Knee replacement

[Zammy]

Sounds like things are progressing Jim, good for you.

[David357]

You are on a roll Jim.

Keep it up.

[Taylor]

Had mine done in April.The first month sucks! Period! But after that,you'll see gains every day,just a little but enough to notice.

Stay with the PT,do what you are told.I still use my cane some,but have needed it for years anyway.Mostly from habit I guess.

I just recently put 1100 miles on my trike.Highway pegs are a good thing.Good luck and hang in there.

[FuzzyWuzHe]

Hmmmm ... Not sure this is something I want to go through alone ... might have to hire a nurse ... LOL ... glad your wife is taking good care of you. I suppose, since I've been through 9 knee operations, I could handle one more ... especially if it's the last. Besides ... 10 is a nice round number ... of course, so would of zero been ...

You know ... if you look up Physical Therapist in the dictionary it says, "See Sadist" ...

[MikeyTX]

Had my left knee done years ago. Can't remember how long it took to get back to normal.

[Dockem]

Had PT in the morning, helped to loosen up how "tight" things felt and the left knee felt pretty good. A couple of exercises, I could tell it was "stretching out" the muscles/ligaments pretty good and they reached the wince face level. But overall it felt pretty good. The PT guy was getting me ready to graduate to the cane soon.

Got home and then I could tell it had worn me out somewhat and iced down the knee for a bit. Couldn't rest too long cuz I had an appt to get the staples out and it's a 30 mile drive to the Doc's office.

Got to my appt to see the Ortho Doc, gal had a special set of pliers that pop the staples out in nothing flat. I hardly felt a thing, which I was happy about! Those staples were starting to bug me and I was glad to get them out. Put a bunch of SteriStrips over the incision and I was set.

The Ortho doc came in and seemed happy with how things looked. The knee is still swollen a bit and looks huge compared to my right knee. But he seemed very pleased with my range of motion: 111 degrees of knee bend and a slight 3 degree bend when trying to straighten it out.

I asked him about the "noise" the joint made when walking and he explained that there is a bit of play or slop with the artificial joint - much like a natural joint has. It's just that in the artificial joint, it is a bit more noticeable and that it would settle down a bit as time went on. I had been concerned that something was not right perhaps and he assured me that the knee is very stable cause it is "hammered" into place! Nothing is gonna come loose! Good to know. To be sure, I gave him a decent situation - no serious bone damage yet.

So, I'll see him in about a month for a check to see how things are going. He said I was okay for driving again. Hoorah! (If it had been a right knee replacement, they usually like to give it about 6 weeks before clearing you for driving.)

I'm getting better at walking "normally" without a limp and should lose the Blue Racer soon. It depends how secure I feel with just the cane and how tired the knee gets. But I can definitely tell it's getting stronger. The PT definitely is helping and a person would be foolish to not do it!

Not my knee, but similar situation:

[frostbite51]

Jim, would you recommend this to someone who lives alone and has no one to come in to help?

[Dockem]

Jim, would you recommend this to someone who lives alone and has no one to come in to help?

It would be tough on the them, especially the first two weeks. I think that there are some things that are immeasurably easier with some helping hands. I think it would be wise to have some kind of help available at first.



I've had the wife help out putting on the compression stockings (help prevent blood clots!) which would be practically impossible without help. Also, inevitably once I would get settled in on the bed or in an easy chair, I'd have to ask the wife to get me something that I needed. Getting up and around is a slower than usual process. The energy level is taxed more after the surgery.

PS: The wife was needed to drive me to the PT appts., etc.

[FuzzyWuzHe]

Keep up the progress .. and the reports ... my nurse at the VA told me my doc was trying to get me to see the surgeon ... looks like this is in my very near future ... hopefully after November 1 ... don't want to let my customers down on closings.

Not sure how other VA's are .. but at mine, you take whatever appointment you get and smile about it. If they told me they where cutting tomorrow, I'd go with a smile.

[Dockem]

Wed. PT was pretty hard on me, although it didn't seem so at the time. We were also having some foundation work done that morning and so I did have a lot more walking to see what the contractor was up to. I even did the stairs to the basement (one at a time). I definitely needed a rest.

After that, I was pretty tapped out for the rest of the day - iced down the knee and took 1/2 pain pill. Woke up from a nap, ate an early dinner and fell back to sleep. Finally, woke up for a couple of hours and then officially went to bed at 10pm. The knee was still letting me know I had over worked it.

Woke up this a.m. (Thurs) and the knee felt good, no real problem walking with the Racer or cane. Swelling was way down also. But I took it a bit easier on it today, no racing our dogs down the hallway to the kitchen! All I needed was an Advil tablet twice today.

So, there are good days and not so good days as far as how it feels and how much you use it. But I can tell it's improving.

[frostbite51]

Jim, thanks for the reply. That's what I was afraid of. I need both knees and both hips done, bone on bone on one side, close on the other, but don't think my dogs would be much help in getting around. Guess I'll just have to live with it...

[Dockem]

Jim, thanks for the reply. That's what I was afraid of. I need both knees and both hips done, bone on bone on one side, close on the other, but don't think my dogs would be much help in getting around. Guess I'll just have to live with it...

Have you checked with social services thru the hospital? They can sometimes offer solutions to help you out.

I hate to see you hurting when there may be help available.

[frostbite51]

I looked into that when my wife had her stroke. Cheapest at that time was $26 an hour.

On the flip side, I can get a hooker for $200 a night.

Decisions, decisions...

[Dockem]

I looked into that when my wife had her stroke. Cheapest at that time was $26 an hour.

On the flip side, I can get a hooker for $200 a night.

Decisions, decisions...

Hmmmmm, healthcare with fringe benefits. The possibilities are mind boggling!

Best wishes!

[MikeyTX]

Keep up the progress .. and the reports ... my nurse at the VA told me my doc was trying to get me to see the surgeon ... looks like this is in my very near future ... hopefully after November 1 ... don't want to let my customers down on closings.

Not sure how other VA's are .. but at mine, you take whatever appointment you get and smile about it. If they told me they where cutting tomorrow, I'd go with a smile.

I am so glad I don't use the VA. Marine Corps or not, the VA hospital scares the crap out of me. At least the one here in Dallas does.

[Dockem]

Had PT yesterday, added a few more exercises, whew!

Semi knee squats, riding the bike, etc. Doesn't sound like much, but I could tell it was really putting a strain on the old knee muscles. Got some swelling afterwards, so ice was needed.

I still like using the Blue Racer because I can walk normally behind it, I tend to lean using the cane. For short stints, I can walk without anything, but still like the security of having a hand hold close by to make sure I'm steady. (Could also be some of my B/P meds side effects.) No real pain from the joint, just muscle soreness after a PT session.

I don't think I'm quite ready to try getting on/off the trike. I need a bit more strength in the knee, methinks. But things are getting better.

[peteg59]

Sounds like progress is happening Jim. Might not be at the speed you would like right now, but don't worry it'll all be a past memory in no time.

Keep on keepin on!

[Coach 64]

Jim:

I've been reading your post, very interesting. I had my left knee replaced 8 weeks ago today (total knee). Like most said keep doing the therapy, it hurts but the end is worth it. I know cause I had my right knee done 19 years ago. I have been on the trike the last 3 sundays, a little stiff but ok.

Tom

[Dockem]

Haven't posted in awhile, guess that's a sign things are going good.

The knee feels pretty good when I first get up in the morning and I can walk/hobble around fairly decently. As the day goes on, I tend to want to use the cane a bit to help out though.

The knee will tend to "stiffen up" as the day goes on and I've found using my recumbant stationary bike is a great help. Riding more than 10 minutes really helps loosen it up and feel better. I've been able to back off the ice packs a bit, except after PT - they tend to wear you out.

A friend that had a knee done a year ago said that around 3 months, you really start to feel normal and after about 6 months, you don't give it a second thought. They said the ice packs and elevating the leg will also be in order for a bit more.

So, things are progressing and getting better as time goes on. Just gotta keep the knee loosened up and continue with exercising it to keep getting stronger.

[MikeyTX]

Sounds like you need a younger woman to chase around the house. 😉