Guest viewing is limited

TKR 2 weeks out

Status
Not open for further replies.
Hi. Totally agree with all thats been written. My husband too has been great and dealt with my crying/frustration/difficult moods! He stood and did a load of ironing last night. I also thought that at 6 weeks I'd been walking around pain free but still very stiff and achy. But I'm getting there! Now just want to return to normal. When I was at work I used to think how wonderful it would be to be at home, watching stupid daytime TV and doing whatever I like. Not so! Bored and want to get back into the real world now! Keep up all the good work! :thumb:x
 
Oh, yes, the super intensified feelings of guilt, frustration and hopelessness...... these to will pass. The only people that truly understand us are fellow joint replacement recipiants.
Regarding housework and cooking...no one has died from an over exposure to dust bunnies or excessive sandwich intake :wink1:
My manta is do what you feel like, make sure you're enjoying yourself and remind yourself daily that You are Worth It!!!
Of course, thats easier said than done, especially from this control freak.
Patience has paid off by allowing me to resume my "old" life again....a wonderful & active life I believed was once beyond my reach.
God is truly Awesome! I am very blessed.
Y'all take care!
Darlene
 
Mitzy said:
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.
Click to expand...
Are you keeping up with your pain meds, Mitzy? At only 5 weeks it's essential you still take the full dose, 4hrly, by the clock.
 
Jeannette ~

I have said on more than one occasion during this journey, that if someone told me I'd have to stay home from work for 6 weeks, sit around and do nothing, sleep and rest, while my family waited on me and did all of the household chores, I would have been the first one to sign up! But now, being in the throes of things, I can't wait to get back to life!


However...(Jamie and Jo, you'll appreciate this)...I don't want to get back to a life that is hampered because I've tried to do too much too soon. So, I'm trying to be valiant and stoic during this journey, and complain as little as possible (except on this forum!), and w a i t until I'm ready to be my once active self again. It's more important to return to my activities, a healthy, happy, rested person, than one still in pain and tired all of the time! :thumb:
 
So so true! As I type younger son emptying the dishwasher! Please let them keep this up when I'm back to normal!! Have decided that what is a few more weeks of being bored and pottering about compared to rushing things and not doing this properly! Think I feel a bit out of the loop as my eldest son (23) started his first 'real' job in London yesterday in PR - all very exciting. I remember my first job all those years ago - so trying not to feel past it all! :wink1:
 
Jeannette ~

I hope that you're still getting help from your family that is at home! Sometimes if mine aren't being especially helpful - i.e. not offering to get something if I need it, or hesitating a little too long when I ask for something as if I should be getting it - I just have to take a few minutes to remind them that while I may look as if I'm recovered, there still a lot of stuff going on inside that makes me very tired and in need of continual rest. :sleep: On top of that, I'm not sleeping through the night, which makes everything I do during the day a little more difficult, and a little more tiring. As we've all commiserated here, no one really knows what you're going through! Every TKRer has a different experience, but at least we all have a concept of how difficult a process this is.

When the OS/nurses said to rest, they really meant to r e s t! And without the understanding of our families, we could easily be doing too much! Thank God we have understanding husband/wives/children who - with frequent reminders - take care of us so we can continue to progress!!! :friends:
 
Wednesday makes 7 weeks since my LTKR. I have 3 more weeks of PT ahead of me. I am still taking my pain pills, hydrocodone, as needed, maybe 4 in a 24 hour period. I've thought about going to extra strength Tylenol to see if that will help, but it might be too soon. Ibuprofen doesn't really seem to make a difference in how I feel, so I haven't been taking those at all. I can't really describe the pain in my knee as constant, or piercing, but the swelling and stiffness make it so very uncomfortable. I am resting, elevating and icing several times during the day, starting with first thing when I get up. I will admit to going out to dinner a couple of times, visiting with family...at their homes, some grocery shopping and even a quick trip to the mall. I just couldn't sit around my house anymore! What I did find out is that my body will definitely give me its opinion after I've done any of that!! I've had a very unenergetic (is that even a word?) day today and have spent awhile here at Bonesmart, catching up and reminding myself of all the good information I've learned in the past 6 weeks. My patience is so thin...driving myself crazy wishing things were different. That's why I come back here...several times a day! Another frustration and one I've tried to explain to my family is that just because I'm not on the couch full time, and I'm out of the house a little, doesn't mean I'm back to normal...almost makes me want to just lay around again. I know it's because they just don't really understand, but it makes me feel like a real complainer when I have to remind them I still need some help. So that's where I am right now. Getting there on the slow journey...still needing the reminders that it is a journey!
 
I have just read your post to my husband!! I think he believes I should be doing everything! Yesterday I had to go to town....a 90 km round car trip. I drove. A little walking in town and had to stock up on supplies so pushed my trolley around the grocery store. By the time I got home I was totally had it!! It is seven weeks today for me so it was wonderful to read your post re it being a slow journey. My pain..during the day it is a stiffness and at times it hurts under my kneecap, especially when doing my lunging exercise. At night is when I describe an area as piercing pain. I gather it is where the Oxford was hammered into my bottom bone! Ouch! I see my GP tomorrow and am going to see if there are any stronger meds I can take at night that do not make me vomit. Thanks for sharing.
 
Mitzy.....at 7 weeks normally you shouldn't be doing lunges. This can put a lot of stress on your new knee. Can you describe what your "lunging exercises" are?

For everyone else.....I'm glad you all feel free to vent here about families. It's a fact that people prefer things "normal"....whatever that is. They don't mean to seem uncaring, but they really don't get what you're going through. So it's YOUR job to control the one thing you can - yourself. That means not feeling guilty when asking for help, then asking for it, and taking care of yourself so that you really CAN heal. In the end you'll get there faster by not pushing too hard.

I do love the comment about overdosing on sandwiches! You know, most family members can get by quite nicely on their own when they must.

[Bonesmart.org] 2 weeks out


They would just prefer to have things back to normal where you are SuperMom. Don't hesitate to remind them your suit and cape are in the closet for a few more months yet.
 
Last week, at my six week assessment the physio gave me a sheet of new exercises and demonstrated the lunge.
Stand with one leg in front of another, feet hip width apart. Transfer most weight to your front leg..bend down, stick your bottom out, hands on hips, pelvis level, back straight. Also told me to practise walking like a warrior..strong lunging walk!
Other daily exercises were, wall squats, hamstring curls, step ups and downs, knee bending on a step and in a chair.
Knee striaghtening off a bed, quad exercises, balance on one leg with eyes closed, hamstring and calf stetches plus stationary bike.
Any advice appreciated?
 
Yep, that's a real lunge. I'd say hold off on that one for several months. You're healing from knee surgery....not strength training. If it's hurting you, you shouldn't be doing it. Just tell her you don't believe you're quite ready for that one yet, but you'll keep the sheet for later.

All the other exercises are just fine as long as they are not done to the point of pain.
 
I would definitely agree that people want things to be normal. And when you are able to move around and do a few things, you seem normal. All of a sudden, it's your job again to take care of the laundry, dishes, meals, cleaning, shopping, etc...... My family is very supportive, and helpful - for the most part. They don't seem to completely understand though, that when I'm resting, it's because I need to, and during that time, I may need their help. That has been the most frustrating part for me this past week or so. It's the "sigh" or the "roll of the eyes" when I ask for a glass of water to take pills, or for my ice packs. :rolleyespink: I know it's just a gut reaction to being disturbed from what they were doing, but those are the times I really need the help most. I have had to remind them of that, and then they are fine with it. It's just easier to have the mentality of "just do it yourself" that many of us wives and mothers have! Superwoman!.... :ok:
 
mj and others, often when people say they have 'no pain' they are thinking of the arthritic pain they had before.
Post-op pain is different and manifests itself as
soreness
burning
stabbing
throbbing
aching
swelling
stiffness
 
So, just to be clear, at 7 weeks, I can still expect my new knee to be stiff much of the time, right? The last couple of days have been very low energy days for me. I'm sleeping pretty well at night, waking up every few hours, but falling right back to sleep, and only taking one pain pill before bed. So sleep isn't the issue, but maybe activity is the culprit. It's just that at times I feel so good and hate to sit around. Anyway, now my knee is very tired...doesn't look really swollen, but must be on the inside. I know this must be normal and I am still early in my recovery, but just need that Bonesmart assurance that I'm like everyone else. I also know that my PT has to be causing part of the discomfort, although I don't think any of that is working me too hard. So I'm just feeling a little sorry for myself and am in one of those moods...the "why is this taking so long" mood. I'll feel better tomorrow! I suppose it could be the weather...cold, rainy, generally dreary for September. Should be sunny and warm. Weather can affect replacements, right? Thanks in advance for the support you all give me...sorry this isn't as upbeat as usual.
 
I have been reading some of the other posts and I feel like such a big baby!! I know I'll be fine...I will take my pain pills, rest, ice and elevate!
 
^Nah, you're not a big baby. This is big stuff and tends to be the focus of your life for a while. You have ups and downs. And you just gave yourself great advice--rest, ice, elevate. :thumb:
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Active Antimicrobial Hydrogel
Corganics CBD

Staff online

  • djklaugh
    djklaugh
    Staff member since December 30, 2020

Members online

Total: 2,553 (members: 1, guests: 2,552)

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom