back to patrol after my knee replacement...

[JEBar]

in about 30 minutes I'm due for my last in-home physical therapy session .... my first post op appointment with the surgeon is a week from today .... we already have selected the place I will be going for 2 or more weeks of in-office therapy .... the care I've received so far has been top drawer and I have no reason not to expect that continue .... the therapy has brought me a long way in 2 weeks but I most certainly still have a long way to go .... the biggest difference noted so far has been a transition from pain prior to surgery to hurting now .... I'm sure most folks understand the difference between pain and hurt ....

[JEBar]

I'm happy to say that a little while ago, I reached a long pursued milestone .... when we go shopping, my traditional job is to push the cart .... it has (literally) been several years since I have been able to push a cart through a store with a hard (concrete) tile floor without pain .... that is truly a wonderful thing ...