1 Year Anniversary

[AlaskanTKR]

Hello to all those new knees out there! I am now an old knee! 1 Year Old to be precise. I can finally look back on all this and say... Yes.... it was a good choice! I had a bit of a rough year with my knee (7/14/08) MUA in 10/08, Right hip scope 12/08 and left hip scope 3/09. Also took 2 nasty falls in May and early June but managed to hang tough. The black and blues are finally gone. Took my first mini hike of 2 miles about 40 miles outside of Mount McKinley this week, drove for 3 hours straight and managed to walk after getting out of the truck, painted a room and carried and placed way too many patio blocks and retaining wall chunks... and mowed the lawn multiple times. I finally feel almost normal. Still get sore late in the evening after any and all that carrying of cement. But thats what jacuzzi tubs are for. Passed the 1 year xray and the tkr is nice and secure. The bend is acceptable and I can ski next season on the lower mountain. Still have a good deal of numbness around my knee and left hip but it doesnt seem to affect anything. Best of all.... got my 4th dog.... another giant malamute... He is now 16 weeks and a whopping 56 pounds!!! Back to puppy obedience school with him. I can do almost anything except kneel That.... well..... lets just say I am not quite there yet.

Anyway... I really cherrish all the help and support I found here over the past year. I feel like a traitor because I vanished for so long. I got tied up with school and then the puppy and lost track of my computer, I found it again and hope to check back more regularly. BoneSmart ROX (as 5th graders would say!)

Moral of the story..... Just have patience... in the long run it will all be worth it..... I can sleep now!!!
(Oh... and carry my laundry basket up and down my stairs again! all by myself!)

THANK YOU!!!!
Marianne----- roasting up here in Alaska!

 

[Judles]

WOW!!! Great report, Marianne!!!! So glad your recovery is going all uphill! Keep up the great active life! You deserve it! Post some pix of your babies!

 

[RickB]

Marianne,
It is wonderful to hear from you and that everything is going great. I want to think you again for getting me through my BTKR. How about those jeans, are you able to wear them yet? I have got the jump on you again, I can kneel but I do cheat a little by using my knee pads.

 

[Texas]

Hi Marianne. I was coming on here as I gues you were kinda getting out .I would see alot of your post and read alot of previous ones. Im glad you have an update. Im only 3 mths and right now probably needed that moe then I even thought. I was reading and got so happy about the things you can do now...I absolutly love it..Thanks again. You have no idea what your post did......Hope you continue to do great.....Would love to see the puppy if you had time to post it...

 

[Jamie]

Marianne, so GOOD to hear from you!! Wow, lady...you are ROCKIN' these days. Isn't it just the best feeling to be able to actually do these physical things again? I'm experiencing the same thing and I LOVE it!! Hope you are able to post some photos and check in now and then. It's always good to hear from you.

 

[JudyS]

Marianne
So good to hear f rom you. I went on to have knee surgery and back surgery. The knee was microfractured and still healing although I can hike, just still no squatting. I had an eye hemorrhage which stopped pt, just got the ok to go back yesterday from the eye specialist. Also diagnosed with an inflammatory condition which is helped by prednisone. I will probably be on prednisone for a few years or longer.
But i am hiking as much as I want. Made it to the top of socals highest mountain on the 4th of July. 10,600 feet.

My son is now in N. Carolina so instead of heading to visit alaska I'm heading to N carolina in a few weeks.

I'm so glad your body has healed well. I still have one dog, my buddy who is awesome. He is highly recognized on our local trail which we go on almost every day. He misses out when I head out in the heat of the day. I plan on cross country skiing this winter.

REally glad to hear from you I have often thought of you, we will meet some day. If I stay out of the OR Randy and I will go to visit Alaska in the next few years. Hopefully sooner verses later.

judy

 

[Josephine]

Hi, Marianne, welcome back! It's great to see you and hear that you are doing so well! Awesome!

 

[stives]

Thanks for posting Marianne.

It's good for us relative new-kneesies to hear about success stories from those who have gone before us! I am so pleased for you.

 

[Simon]

Marianne

I was just thinking about you and wondering how you were doing. Sounds like things are going well.

Seems all of us are starting to do the outside stuff. For the last week I have been pushing wheelbarrels full of mulch up the driveway about 100 feet. Then I have been up and down with the newspaper, leaves (more wheelbarrels but this time from the backyard) and buckets of water as the hose doesn't quite reach. Also up and down digging up some weeds before the newspaper goes down.

Keep it up

Simon

 

[AlaskanTKR]

It was wonderful to hear from all of those that were with me through so much and also from all the new knees!

I feel like I have come home to family. The jeans are still an issue.... I usually wear them close fitting and have struggled with all the swelling that still sits in my knee and calf because I dont elevate as much as I should (according to the doc and the hubby) Who wants to elevate when you feel like you can conquer the world. I am working on it. Have managed to feel comfy enough in shorts and short sweats and share my scar with the world. It actually isnt to bad to look at at this point. I tried to attach a pic I had on this computer of my newest pup when he was 7 weeks and sooooo small. I wioll try again tomorrow with a current pic... he is 16 weeks and 56 pounds. He was the cause of one of my falls.... carried him out and down the back porch and my knee buckled... he was 40 pounds at the time. Hmmmm stopped carrying him after that.

Quick question to all the old knees out there.... Anyone still have significant numbness???? I do but who cares... I was just wondering. My lateral side of the knee is still numb. I forgot to ask the OS since it doesnt really affect anything and he wasnt concerned with all the residual swelling,,,, this too will pass at some point.

Simon... be careful I overdid a few times and ughhhh. But it was all worth it. I just had to stop and remember that it was a brand new knee and it hadnt been through spring in Alaska yet! Next year will be even better!

Stives and Texas... hang in... it really does get better. It just takes some of us longer than others. It took me a year but I can do so much more. I just have to get back in the swing for the next school year. Sometimes i wonder how my kids managed with their teacher being so screwed up this year... but they were great and were awesome. My own child survived and was a super help and now with the 4th furry creature,... well.... Keeping busy is fun again! I used to hate going out to deal with.... well.... the stuff that dogs do in your yard... and now... piece of cake!!! Getting reacy for a jaunt to the river later this week... big rocks and all I am ready! Walked both my big mals (126 and 111 pounds ) today on their double lead! We survived. It will come and you will realize what a difference it makes to get through this!

Josephine - Glad your still here and doing well! I couldnt have made it through without all your support and just everything you do for all of us!

Judy.... I dint know how you do it! I tried to keep checking in on you and lady... you are one tough cookie! Glad you and buddy are hiking again. Before we go back to school Jessi and I are going to hike Alyeska along the ski trails. They open the mountain for hiking in the summer and we are building up to it. It is tooooo warm right now... she would melt... 82 is way to warm for Alaskans! Hang in there and I hope everything settles down.

Rick... No fair!!!! Hopefully by Christmas I will have the Jeans back where they belong soon! Gotta work a bit more swelling. Khakis will have to do this fall.

Judles and Jaime thanks for all your encouragement. Like I said... it was like coming home to family! You are great!

THANKS and good luck and patience to all you new knees. It really does get better!

Marianne

 

[Texas]

Marianne, OH MY GOODNESS How adorable!!!!! 16 weeks wow he's so cute.....He is gonna be a big one...I love bigger dogs....Thanks for posting and the advice. Really means alot....Take care...

 

[AlaskanTKR]

Ok... I figured this camera, phone, computer thumbnail think out finally... Here are some little pics of my mals. The 2 big ones are Jadis and Vander (brother and sister.. same litter) the younger guy is Caspian he just turned 16 weeks today!) We have a husky too, but he is a bit camera shy!
Marianne

 

[AlaskanTKR]

Texas... I didnt realize we were the same knee and the MUA as well. Hang in there.. seriously.... I had months of doubt about my decision to do this and I really am glad I did. I am also very glad that it is behind me. I wont fib... I worry about damaging the knee but I just keep plodding along. Skiing will be a major test this December. Hopefully I will be back in shape and we will have LOTS of snow to fall into if need be. Our fireweed is very tall which is supposed to be a sign of a lot of snow to come! Behind my fence it stands 5 feet tall.... promising sign for snow lovers! Hope you are doing well. I so remember being so frustrated sometimes but now the frustration is so much less and I am planning for the future. A really good sign. Sending positive thoughts your way!

Marianne

 

[JudyS]

Thanks for posting pics of the pups big and small they are all pups to me!!! They are adorable and beautiful!!!
Get in good shape for skiing. I'm going to home school my 11th grader. PE will consist of hiking and cross country skiing. I'm a big baby when it comes to downhill fast!!!
judy

 

[Texas]

Thanks much better. Able to see them. Big dogs and beautiful. And yea 2 other them...lol. Thanks ya I do get depressed but no turning back now right. No, I know it will get better. My problem is heat. Its been here for a mth and a half and wont go away. No matter what I do. I walk around with ice strapped to my knee...Now thanks attractive...lol......Its just all the time hot never goes away...Any ideas I think you did have hot knees to. Maybe Im wrong...I read all your past threads and cant remember. Well night everyone Alaskan if you have any ideas please post and ill ck back and will be greatly appreciated..If so how long did it last. I love talking to a knee so far out...Soooo many questions...I wont though.lol . remember seeing some threads and boy you all had some conversations ...Do you remember, some made me laugh ...lol....Nite.

 

[Linda2]

Hi Marianne!

It is good to see you, again. I am having my second knee this coming Monday, and I am almost as anxious as I was the first time around. My almost year old knee is doing well, although it has been more swollen since I had to go off the anti-inflammatory. I still have some numbness, but nothing to be really concerned about. I'm glad to hear you're doing so well.

 

[edk]

And I remember when you were a newbie! Congrats.

 

[Judles]

Kim! - If worst comes to worst, you could always visit Alaska! Bet you may cool off there!!!

 

[AlaskanTKR]

GOOD LUCK LINDA2 - Ill be thinking of you! I am dreading the need to ever do this again but I have a funny feeling I may need to down the road. The left knee is grinding from all the excess it had to deal with the past months.... hopefully it will hold together!

Texas.... Heat was a major issue for me. I was wearing shorts in October in Alaska to school so I could spend the day icing while elevating and trying to teach. It was interesting. The best thing was to really stay off it and ice and elevate. Then I could get it down some. The unfortunate response is it took a lot of time. I still get hot spurts when I push my luck but now it does go away. i guess the mobility is just so rewarding right now I dont notice the other stuff anymore. It took a year though... I wasnt expecting that and didnt mentally prepare. I am hoping I can ski in December and then all will be back to normal. I have been out pulling grass from our yard this weekend (We have a large portion gravelled for the dogs and some grass is reappearing) and dug out a bush.... Tired and a bit stiff but still in motion! It isnt so much my knee its more so my quad. I think I have a lot more work to do on strengthening it. I havent been quite as dilligent since pt stopped... but iam dealing with it! It really will get better. I know saying a year seems like forever but.... I am a year on 7/14 and I swore i wasnt going to make it. But I did and I have painted a room stained decks, stained the fence, got back to life... sometimes a bit slower or with a different angle, but back!!! Hang in... ICE and ELEVATE! Dont walk with the ice... elevate above that heart!

Judy.... to ambitious for me... I would be off doing something else instead of teaching my kid... and the way this summer is going she and I would probably but heads so bad she wouldnt learn a thing! UGHHHH ten year olds!
I love the PE concept - dont forget earth science while your hiking!!!! Hang in and STAY HEALTHY!!!

Enjoy the sunshine if you have it... we do and we cant believe it! South Central Alaska is having a great stretch of weather... just a bit to much smoke/haze if the winds diminish.....

Marianne - Heading out ( 9PM and 70 and sunny) to dig out another bush from the yard!

 

[Jamie]

Marianne, do you live near the Matanuska Valley? In the mid-50's when we lived in Anchorage I remember going to harvest fairs there and seeing the biggest vegetables I've ever seen! Does that still go on? I've read that the population there in the valley has really boomed.