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TKR Acceptance and Understanding<

We don't recommend marching with a new knee. I wouldn't worry about the snap and pop from from hip. You are walking differently now and your body will go through all kinds of changes. As long as it isn't really painful, I wouldn't be concerned about it.

Needhope said:
I try not to shed too many tears
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Never stop your tears. They are all part of the cleansing process. They heal physically and emotionally. Let them flow! :bawl:
 
I was also out STD after my right knee and its infection. My company allowed up to 12 weeks. I had to have paperwork filled out every few weeks to keep it going. The insurance company insisted on updates directly from the OS and in the end I was able to get the full twelve weeks (I had an infection in my knee so I needed every day of the leave before I went back to work). I am sure you will get your leave approved. It is just a pain to have to feel you have to fight for what you genuinely need.
 
Do you feel you have to do marching exercises?
Believe me, I have had rogue and mysterious pains come out of nowhere with my knees. Seldom can I figure them out.
Your ROM is great! You are fortunate in that way.
I am so thankful I never had to deal with a work environment like yours, or jump through hoops and unreasonable expectations for PT. STD was never in jeopardy, but despite those blessings, my ROM is poor, probably 70-80 degrees only at 4 weeks. A few days ago I somehow strained my back, which has been much worse than the knee pain. That is slowly improving. I also have intermediate internal hip pain on the affected side, likely from positioning during surgery. This all sure is NO PICNIC!
I am glad you are certain about your STD, at least you know even if its unreasonable. And the meds situation is really insane. Its obvious none of these people making all these decisions, have ever had anything comparable.
Each day that passes by though, is another day of healing and repair, and heading towards more progress overall for TKR recovery. It is a very long road, but most people say it was worth it. There really was not an alternate choice for most of us.
I will pray for strength for you to get through these next several weeks, and that your pain level will subside quickly, and favor with your employers for continued benefits. :yes: ❤️
 
Recovering from 2 total knees within 7 months is very difficult, hard on the body. You will,get through all the pain, fear, anxiety, and come out a functioning person on two good knees! As for the STD, your employer can’t communicate with you. You STD company can and does. I found this out when I had STD, was told they couldn’t even ask for my address to send me a gift card during the holidays! I picked it up when I came back to work. I am even FB friends with my managers!
 
The pop in the hip is just a feel, no pain. I’m sure my whole skeletal system is out of whack. Not sure if it’ll ever be the same. Or normal. I may have one leg shorter than the other, that’ll be checked out in a couple months when things settle. Its quite a life altering adjustment that needs to be made throughout the process. At 52 I’m feeling like 82. Frustration has set in. These knee replacements better last a very very long time because I will never go through this again in my lifetime. As to STD paperwork, it’s like pulling teeth to get my drs office staff to get it done. I’m sick of the attitude I get from them. Isn’t it their job? Geez. Again, I’m made to feel like a piece of ****. And depending on what they write on the paperwork to the STD company, can give me more time off with payments or back to work and no more healing time off for me. I’m at their mercy. For real. I understand now why I’ve been so stressed since last TKR last Sept. Since this Jan, due to all that I’ve been dealing with personally, physically, financially, emotionally, mentally, I’ve lost 35 pounds all due to stress. It’s good for my knees to have shed the extra weight, but not overall healthy. I went from 165 lbs, now around 130lbs. This has been a journey I hope ends soon. Not one I’d like to relive again in my lifetime.
 
Needhope said:
Its quite a life altering adjustment that needs to be made throughout the process. At 52 I’m feeling like 82. Frustration has set in. These knee replacements better last a very very long time because I will never go through this again in my lifetime.
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It truly is life altering, hopefully in a good way, once we finish this long recovery. Whoever said it's a "marathon, not a sprint" sure knew what they were talking about. I sure wouldn't want to do it ever again either.It's really not the actual surgery that's so bad, well, yes it is bad, but it's the snails pace, forward 2 steps, back 1 step, recovery that's so draining, physically and mostly mentally. Those of us who had staged replacements a few months apart, seem to be the one's who have such problems with just wanting it to be over. I think you have the first one, and just start to be able to go and do normal things, then bam... you have the next one, and you have to start all over again. Hang in there, I hear it will be worth it in the end.:console2:
 
No sane person would ever want to do this surgery even once (much less twice), for sure! That said, I would do it all again to get the knees I have now versus the knees I had before.

The recovery can be long and also difficult, but when your knees emerge better on the other side and you can do so many things you could not do before, that’s when it’s “Yeah. I’m glad I did this!”
 
@Needhope You sure are a gutsy lady. You are stronger than you think yourself to be. At your stage I still had a lot of pain that seem to come out of nowhere. I remember bawling my eyes out and screaming like a toddler. My poor husband just stood next to me baffled and not knowing what to do.

I found that my own GP was a lot more sympathetic than my OS. Truthfully, I think most of them lack empathy. They can be very good at their craft but they don’t want to hear about our troubles. Your GP has a more vested interest in your wellbeing and would be more sympathetic to your plea.

I know you have to go to PT so you can continue STD but I would agree with the consensus here that if you can control the type of exercises you can do you will be better off. When I was going to PT and I was having a lot of pain I would tell my PT and she would just massage, ice me, and cut the session short. I was one who also quit PT early on and I believe that did me a lot of good as far as pain and overall progress. The added bonus was I did not need heavy duty meds because my pain was well under control.

I started riding my stationary bike early on. First I just sat there and rocked back and forth on the pedals until I could do a full rotation.

Your ROM is amazing at your stage of recovery. My OS told me I could quit PT after I reached 95, which I did. At home I just did gentle heel slides the way Bonesmart recommends and my daily activities. The Bonesmart way has worked for me.

Don’t ever feel bad about pouring your heart out in this forum. We are here to lift one another up. Someday you will pay it forward.

As the scriptures say, “Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.”
 
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I hope it comforts you to get all these wonderful messages from others that know exactly what you're talking about, and literally feel your pain. Many of us have had long journeys and are still on those journeys.

I am recovering from my third major knee surgery in 10 months! The pain isn't as bad as the lack of motion. That is really limiting when you don't have it. But then again, I am still on oxycodone at four weeks out. Plan to start weaning off that next week.
I also feel weak and deconditioned. Even my first 10-month-old knee and leg feel very decrepit, like I would expect to feel at 80+ years old.

My surgeon said the implants should last 25 to 30 years so you can relax about needing more. That is if all things go well. I agree, my life has been on hold for almost a year now. I am really really really sick of this convalescing. And now my back hurts too!

I have to say though that I feel blessed because I didn't have the short term disability problems and meds problems like several of you have. None of that was an issue for me at all. I didn't realize this could happen regarding a surgeon not wanting to give pain meds and short term disability being so unreasonable. It is good information for others to see and hear this so they can check out their situation before their surgeries possibly.
Now I am on long-term disability, probably until I hit Medicare age in 19 months.

I know you are too young to think about any of that but hopefully this surgery will turn out really well, as I pray that mine will too. At least my leg is straight! Hallelujah!
I am praying for the day when both of us can help others more because we have been through it, and can give advice and recommendations and hope, and encouragement.
 
I am grateful I was able to have these surgeries but it doesn’t take away from the pain and discomfort that goes along with it. It’s truly wearing on me. As to my shortcomings term disability, I paid into that at work and again thankful it was available to me when I needed it. Continuing it however, is like jumping through hoops. It’s ridiculous. I do not have long term available. I just want things to be a little easier each day that passes. The stiffness drives me crazy as well as the continuous pain. I went to PT yesterday, it wasn’t bad although I was told not to rely to heavily on my cane for assistance. Really now? They know I gave up the walker only a week ago. So, I choose to use my cane until I’m comfortable with the stability of my new left knee. It’s not them that has to pay the price if I fall. Both knees feel less than 100%. Even my right which was done in September still is not 100%. I’m just frustrated. But I appreciate the positive feedback and gentle words given here to me.
 
I can only offer my prayers for a complete recovery. I read your posts, and sympathize.
 
Use your cane, or even your walker, whenever you want and need to. You are only with the PT for an hour or so a few times a week. You don’t have to do anything they say when they are not with you, which is 95% of the time.

They have not just had both knees replaced. Reading about it in school is very different from experiencing it. They may work with a lot of patients but they have no idea the reality of it.
 
You should constantly tell yourself,

“The therapist is not here right now. I am in charge of my recovery and I know what is best for my knees. “. :yay:
 
Do what you feel you must at PT, but at home do what’s best for your knee and your body. If you feel there’s better results with ice and elevation, let that be your therapy.
 
It’s rainy and damp cold here today, my knee doesn’t like that. I’ll do a little gentle exercise later. For now leg up, ice.
 
I never had weather issues before my replacement but I sure do after! And sometimes not the day it rains, some times the next day my knee remembers it didn’t react so it plays catch up. Silly little drama queen knee! :badspidy:
 
I have had weather knees for over 30 years. Any change in the barometric pressure would cause them to hurt. Now, my new knee doesn't forecast the weather change anymore! Yours will get there, too!
 
If I knew how to give up, I would. 3 weeks 3 days later, I’m done. Everything and everyone around me in my life is falling apart. And I can’t help with any of it. My support system is falling apart. This is getting to be too much. I wish for one day without pain. I wish for one good nights sleep. I wish I could clean this dirty house. I wish I could shower without fear of slipping. I need peace and quiet. I wish I could heal without feeling guilty about it. I wish I could not be a burden to everybody. I wish I never had to do this to my body. I don’t feel like a whole human being. I’m broken.
 
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