My new knee

[ScottJ]

I had a knee replacement 2 weeks weeks ago today. I wanted to start a little journal of some kind about the whole journey. It's purely for my own satisfaction, I don't expect anyone to read it. I wouldn't read about somebody else's knee. And I'm not going to include any deeply personal information. I hope this whole thing doesn't break any rules. But since this is about the only place I go on the interwebs, and with the app I can speech to text, since I'm a horrible typist, I thought I'd give it a shot here. Plus I feel somewhat connected to this community. So if you've gotten this far, I hope you'll indulge me.

I've had bad knees for years and finally decided to get a knee replacement. Probably the most painful thing I've ever experienced. But it was only really really painful for a couple days and then it started to subside. The physical therapy is helping a lot. I saw my physical therapist today and she said my range of motion is almost 180° and 97°. Last week at this time it wasn't anywhere near that. So that's some progress. My new goal for bending is 120°. Considering my other knee can only go 110° bent, that's pretty ambitious I think. But I hope I can get there next week.

I walked with a walker last week till Friday when I graduated to the cane, then over the weekend I started using the cane less and less and today I got the PT's blessing to not use it if I feel I don't need it. Which I don't most of the time. I still use the cane outside on uneven ground. It's amazing how much more energy it takes to walk on the lawn than it does to walk on the floors in the house. I've watered the flowers four times now, I got pretty tired every time. I haven't done it yet today. Hopefully we'll be a little easier.

I went down the basement stairs today for the first time. With the physical therapist that is. Going down you're supposed to lead with your surgical leg, then bring your good leg and assistive device down. But my left knee is so bad that I have to do the opposite and let my surgical leg take the brunt of the descent. It didn't hurt. And it was far worse coming up because I have to use my non-surgical bad knee to come up the stairs. The the new knee just won't do it yet. Maybe by the end of the week though. I guess more strengthening exercises will help.

I've been sleeping through the night. On recliner, still not in bed. Except I get the Jimmy leg real bad the last few nights. I've been pretty much off the oxy for almost a week, just taking a half at night when this leg won't quiet down. I'm trying to cut it out and not take any oxy but I can't sleep otherwise. But then I've been doing more and more with my leg so I think that's what's firing up the nerves.

On Saturday I did two water changes, and on Sunday I did a water change on the Red Sea, and muck the bunch of algae out of the 55 gallon. I was kind of tired after that. I think that's what set off my leg.

First post-op visits tomorrow. The bandage comes offs so I think that's going to feel the world better. Cuz I can feel it crinkling on my skin and it's quite unpleasant. I'll be said I wouldn't have him big sexy scarf but I don't know. The bandage has got to be a foot long. Paul B said I wouldn't have a big sexy scar, I'll have to see! I'm also done with those compression socks. I think nurse Ratchet designed those things!

That's all I got. Maybe I'll give it a week and then post again.

 

[Waters]

I have had family members get replacement knees and hips....all say it is totally worth it.....eventually lol. Good luck!

 

[ScottJ]

I have had family members get replacement knees and hips....all say it is totally worth it.....eventually lol. Good luck!

Thanks for the reply! Oh I think it's absolutely worth it. They're going to call me to schedule the other one done. Totally worth it I can tell already!

 

[ScottJ]

The bandage is finally off! I can finally take a real shower!

I had PT today. I'm finally a full extension of 180°, and up to 110° bend. So I guess I'm making some progress there. My physical therapist gave me two more exercises to do. I think she's trying to kill me. That side step exercise really tears me up. Hope I get used to it.

I don't use the cane around the house anymore. So that's good. I still use it outside on the grass. But it's hanging up by the back door right now. And I have noticed that in the middle of a step, when all my weight is on my new knee leg, just for a moment there's absolutely no pain. No snapping, no ache, no Sharp pain, just no pain! I haven't felt that in a good 10 years. And on top of that the pain that is in that knee when I walk is more stiffness than anything else. It's kind of crazy! But no snapping no pain from the joint itself. if I had any doubts that this was going to be worth all the work, those are gone this week.Still hurts don't get me wrong, but it's just a different kind of hurt then I know is going to go away.

Maybe more later.

 

[Blue Ring Octopus]

I went my whole career of jumping in and out of holes, working on my knees until I retired, zero issues once, retire bam, left knee locks up for a year, that goes away the right knee locks for a year, my doc says I probably need a knee replacement, excuse me, how is it that I never had a knee issue until I retire and now I need to replace them, that is a kin to going in for a oil change and needing a new engine.
So I am not sure what I will do.

 

[ScottJ]

I went my whole career of jumping in and out of holes, working on my knees until I retired, zero issues once, retire bam, left knee locks up for a year, that goes away the right knee locks for a year, my doc says I probably need a knee replacement, excuse me, how is it that I never had a knee issue until I retire and now I need to replace them, that is a kin to going in for a oil change and needing a new engine.
So I am not sure what I will do.

That's a tough situation. All I can say is I've been riddled with arthritis for a long time. I also had a lifetime of abusing my body at work. Down on my knees several thousand times a week! But for me the arthritis was just getting too bad. I went through the cortisone shots and that helps with the pain for a while, but it just after a while didn't work. All I can say is after 3 weeks, I'm pretty glad I did it on the one leg, and I'm trying to schedule the other leg for 6 months from now. I can already feel a difference. It still hurts, just in a different way

 

[ScottJ]

Just a quick update. Drove for the first time since the surgery today. My wife wanted to make sure I could so she came along. Went the expressway and everything! We even stopped at the local farm stand and I got some homegrown tomatoes. Felt good to get out of the house on my own.

Starting to walk a little farther every day. According to Google I'm up to 4/10 of a mile. Maybe in a couple days I can hit a half a mile.

I have a date for the other knee, February second . So that gives me 6 months to get this knee working good, and you get both legs as strong as they can be. Still concentrating on stretching my new knee. But I'm trying to exercise both legs equally. Except for the foreseeable future I'll be spending quite a bit of time just trying to rehab and prehab. I love that, prehab. A word I learned on the internets!

First outpatient physical therapy appointment Monday afternoon. Interested to see how that'll go.

 

[Blue Ring Octopus]

Mobility is one of the big ones and I am glad your is coming back to you. Once you get going a big threat is doing too much. So take it in strides.

 

[ScottJ]

Mobility is one of the big ones and I am glad your is coming back to you. Once you get going a big threat is doing too much. So take it in strides.

Thanks for the response! I know about not doing too much. I do tend to want to. But I need to control myself and be cool

 

[ScottJ]

So another short update. I'm up to walking 20 minutes in the morning right after breakfast. I try to walk a little in the afternoon, but it's been so hot lately that it isn't very comfortable to. I'm kind of gotten to the point where my arthritic knee hurts quite a bit more than my noonie. I'm using the on my right hand for my left side, because my new knee on my right side really doesn't bother me. Just stiff. I'd like to increase my time, by the time I get back my left leg is exhausted. Hopefully I'll build up a little tolerance. I hope it's not too much of a challenge in late February early March when I should be walking outside after the second operation. We'll have to see.

The first visit of outpatient PT went pretty well. They measured all these parameters like balance and range of motion and strength. I go next week for my first exercise visit. They agreed that once a week would probably do me well. I've kind of changed my focus a little bit on my home PT to heal slides without the strap. I think I have to build up strength in those muscles that pull your leg up to your butt. That's kind of weak. The range of motion was good, and they made me squat and I got further than I ever thought I would. But I just have a problem with that he'll slide without the strap pulling. So I'm working on that more and more.

I'm off all the pain pills entirely, still taking an NSAID though. I probably will for as long as the doctor lets me. I think that helps some. Not just the operation but all the other arthritis I got! But overall feel pretty good. I'm planning on going to home Depot this afternoon to see if they got all the Halloween stuff out yet as my big outing! I honestly haven't had the desire to get out much before this. But now I'm starting to get the itch to get out and about again. Going to do the lawn today too. First time in a month and a half I've cut the backyard. It's been such a drought that we haven't needed it. But the weeds are springing up because we did have a little bit of rain the other day. Looks pretty unkempt and I hate that.

 

[ScottJ]

I think I should make another update since I have it in a while. Feeling a little better every week. I walked almost a mile this morning so that was a milestone no pun intended. Hard to walk in the afternoon because my other knee just is tired by that time of day. So I'm trying to do the elliptical for 20 minutes as part of my physical therapy session. I think that elliptical machine was invented during the Spanish Inquisition as a torture device, but I couldn't wrong. That's taking me about an hour and a half sometimes almost 2 hours in the morning. So that's good.

I'm trying to take a little easier on the weekends as far as exercising goes. Just doing mostly walking. Like today being saturday, I took a long walk and then I'll go to the grocery store and get over to Lowe's to look at the Halloween decorations. I might do the elliptical again this afternoon.

Went to the 6-week post-op on Tuesday. That went really well I don't have to go back until December. The 10 lb weight restriction is gone so I can carry water buckets around again! And anything else heavy I feel like. Going up and down the basement stairs is getting a little easier all the time. It's mostly my bad knee that's holding up my new knee from doing everything it wants to do! But I think even the old leg is getting better a little bit just from the strength training and trying to do with the physical therapy.

So all in all I think everything is going along swimmingly! I'm really happy with this so far and I can't wait to get the other knee done. I have to just bear in mind the first week is pretty rough as far as pain goes, but after that it's all uphill.

 

[ScottJ]

Well just a short update. It's been just over 8 weeks now and I guess everything's progressing like it's supposed to. Got measured it physical therapy this weak and my active deflection was 114 or 15 I can't remember which. So doing better. Still doing the physical therapy exercises for about an hour every day. Half hour walk in the morning and another shorter walk at night I've added. I cut down on the elliptical a little bit cuz I think that was irritating. I still have quite a bit of stiffness and and the back of my kneecap hurts still but I guess it's getting better. I added some exercise bands and that seems to be going well. So that's about it. All in all I wish things would progress faster but I know they don't. When my surgeon told me, don't even tell me you're in pain cuz this is a painful operation and painful recovery, he wasn't kidding! At least he was being honest. All in all I'm still real happy with the results, and anxious to get the other one done so that a year from now I'll be good to go!

 

[ScottJ]

Yesterday was officially 3 months after the surgery. So a monthly update is in order. All in all still pretty happy. I still have some stiffness, especially in the morning, and after I've sat for a while. The greatest pain I have is taking a step down the stairs. There's a pain right behind my knee cap which is fairly significant. It's hard to tell if it's improving or not, but it's still easier to go up and down stairs with my new knee leg then my other leg. Especially down the stairs my left knee won't go down very easy at all. But that's going to change.

Everything I've been reading or seeing about knee replacement says that your range of motion is pretty well done at 3 months. So I asked the physical therapist about it yesterday. She said actually you can gain another 10° in the 3 to 6 month window. Cuz that's when the swelling completely goes down and your strength thing forces. You just have to work on it regularly. So that's what I'm going to do. I guess I'm in this for the Long haul because of the other knee getting done in february.

The biggest change I've noticed in the past couple weeks has been with my left leg. On my walks I no longer need the cane to support my left leg. I still take it with me just in case, but I haven't used it in a couple weeks now. My right knee hurts some walking and my left hip gets quite tired by the end of the Walk. And my and my left knee is fatigued and has sharp pains by the end, actually all the way through, but it is doable without the cane. So that's kind of huge actually. I'm pretty pleased with that.

Three Saturdays ago I think it was? I went down to the geneseo we're playing museum to see the Vietnam veterans moving Wall. I was there a good 3 hours walking around I would say more than half on grass without the cane. That was walking and stopping and strolling and stopping and looking at things and stopping but still that was an accomplishment I feel. I was pretty pleased with that.

So I think that's about all I got. I just keep exercising every day and walking and getting on with life. Still holding out hope of working at a dog daycare by this time next year.

 

[baylisascaris97]

Having knee replacements suckkkkk!!!! I’m 48 yo and blew both knees out doing CrossFit a few years back. I had my 1st knee replaced in 2019, second knee replaced in 2021 and just had it revised 3 weeks ago for failure. Pain is unbearable at times. Though I’ve been at full flexion and extension 1 week after surgery. Doing your exercises and icing is key to a quick recovery. I ditched the walker on the 2nd day and the cane 1 week later. The pain is terrible. Especially at night. My legs never stop moving. I feel you but there is light at the end of the tunnel. Knee replacements are the worst surgery as far as pain goes. And if you are lucky to get a knee block that helps so much. 2 out of 3 knee nerve blocks did not work for me. You’ll be glad it’s done once you are done healing.

 

[ScottJ]

Having knee replacements suckkkkk!!!! I’m 48 yo and blew both knees out doing CrossFit a few years back. I had my 1st knee replaced in 2019, second knee replaced in 2021 and just had it revised 3 weeks ago for failure. Pain is unbearable at times. Though I’ve been at full flexion and extension 1 week after surgery. Doing your exercises and icing is key to a quick recovery. I ditched the walker on the 2nd day and the cane 1 week later. The pain is terrible. Especially at night. My legs never stop moving. I feel you but there is light at the end of the tunnel. Knee replacements are the worst surgery as far as pain goes. And if you are lucky to get a knee block that helps so much. 2 out of 3 knee nerve blocks did not work for me. You’ll be glad it’s done once you are done healing.

Thanks for the encouragement!

I had that restless leg at night for the first month or so after the surgery. I found that putting a heat pack or a heating pad around my ankle really helped.

Good luck in your recovery! You're so right about the exercises. It does get better with time.