MS and TKR

Yes and usually the anesthesiologist reviews your records before surgery so they should be aware of the MS. As far as the doctors go who knows. It seems these knee replacements are their bread and butter. They do them like an assembly line. When they're finished they move on to the next person and push you to PT. Very little follow up and aftercare. It's amazing the number of people who are suffering that post on this forum. It's very sad

I saw the surgeons assistant 10 days Post op and the surgeon 6 weeks post op and will see him 12 weeks post op.  He follows the pt as much as he gets feed back from his patients.  My first pt was awful and told him.  He called and told them he wouldn't send any more patients to them because they would not follow his program but got terribly aggressive causing undo pain and set backs.  So some are very good surgeons.

That's awesome. It sounds like your doctor really cares. I love that he called PT and got after them. I'm still in pain whenever I do my exercises. I keep thinking I should be doing more and when I do I end up crying in pain.

I know about that.  There isn't much margin for overdoing it.  Just hope as things heal we'll have more endurance.  I do see less fatigue.  I'm 2 months out the end of this week.  Just riding in the car for an hour and my leg starts to feel like it has lead inside.  I hear others are like this too.  Much of my down time is spent with my knee up.

Me too. It just hurts constantly. I'm so sick of this pain. Thanks for sharing. Hugs

I am believing everyone who says it will get better.  I think the hard thing about it is how long it takes, and improvements are so gradual you don't almost notice at first.  

Lynn I just realized that my pain becomes unbearable when it rains and the weather is damp. Have you noticed more pain when it rains?

It's such slow progress. I want to go walking. I want to go running. I want to dig in my gardens and pick up walnuts in my yard. Just vacuuming, cleaning the bathrooms and doing laundry are about the extent of my activities. I haven't even gone grocery shopping or to the mall because I'm afraid something will happen and I'll make a spectacle of myself crying and limping to my car! I always do the outside and inside Christmas decorations. Climbing ladders and hanging lights. I hope I can do that this year. That's November when I start. Ugh!

Use the motorized carts at grocery stores.  They are for people who can't shop because of physical limitations.  I have had to let my husband do most everything.  I've managed to cook simple things for company, but not much housecleaning.  My surgeon told my husband I wasn't to do dishes for 3 months.  I could do them but better I use that time to work on my bend or any number of other low key things where I don't have to be on my feet.  Walking is still not a big accomplishment for me.  Too much for me is still not alot of walking, so I don't do it unless necessary.  I think I read somewhere the advice: if you can sit and do something - do that instead of being on your feet.  There is still alot of healing that hasn't happened yet, so I don't feel lazy or guilty for not pushing it.  Besides the set backs are so out of proportion to the little extra you think you are getting done.  When I read about people still having swelling or soreness and trouble sleeping over a year later, I wonder to myself if they are the ones who pused it, as in going back to work in 6 weeks, or walking three miles at just 5 weeks post op.  Obviously they are much younger than I and I thank my lucky stars I am retired and can just let myself heal, without the added  pressure of going back to work.  Even a sit down job would wreck me because the knee just isn't ready to be down all the time.  When time comes for decorating - and if you aren't really up to all of it, find some helpers....and if it's not decorated as nicely as you'd like, well people should certainly understand that you have limits.  I am starting to look to next summer to find the sunny spot in all of this.  I am hoping to travel, hike and be back into all the outside activities.  My RA doc said in 6 months, she bets I won't even be thinking about the knee all the time.  Sure hope she's right.  What a dear she was to show me her scar from having her ACL repaired.  Then she put her hand over my knee and said, It's going to be alright.  Aren't people like that just the greatest?

Not really, but I do notice more pain when it gets colder.  Wish we could move south for the winter.

Me too! I live in Western New York. Brrrr

You're so positive! Thank you for the good advice. We are sisters going through this journey. And yes. I will enlist helpers! I had a lung removed the day before Thanksgiving 2014 and inspite of having cancer I felt great. I had all my decorations up before surgery. Well I ended up being in the hospital till New Years Eve. My doctor couldn't figure out why I wasn't healing. But my husband and son did put up a tree for me cause everyday we thought I was getting out of that darn hospital. That was a tough time. Crying and depressed. Pain unbearable. But they took care of that pretty well. So I guess if I survived that I can survive this.

Hi Renee i was saying exactly the same thing to my wife just the other day its as if we are put on a conveyer belt and shoved off the other end there you go all done now get on with it lol and no one tells you about the aftermath and that the progress is so slow im a big strapping guy who has been through a lot in life but this as been one of the worst experiences i only pray that there will be a vast improvement in my life when things do eventually get better and i hope the same for all our friends in here good luck.

Johnny I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels like a widget on an assembly line! I've reached out to my Primary Care physician who's known me for 20 years. He didn't like that he had to deal with my aftercare instead of the surgeon. I had the most brutal PT session that caused unbearable pain. I went and saw my Primary. He had me on no weight bearing on the leg. That made a huge difference as I was healing. My ROM was fine. I just need to build muscle at this point. I've lost so much weight mostly muscle. Did 15 minutes on my bike yesterday and paid the price last night. Ice and pain pills to the rescue! It's so frustrating. I even had to break out my crutches till the pills kicked in. Ugh! I was ready to put them away for good. I hope you are doing better. Thank goodness for this forum. Prayer and hugs!

Oy Vay having a lung taken is major - much more serious than a TKR.  Gosh you have been through alot.  Surviving cancer is quite an accomplishment.  The duration of this TKR is just wearing you down.  If you could see some of those small improvements it would help your outlook.  One of mine recently was seeing I could sit down without putting my leg out and then slowly bending it to 90.  Now I can sit as I bend it.  Just a tiny change, but still....and I just recently gained 5 more degrees of bend so, I am encouraged.  Of course the knee reacts by swelling, but I'm not thrown down by that anymore.  Sometimes I just tell my knee to stop complaining.  It has a whinny voice in my head and early on a threatening one, telling me, you bend me more than 90 and I will hurt you.  Made me laugh and that's what's important.  The audacity that my knee can threaten me, HA!  I'm given the orders now, buster.

Lynn thank you. Yeah the lung cancer was huge. I worked hard at getting back to normal. I haven't felt right since then. No motivation. No appetite. Ive lost so much weight I look like a skeleton. I've always been a fanatical exerciser cause I hada desk job for 30 years. I'm anorexic too. Hot mess! Well I grew up with Twiggy as my idol lol. I guess at 57 I just finally wore out the knee from all the years of running walking step aerobics and yoga. I just bought an exercise bike to build back some muscle but I have to start eating to do that. I've been drinking Ensure to supplement my non eating. Thank you for your support. It really helps. Hugs. Don't we all need one. I just burst out crying sometimes like right now. It's all catching up to me I think.

Renee the most important thing i find and have heard in this wonderful site is listen to your body it will tell you when you have had enough few hours after my op the surgeon had me raising my leg this was easy because i was still fill of anesthetic when I came out 2 days after i couldnt lift it an inch for a week i just tried a little each day eventually i started to lift it my body told me it was time remember a marathon not a sprint .

Yep me too! Where are those pain blocking shots when we need them now lol!! It's just frustrating it's so easy to overdo it cause you're having a good day. And then bam! Pain sets in a few hours later and it's awful. Thank you. I've been trying to listen to my body. Feel better.

Absolutely true your body tells you when it can do more.  But we can get carried away with enthusiasm which is hard to fight when feeling better.  I had my last PT tell me that it was different with TKR and that it's only too much if it swells up alot.  After another visit I left because it was taking to long, (2 days) to rest up from their overdoing it.  They have a program and put you on several machines and so on, which will be okay in time, just not right now for me.