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TKR Benne68's 1st TKR recovery

So I made it to the 3 month post-op mark: yesterday was 12 weeks since surgery.

No big milestones this week, just continued "baby steps" towards recovery -- slightly longer walks, a bit more time on my feet during the day. The knee still gets achy when I sit for an extended period, but it's rarely enough to need pain relief medications.

My main frustration at this point is that I'm still not able to go down stairs without double stepping. I've been trying @Susie-Q 's technique of holding on with both hands for support. Yesterday, I managed half the flight that way; this morning, I just couldn't do it.

Otherwise, things seems to be progressing slowly. Since my return visit to the ODIC last weekend, I've been (trying) to do a better job of monitoring my energy. By spreading the work out and tackling one box at a time, I managed to put up all the Christmas decorations.
:presents-under-xmas-tree-smiley-emoticon:
Next up is some holiday baking. Just need to remember to manage my own "spoons" (courtesy of @hawk2go ) when I start measuring out those ingredients.
 
I was able to do a few more stairs today with each leg going down but only if I wasn't carrying anything down the stairs (less weight on my knee and hands-free to help with a railing or two). It seems to depend on how warmed up my knee is. Sometimes it still hurts and sometimes it doesn't.

Congratulations on your 3 month Knee-iversary! :yay:
 
Congratulations on your recovery so far. I read on one post - it might even be this one - about finding somewhere with low steps to help returning to walking up and down stairs normally and I found a place yesterday when hubby drove me to the sea front. Its going to look rather strange when I go there to walk up and down these shallow steps as my excercise. I could do with the Rocky music playing as I achieve total up and down the steps :rotfl:
 
Carol Anna said:
Its going to look rather strange when I go there to walk up and down these shallow steps as my excercise.
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You might put a cup or hat on the bottom so folks think it's part of performance art ... just do whatcha gotta do {she says in her best Brooklyn accent}.
 
Went for a lymphatic massage session yesterday. Since I finally stopped taking medications for pain, I decided it could be helpful to clear all that waste out of my lymphatic system and "reboot" my immune system. It's the fist time I've had one and I was pleasantly surprised by the experience. I had a bit of a headache last night, but am feeling much better today.

Anyone else have experience with this? Is it something you do regularly or just post surgery?
 
I had a lymphatic massage once after my last surgery and it made a huge difference in my swelling for a quite a while.
 
benne68 said:
Went for a lymphatic massage session yesterday. Since I finally stopped taking medications for pain, I decided it could be helpful to clear all that waste out of my lymphatic system and "reboot" my immune system. It's the fist time I've had one and I was pleasantly surprised by the experience. I had a bit of a headache last night, but am feeling much better today.

Anyone else have experience with this? Is it something you do regularly or just post surgery?
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I have been having a sports massage every week and after my broken foot and now 'the knee', my ankle tends to swell towards the end of the day, especially if I've been on my feet for a bit and the lymphatic drainage element certainly helps.
 
14 weeks (3 ½ months) post-op report

My PT released me after this morning’s session. He measured my ROM at 1-120 unaided. I’m really happy with that since my other knee only flexes to 122. More important than the numbers, though, is how much better the knee feels. I’m noticing I can do things that weren’t possible a few weeks ago. Some just crept up on me, others I worked on:
  • I can tuck my feet back under my chair without discomfort. (This is huge to me, since that’s my normal posture at the table).
  • I can kneel on my yoga mat without a pillow under the surgical knee. It feels odd, but there is no pain.
  • I can get in and out of the car without having to move the seat all the way back.
  • I can climb a flight of stairs without having to use the railing to pull myself up.
  • I can walk 1½ miles without having to stop to rest and, although The Knee still makes clicking sounds, it doesn’t hurt.
I know this is a long recovery and I still have a way to go, including:
  • I can’t sit fully cross-legged on the floor for yoga. (Guess The Knee doesn’t think Easy Pose is easy.)
  • I’m still struggling to descend stairs reciprocally. I can do it right after exercise when I’m warmed up, but it’s still awkward and I feel the need to hold on for dear life as I go down!
  • I still get very stiff if I sit still for an extended period without getting up and moving around.
  • I can’t quite get up from the floor without having to use my hands to push/pull myself up. Clearly my quads need to get stronger.
All in all, I see real progress from where I was a month ago! I'm grateful for that this holiday.

Wishing everyone a happy holiday and happy healing in the new year.

:merry-xmas-smiley-emoticon:light-candles:happy-new-years-toast-smiley-emoticon:
 
I think your progress is amazing for 14 weeks!

As for sitting cross leg - this will come with time as well! I remember I was frustrated I couldn't do it for the longest time because it felt like it was putting pressure on my surgery knee. I think I finally managed to sit cross leg around month 5.
 
@benne68
Well done you! Sounds like you have achieved so much . As a new bee on this site it seems to me We all seem to get to the same place but in our own time. I was never exactly fit before surgery so actually this is the most exercise I have done in years and so am impressed that my new knee has given me the motivation.
I have missed years of walking and experiencing beautiful places and things around me as I was in so much pain with my old knee and was forever stopping to sit, rub and rest it.
I don't know about you but I am saving up to buy some tickets to "fun" again yipee!
Take care and Happy Christmas
 
@benne68 You are doing great. I am so impressed with your walking and that you can kneel. I’ve never been able to kneel down on my other knee that had a partial in 2016.
Enjoy the holidays and Merry Christmas to you and your family.
 
Wow, Benne... congratulations! You are about 2 weeks ahead of me on the TKR - I’m probably a little more behind due to the infection, but gaining ground. I had wondered about getting on my surgery knee. I still avoid that. I have to use my hands a lot, too, to try & get up. As to downstairs like a grownup, that’s still a ways ahead for me. My PT had me try that today, on a small step, but it was very painful, so we decided to wait longer on that. I assume the ache & stiffness will go with time & our being more active. I like your idea of setting specific goals, & ways to achieve them. I remember Hawk2go doing that when she changed PT’s. Always finding new strategies here. Since I’m not terribly organized, that might be a good thing for me.
It’s so good to see you doing so well. I remember when you had the nausea from the tramadol, & got me to thinking it might be the source of my nausea at the time, ( it was), & I think you had a UTI early on, didn’t you? So it’s so good to see you doing so well, & an encouragement to us all.
Do have yourself a wonderful holiday! Ours is a bit scaled down, but wonderful in its own way. Daughter & grandson here tomorrow for our annual sugar cookie/sprinkle mess.. Can’t wait!
 
Catalien45 said:
I had wondered about getting on my surgery knee. I still avoid that.
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@Catalien45 Kneeling is hard. I started using a foam pillow under both knees. It felt really odd but it wasn't painful. I did that for a couple of weeks, then tried kneeling on my yoga mat (since it provides a bit of cushioning). Again, felt really weird (still does), but I've become accustomed to the sensation by doing it. Give it time, you'll know when it feels right to give it a try.

Catalien45 said:
I remember when you had the nausea from the tramadol, & got me to thinking it might be the source of my nausea at the time, ( it was), & I think you had a UTI early on, didn’t you?
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Yes to both! We are all different, but I'm sure each setback we have helps us be more thoughtful about our recovery. You've been through a lot more than many of us, but you have a great attitude and it will carry you through.

One of the reasons I like to record my hits -- and misses -- is so I have a reference for when I go through this with my other knee. I thought that would be in a year or two, but since I've stopped taking so many analgesics for pain, the non-surgical knee has been talking to me LOUDLY!
 
Sks1997 said:
I am so impressed with your walking
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My OS told me that my goal should be to walk a mile a day. At the beginning, it was just walking the distance of the next house down the street. Every couple of days, I would add another house. It took many weeks, a little bit at a time, but I eventually met (and passed) his target.

Now I'm pushing to get to the 2 mile mark. We have a big trip planned for this summer (COVID permitting) and I want to be able to walk comfortably so I don't miss a thing.
 
benne68 said:
BEWITCHED Charm said:
I have missed years of walking and experiencing beautiful places and things around me as I was in so much pain with my old knee and was forever stopping to sit, rub and rest it.
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Yes! Me too!
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Being able to once again see beautiful places and be active and pain free has been by far the best part of my joint replacements.
 
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