Hot Diggity's knee replacement thread

The best news I got all day was from my physical therapist. I told her that I had been sleeping with a pillow under my ankle like I was instructed at the hospital. She said that now I only had to work on my stretching while I was awake and I could sleep in any position that made me most comfortable. She then proceeded to torture me with stretches for thirty minutes. She was young and attractive, yet firm. She also understood when I needed some support with my weakened muscle condition and wouldn't let the leg move too far without being under control.

If you've never experienced it, uncontrolled rapid movements are one of the most painful parts of joint replacement recovery.

 

I know what you are going through, into my 7th week PT now has me on the exercise machines. I can't believe how weak my legs are -used to be so strong -hope I can get it back again. How's your sleeping -still getting leg pains that wake me up at night. No pain no gain

 

I slept through the night on Tylenol only. Tried laying on my side, but it took awhile to get where the knee was supported well enough to not shift around. I sleep in a recliner and have for 25 years. I'm on my third Beast from the Best Recliner Company.

I just woke up to a flurry of texts asking how I slept.

I did have one nightmare that woke me up, but I had hooked the zombies surprisingly good teeth on a piece of window frame molding, pulled my fingers safely away and was stabbing it in the neck with my ever-present pocket screwdriver using my free hand when the rapid motion woke me up. I had my right hand curled into a fist and slowly checked that all the fingers were still there.

I rolled painlessly onto my back after that and slept great.

Nature calls!

 

Walker Pro Tip - that bag on the front of your walker works on toilets. It is in a bad spot for using the urinal at the pub.

Since I'm also in the way, and look like a soft target, I try to back safely into a stall and shut the door. Most places have spacious disabled facilities anyway. Use them.

 

So I've had this contraption around for a long time. I think it dates back to Mom's knee replacement in the 80's. I used it for an arm bike to get two dislocated shoulders back in shape.

I had started out with it a few days ago, with it on the floor, and could barely get my foiot on the pedal. I'd just rocking back and forth trying to get the knee to flex a bit more. Today I actually pedaled THREE whole revolutions!! I was as giddy as a three year old on a tricycle. I took a break and did TEN revolutions. It wasn't without pain, and by the time I was on eight I was laughing hysterically, which is my pain coping mechanism. My sadistic physical therapists love it.

90 degrees of flex is my goal by Tuesday and I'm nearly there tonight. (Saturday) I feel like I'm ready to walk with a cane since I'm using the walker left handed and carrying plates of food and bottles of beer in my right hand. Only trouble is the transition from
using the cane in the right hand, where its been on and off for twenty-five years, to the left hand. I'll wait til the physical therapist and doctor give me the okay to transition, but I'll be bringing my cane along on Tuesday.

 

There's a whole fraternity of knee replacement recipients out there, and they're a very friendly bunch. I was crossing the street to the pub with my walker last night, trying not to get run over by a horse drawn carriage, and a woman stopped her car in the street and yelled "I'm six weeks out, it gets so much better! Stick with it!" I net another older gentleman leaving the pub who told me he'd had them both done. I asked if he'd had both done at the same time, and he said oh no, and we both agreed that that would be some kind of terrible recovery with both in a weakened state at the same time.

I had a guy stop to show me his scar and tell me he was four weeks out. He even had the same doctor that had done the orthroscopic surgery on my knee in 2018 and removed a free floating bone spur shaped like a rats head. His scar was all nice and smooth with fancy glue and disolving stitches. Mine is going to be gnarly. Good old fashioned staples. About sixty of them. It's going to look like a big shark bite. Arrrr!

Mom told me that hers was easy. They had good drugs back then too. One of the shooters at the range told me that she'd had hers done while we were still doing the COVID shuffle, and she was happy that the gun shop had outdoor stairs so she could exercise her new knee in the open air. (Besides that, the only other places I can think of with stairs at all around here are the hospital and the court house.) She had just gotten to the bottom of the stairs and was turning to go back up when something gave in her knee. She says it was scar tissue tearing. Whatever it was she said it gave her way more flex in her knee and way less pain instantly.

I guess knee replacement is a bit more visible around here, since I only just turned the heat on night before last and still wear shorts out at night. I had to wear shirts about my hip replacement or nobody would know. I even forgot going through the metal detector on base. That was a good day.

This is a journey.

 

It ain't so bad. When I use it for arms I do 100 revolutions in each direction, and the tension hub gets so hot it'll burn you.

One of Mom's old caregivers has had a knee replacement too, and she gave me a snarky response when I told her I was looking forward to getting back on my bikes. So now it's a personal challenge to get back on my bikes as soon as possible.
I pedaled up the hill and down the street three weeks after my hip replacement and was putting on lots of miles before the knee went sideways on me. I rode my new "vintage" Raleigh Technium the Saturday before my surgery and it felt good. Sure beat walking.

Funny thing is that they don't like to do them while you're young, because you could wear it out and need a new one. So I suffered for decades, got a little relief when the spur was removed, but we knew then that I had extensive damage in the joint. They figure older folks are slower and won't wear the knee out in their remaining time. They don't know me very well!

It's like a big club, and it hurts to join.

 

I woke up today and wondered if I'd really accomplished anything yesterday at all with my stretching efforts. The morning stiffness is so bad that I might get 45 degrees of flex. I eased into it and found that I could almost... almost sit down in a chair without kicking my leg out in front of me. I did 20 revolutions in each direction on the pedal torture device, so something must be happening.

I'm getting impatient. I have stuff I'd like to do, people to see, kitties to cuddle and dogs to play with.. It's all getting better. I just have to give it time and not push it so hard that I hurt myself. I still have staples holding my incision together. It's early in the process. I have to keep telling myself that it's on schedule.

I wonder if the doctor will let me keep all the staples if I bring him a container? Maybe I could recycle them and upholster a stool at work with some kevlar airbag material or something.

 

Long trousers today! Whoohoo!

 

In therapy ,, my favorite machines were the bike,, it was adjustable so it would force more bend to the knee ,,, and a machine ,, basically for working leg weights ,, the seat was adjustable so you could get more bend .
Congrats on your recovery achievments .

 

I even get special seating.

 

Hey, look at me, I'm driving again!!

No issues with an hour drive even if I am still using my walker. I got 96 degrees of flex on my 90 degree goal two days ago and I'm working toward 120 degrees.

I have my staples out. Fifty in the big incision and four in the anchor point on the calf for the robotic device. Had a few stitches there too.
I had the doctor save all the staples in a jar for me. They look so tiny when they're not clamping your flesh together. I'll find something they're useful for.

 

Didn't have staples subcutaneous stitches pretty much all healed hardly see a scar. I know the felling great to be driving again.

 

My scar is going to be gnarly looking. It just joins all the others. As long as they don't meet and start looking like a map I'm good.

 

Hot digitty in a month sparking the lady's!

 

I'm just glad to hear your recovery seems to be going well!