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TKR Beachy in recovery<

Hi @beachy ... I bet she was talking about your gastrocnemius muscle. I always want to tell someone to say it 5 times fast and see what comes out of their mouth. :rofsign:
 
Hi @beachy ,
I'm so glad to read this fabulous update! Doesn't it feel great to be driving again? Little things like that go a long way toward helping us feel "back to normal " again. It sounds like your PT session today was a lot like mine. :)

Except for the fact that I'm using a Nu-Step recumbent cross trainer rather than a recumbent bike, our appointments sound very similar. I really like the two therapists that I'm working with and the balance they're using that combines encouragement with challenging me. I don't feel pressured or intimidated (as some BoneSmarties have reported), but rather encouraged to keep doing more but within limits.

Like you, my energy level is way lower than pte-op. I came home from PT, had a small lunch, paid some bills.. and that was all I accomplished. I spent the afternoon in the reclining sectional with ice and cuddles from our granddog. :friends:That included about an hour of actual napping, which was great. I'm looking forward to the weekend and have my next PT early on Monday morning

Please keep me posted (and everyone here) after your OS appointment on Monday. My follow up with OS is on December 6 and one thing I'm eager to see is an x-ray!

Isn't it great to be past the pre-op waiting and the early post-op period? We both have a lot more to be thankful for this Thanksgiving! Have a relaxing weekend and a lovely holiday.
:yes!:
 
I have to say that I'm still having pain in my knee. It's still at a 3-4 when walking and I'm not doing much of anything else to aggravate it. Anyone else have that pain at the beginning of 6 weeks? I'd love to ditch the pain meds.
I ice and elevate a LOT! I'm wondering if I should stop pt? I go 2x a week with 3 or 4 days in between and it seems like easy stuff I do there. I'll see how OS appt goes on Monday.

@NanaBeach .
Sounds like you're doing well!

@Gingercat
You're on your way to feeling better.
You'll turn that corner soon!
 
Oh yes, pain at only 6 weeks is normal. I didn't even drive until my seventh week because it hurt my knee too much to be bent that way for long. Walking was done very gingerly.
 
With Lefty I still had pain at 5-6 weeks. I was told it was normal and would subside which it did. Like you I wanted to ditch the pain meds as soon as realistically possible. Unless the pain increases after PT I personally wouldn’t be in a rush to stop it. However if it does seem to get worse after PT then it is something to consider. I guess my question is does the pain get better 3 days after PT and get worse right after?
 
I had moderate pain for quite a while, but I was only on over the counter medication after day 11 post op. I did PT 3 times a week the first 4 weeks and then I had my bad pool experience and only went once a week after that, and by 8 weeks I got discharged from PT. There will be no PT for me next time.
 
@sistersinhim
Your right knee has seen its share of troubles! I don't think I'd be driving now if it was my right knee. I have long legs so the seat is pretty far back and lefty can stretch a bit.
Each week is like a landmark and I think it should better for that week. And usually my expectations exceed reality.

@Larryhg3 .
The pain is not worse after pt. It actually feels good, but I ice and elevate right away. I'm taking 5mg oxycodone if I need it and supplement with arthritis strength tylenol. Usually 2x day everyday lately.

@Jockette can
It does sound like pt did a number on you. I'm sorry you didn't find Bonesmart in time. And now you help others. Thank you!
I really think I would have been a wreck if I hadn't found BS prior to and during tkr!
FWIW.....I think you're being wise about weighing your options before/ if you try again.
 
beachy said:
I really think I would have been a wreck if I hadn't found BS prior to and during tkr!
Click to expand...
I admit I wasn’t very smart. I went into this blind, believing the little information my surgeon gave me. I never even thought about getting a second opinion. I didn’t even know this was major surgery until I found Bonesmart at 4-5 weeks post op.

I did google partial knee replacement and found glowing reports on the quicker recovery and more natural feeling. Looking back, I now realize I was reading on Orthopaedic websites, not experience websites.

Before I found Bonesmart, but 4 weeks post op, I did find experiences on medicine.net and for the first time read of real personal experiences, some really good, some really bad, do PT, people who quit PT because it was only reinjuring the leg every other day. And for the thousand-th time I thought, what have I done!

I can’t go back in time, as much as I’d love to, so I can only move forward. But when it comes time to redo this knee, things will go differently.
beachy said:
And now you help others. Thank you!
Click to expand...
Thanks, :console2: I just want people to know there’s another way to recover than what most of us are offered, and prevent some of the experiences I had, and to hug them if they do experience what I did.
 
@beachy Pain at six weeks is probably just part of this roller coaster recovery. Some days are good, other days are a challenge. I'm still having the upper post pain hit at times-some days it's fine and behaving, then wham! it hits out of nowhere. I'm at 5 months and still living the roller coaster experience. But, I am doing so much better than a month ago; so just know as time goes on things will begin to settle down and the roller coaster will have more little dips and rises, and less extreme hills and dips.
 
@beachy , yes I still have some pain , and my tkr was a week before yours. I haven’t tried driving yet, as I still have a lot of stiffness and that heavy thick feeling in the knee area.Makes it difficult to contort my leg into the car. I am using Tylenol extra strength for pain; occasionally wish I had a tramadol.
Hope your pain settles down soon:console2:
 
I didn’t drive for 11 weeks! I just couldn’t think straight and felt my knee was so distracting that I had nothing left over to concentrate on the driving. I finally had to because my husband had an eye dr appointment an hour away and they were going to dilate his eyes.
 
Hi @beachy , sounds like you are doing amazingly, wow it must be Fab to be able to drive, I have to start PT in 2 weeks hope I get a good therapist like you
 
Good morning!
I drove maybe a 2 mile radius. Honestly, my pt office is at the end of my street! The vet office is not even 2 miles away. Actually, everything is close by.
Grocery, pharmacy, every big box store you could want. So, the driving is not as awesome as it sounds LOL. My left knee didn't bother me at all.
I don't think I'd venture much further for a while. And the thought of walking around a store.....yeah that's not happening . Even though I NEED retail therapy :rofsign:Online shopping isn't quite the same.
 
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@gecko
2weeks til pt??? I hope you do get a very gentle therapist who understands all that you've been through! You've basically had a bilateral. You need to put your foot down .......oops no pun intended.....if they want you to do impossible things. Will they come to you or do you have to venture out? How has your lefty held up with the new tkr?
 
Great Job... I have not been back to PT but I have a bike downstairs and I did 5 minutes yesterday.. You beat me LOL!!! Good for you. I think it feels great being on the bike... I love, love, love it. How about you? Our knees are like cars they like to be warmed up before driven. :heehee: Keep up the good work. Time really goes so fast. What are you doing for the Thanksgiving holiday?

Schpooko
 
You beat me again... I haven't driven yet either! I had RTKR and I need to get more strength. I guess its not all its cracked up to be... We had this bad snowstorm here in PA and I am more worried about ice, snow, etc... and one day this week we we will have an overall low at night of 9 degrees. Its too cold to quick. I wonder how our knees will liike that... Keep on moving... Schpooko
 
Driving really gave me back my freedom! I drove for an hour yesterday, the first time I've driven for longer than a few minutes. I was a little squirmy by the time I got to my destination! Thanksgiving morning I head out to two and a half hours away. I may have to take a break!

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
 
@schpooko .
We had about 3" of snow. All gone now. It's been cold though. Seems early for such cold,windy weather. I was hoping for the crisp fall days that invigorate. Not the ones that make you shiver in a down coat!
I love the bike! 10 min of slow .....very slow rotations feels better than the ROM exercises. I really think the surgeon is going to tell me I can stop pt.
I don't think I'd be driving if I had RTKR. Hubs is chauffeur for appt tomorrow. It's about 45 min away.

Thanksgiving. My son usually has it at his house. So many steps and low toilets. And he's in the midst of a big reno. Crazy thing is none of us are big fans of turkey. So, we are having an unconventional, no cooking holiday at our apartment. Either sushi and Chinese take out or crabcake dinner take out. Just the 3 of us. No guests. I may even try a glass of wine. It's been 10 weeks since I've had an adult bev.:martini:
What about your Thanksgiving?

@Cementless .
We lefties seem to be driving a bit sooner, don't we? I had zero problems with it. Ready to do it again!
 
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