Moemg
Gone but not forgotten
You are doing great !
Thanks!!! I am sure you were doing better, though. I couldn't even get on a bed until a few days ago, and still haven't dared to do that while alone, yet. And I am pretty sure I can't walk as far as you could.You're doing much better that I was at two weeks. That's great.
Bonesmart.org is more of a support group with crowd sourced success and failure stories - wrt THR, i found all advice well structured. Hips can recover with zero PT! As long as the core need is mobility. Hip 1 for me was 20 years ago, hip to three months ago. I did nothing more that stretch and walk in both cases.
TKRs are a different bird, requiring significant effort and painful PT to be truly successful - or, at least that is my observation.
A knee is different. You need to do range of motion exercises frequently right from the start as well as walking up to your tolerance without over doing it. Strength building exercises are not needed in the first few months. They are more likely to cause a setback than a quicker recovery in most cases. Just focus on range of motion and walking.
W2R,
Wondering how your recovery is coming along after the long Labor Day weekend?
omni
Thanks for asking! It is still coming along. Today is the "three week anniversary" of my surgery. As you know this surgery has a long recovery period but so far so good.
Today the physical therapy "boss guy" was my PT person. He said that my ROM is now up to 101 degrees! Of course ROM isn't everything, although he also said I was recovering very nicely overall. There are always some things to work on, that he pointed out. This was my last home PT appointment, thank goodness. I might go to outpatient PT but at least I don't have to have people coming to my home any more.
After PT, Frank and I went out to lunch again at our favorite restaurant.
Tomorrow I have my first post-operative appointment with my surgeon. I have several questions to ask him, such as (1) when I can drive, (2) can he give me his clearance for my dentist to treat some dental problems that just developed, and (3) what is his suggestion for a milder pain med that I could slowly transition to. I love the hydrocodone+acetaminophen pain meds that I am on, but perhaps too much and I would rather not be taking addictive drugs any longer than I need them.
My knee scar looks absolutely amazing - - the healthiest looking one I have ever seen, especially this soon after surgery. It is healing up beautifully with no pink or redness or swelling or other various signs of infection. It is healing so fast that I can almost see the difference from one day to the next. My stamina is still limited but at this stage I don't need much. Before surgery my right knee wouldn't even bear 5 pounds of weight; now, it can bear over 100 pounds. So I am making progress but still have a ways to go.
That sounds absolutely fabulous!..the quick healing scar, the range of motion, the increased weight-bearing...it's all good news.
I'm very impressed especially as it's only been 3 weeks. Your recovery is amazing. Keep it up!
omni
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.
W2R,
Oh, sorry to hear that, especially your recovery seemed to be going so well. Abscessed teeth can become very painful...and add the potential risk of infection for someone who has a brand-new knee.
Glad you were able to catch your dentist on his way out of town. Keeping my fingers crossed that it's not a big deal.
omni
Turns out that although it FELT like an abscessed tooth to me, actually it wasn't. One of my wisdom teeth erupted. Yeah, I'm 71 and it's not fair. Anyway, my dentist doesn't pull teeth so he referred me to an oral surgeon (the excellent one that did my dental implants). The oral surgeon will talk to the orthopedic surgeon about the timing of this tooth extraction and when that time arrives, I'll have it done.
Well, in my book, that erupting tooth sounds like a pain, but WAY better than an abscessed tooth and possible secondary infection!
Hope it doesn't hurt too much now (maybe your pain pills can ameliorate the discomfort)...or when it eventually gets yanked.
omni
Thanks, me too!!Glad you didn't have an abscess to deal with !
Today I had my first "real PT" session at the PT facility (as opposed to the in home PT where they come to my house).
Whew, I'm worn out!
They had a lot of neat ideas and equipment. I think the intensity of my PT sessions just escalated quite a bit.
Thank you, Omni550! I think yesterday's PT session was really constructive. I felt like I had actually done some physical exercise which is a great feeling.Thanks for the update,W2R.
Sounds like you're getting to the 'serious PT stuff' now.
omni
Thank you. I will take your warnings to heart, and definitely will remember that and keep an eye on things.Remember, you have the right to say no to any exercise they want you to do. They can't force you to do it. If you have a significant increase in pain that lingers then say no next time. If you say stop and they keep pushing, that is assault. It happens far too frequently. Don't let it happen to you.
This morning my surgical knee, which could only bear 5 pounds or so before surgery, was almost able to bear my entire weight! Soon I will be standing on that one leg only, like a flamingo, with a huge smile on my face. The more weight it can bear, the better my gait will get and soon I may not even be limping.
WooHoo...I can just picture you standing like a flamingo!
And, hopefully, soon thereafter you'll get to dancin' the next time you hear one of those New Orleans street bands go by...
omni
This morning my surgical knee, which could only bear 5 pounds or so before surgery, was almost able to bear my entire weight! Soon I will be standing on that one leg only, like a flamingo, with a huge smile on my face. The more weight it can bear, the better my gait will get and soon I may not even be limping.