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TKR 2 weeks out

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I had my BTKR on Aug. 5th. Prior to the surgery, I read all of the posts and articles that said to rest as much as you can, elevate and ice, and not to push yourself. I really thought I was prepared physically, mentally and emotionally for what lie ahead.

I was not at all prepared! Even though my surgery went well, and I'm doing great in PT and generally feeling okay, it has been a long road, and will continue to be!

I have been taking an anti-depressant for several years, so my emotions are pretty even-keeled, but this surgery has put me on an emotional roller coaster. There have been days that I've felt excited about the future, positive, and happy. And then, there have been the days that I have shed many tears (as recently as this morning).

I think I've taken for granted that my body will just "recover"! It has before (and rather quickly after several major surgeries), so I assumed it would this time. And, I know it will, but it will take a lot longer than I first believed. I remember reading a thread where a moderator was suggesting that a forum poster not plan on returning to work too soon. I remember thinking that I would be able to go back because I would heal faster and "defy the odds".

Even though I'm "only", "already" 3 weeks past my BTKR, I've figured out that I'm not going to "heal faster" or "defy the odds"! Yesterday, I overdid it!!! I spent several hours at my daughter's high school volleyball tournament. I sat in the bleachers, talked with other parents, walked to the restroom a couple of times, and went to the concession stand to get lunch. I came home and felt fine! This morning, I realized that I had done way too much! I was in pain, tired, and my knees felt very swollen (though they weren't visibly swollen). So, I rested all day today - elevating, icing, sleeping.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I agree with all of you! There are things I think I should be able to do now, but I can't. And, I will continue to find things that I want to do, and that my mind tells me I should be able to do. I'm getting to the point where I'm realizing that it will take as much time as it takes! And that's okay!

I know there will be some great days in the weeks to come. And I know there will be some bad days as well. With the help of my fellow "Bonesmarties" we'll make it through! :console:

 
We all think we are going to be the exception. You've done a good job getting past that to the REAL reality. You're gonna be just fine!!!

It normally is a long and fairly slow recovery from a TKR. That's why it's so important to be able to let things go that you "think" need to be done and instead rejoice each day in the steps forward you're making and in the fact that such a life-changing surgery is available. There is the real miracle!!
 
KneedKnees, I couldn't agree with you more. I believe that the vast majority of TKR patients are woefully under prepared for what they are about to experience. I honestly thought that I'd be good as new within two mos of my LKTR. Guess again! Like you, I've come to realize that it is, what it is and that our knees are gonna heal up in due time. I've dumped my unrealistic expectations and time tables. They only lead to setbacks in recovery and frustration. Stay positive and try to be patient. I know it's easier said then done, especially in the hectic world we live in. Like you, I too overdid it last week when I drove 1.5 hrs to take my daughter out to lunch for her b'day at college. Then took her shopping (i.e. walked around a mall.) Then drove another 1.5 hrs to watch my son's football game. And after 2 hrs on the bleachers on a friday night, drove my wife & I home almost 2 hrs. Needless-to-say, yesterday was tough. Lots of ice & elevation. Know that we're all in this together and we truly support each other. Best of luck to you in your recovery. JMB
 
mbitney ~

I like the way you said, "I've dumped my unrealistic expectations and timetables". That's exactly what I had. And while I've dumped them as well, I think in the back of my mind I'm hoping that I'll be back to "doing my life" as normally as possible soon. However, if not, it's not going to break me! I've learned that trying to do too much is foolish and only sets you back further. It's not worth it!

As you also said, and I agree, "we're all in this together and we truly support each other". Best of luck to you in your recovery!!!
 
It's like referee54 has said many times, we've got to learn to, "work smarter, not harder." I'm still hoping for as speedy a recovery as possible, but I'm learning not to get in the way of it, by overdoing it (at least not as often :DOH:)

Speaking of which, I've cut back my PT from 3x to 2x per week. And today I had a therapeutic massage on my left leg. OMG what a treat that was! Afterwards my walking left leg (including my new knee) felt the best they've felt in a long time. My therapist worked on my quad, ham, calf, and my patellar tendon for nearly an hour. What gifted hands this gentleman has. I hope to be able to continue this on a weekly basis for awhile. (Sure be nice if my health Ins. covered this.)

Back to icing & elevating it again. Bye for now. JMB
 
Therapeutic massage...ah...

Unfortunately, I can't have a massage until I'm off coumadin. :cry: I had a blood clot a few years ago, and will probably be on the coumadin for awhile yet, and my massage therapist won't do massage if you are taking a blood-thinner.

My PT does take time each session to massage the quads, and all of the muscles surrounding the knees, as well as the calf muscles (I don't know all of the medical names!). That's my favorite part of PT!!! The massage doesn't just feel good though, it makes the exercises easier, and helps increase the ROM. I try to do it at home, but it's just not as wonderful when I do it myself!

I like your outlook on hoping that you will recover faster, but not getting in the way of it by overdoing! I will second that! :I-Agree:
 
I am using Bonesmart as my daily emotional therapy! I am so comforted each time I read responses by knowing that everything I'm feeling is normal, even though I don't like it at all! I'm just 6 weeks out of my LTKR, so the fact that this is a long recovery is still hard to face. I've decided that taking a pain pill on a schedule is a good idea, especially since I'm doing PT 3 times a week. I'm sleeping better, even though I do wake up every 2-3 hours, I can pretty much fall back to sleep. If it's been at least 4 hours, I take my hydrocodone, and go back to sleep. I was nervous about doing this so long after the surgery, but it really does make a difference and I found ibuprofen and Tylenol weren't doing anything. Now the next thing I need to control is how active I am each day. I'm probably doing more than I should, even though it seems like nothing. Yesterday, I had my grandkids over for dinner, and I think I was just standing too much...I was beat when they left! My knee pain is mostly that tight ache. Only hurts when I move it..ha. I know there is still a lot of swelling in there...icing helps a lot. So I basically am in the same place I was a week ago...at least that's how I feel. I just have to stay positive, keep reading your encouraging messages and remembering I am not alone in this recovery journey. So happy to have met you all!!
 
You looked after your grandkids and cooked dinner for them? I hope somebody else did the clearing away and washing up! You should not be doing that at 6 weeks. Naughty, naughty! In another 2-4 weeks maybe but 6 is too soon. Cook a meal by all means but make it beans on toast or a salad!

And about the pain meds - you said you were "nervous about doing this so long after the surgery" but this is not 'so long after surgery'! It's still early, early days. Please be kinder to yourself.
 
I did do the cooking (nothing elaborate) but my wonderful husband did all the cleaning up...he always does!! I was icing on the couch right after we ate! Also, I put a call in to my OS for another prescription for my pain med. I am not sure they'll send the same med or not, but I will definitely keep up with my pain. Again, thanks for the reminder!! Everytime I think I'm being practical and smart about my recovery, I realize I'm in my fantasy world!!
 
I think that one's family has a lot to do with one's recovery, too! My husband and children have been great about doing things for me, and making sure I've had ice, water, and whatever I've needed, especially in the first couple of weeks post-op. However, now that I'm moving around pretty well, and "looking" like I'm OK, I think they're expecting that I can do things again! :umm:

Where 3 weeks ago, laundry was getting done, the dishwasher was being loaded and unloaded, and the house was being kept relatively neat, now...not quite so much! Last night was the first time I made supper, which consisted of au gratin potatoes (Betty Crocker) and ham and some fruit. It was not difficult or time-consuming, and I felt fine after making it. But now, I think there's an expectation that I'm okay to do the cooking on an ongoing basis. Microwave, it is!!! And, I started working on the mountain of laundry this morning. :thud:

I'm not complaining - because my family has been very supportive, and I know that if I express a need for them to do something, they will. I'm just saying that WE are hard on ourselves because we think we should be able to do more, and I think when we show how great we're doing, our families might begin to think we should too! (And yet, my husband is also the one who tells me not to overdo it!)

Rest...ice...elevate...sleep...rest....ice....elevate....sleep....rest....ice....elevate....sleep..........
:sleepz:
 
Ahhh Kneed... going through the same thing here. I'm just over 3 weeks out and I think I'm doing reasonably well. However, my husband and daughter see me more active and are backing off a bit, although both have a lot of commitments themselves right now, other than me!

I planned this surgery for mid summer because my hubby is a teacher and although he also works in the summer, it's a bit more flexible. My daughter is a college student off for the summer, and at the time of my surgery had been unable to find a summer job. No sooner did I have the surgery than she was called for a full time summer position to continue as part time in the fall when she starts school again.

I've felt guilty placing any more demands on her when she's been doing her best to help out, especially with my 3 dogs who don't understand that "Mom" is a bit incapacitated! Plus she's been handling all the laundry and at least surface cleaning in the bathroom and kitchen. I'm still not able to get dogs out for their walks myself, so I've had to be dependent on family to do that and it's terribly frustrating. I'm able to deal with the messy house to a degree, but the pups can't wait.

Hubby and daughter both return to school on Sept. 1st, so I'm getting a bit nervous having no one around at all for at least 8 hours at a time - for the pups, of course. You can see where my priorities lie~! :)
 
DeeZee ~

My original plan was to do this another year! So, when the pain just got to be too much and my doc said I was bone-on-bone in both knees, we had already scheduled a family vacation late July to early August. I'm a teacher and was hoping to do this during the summer and be able to seamlessly go back to teaching in the fall. Well...with the timing of our vacation, I wasn't able to have the surgery until after the trip. The day after we flew home, I was on the operating table. I too, had a college age son helping me, as well as my high school age daughter. Now, my son is back at school and my daughter started school last week. My school also started last week and I'm not there!!! :cry:

Without my son and daughter home, it's tough. My daughter has volleyball practice every day until 5:30, and my husband gets home around the same time. Needless to say, they'd like supper when they get home, and not have to fix it themselves. And, they would also like me to make their lunches for work/school. In addition, as you said, there's laundry and keeping the house tidy and clean. :frown:

I understand about the pups - we have a cat, and there's minimal care required there as well. She looks at me and says, "It's 3:00 - time for my supper!", and I have to ignore her.

I really want to take care of myself so I don't overdo (already done that some and don't want to anymore!). I think we're at a point here where we need to talk about it as a family and let them know that I just don't have the endurance to do all of the household chores yet. Truthfully, I think they know it, but they want their "old" lives back!

There is a way to balance - just have to find it! :amen1:
 
Amazing how similar our post-op experiences are. My first two weeks out my wife & kids nearly fell over each other trying to help out dad. But after I started getting around w/o crutches tbey seem to kinda disappear. Not that they don't help me out anymore (cause they still do) but they don't seem as enthusiastic about it. (Or perhaps its just me feeling guilty about still being so dependent on them after 5 wks into my recovery.) I really don't think they understand or appreciate what we're going thru which makes me all the more grateful for my bonesmart buddies! I keep reminding myself to be patient, stay positive, and give thanx for many blessings I have with my family & friends. JMB
 
I totally agree that the "help" isn't quite as enthusiastic as it was the first two weeks! When I'm up and moving around, I think they're thinking, "while you're up, get your own water!". Then again, like you said, maybe I'm just feeling guilty about being so dependent! I'm good at feeling guilty... :rolleyes:

I also agree that no matter how much someone says they understand what you're going through, they probably really don't appreciate how difficult the recovery is - not just physically, but emotionally and mentally as well. The physical part isn't even obvious! Today, if you had seen me walking in and out of PT, you would have thought there was nothing "wrong" with me. But, on the way out, I was in pain. :cry:A new exercise, and a little too much stretching, and I was hurting! And then there's how hard this roller coaster of emotions is. One minute feeling great, they next being very depressed. :frown: And then there's the mental anguish of not being able to do what you want to do. It's a lot to handle - and sometimes I don't think I'm doing so well at it!

All of these things put stress on our relationships with our family members. I think your statement about being patient, staying positive, and giving thanks for the blessings we have it key. It's hard, but it's important! :ok:
 
I have spent the past five days with my youngest daughter who has children aged 10, 6, 4 and 15 months. Her husband is OS this week. Although she is good and does not expect me to do too much, just being around the little ones, doing some chores to help, ironing etc has worn me out. I honestly believe that unless you are going through a joint replacement or have gone through one you cannot imagine what the recovery is like. The simplest task becomes a mountain to climb! I see my surgeon today for my six week assessment! My knee is stiff and I was so pleased to read your post, mjhandle as I know I too am normal! Sleep is still a major issue for me. I go to sleep but a couple of hours later wake, probably because I try to unbend my leg in my sleep and it hurts! Then it takes ages to get back to sleep and I seem to wake every hour or so. As you say the pain is a tight ache especially after being on your feet for a while. I finally go home today hoping I get the all clear to drive as we live a long way out of town. Thanks for all your help. If I had not found this forum I am sure I would believe my recovery rate is terrible!! I thought I would be walking some distances quickly by the six week mark....did not think it would still hurt to walk and that I would still have a slight limp!! I know I know people told me but I believed my recovery would be quicker. Silly me!!
 
How very true what kneedknees and Mike said. People today were looking at my scar, and luckily, for whatever reason, it is hardly noticable. So, they say to me wow, your knee looks great, it must feel great to be all healed up!!!! They can't see the swelling inside that makes it so difficult to try to bend it when you walk, get in/out of the car......... How I long for the day when I will just get up and walk without thinking about it first. Have to say my hubby has been pretty wonderful. About 99% of the time he tries to do whatever he can for me and doesn't seem to mind when my moods go from happy to crying for no reason. It is so nice to have the bonesmarties to talk with who understand all of this.
 
^so true. Most people just have no concept of what's involved in a tkr. Great that your husband is so supportive with the help and emotional roller coaster, Lynn. :)
It's sometimes hard for us to ask for help, but you have to be honest. YOu might feel pretty good part of the day but need help later.
 
I am so glad I found this particular thread today. Just scheduled surgery for 10/11/11, and I can just imagine that all of the above will be exactly what I will go through. I have a family who loves me and will help out, but my children are all married with families, and it will be school time. Went on a vacation a couple of weeks ago, and the grandchildren said I couldn't do anything, they were my slaves for the week - we rented a huge house large enough for us all in the mountains. I should have had the surgery and then done that for my rehab!! Anyway, it is really good to know what to expect. Please keep posting your updates. I know I am on the wrong "side" now, but it will really help me to know exactly what I can expect - since I am thinking to myself that if I push, it will be o.k. in a couple of weeks. This site will keep me thinking realistically and hopefully avoid the depression when I don't live up to my expectations Thanks.
 
mjhandle, DeeZee, Mitzy and crazycatlady ~

We're the 5 muskateers on this thread today! We're all doing pretty well, and being allowed to do more than we should.

Speaking of feeling guilty - I got a temporary handicapped tag to hang in the car so I can use a handicapped parking spot. Yesterday, I was wearing capris so my scars weren't visible. My daughter and I parked, and we used the tag. People looked at me as if I shouldn't be parking in a handicapped spot. I looked normal. I'm slow, but my gait is even - no limping. I feel like pulling up my pantslegs and showing my scars!

Here's to continued recovery - - - help from our families - - - and a pain-free future! :cheers_wine:
 
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