TKR Grandma Chris gets a new knee!

[sistersinhim]

What a fantastic trip you had minus the standing around. As you have said, that is normal. I found that when I was standing and waiting that if I stepped in place that it helped.

I used a squeezee ice pack thing which was only marginally useful.

I bought a case of these but haven't used one yet. Do they get really cold?

 

[grandma chris]

@sistersinhim they do get cold but I don't think cold enough, and it wasn't cold for a half hour. I think it was probably better than nothing and I will use them but I wouldn't buy them again

 

[grandma chris]

Here is our view! We are on a mountain side. It is actually 300 steps down to the ocean - I will be taking a cab there. Also, I have some spf 50 for my scar

 

[sistersinhim]

What a beautiful place to recover! Enjoy yourself and keep us update on your journey.

 

[Jockette]

Lovely!

 

[Zommom]

Enjoy that warm weather and beautiful views! Relax and keep pampering that knee!

 

[grandma chris]

Both feet are firmly planted in the ODIC! Yesterday, after a good sleep no doubt brought on by the eight hour time difference we walked to town. This involved about 15 steps up to the road and then close to a kilometre on an unevenly tiled downhill slope finished off by about another 30 stairs. Then a walk up and down stairs at the open air mall. It was strenuous for me but beautiful and my knee held up beautifully! There was absolutely no pain! Two stops, one when we arrived down there for a refreshing morning Shandy, and then for a nice lunch. We got a few provisions, some Voltaren gel - which is called something else here - and then took a cab home. By then my knee was incredibly swollen so it was ice and elevate most of the rest of the day. Going to lay low today, no long walks into town. It's five in the morning and I'm up for the day so I think I'll go out and watch the sun come up over the mountain. May go down for a swim in the pool today but that's a strenuous as it will get. It is 75 steps down to the pool, broken up by little walkways. I will take it easy. Knee feels goof after a seven hour sleep.

 

[Lindylee]

Having an easy day sounds ideal, glad to hear the knee has recovered overnight. That was some journey you had to get there. I take my hat off to you. Enjoy the views and the sunshine. What part of Gran Canaria are you in?

 

[sistersinhim]

Your knee has earned a couple of days of rest. Take it easy and enjoy your views!

 

[grandma chris]

I decided to listen to my knee today and I did not go down the 75 steps to the pool. I enjoyed the sun from the balcony and rested. My knee is not nearly as swollen today.
ETA we are in Puerto Rico, a beauty place

 

[traceys]

Puerto Rico is our fav vacation spot. Been 3 times. Absolutely adore El Moro. Go work on your tan lines and enjoy yourself!!!

 

[grandma chris]

@traceys this is not Puerto Rico in the Caribbean, it's Puerto Rico on the island of Gran Canaria off the coast of Morocco. It's a really, really long flight! My husband's sister and family live here, it's why we come so far! I've been to the one in the Caribbean though and I loved it too!

 

[grandma chris]

I've had a couple of good days. Yesterday I was brave and walked down the 75 stairs to the pool - easy peasy with no pain at all. What was painful was that the pool heater is broken and the water much too cold for swimming! Oh well, I sunbathed and walked up the 75 stairs. I was out of breath but my knee was fine. Today was a big shopping day and now I'm icing and elevating. I've already started a tan!

 

[Lindylee]

That's great - 75 steps up and down with no pain. Shame about the water though, hope it's fixed soon. Enjoy working on that tan.

 

[grandma chris]

We are having a nice and very quiet holiday. We walk into town every second day . That involves walking up about 15 stairs and then down hill on very uneven tiled sidewalks followed by down three flights of stairs (no railings!) and some more walking on the flat and some more stairs.. I'm not sure what the distance is but it takes about 20 minutes. I have been bringing my cane because by the end of it I am pretty tired. It's hot and my legs and feet have to work pretty hard to keep me steady on the very uneven and sometimes steep incline. My knee is behaving beautifully and has not given me any trouble at all. At the end of the day it's often swollen and I always elevate and sometimes ice. After a night's sleep it's back down. There is residual swelling from the surgery which continues to impede my bend but that gets a little better almost daily. We have been here a week and a half and I'm ready to be a little more adventurous, maybe make a sidetrip or two. Maybe today we can take the bus to Amadores and walk back on the coastal walkway. It's a beautiful paved walkway, about ten feet wide. It goes up and down and is curvy and is one km in length I'm pretty sure I can do it with rests along the way That will be an accomplishment for me I used to do this almost every day a few years ago but wasn't able to last year due to pain in my knee I'm really looking forward to it as it's beautiful. My scar is fading more and more and I use spf 50 on it when I sunbathe Life is extremely good.

 

[grandma chris]

So my four month anniversary passed and I didn't even realize! We're still in Gran Canaria and I continue to progress. Walking to town becomes a little easier every time. Still have not done the coastal walk back from Amadores, maybe this week. My knee swells and goes back down. My bend continues to improve but it's erratic, undoubtedly due to the swelling. I'm very glad I had this done. My stamina needs work but now that the snow is gone I can get some decent walking in. At least at home it's on the flat!

 

[Lindylee]

 

[grandma chris]

Well after four weeks in paradise we leave today for London. I can't begin to tell you how good this has been for my knee! When I arrived I still needed to ice and elevate quite a lot. My knee would swell at the slightest stress. I don't remember when I last iced! My knee still swells if I overuse a little but it seems to go down almost right away. My incision is beautiful and not at all sensitive. Certainly not to the touch! I tried kneeling on the bed about a week ago and I'm nowhere near that yet! Lots of walking and stairs down have only helped . Mostly I only did big walks every second day and not usually crazy far. The exception was one day when we took the bus to a market in a nearby town only to find out that there was no market that day due to carnival. We decided to rescue the day by taking the water taxi back but walked more than a mile in the wrong direction! Then we had to turn around and walk back. I was so thrilled that my knee behaved so beautifully! It's been a wonderful holiday. Now we're off for five days in London - that's a lot of walking without the gorgeous sun!

 

[sistersinhim]

What an uplifting post you have there. Your life is getting back to normal, and that's what this surgery is all about!

 

[grandma chris]

Today is my five month anniversary. I have to say that I think I've had an excellent recovery. I will have to re-read my thread to remind myself of pain! We are home after our big trip (planning our next one, haha!), and recovered from all jet lag. My knee is doing fabulously well. No pain at all, still some swelling mainly at the back I think and a biggish bump on the lower right quadrant of the knee. That is pretty hard but not painful. My bend is unmeasured but I think it must be past the 120 degree mark. I will have it measured soon at the Y. I'm very happy with the results of this surgery. No pain at all now, I can go up and down stairs without pain and like a big girl, I can easily get in and out of my deep tub. I can do more than that of course, but those were my main goals. I still can't kneel on my knee - I may never be able to. Starting to walk a little more as I need to build up my stamina. A couple of years avoiding walking because of pain means I am quite out of shape. I attend the pool twice a week to do aerobic exercise in the warmish water. Because I have no pain now, I can do more lunges and squats in the water. I think that is helping my bend. All in all, I'm a happy camper. I can only wish such a good result on all of you.