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Bilateral TKR Beckaroo's recovery thread

10 weeks!! Oh I’m sooooo happy I had both knees done at the same time! :yes!: I never have to go through this surgery again!! Boy oh boy, I’m happy I’m not looking forward to surgery again!! Did I tell you how HAPPY I am!!! Woot!

Here is what I’m able to do now...
First, I just want to say I had decided to “try” going pain meds free. The last thing I was taking was Tramadol for my hands. I’m not giving up my prescription just yet, but so far... one week no pain meds and I’m doing great! I wonder at times if pain meds cause pain!?:what:

I’m not in the guest room any longer. I’m not tossing and twisting all night keeping the hubs awake. I’m sleeping really well, getting up only once to the potty. Now this alone....is worth a million bucks!!! After weeks of not sleeping well, and the emotional roller coaster your on for lack of...well, I treasure my all night sleep!

I’m able to do light housecleaning, something small daily. I cook our breakfast, sometimes having to use a bar stool at the stove. My husband says he’ll cook, I say no. I neeeeed to do stuff! It’s good for me! I do laundry, make the bed, feed the dogs, drive to shop with the electric carts. We moved right before my surgery, so I’m unpacking my sewing/craft room. Last unpacked room in the house. I even decorated for Christmas! We occasionally go out to eat and I do just fine dragging my cane along... to some this may seem like little, but from where I’ve come, it’s huge!!!

Do I still require naps, everyday. I still ice, elevate and rest on and off all day. I still swell if I over do and if I do overdo, I’m down for the count the next day. Consequences suck!

I’ve yet to get my right leg straight. I’d say it’s a 2-4 for extension. I can get my fingers under fairly easily. Not my hand, just my fingers. The left leg is amazing coming and going...but I have faith in time, when the swelling goes down I’ll be just fine. It’ll happen in time and I’m not stressing over it! Know why? Because I’ve read too much about you all to worry!!

I have a feeling I’ve reached a place on this journey where things will be the same for some time to come. My knees are still warm when I feel them, not hot like before. Now they are just warm. I need a lot more healing to happen. A lot more. But thats okay. I can handle this... I’ve got this. :egypdance:
 
Beckaroo said:
Oh I’m sooooo happy I had both knees done at the same time! :yes!: I never have to go through this surgery again!! Boy oh boy, I’m happy I’m not looking forward to surgery again!! Did I tell you how HAPPY I am!!! Woot!
Click to expand...
I am so jealous! You don't have to face another tkr like I do! What a wonderful outcome you have had!

You know your knees and how to treat them. When you overdo, you know how to recover. That's half the battle! Keep up the good work! Or should I say, less work!
 
Thank you @sistersinhim !!
Only because of you all have I been able to relax and be fearless of this surgery outcome. I’m confident that in time I will have recovered excellent rom in both knees. Thank God for all the Bonesmarties!
 
For gals only, men you’ve been warned!

Ok. So. I shaved my legs today, first time since before surgery...won’t go into the details of hairy legs but my doctor did say to wait.

So, here’s the deal... I was told I’d always have a permanent numb spot on the outside of each knee. But the thing that shocked me :yikes: is that my WHOLE KNEE IS NUMB! So when I touch my leg/knee with my hand I really don’t notice anything unusually numb, but when I shaved over the top of my knee.... it felt weird!! Like it’s not my leg and I’m shaving someone else’s leg! I mean I could have stuck a needle in it and not felt a thing! It was the strangest sensation I’ve ever had!!

Is this normal? Does the feeling eventually return to the top of the knee? I didn’t expect it to feel so strange.... anyone else have this weird sensation?

What say you Bonesmarties to this? I’m stumped!?
:chinstroke:
 
At 9 months my knee still feels weird when I shave it, but much less than it used to. I was so careful early on the I’d miss several hairs. (I didn’t like that!)
 
And why did your surgeon have you wait so long? Mine never said anything about it.
 
Jockette said:
And why did your surgeon have you wait so long? Mine never said anything about it.
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Hi Jockette!

Im not sure about the waiting to shave. It was in the instruction/information packet they gave me before surgery. I was instructed to not shave 2 weeks prior to surgery and not shave until 4 weeks out from surgery. I’ve actually waited longer due to it being colder and not wearing capris.

So even at 9 months out it still feels weird for you? Does the whole top of the knee stay numb? Forever? Or does any feeling come back. It’s so numb it sort of seems scary. Like you could run into a coffee table corner and really hurt yourself and not even know it!

Have you regained some feeling, or is this it? Guess I was surprised as the OS only said outside knee area.
So strange ....
 
A big area of my knee was numb at first. Shaving my legs at first was a weird feeling. Gradually more feeling came back until I just have an area on the outside of my knee(s) with minimal feeling.
I always thought running into the coffee table with less pain was a good thing. :loll:Can you tell I do that periodically? You can feel it, it's just less so.
 
My numbness has lessened over time.

I was told not to shave for 2 days before surgery, but I don’t remember anything about after.

Another variation of opinions between surgeons. So how important are these details when there is so much variance.
 
kneeper said:
I always thought running into the coffee table with less pain was a good thing. :loll:Can you tell I do that periodically? You can feel it, it's just less so.
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This literally made me blow my drink of water out my nose! Hahahahahaa!!!! I’ve been known to have knee and thigh bruises that I can’t recall when I ran into something! But at least you said over time the numbness lessens. I suppose if it didn’t, I’d have to learn to live with it. It just felt so freaky weird, shaving that is.
 
Jockette said:
Another variation of opinions between surgeons. So how important are these details when there is so much variance.
Click to expand...

They must not be drastically important. :shrug:
I was also told as soon as my incisions closed I could swim in my own pool, but not a public pool? And, that I had to wait for the staples “bumps” that are left after the staples are removed, to leave or flatten before shaving as to not cause infection.

Right now, shaving is the equivalent for me of scraping your nails down a chalkboard! :scare:
 
So happy for you Girl! Makes me know better days are ahead for me!!!
 
@Celle
Thank you for referring me to this thread about numbness. I enjoyed reading it very much!! It appears there’s HOPE! Even if it takes a long, long time...guess we’re in for the long haul...:yes:
 
I was five weeks out yesterday and am going to give it time before shaving my legs-- underarms are a whole different matter. Let's just say I am thankful for cold weather.:snows:
 
Ten weeks post BTKR and it sounds as if you are doing really well. I hope to get there too. Happy to read of your success as this is truly a journey and apparently a long one.
 
Been reading all of your BTKR remarks and although I have decided to do both at once it is still a scary decision. I know that it is the right for me though to get the pain and swelling and recovery over with at one time. I have gotten a lot of good advice especially on the equipment I may need after surgery. Everything all of you have said about the pre surgery pain is so true. I can not do anything right now. Went to my granddaughters school play last night and was in agony just sitting. So I look forward to the "one day forward and two days back". At least I know there will be a goal on the other side and hopefully by the summer I can spend some quality time at the shore fishing, kayaking, crabbing instead of sitting on my deck "watching"!
 
SADD said:
Been reading all of your BTKR remarks and although I have decided to do both at once it is still a scary decision. I know that it is the right for me though to get the pain and swelling and recovery over with at one time.
Click to expand...

I totally agree with you!! I’m so happy to hear you’ve come to a decision, :yes!: just making the decision must be such a relief. I won’t sugarcoat it... it’s hell the first few weeks. But, with your decision to do both knees at once...you’ll only go through the hell ONCE! When people found out I’d had both knees done together they said, you’re so brave. No!! I’m a chicken! I’m all for getting things over with... or I’d never do the other knee! I can’t even begin to imagine if I’d only had one done and still needed another surgery...Lord have mercy.

Just never forget...TIME. It all takes a great amount of time to recover. It can’t be rushed and there’s no use being upset about it because there’s just too many of us that can testify to the fact, it gets better! A lot better!!

So sweet friend, congratulations on your decision and I can’t wait to read all about your journey to doing all the fun things you can only watch from your porch right now. What I wouldn’t do to have some yummy crab and drawn butter! Sounds like a blast!
:loveshwr:
 
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