Bilateral TKR Bilateral Knee Replacement-Ups and Downs

Great to hear you doing so well @Taoquest! :yes!: Diving won't be too far away in your future!
 
If we all lived in Roatan, we’d be back in there like a shot! Have you been in the pool yet, Tao? I’ve had my fins on in there, strangely I feel much better with them on. I’ve not done much swimming for years, but a great deal of diving, and it just feels more natural to me.
 
Not in the pool yet, Ghostpipe. I’m visiting my brother in Raleigh soon, and he is an aquatic therapist who is dying to get me back in shape. I’ve spent most of my life swimming and it will be good to be back, starting with baby steps. Hmm…I think I will start slowly with the little fins. And I wonder if my new knees will affect my buoyancy. So many questions.
 
I haven't noticed any change in buoyancy even with a knee and hip replacement on the same side. I had wondered if I would need to relocate weights to counter balance my bionic leg!:rotfl:
 
I’m thinking that the tank and lead will sort out the heavy legs. Going to dive on Tuesday, will report on my thread.
Your brother will be so useful. Just the right sort of brother to have at the moment!
 
10 Weeks Out from Bilateral TKR-

Hello fellow Knee-zees,

This time period must be the doldrums of recovery…trudging along, not much happening…BORING.

I’m definitely the tortoise. But at least I’m moving! The biggest issue with me is the stiffness when walking. It’s always there!

I am now using my treadmill twice a day, working on my heel-toe gait. I can keep my gaze straight ahead, right at the TV Screen. For some reason I’m watching Bugs Bunny cartoons. It’s fun to laugh and escape for awhile. I am walking more without aid, though when outside I use my trekking poles.

I have had trouble sleeping this week, and seem to feel the zingers and just can’t get comfortable. I’m still taking Tylenol PM and magnesium before bed.

I’ll be going to Raleigh on the 27th, where my brother has arranged a therapeutic massage and we’ll spend lots of therapy time in a pool. In the meantime, what’s helped me is reading a lot of recovery stories here on BoneSmart, so I know that this is normal and that there is light at the end of the tunnel. So trudge on, Grasshopper!
 
Great progress using the treadmill! Glad you have a trip to look forward to. I am a tortoise too. Slow and steady wins the race!
 
You’ve nailed it with the word trudge. I found that trudge really boring too. So little that one can do in a day without upsetting the wretched knees. It’s only recently that I can do things all day in relative comfort, providing it’s not too strenuous on the knees and I have a few rests.
Should have tried Bugs Bunny.
 
ah Bugs Bunny.......I loved his classical music cartoons, especially the Wagner Ring series one.
 
@Ghostpipe, I believe that was Hanna-Barbera, and remember them growing up. Good,
but the Warner Bros. characters were classics more suited to grownups- Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd
(”Kill the wabbit“), Roadrunner and Coyote, etc. Several decades on, I still find them hysterical.

They make time on the Dreadmill fly, so wherever works!
 
I remember how much fun I had watching Bugs with my children. The political humor was completely lost on me when I watched them as a child (thus the brilliance!), but being a WWII buff, watching them as an adult was entertaining in a whole new way.
 
11 Weeks Out from Bilateral TKR-

Things continue to move oh so slowly, but definitely in the right direction. I continue to use the trekking poles outside and the daily two 15 minute walks on the treadmill are helping smooth out my gait.

The INTER-CONNECTIVE EFFECT is now showing up loud and clear: straightening both legs causes a ripple effect. Good news is that my back pain is totally gone!

However….

Something @Ma Dudd said prodded my memory. At 4 years of age, I had to learn how to walk all over again, and due to muscle damage in the back of my knees, I walked toes first. Eventually, my heels came down, but never a normal gait. Many years of orthotics followed. After bilateral TKR, I now put my weight differently on my feet where it should be (heel to toe) and my calf muscles are now very tight. I especially feel the tightness when I stand up. A heating pad, walking and stretching bring relief.

I also found that if I drive my car more than an hour, my right hip is killing me- the knees are fine. I’ve put in a memory-foam seat cushion and we’ll see if that helps. Part of the “It’s a mystery” voyage.
 
It's amazing how much this surgery affects the whole body, not just the knees. Learning to walk correctly is always a challenge.
 
I am having pain in odd places too. Today I figured out part of the puzzle. I have continued to train upper body since my surgery but I used to do my bicep and tricep work standing--- for now the surgeon told me to do upper body work seated while the knee heals. I am finding the seated curls and tri work strain my back and are the likely cause of the muscle strain I am feeling there. I also have not been able to do much core work and I think the weakening of the core is affecting me also.
 
Odd…I went to buy new shoes- for years I wore New Balance 1300v. Well, when I tried them on, they didn’t feel right- what the…? I also wear Solomon’s and bought a new pair just before surgery- now they are not the same either. Before buying any new shoes, I’m going to a podiatrist first.
 
12 Weeks Out from Bilateral TKR-

This week has so far seen the most improvement. Why? The pool and therapeutic massage!

After placing a gel seat cushion under me in the car, I drove 3 hours to my brother’s house in Raleigh, NC. No hip pain., yay.

My knee-gods must be related to Neptune.
I immediately started spending time in the pool. So glad to be back in my element! - lots of slow pool- walking with my Chaco sandals. No noticeable change to buoyancy while floating, and my brother showed me some water exercises that I certainly enjoy more than PT. Every night I ice no matter what- just in case they decide to get angry.

Had my first glimpse of what “normal” will feel like:
I had a lymphatic massage and having the tightness of my above-knee band, calves and hamstrings relaxed was exquisite. I felt like a wet noodle the rest of the day.
 

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