MUA 5 week failure<

[Jockette]

I can’t understand why it’s not “normal”

It’s not “normal” (and there is no normal) because for your particular knee you are doing way too much and your knee is begging you to stop.

I have pain all the time it never went away..

You have never given it a chance to go away. You went back to work extremely early. That takes a major toll on recovery, more for some than others. In addition you insist on doing exercises that are obviously stressful for your knee. And if I remember correctly, early on you were doing a lot around the house, I think I remember you saying you didn’t have much support from your family. I’m so sorry that they were not more helpful so you could rest most of the time you were/are home.

I realize you must work. Please consider that alone your PT. Continuing to do all this extra exercise is obviously not helping. And at 4 months almost all of us are stiff after sitting. At 4 months I was still very uncomfortable sitting with my feet on the floor. And at 4 months we all had that tight band feeling. I still do at almost a year!

Never push through the pain. "If it hurts, don't do it." Pain is your knee's warning that you are trying to do too much for it. Ignore that warning and you could set up a chronic inflammation, which will retard your progress.

Listen to Celle. If you continue to do way more than your knee wants you will continue to have this pain.

I push through the pain but I don’t over do it.

You can tell yourself you are not overdoing it but your knee is telling you different. If you push the knee, the knee will push back and the knee will always win. The knee is in charge of this recovery, not you, not your PT, not your surgeon.

Robin, we all care about you. We all are so sorry that your recovery is more difficult than most. Please think carefully about all you are doing and slow down. If you don’t you may end up in a worse place than you are now.

 

[Robinmhs88]

Thank you Jackette that is most helpful. I don’t know what anyone else feels so I always worry that I am not doing enough. It’s nice to hear that you had stiffness like I do at the same point. I always feel like I should be 100% by now, hearing from others let’s people like me know we are not alone and what we feel is the same as others.

 

[Jockette]

Oh, Robin, this is a very long recovery. 4 months is only 1/3 the way through, on average.

I am 11 months now and I still feel I have a long way to go. And I had a partial. Promoted to be a quicker recovery, more natural feel, blah, blah, blah. From what I read before surgery online about partials, and from what my surgeon’s office did and did not say, I expected a 2-3 month recovery. When I found Bonesmart at 4 weeks post op and found out recovery took an average of a year, whether it was partial or total, I was shocked and quite angry for a while. I was so disappointed that I had invited this assault on my body and all I could do was move forward with it.

My recovery seems to be slower than some others. I have issues that seem to be rare. I posted an 11 month update the other day, it’s on page 26 of my thread if you’d like to check it out.

My husband and I are retired so I was able to baby the knee as much as I wanted. I mentioned one time that I was afraid I babied the knee too much, but Josephine commented to me that you couldn’t baby it too much. And I’m still not done healing.

Even at 11 months there’s no way I could be doing all you are doing!

The way most surgeons insist on PT is only one approach. Another shock I had was reading all the differing opinions of surgeons and PTs.

If it varies that much then that tells me that there are many approaches to recovery. So we get to choose. If we went to one of the surgeons that told us to do what Bonesmart recommends, we wouldn’t hesitate to do that gentle approach.

But it’s confusing to those of us whose surgeons tell us to do things Bonesmart says not to, and we feel we have to do what our surgeons tell us to do. I no longer feel that way. I trust Bonesmart way more than my surgeon, and to be honest, I may never trust a PT again. Which is a shame, because I hear there are some good ones out there.

I think Physical Therapy started out with a good theory way back when and then got carried away with everything.
They may be good for some other issues but many of them have no clue how to take care of a replaced knee. I don’t understand why the surgeons don’t get it either.

Please take care of yourself. Go on strike at home if you have to!

 

[Jockette]

One more thing, don’t think of resting as sitting around doing nothing or being lazy. Think of it as giving your knee the best possible circumstance in which to heal.

And resting for a couple of days isn’t going to make much difference. With the ongoing pain you’ve had it will probably take weeks. But it’s important to give this to your knee.

When I was 4 months post op we went to visit friends for a weekend. Their house had the standard lower toilets and I painfully struggled using them all weekend. It was awful! By the time I got home I could hardly bend my knee.

It took about a month to even feel like it was beginning to improve. Then we had my son’s wedding to attend. It was 90 minutes away. Long car ride for a knee not happy in the car yet. There was the rehearsal dinner activities on Thursday, then the next day the wedding. Lots of standing and little opportunity elevate my leg. We stayed that night at a friend’s house and I’d forgotten my ice packs. By the time I got home on Saturday I had lost major ground again.

It took another month of lots of rest to begin to bend better.

I tell you all this to let you know you are not alone in your struggles. We all have them in some way. And to let you know that it’s going to take time for your knee to improve. But it’s not going to improve if you continue all that you are currently doing. I wish I could hug you in person. This will have to do.

 

[funkymuse]

@Jockette - your posts are very helpful - for me and I sure hope for Robin...

 

[Jockette]

@funkymuse I hope they are helpful. I truly believe all I wrote. When I first started to write I was afraid I would offend Robin with what I said. I prayed that the Lord would tell me what to write.

Not everyone can handle being as active as both of you are in recovery. Some can, though. I know I couldn’t.

I am blessed that I am retired and can give my knee it’s full attention. And even so, I have issues that are not clearing up yet. And I’m almost a year. It’s been a long year for me. I’m actually still sorry I had the surgery.

I’m sorry for all that have to go back to work before their knee is ready.

 

[Tanya76]

Oh @Robinmhs88 I was only thinking of you yesterday and wondering how you were getting on. I'm sorry it's been a difficult journey since MUA. I haven't had MUA but am in a very similar position to you. I share your frustration.

 

[Robinmhs88]

It’s hard to have been so active my whole life, even though my knee has been going for the last 2 yrs. I would wear my brace and push on. I was told this was going to make my life better. I was told I wouldn’t have any more pain, which made me laugh cause I wasn’t in pain before surgery... I had adjusted to what it felt like. So knowing I had no cartilage on the left side or under my knee cap and only alittle left on the right side, I decided why not. Ugh I don’t know how to sit still, I don’t know how to rest, & I can’t sleep at night. I just feel like I will never be the person I once was. I thought I was over the weepy part but no it’s back Tough couple of days, here’s hoping I sleep tonight and wake up feeling better tomorrow.

 

[liam2015]

oh gosh Robinmhs88 ~ i'm sure it is hard for you to rest and sit still after leading such an active life. i envy the energy you had and i'm sure you will get it back. this really is a test for you with patience. it is hard to live every day with that pain wondering if it's ever going to subside. it sounds like there was a lot done during your surgery and then the temporary setback with m.u.a., causing more pain. healing might take longer than most.

i wish i knew what to recommend. everyone is so different. i'm such a homebody and don't mind taking it easy, resting, reading a book or binge watching t.v. i finally caught up on my 2 soaps after 10 days away. now i'm the caregiver as hubby has been ill. i'm doing all the chores, 4 dog walks a day, dog meals, human meals, picking up granddaughter from school, driving her home at night, etc., etc., but i'm 10 months post op, further ahead in healing than you are, and able to handle it. i know you have to go to work every day, but do try to only do the essentials when you get home, then elevate and ice. sending you prayers for complete healing and restful sleeps. come here and vent any time ~ you're not alone and it helps others to know they are not alone.

 

[mlwreader]

Ugh I don’t know how to sit still, I don’t know how to rest, & I can’t sleep at night. I just feel like I will never be the person I once was. I thought I was over the weepy part but no it’s back Tough couple of days, here’s hoping I sleep tonight and wake up feel

@Robinmhs88 I feel for you so much. You are young and mentally have so much energy, but the body just won't cooperate. I know it will get better, I really can feel it - and I know others think the same. Tell you what, when you are down in the dumps and feel hopeless, just grab onto my belief that you will get your life back because you will. Just believe that I believe. But it will take time, and unfortunately, time takes time . . . . pretty dumb but its the truth. Dang!

I'm quite a bit older than you, but a very, very impatient person. So I really identify with you. I got a lot of help from listening to books on my iPhone. It was so helpful to occupy my mind, especially during those long and often very uncomfortable nights. I did and do use Ambien, especially on nights when I have to work the next day. I know that I am probably dependent on it, but I can't work if I am not rested, and if my knee is keeping me uncomfortable and my mind is racing because of stress, I am not going to fall asleep under my own devices. I also have fibromyalgia, and that can sometimes cause insomnia. Anyway I have discussed this with my doctor and she is completely on board. I wonder if you talked to your GP about your sleep issues, the doc might have a suggestion.

Anyway, I do hope you will rest well tonight and have a much better day tomorrow.

 

[Jockette]

I had what I thought was a lot of pain before surgery, but only when I got up, sat down, or did stairs. Any other time I did not have pain. Now, most of the time I still have quite a bit of discomfort and limitations. I can’t relate to those who say the pain of recovery is better than the pain they had before surgery.

I am just weeks away from the one year mark. The whole recovery has been difficult for me. Like you, I just wanted to fix the pain. I’m not there yet. I have a feeling it may not get fully better for me.

I’m like @liam2015 in that I’m a homebody, too, and am retired and have a low key lifestyle now and I like to read. I have 3 grown kids and my husband coached basketball in the small Christian school they went to, he coached all 3 of them, so I had that crazy busy lifestyle of living in the gym and all the other activities our kids did.

Hopefully you will get to where you can get back to all those things you want to do. But first you still have lots more healing to do. So do I!

 

[4quilts]

@Robinmhs88 My RTKR was October 9 and I had an MUA on November 30. My bend is 125 but the IT band, quads and hamstrings are painful. I am fortunate to have a therapist who is gentle and deep tissue and muscle massages have really helped a lot. Like you, I want to feel normal. I have asked myself numerous times why I did this. I remind myself my bad knee limited my activity for many years. I use tubigrip or an ace bandage on my knee and I am able to do my ADLs and some quilting. I know that we will get better. We just have to accept that this is a long process and look forward to the day that our knee is pain free. I will be thinking of you and pray that your pain subsides soon.

 

[4quilts]

By the way @Robinmhs88, my OS told me that he considers my recovery start date to be the date of my MUA.

 

[sistersinhim]

@Robinmhs88, I believe that you younger tkr patients have a harder time being patient because you all were more active before hand than we older ones were. I have read that younger people have more muscle mass to heal than older ones. I have no idea if this is true or not, but it does seem to make sense. What ever it is, the knee on each person is going to take as long as it takes, and not a day sooner. There is nothing you can do but lay back and enjoy the ride. Look to the future a year from now and imagine what you will be doing then! It will be worth it all! I promise!

 

[Celle]

Ugh I don’t know how to sit still, I don’t know how to rest, & I can’t sleep at night. I just feel like I will never be the person I once was. I thought I was over the weepy part but no it’s back Tough couple of days, here’s hoping I sleep tonight and wake up feeling better tomorrow.

Robin, you're expecting too much, too soon! Recovery from a knee replacement is a marathon, not a sprint.
No matter how young, fit, or active you were before your surgery, your knee will take just as long as anyone else's knee to recover fully. It's been through major surgery and it needs time to recover.

The post-op blues have hit you as well, but do try to stop fretting about having to be less active than you'd like.

Instead of feeling frustrated because you want to get up and doing things, try to think of resting as working actively to allow your knee the best possible chance of recovering well. Taking this time to let your knee heal is a wise investment of your time. It isn't sitting around doing nothing.

Dig deep into your store of patience and try to find things that you can do while you're resting.

It's a wise investment to allow your knee the time to rest and heal now - it will reward you for many years once it has healed.

 

[kneeper]

I think most of us have had those thoughts "will I ever really recover?" around 4 months. You just have to pace yourself. Gradual is the name of the game, I found. Like Celle said, the recovery takes what time it takes regardless of your fitness level etc. pre-surgery. I was lucky that my surgeon was very frank about the recovery time, and I'm pretty good at taking it easy when I need to, but it was still a drag some days.

 

[jakeleg]

Robin,

I can relate. I'm much older than you, but I'm my mind I'm still 16.

This whole experience has been a shock. I am 5 months tomorrow, still some stiffness and swelling so bend not as far as it will be. All in all I am doing better because I've accepted that it's going to take at least a year.

I'm upset because I lost weight, which I needed to do, but I don't like the way my thighs look. That's probably a bit too vain!

If you keep reading here, it will sink in that this is a long recovery. Slow down, girl

 

[Robinmhs88]

So I hit 5 months and still have so many questions about where I am with this recovery and unfortunately the weepy part is back. So frustrating

 

[liam2015]

hi Robinmhs88...how is it going...any improvement? sorry about the weepy part being back and yes recovery is frustrating. hang in there.

 

[Robinmhs88]

Hi @liam2015 , no improvement. My bend is stuck again around 90. The kneecap is sitting on the left side and I am hoping to see a massage therapist this week who can help move it and relax my muscles. I have constant pain right now and I am hoping this therapy can help. Thanks for asking. How are you doing almost a year out?