Revision TKR TKR - Feel like a Failure<

@SusieShoes - it is good to hear someone else has been told the knees will continue to improve. Gives me hope. I agree with your assessment about "recovered enough" at 3 months. I think that doctors should provide more realistic expectations and tell you at the beginning that the operation can entail a significantly longer recovery period. If I hadn't found this forum, I would have been in complete despair thinking I was the only one. A neighbor of mine had both knees done a month ago and one week later she hosted a card party at her home. I could never have done that after one week. I so appreciate hearing that your doctor believes your knees will improve even after a year as I don't know what to believe anymore - worried, as you said, that the doctor is telling me what I want to hear. Thank you.
 
I definitely took more than a year to recover, in fact it was 20 months post op when I realized I was squatting in a pool. My OS told me it would be a year before I felt 100% and I got back to my normal life by that point, however my knee continued to improve long after a year.
 
So many tears shed worrying and in anxiety - it has been an ordeal
Oh my am I with you on this... i would rather have TRUTH about this than 'what they think I want to hear.' it's ridiculous the back and forth with the OS and the PT's. It's horrible mental and emotional anguish. They were flat out mean and using HORRIBLE SCARE TACTICS toward the end of my visits with them telling me if I didn't push it I could be permanently impaired... this was a nightmarish thing to say to me after all I'd been through with my knee.

I hear you and I hope you and all of us continue to improve. There are those on this board and in life who have so I continue to hold onto HOPE!!!

Blessings...
 
Time to "chime" in. I will be a year out on my second knee replacement June 3rd. My ROM is great, maybe even a little better than my other knee although by one year my other knee had no complaints whatsoever. At about 8- 10 weeks this new knee just slowed down to a snails pace. It's very functional and I can do all activities I want but it continues to be a bit stiff and sore and I AM SICK OF IT! :) I do believe it is still improving but so slow I can barely tell! It has also developed some crackly noises when I bend it deeply and then get up with body weight. I have adjusted to avoid this,but I don't think that's good. I see my surgeon in July but expect the xrays will be excellent and that will be it for him!

Right now I feel it will continue to improve but may take another year. Some days it feels almost like my other knee. I call that my "hallelujah " days...then it backslides for a few days and those are my " diddlie darn" days to put it nicely!!!

On those days when I get too down about it I put on some tubigrip or my Zensah Compression Sleeve and all is well. I still don't understand why the added compression makes it feel so good. My best guess is that there is still internal swelling.

I so appreciate everyone's willingness to share. It's so nice not to feel alone . We have been thru so much, been so patient and will have to continue to adjust.

I hope and pray I continue to improve but I'm still much better than before....so.. gratitude
 
@Hopetohike You are describing my experience perfectly! I too believe my knee is improving but so slowly I can barely tell. I too have the crackly noises - primarily when I get up from a sitting position. I pointed that out to my doctor this week and he had me get up and sit down several times. That is when he said there was some scar tissue causing this...but not enough to do anything at this time. I asked if it would improve and he said there was a 30% chance it would improve, a 30% chance it would get worse and a 30% chance it would stay the same. Duh?? He said he had other patients who had worse scar tissue and he did an arthroscopic procedure to clean out the tissue and it fixed them right up. He doesn't recommend the procedure for me at this time but that didn't make me feel good to know another surgery may be in my future. Yes, my x-rays looked good and that was it for him as you said. I see others, like @KarriB , have taken longer than a year to improve so I am hoping the same for me. I hadn't thought about a compression sleeve - thanks for mentioning it.
 
Chrisknee...at least your surgeon had you get up and down several times and make an assessment. I realize that at a year some individuals are still on the journey to healing and improving. I mentioned that I was concerned at my 1 year appointment last week that flexion and straightness seemed to be diminishing. He looked at me sitting and stated that the leg looked great. No measuring. Well at my first PT this week since November the straightness has gone from 4+ to 15+. I thought once you had achieved a level that it only got better. So I know there is a group of us who have unresolved issues. I am wondering if this is the best it gets . I am starting to worry and feel very overwhelmed for the first time in my life.
 
Well I agree that you are doing very very well.
I went thru the same feelings you have had. I never gave up, I didn't listen to others or compare myself.
I was doing great. Then I had a little set back and it kind of discouraged me, then another little one. I became weak minded, fearful and felt like I was just a piece of stupid looser flesh, it must be genetic I think, weak minded Ok that's me.
So I gave up. I said I have had it and I'm not going to fight anymore. " I'm done and out of here".
After I had given up I looked around and I was still here! Nothing had changed. Ahhhhh. I just kept doing the stuff I was supposed too ang got better. Even after I gave up my body did not. What I gave up was the frame of mind I was in. What I gave up fighting? Not sure but it wasn't critical to my healing. I did fight the therapist, I could never give that up because they and done things to me I can never forget, whoops sorry Bla Blah Blah

The one person said to take your cane I think that is a good thing. I go walking and I put it under my arm
And it is there when I need it , when I feel insecure , start to lean forward, walk on uneven ground, or have pain and get tired. Sometimes I get along fine without it, other days I really need it. Less and less though.
It is good if you have to hit someone or to push your dog out of the way, ( I have tripped over my Black Lab many times in the dark). It is useful. Now after reading your post if someone would tell me that I am weak minded. , ( Probably a Terorpist ). I would slowly and gently put my cane end on their big toe and grind it with all my weight into the ground , "Yes weak minded you are, now go practice your witchcraft on the unsuspecting "
You are doing very well and your body will heal itself, so just take caution and follow basics Bonesmart things and don't worry about being weak minded it will only make you feel bad, maybe.
I'm Done for the day.
God Bless you Sweet person
You are getting better and stronger everyday
Steve
 
I am fourteen months out and finally feel there may be light at the end of the tunnel. I am walking unassisted for the most part and no longer require pain medication (although there is some pain it does not interfere with my daily activities). I still have stiffness and the tight band feeling but read on the BoneSmart Forum that should dissipate over time. Although my doctor cautions I may have to have another surgery for scar tissue, I am doing everything I can to keep moving and make sure that doesn't happen. I take great encouragement from others who have taken longer to recover but who made it through. The BoneSmart Forum has been so important to me throughout this process. Terrible days of pain and anxiety were helped by the encouraging words of others. Seeing the advice to not compare myself to others was invaluable. Two of my neighbors had TKRs this year and were fine shortly thereafter. I am happy for them and glad I have the Forum's advice to return to - they are not me and did not have the same surgery. So thank you so much to everyone who has helped me on this journey - not there yet but hoping to be soon!
 
It sounds like you're doing really well now. It's frustrating to see others recover more quickly. There's no way around that. What matters most is that you recover well. If your knee is improving, that's progress! If you're feeling less pain, that's progress too. I was a bit skeptical about the one-year recovery advice until I experienced it. My mother and sister, both of whom have had their knees replaced, told me they recovered in much less time than that. I only had their word for it. Now that I've gone through the surgery, I realize that "one year" means somewhere between nine months and two years.

You will continue to get better. For me there were two final pegs for full recovery. One was the stiffness you describe. It gradually diminished until at around one year it vanished completely. The second was a nagging minor pain on the medial side of my left knee. It was still there -- some days yes, some days not -- at my one-year check-up with my surgeon. He said to give it more time, that no two knees (even on the same person, operated at the same time) healed exactly alike. And he was right... it's been two months since that check up and the pain has been gone for three weeks. Completely gone. So that was nine months for the right knee and a good thirteen months for the left. Go figure.

I'll keep crossing my fingers that you can avoid another surgery for scar tissue. Your knee might just prove it doesn't need that!
 
I applaud your courage! I too am 13 months post revision and still not there yet either! It’s been a year long journey of pain and stiffness! My light (?at the end of the tunnel$ maybe my spinal block I’m having next Wednesday. Docs think that if my pain was in control, I could work on my walking and mobility which-fingers crossed- with help my range!

It’s good to hear from you! I feel better knowing that I’m not alone in this journey! It’s nice to hear from people who are dealing with challenges like me!

Thanks for your inspiration!
 
I’m glad you’re seeing the light at the end of the tunnel! I was still noticing improvements at 18 months, so there’s still time. I had two surgeries using the same incision so worried about scar tissue, however it was not a problem. I just had to be patient and give my knee time, exactly what you’re doing!
 
@KarriB - I have read an earlier post of yours to me many times where you said it was 20 months when you noticed you were kneeling in a pool. Your post today gives me such encouragement - still noticing improvements at 18 months and didn't have to do anything about scar tissue - I also had two surgeries using the same incision. So a person can continue to improve after one year! Thank you thank you thank you!

@SusieShoes - Yes, "one year" means between 9 months and two years! I wish I had known that going in and not had such high expectations. The mental part of this has been almost as difficult as the physical surgery. You and I had our surgeries around the same time - I'm glad to hear your stiffness gradually diminished. I know mine has because I am walking better but it's so hard to tell on a day-to-day basis!

The two of you are awesome Forum Advisors - appreciate you more than I can say.
 
@Jordan6 - you are definitely not alone in this journey! I truly hope the spinal block helps you. I see you had a revision - me too. It's rough to have to go through this surgery twice. So I'm 14 months out and just now starting to feel better. There's been so much to go through - sounds like you're right there with me. I take encouragement from reading others posts and knowing they have come through this - I was in despair thinking I was alone. My doctor told me at my one year check-up that it can take two years to recover. That has been the case for others in this forum and I take hope from that. Good luck - so many good wishes coming your way!
 
I haven't written on the Forum in awhile but check in often to see how others are doing and to read and reread the responses to my posts as I proceed through this knee replacement journey. I continue to take encouragement from others' words and experiences. I am 20 months now from my TKR revision surgery (which followed a failed kneecap replacement surgery). This has been brutal - both mentally and physically. I went back to PT in September and finished in December. I totally trust this therapist and he helped me strengthen my knee. He doesn't believe I need to have a third surgery to remove scar tissue (my doctor recommended as a possibility) which is a blessing. The stiffness has lessened as has the pain (and the depression). I'm not there yet but I have hope. I still carry a walking stick when I'm out and about but no longer see that as a stigma thanks to you on this forum. One responder said they carried a stick for 2.5 years! I wanted to express my continued gratitude for this forum and those of you who so graciously shared your experiences. You assured me I am not alone and that means the world. Thank you.
 
Question please - I still am very aware of the artificial knee. Although diminished, still stiff and tight when walking and just doesn't feel "normal." Very aware with every step. Others I know who had the TKR say they don't notice a difference between their real knee and the TKR knee. What are your experiences? Does it reach a point (however long) when you become less aware? Or could this be the new normal? I know everyone is different in their recovery but am interested in your experiences. Thank you.
 
Well, you know my story, and I am still extremely aware of my knee. I had my surgery in between both of yours.

However, I still have the original problematic partial.

I hope your knee will eventually heal to a really comfortable place. Do you see improvement, even slowly? Or have you been on a plateau for a long time?
 
@chrisknee

I can totally feel that my right hip and both knees are not natural, but it’s not an uncomfortable feeling.

The joints don’t cause pain, and that’s a big relief.

Well, my 5-week-old new knee is still uncomfortable and hurting, but it’ll get there.

I asked my fantastic ortho PA about feeling like the joints aren’t real, and she had an explanation that made perfect sense to me.

She said that the awareness that the joints aren’t real can actually be an awareness of space.

I’d been so accustomed to feeling pain in the joint spaces that, when the old joints were removed and those painful areas were removed, I became very aware of other sensations (and lack of sensations) in those areas.

Which is NOT to say that many of us don’t experience the pain relief.

But for some bodies, it’s not JUST awareness of the pain relief, there’s also a physical awareness of space and the fact that the space had been filled with something else which can’t feel (because it’s metal and plastic).

It’s being physically aware of a kind of void in certain places in the body. Not to mention if clunking happens within that void.

Oh dear, I don’t know if I’m explaining it adequately. But yes, I’m aware of my false joints and it’s ok with me so far.
 
MY TKRs are 7 and 4 years old and I hardly think about them at all. But I think getting to that stage is a very slow and gradual process. It may take several years, as it did for me.
 
This is a really interesting topic.When my first tkr reached about 7 months I forgot all about it not being ‘my knee’. I had my second knee done 4 months later and unfortunately due to it having to take the strain my first tkr has become inflamed and i’m aware of it not being my real knee. My second left knee is taking much longer to heal and I’m definitely aware of it.
Can I ask @chrisknee have you had a problem with a lot of swelling?
 

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