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TKR Beachy in recovery<

4 weeks today!
And almost free of dilaudid! Tylenol and an occasional dilaudid seem to do the trick.


I’m afraid to get too excited because the knee boogie man is always lurking right around the corner, but.....

The knee is stiff and I try to be mindful of not limping, standing straight, heel toe walking. The cane really doesn’t help, but I use it when making my daily walk. Just in case.

My poor intestines sent me a thank you card for cutting back on the dilaudid. The nausea and constipation seem to be under control.:yes!: That was a miserable feeling.

I want to drive around the development soon. The gym is a quick walk if you haven’t had a TKR, but I’ll have to drive over. I want to get in there and rock the pedal on the bike. I’ll wait a while, but it could be soon.

I have treated this knee like a baby for 4 weeks. Learned the hard way that the early weeks try the patience of a saint. Am I over the hump? Not by a long shot.
But, I feel much better than the last few weeks. For that I am extremely grateful.

Hang in there newbies! Better days are coming.
 
beachy said:
I’m afraid to get too excited because the knee boogie man is always lurking right around the corner, but...
Click to expand...
LOL What a great word picture! Sometimes, just a trek across the room is a 'What was that?' adventure in strange new feelings. :scaredycat:

beachy said:
The knee is stiff and I try to be mindful of not limping, standing straight, heel toe walking.
Click to expand...
Do you also focus on tightening glutes or quads at any point in your gait? Or does that just happen naturally with the heel toe action?

So glad you're feeling better! :yay:
 
@Teecup .
LOL. One thing at a time! I don't know if I'm tightening glutes and quads. I'm just trying to walk upright :loll:
I think when walking those muscles naturally tighten. I will work on strength training much further down the road.
And thanks! I am feeling so much better. But still cautious of
the KBM (knee boogie man).
 
Something I've noticed today. For this first time.
The new knee feels really strong. I just noticed how much weight I was putting on it. It isn't as swollen or sore today so I think that helped me realize. Or I'm a little slow on the uptake LOL.

Since the day of surgery I couldn't bear the thought of scheduling #2. Now it doesn't seem so bad. To have 2 knees this strong.....hmm. That would be very nice. But I'm not in a big, fat rush to sign up. Yet. Maybe in a year.
 
The best thing I learned in my pre op class was, the nurse teaching it said our new knee would be strong right away and not to be afraid to put weight on it the first time we stood up after surgery.

I took her at her word and trusted my knee right away. It felt weird, but that was to be expected.
 
@Jockette
Every time I tag you this tablet adds innocent to your screen name LOL! I think it's possessed. I caught it in time and deleted.

I've been putting weight on lefty from day 1, but it always hurt. Now that the pain and swelling have somewhat subsided I can notice how strong it is.
We're hoping to go to the beach in 2 weeks . Keeping my fingers crossed!
 
Last night was my first restless night. I know most of you have had that from day 1 so don't hate on me :heehee:.

My new tens unit came yesterday and it's awesome! Highly recommend. It has lots of different electrodes for different placement. Just have to keep it away from the incision. No worries. There are plenty of muscle aches to go around. I don't know if it produces a long term effect. But, the short term is great. I'll try anything that reduces the need for pain meds!

Still having an achy knee. Still a 2-3 while weight bearing. Guess that's normal for 4 weeks out.

Have a good day everyone!
 
What tens unit did you get?
 
@Jockette
I’m sure you’re sweet. Innocent? LOL just kidding.

Can’t seem to upload pic of tens unit from iPhone.
Anyway, I got it on Amazon. Brand is Kedsum. It has 8 pads. I use 4 at a time. Cost was $28.99 free shipping with Prime.

I had an old one that was by icy hot from Walgreens. It worked ok but died after several months. It only had 2 pads.
 
Spa day TKR style.

I couldn’t take not shaving the legs another day! And My feet were itchy from not having my regular pedicures. wah wah

I put several inches of hot water in tub with Epsom salts. Sat on the side of the tub and Ahhhhh my feet were in heaven. Then the dead skin scrub.

Then the deforestation began. Fortunately, it hadn’t got to weed wacker def com yet. I didn’t go anywhere near my scar of course.

And I didn’t have any trouble stepping over the side of tub. Guess the old ROM is >90 LOL
 
Yay for sleep! I hope that continues for you every night and you have pleasant dreams.:sleeep:

Saying a prayer right now that you'll have a wonderful beach trip! Just think about the muscles you'll engage walking on the sand, and the soothing sound of the waves. Ahhhhhh!
 
Thanks @Teecup. I’ll probably have to pass on walking in the sand for awhile. It’s too uneven. But, that’s my goal! And there’s nothing like the sound of the waves!
 
I forget, can you see the ocean from your condo?
 
Today I had a PT appointment. I had high hopes from the phone interview. And I was not disappointed! Winner winner.

It’s small and personalized. My therapist asked a lot of questions. How was I feeling, pain level at that particular time. Asked about recovery. She measured 110 flex. 10 extension. Don’t worry about extension we’ll get there. No threats. She tested my strength, massaged painful areas and explained the tendons that were causing pain. Palpated knee cap... didn’t hurt just a creepy feeling. Recumbent bike. She asked me to rock pedals and I was so close to going around she said try it. Not a problem. Did that at my own pace for 6 min. I’m going 2X a week. And she said do not take pain meds before PT!

No pain and I feel good after. Have I died and gone to PT heaven?
 
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