Wounded Knee

I mainly use this blog to write about trips. Today I feel like writing about the saga of my full knee replacement...now that I am beginning to feel better.  I have been limping around on bad knees for about ten years. My right knee has always been more painful. The surgeon, who agreed it was time for a knee replacement, said they don’t decide what knee to do based on an X-ray but on the patient’s report of pain. Once I was approved for surgery I got put at the bottom of the waiting list. It took 3 1/2 months to get a date. On January 15 I was admitted to the hospital at 6:30 am. I was released at 5 pm.  I was not kept overnight. I was in the hospital for less than 12 hours. This is what my leg looked like after several days at home.

I began in-home PT January 16. It wasn’t too strenuous but it definitely hurt. My youngest son stayed with me the first week and my oldest son took the second week. They made sure that icing and elevating took place, as well as feeding me and getting me to appointments. At the end of week one I went in to have the bandage removed. It was stuck to the glue they used to close the incision. I started to pass out so the nurse laid me back and brought out the smelling salts. My son took pictures.

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I started outpatient PT during week three. I felt like I was progressing well until week 6. I got permission to drive. My knee was bending to just over 90 degrees. I was off pain meds.  I thought I was going to ace this recovery.  At week 8 I returned to work part time and I stopped moving forward. I sent an email to my surgeon suggesting he might want to see me earlier than our 3 month post-op appointment but he said I should just stick with the PT. So I pushed so hard I got a shin splint on my right leg. At my 3 month appointment it became clear to the surgeon that I needed some intervention so I was scheduled for a manipulation under anesthesia (MUA) on April 30, 3 1/2 months after the total knee replacement. My eldest son came back to help me through the procedure, which went well. The doctor showed him the photo of my knee at a120 degree bend and told him I would need to work hard. What did he think I had been doing?

This time they kept me overnight and got me into a knee bending machine while I was still in the recovery room. For 21 days I was in this machine for 6 hours a day.

I also had PT everyday for the first week. Since they didn't cut me open this time we could keep moving from where we left off. At 2 weeks post MUA I woke up feeling like my swelling had gone down. I got to a 110 degree bend that day by myself without too much trauma. Today it has been three weeks since the MUA and the doctor approved me to return to work. I will stay on the bending machine 2 hours a day.