I am so ready to get on with my life. .
Sometimes I think the psychological effects are harder to manage than the physical! Well, they're at least as difficult for me. My bilateral TKR was Oct 23rd and I still have swelling, stiffness, pain, scars that won't stop hurting. I get so frustrated with the repetition of working through it each day. Typical - yesterday I did my exercises, iced, felt loosened up, didn't really overdo. This morning when I got out of bed, I could barely walk at first - had to really work the joints to get moving.
I want so much to get back to working, seeing friends, just managing my life on my own.
Ironically - I'm a psychotherapist. I spoke with others in my practice about this before my surgery - there were two other therapists who had TKR done. No one ever mentioned the depression that can set in, and these were mental health professionals! I thought I was really odd until I saw in this forum that many others experienced depression.
On the positive side (yes, I really believe there is one), there really is progress. It's just slow, and it's not linear. We don't get better each day with a definite end point. But, compare how you're functioning now as compared to right after the surgery. I try to remind myself of this when I feel down. And some days are so much better than others - we may not feel better each day but we do get better over time.
I guess what I'm encouraging others to do, is what I am trying to do with my own thoughts to cope with my own frustration - keep a long-term perspective and force myself to take a look at how far I've come already. And stick with the rehab.
Susan