Knee Replacement Online Support Group

Well I have made it to week five and still need a nap to make it through the day. I find that pain is still a constant which upsets me no end. My PT is starting to work on stairs starting up with the surgical leg. I found that after ten of those I was wiped clean out. I do see the progress but am really ready to walk out the other side of pain. I thought my Dr. was being generous by filling out the FMLA paperwork at eight weeks just to cover any complications. It is a shock to me that I may end up using every day of it. I want to go back in the pool. My incession is healed and does not look to bad so hope my Dr. gives the thumbs up for pool workouts when I see him next week. Thanks to everyone who has walked through this with me and has help my hand. Without you I would have had many panic attacks. Again thanks for the first five, now the next five.

kjv1956

Post edited by: kjv1956, at: 07/22/2010 07:38 AM

You can do it!

No need for thanks and you can do this the roughest part is over

I am making progress everyday which I am so happy about but I do wish this blasted pain would go away. It is still bad below the knee, the calf and the upper thigh on the outside of the right leg. I have no idea what that is all about. My PT keeps asking me about my low back and the pain levels there as that is usually where the thigh and calf pain is from. I do have these problems in the low back but never dreamed that the TNR would irratate those nerves so badly. I have started doing my upper body workouts again and some of the lower that does not hurt my knee. Go back to the Dr. on Thursday for my check up. My PT is going start working on the driving movements and strength/endurance for walking alot at work. Time will tell. Keep you updated.

kjv1956

Let me introduce myself.

My name in Christine, I live the the Portland, Oregon area and had a left TKA on July 13. It was a little complicated as I had had an ACL replacement in 1983 as part of the trial study using carbon filament and the carbon filament while intact had recently shredded invading the synovial fluid and they had to clean that out before going further.

Recovery was also challenging as I had a reaction to the anesthetic and received not one but two doses of nar-can and six hours in the recovery room - bless those nurses. They shared that had I chosen the spinal block in additional to the general that I would have ended up in the ICU...or worse.

I have been off the oxy for a week now preferring the discomfort and misery and being able drive and function to the blue fog of the oxy.

kjv 1956, I am going to suggest that the pain is from the tourniquet.

I am 12 days post-op and making the same complaint. I am bruised from hip to ankle...and the stretch from the staples is not helping either. Glad they come out on Wednesday or I might rip them out myself...all 30 + 1 of them.

I am using an acupuncturist to help with my healing and recovery and after making the complaint to her since she is also a friend, she just brought me (yes, on a Sunday, she is truly an angel) Arnica ointment to help with the bruising and an new herbal supplement product for anti-inflammatory since I am still on the cumadin.

I start pt tomorrow morning, having had one orientation appt and I am **not** looking forward to it - even tho I worked diligently pre-surgery with my swimming and yoga to strengthen my muscles. The flexion for me will be the most intense and challenging part of recovery. Fortunately that will be followed by an acupuncture appt.

I am also looking into shiatsu as a complement to the acupuncture.

hi there,

gads you have been through the ringer. pt is painful but has helped agreat deal. thank god my dr did not use staples. my incesion is all closed up so i am hoping togo in the pool for a workout. i was wondering if the nerve block has anything to do with the thigh pain. my prayers are with you and your recovery. thanks for responding.

kjv1956

Dear Sanukgray,

Welcome! This is a great group to be in... I read your post and wanted to say a word of caution about herbal supplements... They sometimes have similar side effects as their pharmaceutical counterparts... but thankfully there is a Physician's Desk Reference (PDR) for herbs and other supplements... For instance, Ginko Biloba (?) has an effect that leads to bleeding and should not be taken with aspirin or other antiinflammatories and St. John's Wart lowers the efficacy of birth control pills... Those are just a couple of examples, but your doc might have the herbal PDR or you can look up on the internet I'm sure... I just want you to be careful and take good care of you,

Jen

Dear Jen,

Thank you for your post. You are so correct about mixing herbal supplements with OTC or prescribed drugs.

I am **so very** fortunate that my acupuncturist is also an MD - she is the only Oregon-licensed MD Acupuncturist. She is also the only physician in Oregon with NCCAOM certification in Chinese Herbology.

I had my first intense PT today and I was dreading it as my knee flexion has been poor for several years, but we did work thru it, I now have my homework and yoga tomorrow and on we go. I will also be increasing the degree of flexion on the CPM machine - PT wants me to work towards 90 degrees from 60 degrees...ouch! I will...in 5 degree increments.

Today is probably my best day yet. The burning aches/pain in the anterior medial compartment where there was/is some arthritis has been minimal and when the ache began in ernest after my exciting day I applied the arnica ointment and within half hour was able to be back at the computer instead of on the sofa with my leg on the sofa back trying to get away from from the deep ache. So now I can finally work on the thank you notes to the superb support staff at the hospital.

The other bold thing I did today was to drop by work. I had been out of work 11 months and two weeks before the surgery landed this great job in my field, no less, with the understanding that I would be taking time off for the surgery. How much time? I asked for two weeks with the distinct possibility that it would be more and my return dependent upon doctor's release. Ten days after surgery I rec'd a call from my supervisor wanting to know how soon I could be back at work as they needed me because of vacations. We negotiated that there would be another conversation after the staples were out. but I was in the area today and in I hobbled, in shorts, with staples and bruises from hip to ankle in full display. To make a long story short, I was told to take what time I needed to recover.

So I am now two weeks post-op and moving forward.

Thanks JTrempe for that important reminder. I had huge ice bags for the top and bottom of the knee which I used four times a day. Finally after five weeks the swelling is almost normal and the nerve pain has greatly reduced. Hop in more often with more tips we can all use.

kjv1956

Morning Sanukgray,

You are soooo lucky to have such a knowledgeable friend... I live in Arkansas and it's not quite as progressive about alternative medicine here, though getting better... I've always wondered about accupuncture for me... I know it's a valid form of treatment because they use it on horses with great success, so no placebo affect there... But I have a lot of nerve damage from 30+ incisions for surgeries, plus the initial compound fracture that split my thigh... Would accupuncture work when all the nerves are going in the wrong direction? Like when I'm shaving my legs, I touch the razor to the left side of my knee and feel it lower on the right side of my knee... So all the nerve messages are mixed up...

I loved my Passive Range of Motion machine and was sorry when my script ran out... I had to use it for 6 hours a day... I'd do 2 hours on the PRoM, and hour of PT and rest. Then I'd get back in the PRoM for 2 hours, an hour of PT and rest... Then 2 hours in the PRoM, an hour of PT and rest and then it was time for dinner and getting ready for bed...

My surgeon and I weren't looking for range of motion improvement, though, just pain relief...

I was off work for 8 1/2 weeks and I wish it could've been longer, or I should've started with half days...

I need to try this arnica ointment... Do you think they have it at Whole Foods?

All I can say is "Wow" (clearly that's figurative because I had a lot to say). You are a super powerhouse... Please be careful not to overdo and undo any of the good work...

Take good care of you,

Jen