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TKR 4 months out

It's a balance. I get up to go potty every hour or two. The first few steps off the recliner are so slow, lurching, painful, stiff. Then after I get out of the bathroom, I head to the kitchen to get a drink or snack, and by the time I head there, everything is moving a bit easier. But if I move too much, it's back to stiff, heavy knee. So walking every hour for 5-10 seems to be the key. Then once that isn't increasing the stiffness, add 5 mins at a time.
 
Help. In my 6th week i was doing good! My 7th week im seeing uncontrolled pain, swelling, little sleep. I went to a family bd party Saturday in the 100 degree heat. Monday i started back to work as a part time Nanny/driver. I felt so good I left work and went to grocery store. Soon after the pain started. Worked again Tuesday, store again. These 3 days have felt like forever. Sleep is off, pain is constant. What have i done?
 
Also, 3 bad days feel like a year and im to be at pt in a few hours -
 
It sounds like you overdid the activity. At 7 weeks, your knee is still a baby--not even a toddler yet. It needs lots of rest, elevating and icing to keep down the swelling that's still lingering from surgery. Of course, our minds have recovered and want to get out and about. Getting back to our old activities and life patterns sounds great. Your knee, though... isn't up to all that. The party, the return to work, the grocery store: too much.

Can you skip the PT for today? Call and tell them you can't make it? Make time to stay off your feet and wrap that sore knee in ice. Not just today. For some more weeks yet. Parse out your time on your feet carefully, reserve it for things you really must do, or want to do.
 
Needed to hear this. I even had rom of 115 last week. Cant believe ive been so careful and in 3 days, bam! I have to confess I also went to a movie Saturday. Not smart. Maybe I needed to learn this lesson. I guess myself and others are having a hard time accepting my healing still has quite a ways to go. Thank you for responding so quickly. What would i do without this site???
 
You overdid it big time! :) but don't worry with rest and ice and elevation you will soon get back to where you were. It is tempting when you are feeling good to overdo it but just remember this recovery is a 12 month+ journey so your knee is still very new and healing.
 
I hope I will remember this for all the days to come. Canceled my pt today. I read about overdoing it a thousand times. Well now I've experienced it. My knee / leg is even wobbly. Never again......
 
It's so darn easy to overdo things. At the time, it might not even seem like overdoing, because we're feeling good. It doesn't take much, though, to upset a healing TKR. Like what happened to me yesterday: all I did was sidestep--abruptly and on pure instinct--a dog. The motion upset my knee and today I'm sore. That was unpreventable (which will sometimes happen with new knees). The thing is to prevent those overdoing situations over which we do have control. So if you want to return to your part-time driving and nanny job, cut back on the other stuff. Or do them on days when you don't work.

It's a bit of a dance, isn't it, until we get far enough along to not have to think about it. :flwrysmile:
 
Exactly, a dance! Just the right amount of rest, exercise, ice, elevation, and controlling the pain!
 
You'll notice that I have merged your newest thread with your original recovery thread. For several reasons, we prefer that you only have one recovery thread:
  • That way, we have all your information in one place. This makes it easier to go back and review your history before providing advice.
  • If you keep starting new threads, you miss the posts and advice others have left for you in the old threads, and some information may be unnecessarily repeated
  • Having only one thread will act as a diary of your progress that you can look back on.
So please post any updates, questions or concerns about your recovery here. If you prefer a different thread title, just post what you want and we'll get it changed for you.
If you need an urgent response to a question, just tag a member of staff.
How to tag another member; how to answer when someone tags you

Here are the instructions on finding your thread, How can I find my threads and posts? . Many members bookmark their thread, so they can find it when they log on.
 
Glad to read you cancelled PT today, take it easy your poor knee is not ready for the level of activity you have been giving it.
Give your knee a half a chance to heal, you should start feeling a lot better around 3 months, in this yearlong or more recovery. You cannot hurry recovery, but you can slow it down by doing too much.
Where are you in recovery?? (TKR)
 
I think the tough thing for so many of us is that we spent months or years learning our limits for our bad knee presurgery and now we have to figure it out all over again. Presurgery I had to be careful not to get caught too far from the car or doing an activity I could not easily stop, but generally I got off the knee when it passed a certain pain level and it didn't get ant worse. Now post surgery, I can stop and pain and swelling might be a lot worse 3 hours later or in the middle of the night. I think most of us are just trying to find our new balance.
 
After being helped by all of you on this site, I've slept most of this day away. Got up and the pain has not gone away. Through the tears I have I realized I would not have known what was going on with my knee if not for this group. The Drs office tells us nothing, lol, except to get us off pain pills quickly! Makes me very sad and mad. I will be in debt to all of the kind people who ever so quickly reach out to help me. And learn what I've really gotten myself into... I'm still glad I did it.

Lynn

Off to work. Pretty nice job right now. Nanny for 9 and 12 yr old girls, take them to their many activities and also get to sit with a loving pug the whole time.
 
Did you say Pug? They make the best nurses, because they believe in rest, rest, and more rest, plus they snuggle with you and make the most adorable sounds. Mine is *percolating* right now, lol!
[Bonesmart.org] 4 months out
 
Once you overdo it in a bad way, you learn quickly and only push it to the edge going forward. I remember my first time very well! I felt as if I had fallen backwards by 2 weeks. It took me about 4 days to recover. Remember, it's not a linear recovery. :(
 
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