Chuckanuts Total Knee Replacement story

[kgtest]

Lol, I have to laugh but I know it probably sucks bad. My ole man went through the TNR and he is still having issues...it keeps swelling to the point he needs it drained. SO half his life now he is walking around with an ice pack on it. And I don't think he's slept a full night since the first TNR surgery. Hang in there. take it easy, that is my dad's downfall.

[aaronc879]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kgtest Lol, I have to laugh but I know it probably sucks bad. My ole man went through the TNR and he is still having issues...it keeps swelling to the point he needs it drained. SO half his life now he is walking around with an ice pack on it. And I don't think he's slept a full night since the first TNR surgery. Hang in there. take it easy, that is my dad's downfall.

TNR? Did he have his neck replaced? Haha. Or did you mean TKR?

[W2R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuckanut Well, here's old Chuck happily cruising walking through week 7 on the way to week 8, when from out of nowhere...... I looked at my knee one morning and saw a pea sized ball of puss coming out of the last scab on my incision. Thankfully, due to a fluke in the doctor's schedule, I got to see the Dr within a few hours. He suspected a stitch abscess. He cleaned out the wound and did not find a stitch to remove. He thinks the stitch dissolved but left a open space underneath the skin. This space fills with fluid that bacteria love. Apparently, stitch abscesses are not uncommon. But given the fear of infection in a new joint, it does give cause for concern. The doctor cleaned out the wound and gave me instructions for caring for it Once a day I remove the dressing, squeeze a big glop of bacitracin onto the wound and put on a new dressing. I am also taking an oral antibiotic. The doctor thanked me for coming in promptly and not letting it fester into something worse.

Oh no!!! I'm glad you saw your doctor right away, though, and that he is taking care of it.

I had a similar scare today. I have had symptoms of an abscessed tooth for a few days, and mentioned it to my surgeon at our first post-op meeting today. He immediately put me on amoxycillin and told me to see my dentist ASAP because we don't want infection to spread to the new knee.

I called my dentist, who, as luck would have it, was headed out for a two week vacation in the morning. He graciously consented to see me at 8:30 tomorrow morning on his way out of town. I'll have to set an alarm for this one.

[kgtest]

Whoopsie. Spelling is hard hahaha. TKR. Knee, knee, knee

[Chuckanut]

8 weeks since the surgery.....

A few more small victories on the long hard road to recovery.

Going downstairs on the surgical knee is now less painful than my other knee. In fact, I need to ask the doctor what he did that is turning my 'good' knee into my 'bad' knee.

When sitting at a dining room chair I can finally bring my foot up close enough to my fingers to just barely tie my shoes. Until that last week my fingers were about an inch to far away and I could not even touch the laces much less manipulate the.

I attribute this new flexibility to riding my stationary bike. It's a challenge at first to do one complete rotation. The quads don't want to stretch that far and some connective tissue is unhappy, but with gentle back and forth coaxing I can get them to agree. After the first few rotations, it is almost EZ. It's not good enough to take a long ride on a real bike, but it's progress.

I still ice the knee several times a day after exercise, walks and the stationary bike. That will go on for months more.

Thanks to all for the good thoughts, wishes and prayers. They are appreciated.

[W2R]

Chuckanut, congratulations!

How very COOL that your "good" knee is now your "bad" knee and vice versa! Oh I can only dream of the day although I, too, am making progress in the right direction. I can't make a complete rotation on a stationary bike yet, but my PT had me on it yesterday to stretch the surgical knee a bit by gently pushing to rotate the other pedal. A complete rotation doesn't seem too far away.

Tying my shoes has never been a problem in my case, probably due to my particular body configuration and flexibility of other body parts. I am still in awe of how easily and soon you were able to get onto and off of your bed right from the beginning (something that was very difficult for me for quite a while).

I love the way that we continue to notice little unexpected victories and improvements. This morning (29 days after surgery) I was almost able to put my full weight on my surgical knee! That's the knee that wouldn't bear more than 5 pounds before surgery. I am not yet standing on one foot like a flamingo with my non-surgical leg off the ground, but I think that could be possible later this week. Or maybe this afternoon.

[N02L84ER]

Congratulations, both of you, on the progress.

[Moemg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuckanut 8 weeks since the surgery..... A few more small victories on the long hard road to recovery.

At some point you will not even notice your replaced knee . You are doing great !

[aja8888]

Chuck..let's hope that the old "good" knee doesn't turn out to be the "new" bad knee once the old "bad" knee becomes the "new" good knee!

[Chuckanut]

At some point you will not even notice your replaced knee . You are doing great ![/QUOTE]

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25623519

It's called the Forgotten Knee syndrom and it is the gold standard for getting a new knee:

Quote:

RESULTS: Five hundred and eighty-four TKRs in 485 patients were included. Among the TKR, 91.6% were performed for severe osteoarthritis of the knee. FK frequency at a mean 75.8 months' follow-up was 42.9% while 86.1% of TKRs had excellent (KS Knee Score (KSKS)>80) or 34.9% perfect (KSKS=100) outcome. Only 66.1% of the 204 TKRs with perfect outcome on KSKS were reported as FK. Most patients achieved FK within 18 months. CONCLUSION: In this prospective study, 42.9% of TKRs were considered always forgotten in all everyday activities.

[Chuckanut]

Two months since the surgery.

I spent an entire morning and part of an afternoon, getting my home to be more normal. I just don’t need all the accommodations I made a few days before surgery. I also cleaned out several drawers and storage areas where I have been hoarding stuff I will probably never again have a use for. I hope the stuff can be useful to others.

I also started clearing up the clutter that has developed in my garage. No heavy lifting, but I managed to get some things boxed and organized.

One thing I have noticed is that as my walking becomes normal and I start doing things like shopping and visiting friends, people start to assume that I am ‘cured’. I have to gently remind them that I still get tired easily, my knee has lots of small pains, soreness and even a sharp pain now and then. It’s still swollen and tight most of the day. And, while walking up and down stairs is getting far better, carrying bulky things up and down stairs is still iffy.


Stretching, riding my stationary bike and walking are my preferred methods of PT. I now have the bike seat lower than when I was using it for cardio before the surgery. Even my non-surgical knee complained a bit when I lowered the seat last week. I am also making a point to walk on somewhat uneven surfaces, such as lawns and gravely paths. They add a bit of extra stretching that walking on level and even surfaces does not.

[W2R]

Chuckanut, congratulations - - you sound like you are doing wonderfully! Of course you do get tired easily, and your knee is still a bit swollen, and you have little pains now and then, but it's only been 2 months since your surgery. I think your progress has been terrific, and these more minor problems will vanish in time. Meanwhile your knee is good enough to do nearly anything you might want to do.

[MissMolly]

Way back when I was in my 20's I had gall bladder surgery. It was the full open you up and cut it out surgery - not the 3-hole surgery they do now. It was a good 6 months before I got my energy back. I can't imagine going through major surgery now at this age. Give yourself time. Day by day, it slowly comes back. I think you're doing great.

[scrinch]

Chuckanut I had my first TKR in October 2016 and my second on in October 2018. The first took about 11 months until I didn't think about it any more, and the second took about 6 months. This past summer (8 mos post-op) I backpacked almost 100 miles in the Sierras with a 40lb pack and had zero problems with them. I had initial stiffness and swelling problems with both knees post-surgery, but with time and exercise the problems went away. With the progress that you have made so far, I'm sure that you actually will be "cured" by next spring. That is, unless your new "bad" knee" needs replacing then!

[Chuckanut]

10 weeks post surgery

When I lived in So. Cal I went to Las Vegas a few times. I have always lost money there. Odd since most of the people I know who went their regularly always managed to ‘break even’. I guess the casinos are subsidizing the fun of their customers. What a great group of business owners! To bad they didn't like me as much as all those other people.

I have been hesitant to say this because there is so much unwarranted hype around knee replacement surgery and the supposed ease and quickness of recovery. But, I think I have reached the Breakeven Point. IOW, overall my knee is no worse off today that it was the day before the surgery.

I can do stairs OK, even carrying lightweight objects up and down. I can’t run up and down yet. Walking 1-2 miles is quite doable, though the knee will swell up and be sore. But, the soreness is not nearly as bad as it was three weeks ago. I can peddle my stationary bike with the seat actually lower than I normally would like, though I really feel it in the quads and assorted tissue surrounding the knee. They still don’t want to effortlessly stretch back and forth while I peddle.

However, none of the bad consequences of working the knee are as bad as the consequences I had working the pre-surgery knee. The only advantage the pre-surgery knee still has is that when I woke up first thing in the morning, it was usually ready to go – no pain, no swelling, and no stiffness. Of course, as I used the knee, that all came in huge amounts later in the day.

So this is the day I have been waiting for - 10 weeks of suffering and limited activity, tens of thousands of dollars spent, and my knee is now about the same overall as it was the day before surgery.

There is one big difference between the before-and-after knees. The before knee was going downhill at a steady if not increasing pace and there was no hope that would change. The after knee is slowly getting better, and there is much hope that will continue for a year or two more.

[W2R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuckanut So this is the day I have been waiting for - 10 weeks of suffering and limited activity, tens of thousands of dollars spent, and my knee is now about the same overall as it was the day before surgery. There is one big difference between the before-and-after knees. The before knee was going downhill at a steady if not increasing pace and there was no hope that would change. The after knee is slowly getting better, and there is much hope that will continue for a year or two more.

And don't forget that Total Knee Replacement surgery has a 1-2 year recovery period, so the best is yet to come.

I keep telling myself this too, even on the bad days when I wonder if I am nuttier than a fruitcake to still be considering the same surgery on the other knee.

[scrinch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuckanut 10 weeks post surgery ...... So this is the day I have been waiting for - 10 weeks of suffering and limited activity, tens of thousands of dollars spent, and my knee is now about the same overall as it was the day before surgery. There is one big difference between the before-and-after knees. The before knee was going downhill at a steady if not increasing pace and there was no hope that would change. The after knee is slowly getting better, and there is much hope that will continue for a year or two more.

Congratulations, it sounds like your recovery is right on track. There's that hump that you just got over where you've broken even, and then not far after comes the "wow, I'm much more mobile than I was 6 months ago" stage, and then finally the "not thinking about it much any more" stage. You WILL make it through those stages, and a year after the surgery you'll be asking yourself what all that TKR fuss was about last year.

Gold leader, stay on target!

[Dreamer]

I was 400 miles away from home for 10 weeks this summer watching my grandkids. I was them gone for 10 days on a cruise. I am starting to catch up on some of the posts.

Chuckanut and W2R, I am glad to hear that you are both doing well after your TKRs. Thank you for sharing your TKR information.

[gwix98]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuckanut 10 weeks post surgery When I lived in So. Cal I went to Las Vegas a few times. I have always lost money there. Odd since most of the people I know who went their regularly always managed to ‘break even’. I guess the casinos are subsidizing the fun of their customers. What a great group of business owners! To bad they didn't like me as much as all those other people. I have been hesitant to say this because there is so much unwarranted hype around knee replacement surgery and the supposed ease and quickness of recovery. But, I think I have reached the Breakeven Point. IOW, overall my knee is no worse off today that it was the day before the surgery. I can do stairs OK, even carrying lightweight objects up and down. I can’t run up and down yet. Walking 1-2 miles is quite doable, though the knee will swell up and be sore. But, the soreness is not nearly as bad as it was three weeks ago. I can peddle my stationary bike with the seat actually lower than I normally would like, though I really feel it in the quads and assorted tissue surrounding the knee. They still don’t want to effortlessly stretch back and forth while I peddle. However, none of the bad consequences of working the knee are as bad as the consequences I had working the pre-surgery knee. The only advantage the pre-surgery knee still has is that when I woke up first thing in the morning, it was usually ready to go – no pain, no swelling, and no stiffness. Of course, as I used the knee, that all came in huge amounts later in the day. So this is the day I have been waiting for - 10 weeks of suffering and limited activity, tens of thousands of dollars spent, and my knee is now about the same overall as it was the day before surgery. There is one big difference between the before-and-after knees. The before knee was going downhill at a steady if not increasing pace and there was no hope that would change. The after knee is slowly getting better, and there is much hope that will continue for a year or two more.

I enjoyed your detailed info on your TKR. I’ve been about a month ahead of you and it’s interesting to hear the milestones. I’m at a little over 11 weeks.
The one thing I found most helpful in the recovery was/is daily use of the recumbent bike. It has helped keep the knee flexible, less painful and has improved my ROM (flexion). I left therapy two weeks ago at about 118 degrees.
I also struggle somewhat with swelling but find the bike even helps with that.
Thanks for sharing your journey!

[Chuckanut]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gwix98 I’m at a little over 11 weeks. The one thing I found most helpful in the recovery was/is daily use of the recumbent bike. It has helped keep the knee flexible, less painful and has improved my ROM (flexion). I left therapy two weeks ago at about 118 degrees. I also struggle somewhat with swelling but find the bike even helps with that. Thanks for sharing your journey!

+1 on the biking. It has really helped do away with that feeling that I have a big, strong rubber band wrapped around the knee joint. It also has helped with flexion.