TKR TS’s lopsided recovery'

Good to hear from you Tracey! Sounds like you are improving albeit very slowly. I hope your home stressors resolve soon and that your course goes well.
 
Was so pleased to see you’re back.... take care and stay in touch.


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Hi @traceys good to hear from you. I have been wondering how things are going. So proud of you for keeping pushing and finding goals to work towards. A week tomorrow I start over again (I hope)... loving the sunshine hoping yesterday’s snow was a last blow for this winter...come on warm weather
 
:wave:
Happy spring y’all... a bit of a long post but...

So I have been going about my days trying to figure out where exactly I’m going with things. Sorta just rambling and seeing what I can and can’t do as I was asked to make a “wish list” by my pt and my return to work coordinator.
On it appeared the most simple, seemingly dumb things like:
Be able to get into the front seat of anyone’s car but ours
Sleep on my stomach like I have my whole life
Shower without needing my tub slide seat
Kneel down on one knee proposal style which I need for my photography
Go back to work and be productive and needed and provide for my family.
Sleep in the same bed as hubs again (haven't since surgery day)
Go back to my volunteering
Walk - just walk as normal and far as possible
... you get the idea I’m sure?

She took the list and said “so let’s go try them”. Out to the clinic lot with her car keys. She has a Mazda. Fail. Not enough bend to fold my long legs in :sorry: Not a good start.

Going in she said “front entrance please” 10 stairs. I went up them no cane. Foot over foot. Slow. Clunky but :yes: Reached the top to discover her still below. She smiled and motioned to come back down. 10 steps. No cane. Foot over foot. Verrrrry slow. Awkward but :thumb:
Then back up. By now my leg was shaking from exhaustion.

Got inside and she took me into an exam room and handed me the clinic’s camera they use and asked me to kneel using the bed on my left side. Camera in right hand. I had to step out so far with the right but down I went slowly and it was a bit painful at first with the stretch but. It was glorious seeing the world from down there again. Then I had to get up. Then down. Then up. Camera never left my right. Left on the bed. :wow:

I was sitting on a treatment table then wiping the happy tears and resting my foot on a stability ball. She smiled and said “don’t move!” And pulled out the dreaded goniometer to measure.

91

I didn’t even get past 85 in hospital right after surgery. My hip was screaming with the subluxation. My knee was swelling before our eyes and I was at 91.
She wrapped up session right then saying we were stopping on a high note but she knew what we had to do now. Long ice and tens and impromptu massage appt with my rmt

I came home and high on adrenaline took a shower - standing the whole time. I got out on my own stepping over the tub edge to find hubs standing there leaning on my dry shower seat in the corner all teary eyed.

I needed this so badly. More than anyone will ever know. The past 3 weeks have been horrendous for our family and I desperately needed something positive to cling to and keep me going.
It took me 3 days to recover and I’m still walking a bit stiff legged but.... :happydance:

I celebrated by using my savings to buy my dream camera and lens. It’s my motivation now to get out there and use it a bit more each day.

Sometimes you have to throw yourself your own lifesaver I think.
Looking forward to Thursday’s appt now.
 
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@traceys I haven’t followed your journey so don’t appreciate what you have been through but this post made me shed a tear both a sad tear and then a happy tear. Everyone has a different story, and we are all aiming for different things. Sometimes we have to accept that things will be different but can still be good. I wish you well for your next appointment. Who knows what you will achieve xx
 
:wowspring:You my friend are a rock star. I am so glad for this wonderfully positive report. Things can only go up from here. I am sorry to hear that your family is going through a rough patch. I am always here for you.
 
Tracey, that is such a lovely post. Your PT sounds wonderful and what an achievement to knock more than one off the list.:yes!: Way to go girl! Slow and steady now. Take care. :console2:
 
Yiphee!!!!!! Yiphee!!!!! That is an amazing post, well done young lady well done, so proud of you and your acheivements:flwrysmile::wowspring::flwrysmile::wowspring:
 
@traceys, your post just made my day!

I think we sometimes get caught up too much on what we think we can’t do rather than focusing on what we CAN do. Thus the power of positive thinking. Your pt challenged you to list what you want to do and then forced you to prove whether you could or could not do them. Based on your post, you now know what both you and your pt need to focus on. Do away with the standard exercises, instead modify them to incorporate your desired daily activities. The stiffness you experienced were probably more to do with muscles getting challenged in ways they haven’t been in a long time. Slow and steady effort will pay off with large dividends in the end.

Don’t lose hope!
 
Wow, @traceys ! Look at all the things you did at that PT session. :yes!: :happydance: :yay:
I like the sound of your PT. She's practical and very helpful.
 
:egypdance::wowspring::goodpost: Look at you! Thanks for sharing your great achievement as well as your journey thus far.
 
E0E68D06-58FE-4645-8D33-51596A60BDC4.jpeg
First time since June 2018 I’ve picked up my gear. Hubs caught this the moment I clicked the first frame. This is a historical covered bridge in our region. Muddy uneven gravel roads to get to it.
Was hard to shoot thru the tears for a few moments.
Can’t remember last time I felt this alive.
 
Hey Mermaid Sister! You made me shed a tear. Congrats on your recent achievements!

You're just 1 month prior to my tkr. I've had a few moments lately when I feel this is not coming along like it "should" at 6 months post op. But, it IS progressing just fine. I can do way more than this time last year!
Point is, we all have different bodies, knee circumstances, medical histories, etc. You're making progress. You walked on uneven ground and used your camera! You managed stairs! You kneeled on 1 knee! You're a winner!
Keep us posted n your next adventure.
 
@DLR yup. Was packed with El Touristas today! Lol. My Mennonite grandparents first brought me here when I was maybe 4.
 
@traceys, love the pic of you taking a pic of the covered bridge. Beautiful and I grew up in western NY state and had several covered bridges near where we lived and in the northern part of PA just south of us. We used to go on a lot of picnic dates visiting them. We still look for them when we vacation in areas of Ohio and Indiana that still have them. Getting harder and harder to find them though.

Glad to see you out enjoying life and worrying less about what you “think” you can’t do. Keep it up. The positive outlook will result in even more great outcomes that you will believe!
 
Awesome picture and awesome milestone! :loveshwr:
 

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