WMD - Healing vibes out to you mag!!
I bet you bounce back quicker than you think. Def faster than a soft tissue surgery like acl replacement.
Maybe come over to the Tetons this summer for a walk in the Park...
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WMD - Healing vibes out to you mag!!
I bet you bounce back quicker than you think. Def faster than a soft tissue surgery like acl replacement.
Maybe come over to the Tetons this summer for a walk in the Park...
How long after the operation that you could ski?Quote:
Originally Posted by homemadesalsa
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Thanks HMS and DJ!
HMS I am doing ok right now, but I'll call you for sure sometime. It's awesome to hear you had a pain free ski season. That will make all of this worth it.
DJ, I'll be over that way sometime this summer and a walk in the Park would be great. Thanks! Yeah, it is crazy that getting your quad muscle and tendon sliced open, having your acl removed, and the ends of your bones cut off is quicker to heal than an acl repair. But it's true! (Glad your acl repair seems to be working out). Hopefully I'll be biking and hiking again before too long, and I am stoked beyond belief to ski again next year.
@Homemadesalsa, did you have to pick the conditions you skied in this year, or was your knee ok with whatever was out there? In other words did you need perfect pow or could you ski chop, crud, crust, and everything else the mountains throw at you? Did that change as the season went on? I'm guessing you were more tentative to start the season.
Hey there @WMD-
Beginning of the season I was super tentative, not much flexion. Then I took a fall and bent the bejeezus out of it, hurt like hell for a couple of days, then I had more flexion (like a MUA but NO anesthesia!!!). By the end of the season it was the strong knee and I could ski any kind of snow. Now I need new boots! Be patient and persistent, it will come. Biking last summer got me set up nicely for skiing.
Well my TKR was in April, so I could ski again in December when the snow started to fly. Started gravel biking the end of May, mountain biking by mid-June. Did PT or strength training every single day.Quote:
Originally Posted by rod9301
Wow, so good to hear. If this knee that I've babied for so long ends up my strong knee, life will be very good, although it is no doubt going to take years to build up strength again.Quote:
Originally Posted by homemadesalsa
I can't wait to get on the gravel bike - and hopefully the mountain bike before the season is over. I just took my first walk outside (calling it a walk is a bit of an exaggeration) since surgery, so I'm still pretty far away from being active again.
I'm going to need to remold my ski boots as I'm no longer bow legged!
Wow, congrats on the new joint, WMD!
WMD, Hope it’s all going well overall. You will have good days/bad days like anything. If you ever want to go for a chill gravel/road ride, hit me up!
@rideit he lives in Lander now, so you might have to make a road trip and ride over there. Have you ridden any Lander trails? Some fun mileage!
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Thanks Norseman! Rideit, I'd love to ride sometime. Lander does have good riding. You all are welcome over here anytime!
I have never ridden in Lander I do know he is there...
It may be a while before I am ready for even mellow rides. I'm getting close to 0 for extension, but best I've done on flexion so far is 83 degrees. I'm still just a bit over two weeks out from surgery and have only had 3 PT sessions so far, so I'm not worried, but I can't bend enough to peddle yet. I've tried a couple times.
I’m just checking into this thread now. I’m at five days after a TKR. I’ve got to say, it’s been way tougher than expected. We had to get much stronger pain meds than what I was sent home with and my mobility is pretty much limited to bathroom runs. I was not impressed with their pain management plan, but at least they amended it and sent in orders for stronger meds. I know people who have done two at once, but there is no way I could do that. Having one strong leg has been a necessity for getting out of bed and off the stool.
Who did yours?
They’ve really dialed back the meds, due to the opioid crisis.
Back in January, my knee was killing me.
I scheduled a TKR with Dr. Kim for 6/1.
But I was skiing really strong at the end of the season and ended up canceling.
Best of luck and hit the PT hard!
I'm gonna disagree with the "hit the PT hard" statement. Let your knee do what it wants initially. Don't push it or fight for extra mobility until it's ready. Keep after the icing for a long time.
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Listen to homemadesalsa here. I'm almost 3 months post TKR and I've set myself back several times by doing too much. This is very different from any other surgery or injury I've experienced, where hitting PT hard helps. The TKR is pretty traumatic surgery and you need to let your body heal most of all. My recovery has been difficult because the surgeon keeps telling me to do less so I can heal. I'm bored and going stir crazy and want to do more, not lie around, so every time I feel like I've improved a bit I push it and end up setting myself back. Taking it easy is so much more challenging than hitting PT hard, but it is what works. "Go slow to go fast" is the mantra my surgeon taught me.
Good luck. That early pain gets much better each week and should be way down by week 2 or 3.
I have a long history of damage to that knee. I had a rod driven down the tibia in the late 80’s. It was pulled in 1990, and you could plainly see the channel on the recent X-rays. I had a few meniscus tears and the knee got really arthritic. initially I saw Dr Hackett at the Steadman clinic in Aspen. He didn’t think he could help me using my tissues, so he referred me to Dr Kim for a TKR.Quote:
Originally Posted by Shredhead
My issue was with their hesitation to prescribe powerful painkillers. When you are nearly screaming in pain, you don’t really care about some “opioid crisis”. Give me some pills to cut the pain down. To their credit, they did that, but there was a day and a half of unnecessary pain. One of my issues with these pain pills is the dosage compared to body weight. I’m 6’-4” and 235 lbs now. I get the same dose as an 105lb adult woman. No wonder I was getting no less than two hours relief with pills that are to be taken 4-6 hours as needed
Yeah, the painkiller regimen is really conservative - my wife is 13 days out from a TKR, first week was pretty rough, largely due to pain ('If they were honest about how much this hurt, no one would do it") but we started doubling down on the oxy and naproxen (in a 3-way rotation with Tylenol) and it became bearable (ran out of both early, but they refilled - PITA, you have to physically go to the Dr.'s office and get a scrip). This week is better, she started on PT on Wednesday and ROM is getting better fast.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jethro
What did they prescribe initially and what after you complained?Quote:
Originally Posted by Jethro
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In addition to 1000mg Tylenol doses, they had me on two 5mg oxycodone every 4-6 hours. That wasn’t cutting it so I was prescribed two 2mg Dilaudid pills every four to six hours instead. They were wearing off in two hours so they supplemented that with an OxyContin time release pill, on the smaller side. That was the ticket. The OxyContin made it so it wasn’t a pain rollercoaster, and I could take the Dilaudid on schedule. Today is day six and I will be running out soon, but I’m over the hump. It just sucks that people in need are denied powerful drugs because others have abused themQuote:
Originally Posted by rod9301
I had hip repellent 11 days ago.
Still as fair amount of pain. They prescribed hydrocodone 5-325, which worked, but did effects, constipation and foggy thinking.
I'm taking cbd thc, which works, with fewer side effects
Surprised at the amount of pain i have, but in the other hand, they cut my leg off to put the metal hip.
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Five days out from TKR . Doing pretty well. On Dillies every 4h with allowable to go to 4mg which i only did once in hospital I had got behind and needed something to catch up. Was awake for about an hour of surgery. Sleep guy gave me update on what as going on other side of screen. they really wack the fuck out that bone with the chisel.
May your recovery be swift and complete! :yourock:Quote:
Originally Posted by DougW
Awake?
I don't know if i could do this. People say general is more dangerous then surgery.
But if you did in your sleep, you never know.
But listening to all the bone cutting?
Not for me.
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We offer noise canceling headphones to patients that get a spinal and nerve block for TKR. You can be aware as you want to be. Chisel use is actually pretty limited in TKR.Quote:
Originally Posted by rod9301
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Hardest part for me would be lying still for 3-4 hours. When I got my clavicle hardware out last summer I asked the surgeon about doing it with blocks and local instead of general, but he said it wasn't possible for that part of the body.
not the bone cutting but lots and lots of wacking. Its a good sized hammer and my whole body "felt it" No power tools when I was up other then the shop vac to clean out the holes. I guess I was up and aware at least from the trial fitQuote:
Originally Posted by rod9301
FWIW, knee replacement surgery takes about an hour. You are usually pretty heavily sedated and most of the time won't remember anything. If you really don't want to be aware, just let the anesthesiologist know and they can go a little heavier on the sedative.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dantheman
I went local for one of my too many scopes and more or less got bored so asked for a little something to put me out. Re-reading this thread and the Bonesmart forum and realizing I posted in this thread three years ago, I've got a good Ortho that I like but he doesn't do TKR's. I was thinking about seeing him this spring and have him take a look at where I'm at before shopping for the TKR doc, or maybe I just start now with a new Doc.Quote:
Originally Posted by jerlane
Gotta decide which part of the year I want to devote to a rehab and not playing
I can’t fathom not being completely out for this type of surgery. Fuck that. Still traumatized by the Rockford Files episode where the doc took a hammer to Abe vigodas hip replacementQuote:
Originally Posted by DougW
I couldn't move my lower body . It was like I was grafted to a giant ham. It was like 20 minutes in recovery before could move anything in my lower body, like move legs together and that was like 1/8" of movement.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dantheman
Gonna have to thrown my name into this ring. Had a TKR back on 3/25. New knee is better pain wise than the other knee so it has now become my dominant leg; which is a good thing because I'm having the other one done on 6/24. Huge thanks to Altachic for sharing her story and her words of encouragement when I reached out to her pre-surgery. Throwing out some before and after pics. Look for TD's Rehab Retirement Road Trip coming winter 2024/25 coming to a town near you.
Attachment 494163
Attachment 494164
How does one shop for a TKR surgeon? Is there a COSTCO for them?
,Attachment 494609Quote:
Originally Posted by teledave
Well, 13 weeks out from TKR #1 and it’s time to go back for TKR #2. Thank God I only have 2 knees. See you on the other side.
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https://www.instagram.com/stories/te...1pMHRzeXBxMw==
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Username checks out.Quote:
Originally Posted by teledave
(JK, good luck!)
My mom is going to have a TKR, she is 91 and already has many other health issues like congestive heart failure. She hasn't been able to walk more than a block without getting winded for years - she is not a spry 91 but mentally she is doing good and she still drives. I'm trying to prepare what it takes to be a caregiver for her while having a full time job and 2 young kids. First thought - I'm hoping she can be in a care facility for weeks after and Medicare covers all of it...I have a lot to research to do I guess.
I've heard some stories about older people getting a TKR and their knee doesn't get better - they end up in a wheel chair for life. Fack.
Medicare will cover the first 20 days. Then 80% of the next 80 and supplement picks up the rest. I think that was the percentage but it’s been awhile. And continuous improvement has to be shown to qualify after 20.
Does she really really need it if she can only walk a block anyway? Seems like a lot given your description. I’d kind of lean against given your description. But ya , a good rehab place sounds right but they aren’t easy to find plus one w good pt
I’m also a little surprised the surgeon is recommending this given your description. She may not pass the screening for the operation anyway