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Bent out of shape....

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:yay:
 
I'm already planning my "victory" challenge. In 2010 I hiked up Mount Tom at the north end of Pine Creek Gorge, AKA "Pennsylvania's Grand Canyon."



May 20th I and a friend are going to hike up Gillespie Point, the mountain at the south end of the Gorge. GP is sometimes called "the Matterhorn of Pennsylvania" because unlike most PA 'peaks' it actually looks like a mountain. Hike will be about 4.5 miles, and not especially technical. But it will be mine own......
 
Then, there's the ultimate victory celebration over obesity, and soon enough my wrecked joints.....
 
8 weeks is a bit optimistic for a bilateral. Much better pitch for 12. Even then you will probably find it a struggle.
 
I'm so happy for you!!! Man, you must be having wonderful dreams about what it to come.....this is GREAT!!!
 
I went back to the classroom at eight weeks, and I thought it would be OK--it was not fun. Twelve weeks is certainly more do-able, but it was about 16 weeks before I was at 85%-90%. To be honest with you, a BTKR can be physically and mentally taxing---the recovery can be very frustrating and longer than we anticipate.
 
referee54 said:
I went back to the classroom at eight weeks, and I thought it would be OK--it was not fun. Twelve weeks is certainly more do-able, but it was about 16 weeks before I was at 85%-90%. To be honest with you, a BTKR can be physically and mentally taxing---the recovery can be very frustrating and longer than we anticipate.
Click to expand...

I put in 45 hours at work this week on defective knees. Is it really going to be worse than the pain I experience now? My work is almost entirely seated at a computer terminal.
 
It is not the pain---I was off pain meds at around 5-6 weeks. It is the stiffness, the gait issues, the muscle weakness, and the stamina that stink. At six weeks, I went and did a little Christmas shopping---only about an hour; I came back and collapsed; I was using a cane and just trying to go for an hour was like climbing Everest. I went to PT twice a week and to my local gym on Saturdays for stretching and riding the stationary bike---my gait was lousy and I did drill after drill to correct it as well as to strengthen my legs and to increase my stamina.


I have officiated for 39 years now---Division one for several sports; I have ridden centuries; I have had two previous surgeries on my knees; I played four years of college football. I can tell you this; unequivocally, without a doubt, recovering from my BTKR was the most challenging and the most frustrating thing that I have ever done.

While the incision has healed and the staples and such are gone, there is still a tremendous amount of healing and strengthening that has to take place. Consider what has been done to both of your knees---with saws, possibly drills, the pounding, etc.

I am not trying to be a "Debbie Downer"---hey---if you are able to, do it---but looking back, when I returned merely to the classroom at eight weeks, I was miserable at the end of the day. One of my fellow teachers called me "Festus" due to my very noticeable limp.

I umpired my first baseball game on the first week of April of 2008; about five months after my BTKR. I still had a very slight limp.

The other point is this---I learned that I should not put a time-table on what I wanted to do---my knees would let me know what it could do and what it didn't like to do---they was in charge. They also strenuously and vociferously let me know when I exceeded their limits. Perhaps you will be able to do it---I am just writing of what it was like for me after a BTKR. I learned that expecting too much as well as doing too much was both frustrating and slowed down my progress greatly.

I am not saying that you cannot do it; I am saying that you may not be quite ready to do it. I sincerely hope that you are able to do it, but, realistically, you may not be quite ready yet.
 
From my own POV, in the weeks after my own TKR, just one, I had a ton of things going on. My own therapy, blood draws at the hospital for the blood thinners, my wife was in the hospital 30 miles away... I went back to work at 5 weeks, but had an ice macine available and a sympathetic group around me allow ing time to put the leg up and rest. I had issues much as Tim did, though my lady friend that did my home PT is still in my head. Reminding me to get my feet pointed straight, don't limp (geez, you walk like a sailor! Rebecca, I'm a retired sailor and don't forget it!). If the folks I work with weren't as accomodating as they were, I would have had to take another couple weeks.

Look, I know I'm one of the oddballs when it comes to the healing game. I'm up walking about after breaking my neck and back barely 4 months ago. I'm no superman, I'm just healing. So you can take my comments with a grain of salt, the size of a cowlick perhaps. I like talking with knee patients at PT, my therapist though prefers I don't mention MY ROM though. He doesn't want his people getting discouraged or hurting themselves trying to match.

In the end, everyone heals different. I can hope and dream you heal as I have. I also know you will be one to push limits and I hope they don't push back too hard. Allow the for twelve, and if you are back sooner, hey fantastic. Good luck brother.
 
At six weeks after by single knee replacement, I'm just not at the point where I reasonably could spend a full day in the workplace. However, I'm a software engineer able to work from home and began doing so the week following my TKR. I starting going into the office some during the forth week, though honestly I was more productive working from home.

If working from home is an option for you, you should check it out.
 
I wish I could, shr. Its impossible for my job. In fact, my work had to shelve a project I was working on because I'm the most experienced man there and they can't proceed without my being present.

I'll keep in mind all the advice about the amount of recovery time to allow. However, I am ambitious. And, as zirog can attest from my posts on Bike Forums, I'm pretty Awesome as well. :biggrin:
 
Today it really hit me what knee replacement means. I've been struggling with walking all day. I had to cut short my trip to the grocery store because of knee pain. And lower back pain from the twisting my torso does when I walk. And irritation on the sole of my right foot from twisting in my shoe as I walk. I passed the little motorized scooter the store has for shoppers and considered using it, but my pride wouldn't let me. "I didn't lose 150 pounds to use a scooter to walk" I thought. As I drove home I remembered zirog telling me "imagine what you could do if your knees worked."

If my knees work as well as they did in 2007 and 2008, I'll consider the surgery a complete success. However, since the valgus will be gone, they should function better than they did. Since I only became active after I lost weight, when my knees were already trashed, I have no idea what my new limits are going to be. Imagination is a problem for me; there's a reason I'm a writer of verity and history instead of fiction. Fortunately I have you folks to help me figure out what my new life with straight legs and working joints will be like. So keep the comments and advice coming. Please.
 
Boy....I have to believe that your recovery is going to be one of our shining stories. I can hardly wait for that big smile that I know will be on your face one of these days soon. Keep those good thoughts. They will get you through these last agonizing weeks.
 
I can honestly tell you that you won't believe how great and how active you can be once you have the procedure done. My activity level, to be honest, was beginning to become seriously impaired; I was becoming very frustrated and depressed over the idea that I was about to be shut out of dong the things that I loved so much.

The recovery from my BTKR was the most challenging activity that I have undertaken---and easily, the most frustrating, but it was very well worth it. I knw that the moment that I walked out onto the baseball field to umpire my first game the following season. Evey time I hop on my bike, officiate a game, work on the farm, or fell a tree and cut it up---I know that I made the right decision and that decision changed my life oh so much for the better.

Yours will be no different; you will be truly amazed at what you can do---and enjoy it and be pain free.
 
Consider using the little go carts. I finally threw the towel in after spending two days recovering in bed after a short shopping trip. They are kinda fun.
:sleigh:
 
After the surgery, when I'm recovering, yes. Not while I consider myself able-bodied.
 
I had no hesitation about using them. I was happy to avoid the extreme pain I got from walking more than 100yds. Put pride aside and do yourself a favour. By over-using your knees now you risk bone oedema which can cause problems in recovery. In this game there are no medals for playing the hero.
 
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