TKR Time for #2

[SuzyQ58]

@ebungalow Oh wow you used to live in St. Louis? My husband and I live out in Chesterfield. I’ve been in St. Louis all my life. Where do you live now? Today my knee is feeling pretty good. I walked a lot today! I volunteer at a nursing home and walked the halls with some of the residents. I just can’t figure out why the swelling? Hopefully it will go down and look like a normal knee like my right one does I think that when this severe cold weather is gone it will feel better as well .

 

[ebungalow]

@SuzyQ58

I’m hoping that the swelling will just go down naturally over the next few months, for both of us! Fingers crossed.

After St. Louis, I moved to the country in Tennessee for a couple of years, thought I was going to get married and move back to St. Louis, didn’t, and moved back home to the Rocky Mountain West.

I had a good friend who lived in Chesterfield and spent a fair amount of time there, though I don’t remember much about the area now except how beautiful it is.

It was fun to live in St. Louis during the mid-80s when the Cards were doing so well. There were lots of other really good things going on during those years in St. Louis too, obviously, but I definitely remember the playoff and World Series parties and get togethers with friends.

Gosh, I haven’t thought about St. Louis for a long time - those were fun years. I did a lot of growing up in St. Louis.

 

[ebungalow]

Thought I’d give an update - RTKR will be at 14 weeks next Monday.

@Elad1002

Hi Dale!

I saw your question about the patellar tendon issue. My PT diagnosed it. His diagnosis made sense to me because he could press various spots on my leg and make the pain appear when I was sitting down. It’s usually only sensitive when I stand for some length of time.

The dull pain is right in front, below my knee at the top of the tibia.

Josephine located it on her pain figure and you can see the location by scrolling back to her post in my thread.

The PT has me doing exercises to strengthen my left glute and they help a lot. I found a few other easy glute exercises online.

So, the update. I’m coming along.

I had PT after work today and told them that it was my last session for now.

They were awesome, but I just don’t want to go there anymore right now.

My flex has been stuck at about 115-118 for 6-8 weeks but extension has gotten better.

Sorry to keep repeating this, but my right leg was always problematic because of a blood clot years ago. It’s been slightly swollen since then.

I know everything will be just fine. Don’t think my other TKR had great flex until well after 6-8 months and now it’s very good.

The flex charts of various members that are posted here are comforting.

Going to use the money I save from not paying my part of PT to get a short-term membership for a local posh fitness club that has a heated saltwater pool.

I went once to try it out, and did careful water walking, a few laps, and then retired to the jacuzzi before hitting the steam room.

It was heavenly and did seem to loosen my knee. I won’t overdo it.

Will switch to an outdoor pool when summer arrives.

Anyway - that’s it. Hanging in there, waiting for spring, as many of us are.

I know time will take care of the blues and the niggling physical details.

 

[Jockette]

What a lovely report!

 

[Zommom]

 

[ebungalow]

My OS released me last Friday and I’m so happy!

He had me make another appointment for June, but said I could cancel it if things continue to progress as they are doing now.

I stopped PT a few weeks ago and am very happy about that too.

The knee still isn’t super bendy, but I can carefully do everything I want to do: ride a bike, drive on long-ish road trips, swim, walk stairs, garden, exercise, stretch, etc.

It feels like now I can just get on with it - with living a somewhat normal life.

That’s what happened last year with the other knee replacement. I started living normally and, within a year of the surgery, flex and extension had greatly improved and the stiffness was mostly gone. Just doing everyday activities.

Thanks so much, BoneSmart.

 

[catkin69]

What a great report. I am really pleased you have been released and are making good sound progress. Good luck with getting back to normality

 

[Jockette]

That is so great your doctor released you and you can just relax into the rest of your recovery. I so wish my surgeon had done that with me. I had way too many stressful check ups up to the one year mark and I didn’t have the nerve to cancel any of them.