Total knee replacement arthroplasty recovery has been harder than I expected. 132 days watching slow healing, doctor follow up visits, physical therapy and I finally feel like there will be life after major surgery. Adverse reactions to adhesive, zipline closure, undissolved interior stitches, and possibly pain management injection, plus the complexity of the injury made my recovery a long arduous experience.
My first 11 weeks post surgery experiences are recorded in my previous post here. Following the wound vac treatments I made weekly visits to Physical Therapy for wound care and some easy strengthening exercises plus biweekly visits to the surgeon for follow up observations of the two wounds that have been stubbornly not healing.
Week 14 the surgeon decided to remove necrotic tissue and stitch the top wound. During that procedure he removed an undissolved stitch from the original surgery and speculated that may have contributed to the slow healing. The bottom wound shape was not ideal for stitching and appeared to have begun healing properly so it was left to heal on its own. He speculated there may have been another undissolved stitch there that had finally broken loose. A mere two days later that bottom wound made significant progress.
Week 16 the surgeon removed the stitches. A small section of the would was soft and white. Probably from moisture (showering) under the bandage. That little section proved stubborn but by week 18 is finally grown closed. Meanwhile I made larger strides toward flexing the knee in PT. I was overjoyed to measure a 105 degree flex. I no longer use my cane unless I'm going to be walking an extended period of time.
The physical therapy routine has been hard and sometimes painful. PT began weeks ago with reteaching my brain to lift my leg while in a reclined position. That involved a couple weeks of electric stimulation. The process of strategic placement of little 1" square pads connected by wires to a machine that makes you feel electrical vibrations causing the muscles to contract.
I bought a new car two months before surgery so now I had to relearn all the gadgets in it! What a joy.
Week 19 visit to my surgeons office felt like a big mile stone. The wound is practically healed. The skin is still dark and rough feeling along with a bit of scabbing and old dry pealing skin. I will continue PT twice a week until he releases me but I don't need to see him every two weeks anymore. Next visit = 6 weeks from now. 😉
Now that I'm driving I am doing some shopping and socializing with friends at club meetings. My mental health is greatly improved. PT has improved my leg strength so I can climb steps and take walks alone. I've been applying vitamin E oil several times a day and a night time scar minimizer. The scar is still prominent but I believe it looks better. The physical therapist that I've come to know so well and appreciate so much told me yesterday that she believes I have met one of my many goals. I can bend my knee enough to sit in an airplane seat... it's time to book a flight to the beach.
