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Total knee replacement day 6

Posted , 23 users are following.

Jillystev3012
Jillystev3012

hi,

can anyone please tell me how i should be feeling and doing on day 6 total knee replacement.

I know everyone's different but if anyone is feeling the same as me iit may reassure me.

my leg feels like a ton weight and is so stiff and tight.

I am performing all my exercises as told by physio 4 times a day and it is quite a struggle due to the pain in my kneecap, especially straight leg raising. When walking with my elbow crutches which i try to do more of each day,my leg feels very weak and i feel like my knee could give way. I am presuming this is due to weakness in the quads muscle. I am probably wanting to run before i can walk, but i don't feel like i am performing very well, which is making me feel very tearful. I am not usually a giver upper and i'll try my very best as i want the most out of this new knee! Please tell me what you was like in week one. Xx

1 like, 82 replies

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  • notwenmj
    notwenmj Jillystev3012

    Posted

    Hi Jilly iam on day 4 of 2nd tkr everything your experienceing is normal I pushed my self to much on the first the brusing you get after is very sore so this slows you down give this time to ease. Stiffness and tightness is probably due to stitches do keep up with exercise but dont over do it this can be as bad you can get tearful been and had the t shirt there but stick with it it does get better .

     

    • Jillystev3012
      Jillystev3012 notwenmj

      Posted

      Good luck and speedy recovery to you and thank you for your comments.
  • Oldfatguy1
    Oldfatguy1 Jillystev3012

    Posted

    You are going through one of the very toughest times. Having been through this 5 times I can tell you the 1st couple of weeks are horrendous. Everything hurts and the mental aspect is out of control. Just continue to do the best you can. Rest when rest is available and try your best not to be overly concerned you aren't making progress based on a criteria established by someone else. Stay hydrated. Its easy lay there and become dehydrated which slows all of your senses. Take pain meds as prescribed.....not just when pain kicks in. Set realistic goals. As most will tell you and you will hear over and over on this site: this is a marathon not a sprint. Just stay positive and don't get down on yourself because you aren't meeting someone else's expectations.
    • Jillystev3012
      Jillystev3012 Oldfatguy1

      Posted

      i know what you mean about comparing yourself to others, but i do it all the time unfortunately.

      i was watching this guy on youtube on day 4 total knee replacement, carrying his zimmer frame and walking as if he'd had nothing done at all! 

  • chris08117
    chris08117 Jillystev3012

    Posted

    Hi Jilly

    Please dont worry. Its no time at all since your surgery. 

    I wish I had kept a diary but I do remember that very early on you think you will never be able to lift your leg and especially do those leg raises. Please believe me when I say that you will. Pushing my leg back also hurt like mad.

    Your tearfulness could be due to your anasthaetic, if you had a general. It takes ages to work its way out of your system.

    I didnt have crutches and used one stick for a while. But indoors got by without.

    I think we forget what a massive trauma our bodies have gone through.

    As for the swelling, ice ice and ice again in those early days. (I am very good at dishing out advice but not so good at doing these things myself!) 

    Good luck with it

    • Jillystev3012
      Jillystev3012 chris08117

      Posted

      hi chris,

      i just can't imagine using only a stick at this stage. I feel so reliant on my crutches at the moment, so you did really well. I am using a lot of ice tho' helps with the pain too.

    • chris08117
      chris08117 Jillystev3012

      Posted

      I wish I hadn't told you that. But I was ill with a reaction to the anaesthesia in the first week so didn't get around much anyway.  I am very clumsy so would probably have tripped over two!

      I really wish I had known about this group when I was at your stage. 

  • telcpa
    telcpa Jillystev3012

    Posted

    All this advice is spot on.  You don't hear much about recovery from this major major surgery, but it's a long and kinda painful road.  I would do those exercises twice a day, not four times, you are overworking an area that is not ready for it yet.

    Leg raises were tough but my bugaboo was the heel slides.  Hated 'em.  Make sure to elevate and ice after exercise also, very important to reduce the swelling that is restricting your movement this early on.  It will get just a little better each day, next thing you know you will say to yourself, "hey this wasn't quite so bad today".

    • Jillystev3012
      Jillystev3012 telcpa

      Posted

      i think you're right telcpa, trouble is the improvements are so small you really have to look for them. But as long as they're there that's all that matters isn't it?
    • telcpa
      telcpa Jillystev3012

      Posted

      What I did was compare results on a week-to-week basis, then you will be surprised how much improvement there has been - you'll see!
  • jemma33320
    jemma33320 Jillystev3012

    Posted

    Hate to say but you're in the infancy stages of recovery. The bruising and swelling is still going on, it doesn't just happen the day of surgery. I had bruising for more than a month. The stiffness is due to swelling. Keep it elevated and iced. I can't be more specific about how absolutely vital this is. Healing happens in tiny little increments, but it does.
  • jeffchicago
    jeffchicago Jillystev3012

    Posted

    Hi jelly, I am day 6 as well. I wish I could do the exercises 4x a day! I a, getting two in daily and the CPM MACHINE I am managing about 4-6 hours day. I had my left knee tkr back in July and my wife is telling me that I am not remembering any of the hard parts I'm going through now. I, like you, am having a lot of pain in my thigh and knee cap area. Had PT Last Friday and literally screamed....that was a first for a 50 year old man. Think I shock the therapist as well. I know it will all get better just stick with it. My kids are already tired of me so that's a good sign, we sound at similar places but if you can manage 4 sets of exercises a day you are out pacing me. Good for you. Best of luck!
    • telcpa
      telcpa jeffchicago

      Posted

      Jeff, it's interesting that you are using a CPM machine, my surgeon said hardly anyone uses that any more because there is virtually no evidence that it does anything.  Also, if you screamed during PT because the therapist manipulated your knee, I would tell them that YOU will move it and they can measure it after YOU move it.  I would not let the therapist move my leg.
    • Jillystev3012
      Jillystev3012 jeffchicago

      Posted

      Hi jeffchicago,

      good luck to you too. I see the physio on friday so now i'm dreadin it!

      keep in touch re progress, maybe we can spur each other on!

       

    • chris08117
      chris08117 Jillystev3012

      Posted

      When you see the physio remember it's your body. He tried to bend my knee  on the first visit and I screamed at him just as Jeffchicago did. I certainly don't lie back and think of England!
    • Oldfatguy1
      Oldfatguy1 telcpa

      Posted

      Hate to mention it but the com machines have all been mothballed in this part of the country I don't know anyone personally that's used one for years. As far as the or bending the leg......I had that with My 1st time around in 2004. When I had to start back through in 2013, the same PT had abandoned that method and gone strictly to letting me supply the effort. My therapist has a doctorate and is also certified sports medicine qualified. I think the sports med certification was the turning point in style.
    • lesa70198
      lesa70198 telcpa

      Posted

      I was on the CPM machine during my stay at the hospital. I felt like it was for circulation as much as mobility of the joint. Honestly, I felt it was a good thing. I would be on the CPM for both legs for a45-60 minutes each day. I didn't find it to be a bad thing. I discontinued it once I was home.
    • Oldfatguy1
      Oldfatguy1 lesa70198

      Posted

      I'm not sure "bad" was the reason. What I've been told by several Dr's and therapists during my 5 rehabs, it wasn't doing as much good as using the same energy doing other excercises. 1st time around I was on a bike for 20 mins and then manually manipulated by the therapist for about 20. New method. Use a recumbent bike just to stretch....no peddling.....then to the other stretching, balance and strengthening. This time due to all of the surgeries, staph infection etc the ROM came 1st but the weakness is just beyond my belief. I have almost made myself ill rebuilding a leg that I can move on. Last time in my surgeon told me I would be 1 1/2 to 2 years coming back and would probably be bothered with residual pain the rest of my life even to the point of needing pain meds. But after 11 surgeries and turning 79 next month I guess I'm in as good of shape as I can expect.I still hope to be swinging a golf club by late spring
    • jemma33320
      jemma33320 Oldfatguy1

      Posted

      I live in Connecticut and for my first TKR, the CPM was used on my first post op day in the hospital for maybe 3 hours. The second TKR was done this past Nov. and in a different hospital and different surgeon. This time I was positioning in the CPM machine immediately and was in that machine for at least 12 hours each day for 3 days. Not continuous 12 hours but a total of 12. I think it made all the difference. I was discharged with a 95 degree of flexion. I would highly recommend to anyone to use one immediately post-op when active physical therapy isn't possible.
    • lesa70198
      lesa70198 Oldfatguy1

      Posted

      I feel the machine was helpful. You must also remember, I had BOTH of my knees done at the same time. They were very concerned about my ROM but also about staving off clots via movement. I had to wear those compression socks for about 20 hours a day even once I was home!
    • lesa70198
      lesa70198

      Posted

      A friend had told me I could get the machine through our insurance at home. I contacted my surgeon about it and because I was already at 110 or more in both knee (3-4 week) he told me I didn't need the CPM machine and to just continue walking and doing my exercises. That's what I did.
    • Oldfatguy1
      Oldfatguy1 lesa70198

      Posted

      Clotting along with infection are the 2 most dangerous side effects from this surgery. I always had injections in the hospital and pills for several weeks when I got home and the socks were mandatory for a total of 6 weeks. I was allowed to take the socks off at night. Unfortunately I had the staph infection and finally had to have the prosthesis removed completely, the leg immobilized for 4 months with no weight bearing being allowed. You just can't be too careful when it comes to the aftercare o f this operation
    • lesa70198
      lesa70198 Oldfatguy1

      Posted

      WOW! I had a lot of folks scaring me because I was having both knees done at the same time. I'm so glad I did. I was afraid of infection because I'd worked in hospitals and know many who have developed infections for even minor things in the hospital. I was also concerned about clotting once I'd read some information and then my brother -in-law developed a clot after he'd gone from the hospital. Thank goodness....no problem so far. Wishing you continued recovery.
    • Oldfatguy1
      Oldfatguy1 lesa70198

      Posted

      My infection was called epi staph. I was the carrier myself and couldn't fight off the infection. It actually came from my own epidermis. According to my nephew the infectious disease Dr., everyone carries enough of the bacteria themselves to be fatal but most people have the ability to fight them off, I don't. No doubt about it, some hospitals have terrible histories of infections. In the US, medicare is watching the situation carefully. If a hospital has a certain level of readmissions because of this type problem they can be cut off reimbursement for the cost of the readmission.
    • jemma33320
      jemma33320 Oldfatguy1

      Posted

      The skin is the largest organ of the human body and of course exposed to bacteria at all times. The preparation for admission for surgery should always follow a strict pre-admission hospital protocol. The scrubbing of the surgical area using a germocidal preparation such as bathing the night before using a surgical antiseptic agent. Then again, the morning of surgery before leaving to go to the hospital. Of course the skin is also prepared in the operating suite also. It's a three-prong prophylactic approach to prevent epidermis contracted staph infections prior to surgery.
    • Oldfatguy1
      Oldfatguy1 jemma33320

      Posted

      I went through all that protocol but the explaination was it might have been deep in a hair root and was sewn back inside after the surgery. I guess its always a crap shoot when they start chopping and whacking. I use a University medical school and they have more staff running around there doing and redoing stuff. My surgeon is a young professor that specializes in knee/hip surgery. He always has a couple of residents and a physicians assistant double checking everything. Just one of those things I guess.
    • lesa70198
      lesa70198 Oldfatguy1

      Posted

      I had mine done in NYC at Hospital for Joint Diseases. My doctor is the chief of sugery. It also is part of NYU Langone system, so also a teaching hospital. He never came in without a resident and 2-3 interns. I must say I was completely impressed with the staff on every level. I was all ready to have friends come in with bleach,sponges and buckets but the hospital was clean, nurses never approached without first using sanitizer or going to the sink and washing their hands. Never once had to remind ANY hospital staff to remember to do that. I think it is important but ....things can still happen. I was nervous. I won't lie. They checked me for Merza(?) before the surgery too. Some people are carriers and don't even know it. If I'd been a carrier, they would have treated me first before the surgery. I was lucky on all levels so far. I've had remarkable doctors, remarkable PTs and people to help me along the way. I've had the support I've needed and I've been told my recovery has been remarkable. One thing I did do before the surgery was go online to find exercises to strengthen my legs before the surgery. I was already bicycling regularly ...and swimming. My surgeon told me he thinks that could have played a large role in how well I've done. It was also a reason he was willing to do both at the same time. I was 60 , on no medications, no coronary disease or diabetes and not really overweight. All pluses as far as he was concerned. 
    • jemma33320
      jemma33320 lesa70198

      Posted

      I think you've struck on something very important and that's to prepare physically for what lies ahead. Oh, it's MRSA shorthand for Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (now you know why it's shorted to MRSA. All patients here are mouth-swabbed ahead of admission to rule out carriers of MRSA in their saliva. I also prepared for my surgery a year in advance by stopping cigarette smoking, losing weight and exercising my legs. It all matters.
    • lesa70198
      lesa70198 jemma33320

      Posted

      Thank you Jemma33320. Had a feeling I wasn't spelling it correctly. Yes, I'm very happy to have prepared before the event. I did a lot of research while I avoided ultimately having the surgery. My surgeon NEVER led me to believe that it was going to be an easy surgery or something I shouldn't prepare for. He actually encouraged me to continue doing what I'd been doing because he felt it would only help me in the end. Wishing you continued successful recovery.
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