Survived! Mobilisation of knee under anesthesia

Posted , 12 users are following.

deal fellow TKR champions ... i just wanted to give you an update on how my much dreaded mobilisation went. first of all, thanks to all of you who where thinking and rooting for me. all the positive vibes reached me!  for anybody new joining, i had my TKR exactly 12 weeks ago and really, really struggled with the bend.  my physio said it was like a wall.  on a bad day we would get 90 degrees, on a good one, 100.  and this was with bendy machine at home, physio 3 times a week, acupuncture once a week and kinesiology once a week.  

i went in on tuesday morning, very nervous and worried so they gave me a calming pill which helped until i went into anesthesisa where they struggled to place the spinal catheter (similar to women going in for a long birthing process).  this was very,very unpleasant but the next i knew, they were putting me under and 10 minutes later it was all done.

once i got to my room - very swanky room which i had to myself for 2 days on my own, a complete bonus and a gift from the gods as i should have been up with the masses -  i was immediately put on the knee bendy machine which i quickly got a 125 degree bend on.  my doc came and told me that i could have been at the physio for a thousand years and i wouldn't have got the necessary bend, it took considerable forcing to get the scaring to give and promptly upped the machine to 130! this is where it stayed for 48 hours solid, minus pee breaks and sitting on the side of the bed to eat.  during these 48 hours i was on the pain catheter PLUS my usual meds so zero pain ... also zero sleep but hey ho!  they then turned the pain catheter off and i was really, really concerned the pain would kick in but no and so i stayed on the machine for another 12 hours, always at 130 degrees.

i came home yesterday, walking without sticks but with a limp.  my leg feels like it has run the marathon.  or gone under the steam roller.  very, very sore but not stabbing pain.  i came in, greeted the cats and collapsed in bed for 3 hours, dead to the world.

today i went and got some arnica c200 globuli, some homeopathic stuff recommended for sports injuries and healing of scars, and was told to take 10 globuli once a week as it is powerful stuff.  i took it and the effect was immediate.  amazing stuff if you can get your hands on it.  i continue to go on the bendy machine at home as well, but this model will "only" go to 120 degrees and because the knee is sore, i have to gradually get up there but get there i do.  remember, this is passive so i will be working on my active bend as well.  my leg feels like it has NO muscle strength at all.  am seeing my phsyio 4 times next week as my doc is determined it won't go back to my paltry 80.

so that is it.  time will tell if it was worth it but so far i am delighted.  and the way the pain got managed was fantastic.  so far, no regrets!

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  • Posted

    I'll support the homeopathic arnica - no idea HOW it works, I only know that when using it before and after knee surgery there was no bruising - much to the nurse's and physio's amazement!

    Brilliant result - a lady in our village went through the same thing with her knee and the result was brilliant too. 

    All the best.

    • Posted

      eileen -- what i didn't know is that arnica comes in different potencies, or strengths.  this c200 is the super strength apparently and you are right, they encourage you to use it before an operation.  were you taking this super potion too?  
    • Posted

      I have not bruised yet. Jus one spot look like a finger print lol. Must been where he was holding. And my back from spinal. I hope ky heald fast lol. Hate being laid up. 
    • Posted

      No, just ordinary c30 I think it was - it was 20 years ago! I know homeopathic remedies come in various potencies and I was told to use a lower potency but take it every couple of hours. Your version sounds MUCH better! I was having a plate removed and apparently usually the bruising is worse than putting it in which is surprising when you think of all the damage there was around when it was put in! After they took it out and the physios appeared to get me up and show me how to walk I just walked for them - they hadn't come across anyone with so little pain either. I was given morphine once the epidural wore off and felt so ill I declined any more and just used paracetamol and that was fine. I was out in the garden the day after supervising my mother doing some gardening for me! Arnica cream is good too for ordinary bruising.
    • Posted

      I wish I'd known about arnica straight after the op - I was black and blue from ankle to top of thigh! Is it any good for muscle weakness or is it just bruising? 
  • Posted

    Well done britta

    it's lovely to hear from you and that you are  doing well...keep up the good work 

    all the best 

    Jean 

  • Posted

    Well done Britta! It's great that you've achieved that bend! What worries me, at 6 weeks, 3days is that my consultant was happy to sign me off for a year with a bend of 90' and no further physiotherapy sessions. (I'm paying for some more sessions myself). Is it a case that consultants all have different ideas of what degree of bend they are happy with? 
    • Posted

      really? 90 degrees. hmmm ... my surgeon did not force me to have it done but felt that 90 simply didn't give me the mobility worthy of a 51 year old. perhaps - and only perhaps - at 80 he felt 90 degrees was enough, but ... it is really up to you glenda. i found hobbling down stairs, doing a contortionists act to get out of the car and being given the evil eye by my fellow train travellers soul destroying. it constantly reminded me of my knee and the pain. 90, or even 100, was not going to work long term for me.  if it works for you, then don't worry. but if you are paying for physio then i am guessing it isn't. can you get on the bike and do a full rotation? that's my goal ... perhaps you need to work towards a goal and if not achievable, go back to your surgeon or better yet, consult with somebody with a grip on  day-to-day reality. sorry, but your surgeon sounds like a tool.
    • Posted

      I'm only 57 and I certainly intend to get a better bend than 90' even if I'm paying myself! I was a bit surprised to be sent away with only 90' I must say. Are you in the UK?
    • Posted

      Hi Glenda, my bend is pretty good I think (luckily) tho' I've never had it measured since my initial physio session after coming home! I remember the consultant saying to me at my 6 weeks check up that you need a 90 bend to sit comfortably and anything more than that is a bonus. I've found that the Docyors aren't that concerned with these details. I have to complete a questionnaire each check up about pain levels and coping with daily tasks. As my score is ok on that he seems quite happy! I've found that the physios give me better treatment and are still treating me for problems I'm getting so I think you're right in persevering with more physio to get your bend better. Hope it works for you. Jen 20 weeks 
    • Posted

      Britta have a look at my discussion "what happens when your consultant and physio abandons you at 6 weeks?" Of course I want to ride my bike etc and do far more as I'm only in my 50's too but as a newbie I don't know what to expect from the medical world but from the comments on this forum I can see that many folks are left to get on with it depending on where they live, not only in the world but in their location if it's in the UK!

      My consultant seems to have done a good job & has said that I can contact him should I have any concerns and said to keep up the exercises at home and in a year or so, I should even be able to ski! However, he did mention that my TKR will only last around ten to twelve years. Anyway, I've booked some more physio and I'll battle on with my exercises and will get those pedals to eventually turn in a full circle! cheesygrin

    • Posted

      Did I tell you to make sure the seat on your bike is set quite high? I found this helped. 
    • Posted

      hi glenda ...no, i am based out of switzerland, zurich to be exact so things do work a bit differently here from a medical perspective but we, as humans, are the same whether here or there.  jennifer86104 writes that her surgeon told her 90 degrees was needed to sit comfortably.  i would not agree!  not in a tight train and not in a plane all the way to asia!  in an ideal world specialists would have had the same operations as we have had to actually know what they are talking about.  sorry, but sometimes it is such tosh, even coming out of the mouth of my doc.

      i also read that in the area you live there is a long waiting list to get to the physio.  see, my brain cannot compute that.  physio is not something you can plan to want/need 4 months down the road.  so what happens to people who need physio urgently and who cannot afford to pay £50 per session?  those are steep prices, it is cheaper in switzerland! i pay chf 50 per session which is approx £35.  i don't know, something not right. i don't love everything about switzerland but i do love the way the medical / care works.

      glenda, you will get there, you are in good hands with your physio.  just a pity that you have to pay for it yourself.

  • Posted

    Good to hear it went well Britta. Hopefully it can only get better now. It took me a while to realise that the scar underneath was more important than the visible one. Keep up the good work. x

     

    • Posted

      so true, carol!! nobody tells you about the hidden scar. even one of my physios had to be educated. i was worried that this scar would be really sore after the mobilisation but not at all. it is more muscular.
    • Posted

      That's probably why it stiffens up with no exercise. It's like an iceberg, more going on underneath than on top.
    • Posted

      I hate my knee being so stuff.  I came off the excerise machine and took me a while to get standing up lol. Fills the my knee has to move to work. It's weird feeling. But I am sure it will be worth it. For many yrs I felt a ripping pain when I walked. And know I do nor. The pain know is ache and weird cramps and spasms. But nothing like before.   Good luck to all. 

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