Total Knee Replacement 8 weeks Post Op

lou1962, 

Best advise is learn as much as you can about the process.  I did a few things that actually hurt my recovery and no one told me.

Best of luck, Lou, and you certainly have a good attitude! I'm just coming up to my 4 week post TKR, and luckily I seem to have sailed through it all compared to many out there. I have some very good advice which may be too late for you, but others might be able to benefit.

   I was lucky enough to have a neighbour who told me that pre-op physio was just as important as post-op .I went to the hydrotherapy pool at my local hospital and it was wonderful! 2 days a week for 3 months they strengthened my leg muscles, worked on my balance, and helped me develop a really positive frame of mind. And unlike some physios, they didn't treat it like boot camp. It's easier to relax and get results in the pool, and when it hurts - you stop. I'm convinced that the time I spent working on both legs really made a difference.

   I was warned over & over again about the pain, but mine was only bad the first day after the op. I came home 4 days later, and 7 days after that, was told to throw away the crutches - not even a stick! It was scary, but I've not used them since. I do take a stick out with me, just so others don't bump me on the street. I've not really had a bad night's sleep since I came home, but I always take a painkiller before bed, just to be sure. There's no sense in trying to tough it out. Some days all I have is a dull ache, but the knee warns me when I've done too much, and then it's time to put the feet up. I've even started doing some simple gardening.

   At 4 weeks I can almost walk without a limp, although I have to concentrate on that as the stiffness is still really bad. And I was so pleased that others have felt miserable or depressed because that hit me in weeks 2 and 3 when I wanted to jump out of my skin, and no one understood what I was talking about. I did find it hard to concentrate for the first couple of weeks, kept reading the same page over & over, but that's passed now, and the brain seems to have kicked back in. And in 2 more days I'll be back in the hydrotherapy pool.

   Looking back, apart from a minor infection in the wound which cleared up quickly with antibiotics, I seem to have had a very easy time. Even though the hospital physios seemed to be pushing too hard and expecting far too much, I can see now why they did it. Mind you, I do live in Oz, where we're all supposed to be as tough as old boots!

   So, Lou, keep up the positive attitude, don't eat too many cream buns before the big day, and just think of all those alarms you'll be setting off when you next go through a security check!

  To everyone else, cheers from the beautiful Blue Mountains and remember to be kind to yourselves.

  

 

I had mine 6 weeks on Tuesday - my mum aged 82 is having hers on 16th March so it will be interesting to see how you compare. Everyone is very different. My advice is balance - listen to your body, do as you are told, not more or less, accept help in the first couple of weeks and dont be brave - control the pain as this helps exercise and lack of movement is what causes the problems. Ice frequently is good especially before bed - numbs pain and allows you to fall asleep. If you wake up (which you will) shuffle to end of bed and stretch legs of the side or get out and do a few stretches, ice again and get back in. It feels never ending but does pass by. Plenty of fluids and a sensible diet have really helpd me feel good. Be careful of the other knee - take weight on the operated one gradually increasing. Good luck. 

 

Denise how well have you done girl. Can't believe you have achieved so much. There was never a mention of hydrotherapy pools I was not even advised to ice or given iceing facility's . I am in England and really was left to get on with it. At 82 and living alone the after care was none existent take care and keep up the good work.

Thank you Tucks, but I think I owe a lot to the Australian health system. But even over here, getting information is so hard! You really have to know the answers before you know what questions to ask. A physio told me about hydrotherapy before my op, but it was up to me to find out where & how. Also, the physio in hospital had me reach a 70 degree bend the day after surgery, and 90 degrees the day after that. It was very hard going! But I think it set me up for a fairly fast recovery. When I came home, I didn't know what to do next, so I phoned rehab at our local hospital (I'm not near a city) and they helped with advice and some new excercises.

It must be difficult living alone after such an op, Tucks, I really feel for you. Even simple things like carrying a cup of tea are impossible, aren't they? How are you getting on now? And more important, was it worth it?

Hi deise I am now 7months post op and I'm doing ok thank you. I can walk on my knee but do not go too far because I have a balance problem, and no way can I go out on my own in the dark. My feet just cement themselves to the floor having lost 2stone I do not have a weight problem, but then I didn't have before. In hindsight my freind I would not have had the op , the thing I wanted most was to get my mobility back but with this balance issues its just never going to happen. I hate being out of my comfort zone. Keep well 

Can you share what you did that hurt your recovery. Thanks.

Glad to hear how you are doing. Can you share how you found out about your infection. I am at 8 weeks and had been doing really well but lately my leg has been swelling and my bend has decreased. I don't think I am doing too much activity to cause the swelling and was wondering if maybe I had an infection. Thanks.

Tucks, I was stuck in not being able to properly walk, because my knee had been locked for so long. I decided to take to the pool and had to mentally force myself to walk, thinking about every step I took. It was as if I had to reprogram myself. I'm not saying this is your case, but I have heard others mention the mental challenge of convincing themselves. Best of luck.

Lynda, I also had the same thing happen. I had both knees replaced at the same time. And it was the better of the two knees that had a problem. I noticed an area in the stitches that looked different. I thought I saw something black and there was something white too. And all around it was red. I marked it and watched it grow. Then the white got larger and I forced out some puss. My doctor said it was most likely a disolvable stitch that didn't do what it was supposed to. Then a few weeks later, another puss area appeared. My sister, who is a nurse said it was okay. Because of the earlier minor infection, things were working themselves out through the same route. But still, several months later, this knee is the problem one. Doctor says all is fine, so I just keep trusting and waiting for that day when both are the same. Personally, when in doubt, check it out.

Thanks Denise,your words are so encouraging to me,my first op was cancelled and now its on the 29th of april so looking forward to gettinit done,Still have the positive attitude and determined to get back to walking as soon as i can,i know the first few weeks will be a challenge,but hopefully it will be well worth it..

Hi Lynda, So sorry not to have replied to your query, but your email has only just come through! I have a new computer and very old phone line, and everything's going haywire. The computer has been in intensive care for a while.

  As for finding out about my infection, I hadn't been able to see the wound, because I still had the dressing on it from when I left hospital. It was when my physio wanted to have a look, that she noticed it. 2 doctors said there was nothing wrong. The flesh around the site was inflamed (but only a very small area) and the knee was very hot. The area of scar which was effected was also very red. When I finally managed to see my GP, she took one look and prescribed antibiotics. It cleared up in no time, but obviously was brewing away under my dressing.

  I'm at 9 weeks now, and a few days ago I had some swelling and pain, but I put it down to walking too far with my very active Schnauzer, and it's settled right down already. If you've got any concerns, Linda, see your GP. But by now, you've probably already done that, so I hope all has turned out well for you.

  I've now reached 123 degree bend, which I'm told is great, but I still feel I can do much better. And it's bliss not to have the pain I'd been living with for so long before the op.

  Look forward to hearing how things are now.

 

Sorry to hear your op was moved to a later date, Lou, I'll be thinking of you.

I think that a lot of us on these forums might have had real problems, hence the reason for getting involved in the first place. I was more curious to know as much as possible when I first came home, and I do feel in the minority as I'm still having a fairly easy time of it. 9 weeks now and I wouldn't hesitate to go through it again if my other leg gets any worse. I'm back in the hydrotherapy pool as well as seeing a physio on dry land once a fortnight. She told me something interesting yesterday: some people look on their new knee as something foreign and have trouble using it like a normal knee. Once again, I was lucky not to have the imagination to think like that.

I admit I'm stubborn and my Yorkshire mother taught me never to complain, but I honestly feel that the op (for me) wasn't nearly as bad as I'd been expecting.

Best of luck, Lou, from Denise in Oz.

Strange how treatment varies so much from one place to another. My dressing was changed every day in the hospital, and they told me to go on doing that until the staples were out. . they put that bright yellow antiseptic on  it every day so any infection would have been seen immediately . . Glad it cleared up quickly for you!

I tend to agree with your idea that on this forum there may be more people with problems thatn there are in the general TKR  population, and worry that we may be scaring people unnecessarily with our tales of woe!  Obvioulsy, people look for information when things are not going easily . . . although in my case it was just being inquisitive . . .