Things had been going along very well with my left knee. Everything was on schedule. I was down to using a cane and I had started to drive....
UNTIL last Wednesday (December 23rd) I was getting ready to go to Physical Therapy when, while attempting to stand up, I torqued my RIGHT knee. All within a couple of seconds, I had extreme pain, the knee cap went where it doesn't belong (and quickly returned to where it does belong), and I let out a loud screech (although my husband described it as a blood curdling scream).
We quickly decided that I could put weight on it, but that it wasn't stable.
I called the surgeon's office - who was on vacation (no surprise there). I left a message for his nurse and ask her to call me back.
So, I got dressed with much assistance from my husband. I couldn't lift my right leg while I was seated. And I very gingerly went off to Physical Therapy. Two of the Physical Therapists evaluated it and concluded that it was strained and said that it should take about a week to improve. If it didn't show improvement, I should make an appointment with the surgeon. And if I found that I couldn't put weight on it, I should go to the emergency room.
When I returned home, I was in communication with the Surgeon's Nurse. She also said that if it didn't improve in a week, I should come see the Surgeon and that I should start to take anti-inflamitory medication.
Christmas was awful for me, and many tears were shed :-( My Husband had to work, we had an ice storm, and my entire day was spent with my knee up being iced.
But, by Saturday, the Christmas blues were over and I was starting to move better. By Sunday, I was even able to go out for dinner.
I'm Happy to report that at Phyical Therapy yesterday (Monday) I was able to do some unassisted straight leg raises and I hope to be back to the stationary bike and stepper on Wednesday.
No big plans for New Years, but hopefully no painful events either!
It would be reasonable to expect that this would have created wonderful knitting time for me - but oddly enough, it didn't. I had a terrible time concentrating, so all I did was a sock and a half :-(
My knee is improving (and I think I'll be able to forego the trip to the Surgeon) and my knitting is now back on track with the sweater projects.
Have a Happy New Year
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Recovery and PT
I have been home from the Hospital for 3 weeks - so I'm a bit delinquent on this - sorry.
My trip home was not difficult. I had the forsight to ask for pain meds about 1/2 hour before I left the hospital so that I was as comfortable as I could be. This is a good time to share that when I had the other knee done I had a terrible time everytime I got into the car for 6 weeks following the surgery - I would get quite ill, all of the symptoms of a migraine except the headache. This time through I have not had any difficulty traveling in a car!
My Physical Therapy (PT) started the Monday after surgery and I have appointments 3 times a week.
During the 1st week of PT, it consisted of stretching, being stretched and manipulated by the therapist, ice and electric stimulation.
In the hospital at my 1st PT session after surgery I had 95 degrees of motion; at the 2nd session after surgery it was 93 degrees - it went downhill from there. At my 3rd PT session after I was at home, they estimated that I only had 80 degrees of motion. Also I had a considerable amount of pain around the knee cap. All in all, not a good 1st week.
On November 30th, I had a followup appointment with the Surgeon. The staples were removed and I had X-rays taken. When I talked to him about the pain around the knee cap, he said told me that my knee cap had been out of alignment to the outside of the knee prior to surgery and he thought that it was just part of the healing process with everything where it should be - if it didn't improve I was to call him. If everything was OK I go back in 10 weeks.
The 2nd week of PT there was some improvement. I started to use the stepper and the exercise bike. On Wednesday my motion was up to 93 degrees and 100 degrees on Friday.
Most of my time was still being spent sleeping, exercising and going to therapy through the 2nd week.
Last week (week 3 post surgery), I started to telecommute a couple of hours a day and things continue to improve at PT (112 degrees of motion as of Friday). I'm now also working on stairs, balance and strength at PT. And I'm down to 1 crutch (unless it's snowy or icy then I'm supposed to use 2 - as of now, I have opted to just stay home when it's bad out!!). This week I have also stepped down from the Oxycontin/Percocet pain control to Vicoden.
During the 1st 2 weeks post surgery, I went to my Mother's single level house to use her walk-in shower - this week, I have been adventuring up the stairs and into our bath tub to shouwer. As nice as the situation is at Mother's house, I prefer to shower in my own house!!
Next week, I will be able to stop using the TEDs (anti-embolism stockings) and the blood thinning medication.
So I feel like everything is very much on schedule - I'm off to knit a Christmas gift!!
My trip home was not difficult. I had the forsight to ask for pain meds about 1/2 hour before I left the hospital so that I was as comfortable as I could be. This is a good time to share that when I had the other knee done I had a terrible time everytime I got into the car for 6 weeks following the surgery - I would get quite ill, all of the symptoms of a migraine except the headache. This time through I have not had any difficulty traveling in a car!
My Physical Therapy (PT) started the Monday after surgery and I have appointments 3 times a week.
During the 1st week of PT, it consisted of stretching, being stretched and manipulated by the therapist, ice and electric stimulation.
In the hospital at my 1st PT session after surgery I had 95 degrees of motion; at the 2nd session after surgery it was 93 degrees - it went downhill from there. At my 3rd PT session after I was at home, they estimated that I only had 80 degrees of motion. Also I had a considerable amount of pain around the knee cap. All in all, not a good 1st week.
On November 30th, I had a followup appointment with the Surgeon. The staples were removed and I had X-rays taken. When I talked to him about the pain around the knee cap, he said told me that my knee cap had been out of alignment to the outside of the knee prior to surgery and he thought that it was just part of the healing process with everything where it should be - if it didn't improve I was to call him. If everything was OK I go back in 10 weeks.
The 2nd week of PT there was some improvement. I started to use the stepper and the exercise bike. On Wednesday my motion was up to 93 degrees and 100 degrees on Friday.
Most of my time was still being spent sleeping, exercising and going to therapy through the 2nd week.
Last week (week 3 post surgery), I started to telecommute a couple of hours a day and things continue to improve at PT (112 degrees of motion as of Friday). I'm now also working on stairs, balance and strength at PT. And I'm down to 1 crutch (unless it's snowy or icy then I'm supposed to use 2 - as of now, I have opted to just stay home when it's bad out!!). This week I have also stepped down from the Oxycontin/Percocet pain control to Vicoden.
During the 1st 2 weeks post surgery, I went to my Mother's single level house to use her walk-in shower - this week, I have been adventuring up the stairs and into our bath tub to shouwer. As nice as the situation is at Mother's house, I prefer to shower in my own house!!
Next week, I will be able to stop using the TEDs (anti-embolism stockings) and the blood thinning medication.
So I feel like everything is very much on schedule - I'm off to knit a Christmas gift!!
Surgery and Hospital Stay
My Surgery was Thursday, November 19th - Sorry it's taken me so long to bring this up to date...
Things were very efficient in the surgery preparation area. They started with putting me in a hospital gown, shaving around my knee, having me answer a lot of questions, inserting an IV port and giving me a calming medication. I need to note here that the nurse was nice enough to put the IV port in my arm instead of my hand so that I could knit! The doctor then came in to check on me (don't remember him coming with the 1st knee replacement). And I was sent off to the surgery queueing area.
The next visit was from the Anesthesiologist who explained that they would be giving me an Epidural, a Femeral nerve block and sedating me. He gave me the sedation, had me roll on my side for the Epidural - and I don't remember anything else until I was in recovery...
I was very fortunate - everything went according to plan, and my pain was very well controlled while I was in the hospital. I had a bulky dressing on my leg, with a drain. I had a TED (anti-embolism stocking on my non-operative leg) and I had wraps on both legs that inflated and deflated a couple of times a minute to assist cirulation in my legs.
Friday,the day after surgery, I had my 1st Physical Therapy (PT) session. The Femeral nerve block was still in place, so anytime that I was putting weight on the leg, I wore an imoblizer. They had me make several 'laps' around the PT area with a walker and sent me off to Occupational Therapy to learn how to sit and stand correctly, get in and out of the car, etc.
When the doctor made rounds on Friday evening he told me that everything was going well and that I could be discharged on Saturday if I felt comfortable after therapy on Saturday - a day ahead of schedule!!!!
Friday night and early Saturday morning brought the end of the IV medication, the removal of the drain, the removal of the Femeral Nerve Block, the removal of the bulky dressing, and putting the TED on the Operative Leg.
PT on Saturday went very well - laps were with a crutches this time and I we worked on stairs. I live in an 80 year old Colonial House that has many stairs, so a walker isn't a good choice!
(I do need to put a note in here for any knitters reading this. I was working on a February Lady Sweater while in the Hospital - and it became quite the topic of conversation. Everyone who came into the room from the Doctors to the janitorial staff wanted to see what I was doing. It got to be pretty funny when it was not only the people who were there to work with me, but the folks that were there to work with my roommate as well.)
Since everything went well, I was discharged with instructions and prescriptions in hand. Off to the next part of the adventure...
Things were very efficient in the surgery preparation area. They started with putting me in a hospital gown, shaving around my knee, having me answer a lot of questions, inserting an IV port and giving me a calming medication. I need to note here that the nurse was nice enough to put the IV port in my arm instead of my hand so that I could knit! The doctor then came in to check on me (don't remember him coming with the 1st knee replacement). And I was sent off to the surgery queueing area.
The next visit was from the Anesthesiologist who explained that they would be giving me an Epidural, a Femeral nerve block and sedating me. He gave me the sedation, had me roll on my side for the Epidural - and I don't remember anything else until I was in recovery...
I was very fortunate - everything went according to plan, and my pain was very well controlled while I was in the hospital. I had a bulky dressing on my leg, with a drain. I had a TED (anti-embolism stocking on my non-operative leg) and I had wraps on both legs that inflated and deflated a couple of times a minute to assist cirulation in my legs.
Friday,the day after surgery, I had my 1st Physical Therapy (PT) session. The Femeral nerve block was still in place, so anytime that I was putting weight on the leg, I wore an imoblizer. They had me make several 'laps' around the PT area with a walker and sent me off to Occupational Therapy to learn how to sit and stand correctly, get in and out of the car, etc.
When the doctor made rounds on Friday evening he told me that everything was going well and that I could be discharged on Saturday if I felt comfortable after therapy on Saturday - a day ahead of schedule!!!!
Friday night and early Saturday morning brought the end of the IV medication, the removal of the drain, the removal of the Femeral Nerve Block, the removal of the bulky dressing, and putting the TED on the Operative Leg.
PT on Saturday went very well - laps were with a crutches this time and I we worked on stairs. I live in an 80 year old Colonial House that has many stairs, so a walker isn't a good choice!
(I do need to put a note in here for any knitters reading this. I was working on a February Lady Sweater while in the Hospital - and it became quite the topic of conversation. Everyone who came into the room from the Doctors to the janitorial staff wanted to see what I was doing. It got to be pretty funny when it was not only the people who were there to work with me, but the folks that were there to work with my roommate as well.)
Since everything went well, I was discharged with instructions and prescriptions in hand. Off to the next part of the adventure...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)