TKR #2..... Lessons I am learning

evie66 (@evie66); Sep 14, 2021 - 7:50 am

Good evening evie66, welcome to Connect. We are a group of patients, former patients, caregivers, and providers. Our mission is to facilitate the sharing of personal experiences in a manner that will encourage thought, research, and reason for everyone. And so tonight, I want to welcome @evie66 from Scotland. I can't hide my excitement as Scotland is where my grandmother was born, in Kintore actually. We are part of the Christie and Cruickshank Klans.

@evie is by her own admission, a newbie here. She had an unremarkable recovery until month 5.
Now that a year has passed, both knees are unstable with "zip" feeling and swelling at night.

And I understand that you are now looking for stories from folks with similar problems and hopefully some advice about similar problems.

What would that other surgery do for you? What else might be helpful? I am comfortable telling you @evie66 that swelling can be controlled by icing and elevating. Also, if you have therapists who have Myofascial Release training, they can move the fluid that is causing the swelling on up your leg so that it can be extracted naturally upon urination.

Would you please explain what you mean by "spacers"? Have you had physical therapy to increase stablity? You can practice that by standing on one foot for 20 seconds three times in a row and several times a day. The best way to strengthen the supportive muscles is by doing squats.

What other suggestions and advice can you share with @eviie? And @evie66, how often to you deal with pain or other discomforts?

May you be free of suffering and the causes of suffering.
Chris

Hi Chris

Many thanks for your reply.
I lived in Inverurie for 20 years it is a wee market town which is 5 miles from Kintore 😊small world indeed !
I have been working with 2 therapists for 5 months, one a PT and the other a sports injury specialist. Both therapists have been trying to enable strength in my quads and loosen my very tight hamstrings, ouch and more ouch would be a word I use at their sessions weekly.
The spacer suggested by my OS is an open knee operation to put in a larger nylon insert into the hardware.
He advised this may or may not work as my left knee is hyperextended and not tightening up as he had expected. Sorry for going on a bit guys. Healing thoughts to all from me.

Hi Chris

Many thanks for your reply.
I lived in Inverurie for 20 years it is a wee market town which is 5 miles from Kintore 😊small world indeed !
I have been working with 2 therapists for 5 months, one a PT and the other a sports injury specialist. Both therapists have been trying to enable strength in my quads and loosen my very tight hamstrings, ouch and more ouch would be a word I use at their sessions weekly.
The spacer suggested by my OS is an open knee operation to put in a larger nylon insert into the hardware.
He advised this may or may not work as my left knee is hyperextended and not tightening up as he had expected. Sorry for going on a bit guys. Healing thoughts to all from me.

You left out several important things a patient has to do before having a TKA! #1) Find the best surgeon you can find. I find the top ranked hospitals in orthopedic surgery, going to health.usnews.com, then find a surgeon whose training (including 'clinical fellowships') are at one of the top (4-5) hospitals in the U.S. #2) If you have a multilevel house, buy a walker for each level. #3) Have the hospital give you a cryo tank for icing your knee., #4) Do the PT exercises religiously. They're very painful, but necessary unless you want to end up with a tight knee. #5) You don't need to have general anesthesia. A femoral nerve block and a spinal block is sufficient, though you have to expect some hammering and pushing as the surgeon puts the prosthesis in place. The femoral nerve block will last about (24-48) hours. #6) Make certain the surgeon's office sends in an order to the VNA and talk to the VNA yourself to ensure they'll show up the day after the surgery. Have the VNA physicial therapist come every day for exercises post-op. They'll continue to come for PT until you can get into a car & drive. When getting into a car, pull the car seat as far back as you can before you try to get in. #7) I have a 3-level condo and have stair railings on both sides of the stairs and hand rails in the tub. #8) If you live alone and have no one to support you, put sufficient food in the freezer and drinks on hand to last about (3) weeks. #9) Keep the walker in your bedroom level right next to your bed and keep a hall light turned on all night, so that when you get up at night to go to the bathroom, you'll be safe. I've had total knee replacements in both knees & I'm 75 years old, live alone and have no support system or family.

Good afternoon everyone......thank you all so much for sharing your experiences relative to your Total Knee Replacement surgery and recuperative efforts. You can see that we are all just a little different.......our diagnosis, our surgery preparations and our recuperative efforts. I want to share my 6-week appointment with my surgeon. #1......he thinks I am superman on the Physical Therapy routines, and equipment. I appreciate the "atta girl". #2.....we looked at two situations. First, the neuropathic itch is back and the flare has lasted since it began on the same day as surgery.

Above and below the covering ace bandage I began to see the red bumps that signify an itch flare is beginning. I took that off and watched the rash and open areas begin to cover my leg from ankle to hip. Even when the pain was under control I had trouble sleeping because of the itch. My dermatologist refilled my tacrolimus ointment and I slathered it on twice a day. The amazing issue is.....the itch flare is only on the surgery leg. It appears to be originating from inside the surgery area. So....my surgeon suggested that I advise my dermatologist and he would see if there was any other medical evidence to be found about something inside the surgical area being responsible for the outbreak.

#2.......and this is great news for me. I was once again being double whammed because my hip on the same side was also becoming more painful every day. This is the hip that had some trauma as bone was harvested to fuse my vertebrae during spinal surgery. My surgeon reviewed the injection images from last December. He found the culprit bursa and said that we would do another injection right away. What a relief to be free of the additional hip pain. And what a relief to know that it is bursitis and can be treated without surgery for as long as I live. Oh happy day!

#3......I have passed the stair test.....going up and down. Now we can remove the signs on the stairs advising me of which foot to use first.

#4......I had been a little careless about my home exercises and fell off my ROM by a few degrees so I will get back to my 137 with a little more aggressive effort.

#5......I stuck to my 1/2 mile walks and hope to be approved to extend them next week.

#6…..I restarted my Yoga class……doing just the poses and exercises that are recommended at this time. I must say my teacher was amazingly aware of what my body was able to handle at this point. I sure did need to stretch my body. And it actually wore me out. So I need more strength and stamina.

So what have I forgotten? What can you share that will help everyone or someone? What questions do you have about your own recovery experiences?

May you all have happiness and the causes of happiness.

Chris

Hi @artscaping , 4 months back you mentioned restarting yoga classes. Are you now able to do poses such as baby's pose and malasana? Are you able to kneel or go on all fours (like when hand scrubbing floors or installing floor planks?

Thanks!

Good afternoon @glidefloss Yes, I did go back my Yoga Class. My Yoga classes are led by a lady I have been working with for eight years. Based on my physical capabilities she put together a program that takes into account my age and orthopedic struggles. I use that one every day and attend a Zoom class on Tuesdays. In the class, I only do what I can do.

However, I can do a pretty good Child's Pose and can walk on my knees across the carpet.

I would never be able to do the malasana pose. I just topple over. Makes me laugh to even think about it.

May you have contentment and ease.
Chris

You're going to be my inspiration to trudge forward. Even as I can get an assisted 140 degree bend, it feels like a world away from doing a Child's Pose. And kneeling is a different matter as well ... I really need to start desensitising the knee to that. And then in a few weeks, I'll have my LTKR and start all over again 🙂

Oh my goodness......how long has it been since your first one? I waited 10 years. This one is different. It feels more like a kneecap made of plastic when I crawl on my knees. Kind of creepy when you have two replacements that are so different. However, our body helps us get used to new situations. I am thrilled to be able to walk without pain and do yoga and walk at the river and stand in the kitchen making soup .

Will this be robotic?

May you be free of suffering and the causes of suffering.
Chris