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PKR Bj Mac's Recovery

Jancat, Thanks and Happy Mothers Day to you as well! It is nice that you will have your whole family there.:yes 4: Enjoy!

I also will have all of my children and my granddaughter. My daughter told me last night that she and her brothers (the 'home from college' brothers) were talking about making dinner for me. I told her that I liked that idea very much and we could just stay home. I suggested that she text or call my d-i-l so that they would all be on the same page. Hopefully that works out and they take care of me right here with my leg elevated. :yay:
 
OOH that sounds great to me, BJ! I HATE going out to eat on Mothers' Day and my family knows it!
We are having grilled salmon today, with smothered potatoes, and a green veg. not sure which just yet! Nice and easy, minimal clean up!
Enjoy!
 
BJ, just think if the boot was on the other foot, Suppose it was your daughter or son that had major surgery like this - you would be fussing over them and making them rest and all that. Cooking them treats to tempt their appetite and running about like mad, wouldn't you? So why do you think you deserve any less than what you would do for them?

You should read this post Nurturing mother, it doesn't get near enough airing these days!
 
Hi BJ

I thought we might be on the same wave length - a couple of control freaks :th_heehee: Seriously, you are so right about taking note of the small achievements you are making at this stage of recovery -it will all fall into place. I was so impatient in the early weeks and felt I should be way ahead as far as my progress was concerned. I was silly enough to think being a little younger (like you) and being reasonably fit that I would be streaks ahead of most folks!!! Oh no, not a chance - knee replacement doesn't work like that for some reason :scratch:. We all make it to the finishing line at approximately 8 weeks and we all get the gold :thumb:

Take care and have a good week.
 
So, this morning I woke up with a horrible pain in my lower right portion of my back, a kindof tightness, that goes way beyond tightness, a constant deep pulling that I can not get in a comfortable position with. :hissyfit:

This morning was my first and perhaps my last outpatient therapy. It looks like my insurance has been used up on Chiropractor visits and therapy before my surgery. So they took measurements, which I was in soooo much pain for with my back that I didn't really care, and yet I did. (I wanted to cry) He measured me at 106 degrees when I know that I can get way more... but whatever. Then they gave me lists of exercises to do on my own unless I want to pay 'out of pocket' and come back.

Then I had an appointment to get my hair cut and colored... I could not get comfortable in the chair at the hairdresser's, actually nowhere near comfortable cause I was in soooo much pain from my back. At 11:30 I realized that it was pain pill time and I had two percocets with me and took them both hoping that it would give my back some relief, which it did. I came home, made a sandwich and went to bed.

I took a nap and after I got up the pain had returned, so I got an appointment and went to the Chiropractor. I feel very frustrated. I am in toooo much pain to even consider doing my exercises today. They did not actually do any exercises with me at therapy either, and I have no idea how much I will have to pay for that useless session. They basically gave me a list of exercises that I was already doing and encouraged me to keep doing them. Really? :hairpulling:

Oh well, hopefully I will sleep tonight and feel some relief tomorrow. I am working to keep myself from feeling tooo discouraged, cause I know that that will not help. I shall work to just treat myself with TLC this evening and hope that tomorrow is a much better day.
 
BJ--too bad about all of that--one frustration on top of another.

I know that the folks in Great Britain do all of their rehab individually, so you are in good company there. I think the most important thing is to establish a routine and stick to it.

I use the Wii for exercise a lot and also use dads for exercise. Also I take classes at gyms too. We belong to a gym for $30 a months and I can take as many yoga, dance and exercise classes as I want. That would be a better way to spend money than pt--espcially at that clinic!!

I do an intensive "boot camp" type of 8 weeks class for pre ski conditioning that leaves me dripping sweat twice a week, and you can always do something like that. It is $150 for the entire 8 weeks--I think it is the same as one pt visit. Too bad you are to young for Medicare--there is no cap for pt after a joint replacement when you have medicare!!

Don't worry, you can do the rehab yourself--think of some fun ways to do it like classes at a dance studio or a pool. Kelly
 
BJ....I'm just catching up with your thread and can see that you are really frustrated. But, you have received excellent advice from your fellow Bonesmarties. When you start feeling blue about not being back to normal this soon, just go back and reread their posts and the links provided. You DESERVE to be able to heal properly. That means taking things slow and letting others help you out for a change! They love you. They'll be happy to help if you tell them what you need.
 
You have to be patient! I know that it is easier said than done, but you have to understand that this recovery takes longer than you would like and that there will be ups and downs throughout the entire ride.

I also used to get very frustrated when I didn't feel up to working my exercises on a particular day, but when i truly began to listen to my body, I realized that if i wanted to feel better---and if I wanted the knee to feel better, it was best to listen to my body and to my knee and patiently take the day off.

In the long run (and this is that type of recovery) you will not miss days off at all.
 
When I came home from the Chiropractor I sat for a bit and found that laying down was more comfortable, so much so that I kept falling asleep all evening. Well, that is just fine, I shall assume that my tired and achy body needs sleep and decided to get it. :yes 4: Way to go tired achy body!!! :yay: Now hopefully I will still be able to sleep tonight. :loll:

Thanks for your encouragement Kelly. I think that I am frustrated but not overly discouraged. I have used a personal trainer in the past to help me set up work outs which I then work on at home. I will work on the exercises that they gave me from therapy for a time and as I gain more energy I will probably have my trainer work with me to set up a new workout that is appropriate. I generally do well working out on my own, so I will just plan on doing it that way for now. :dancy:

We also have a Wii, and I can use that. What is dads? A boot camp before ski season sounds like a great way to get yourself ready for the season. It might be fun to look into taking some classes at a gym at some point as well. I will be fine as I have always been very athletic and trained all my life for one thing or another.

Jamie, Thanks for your advice as well. I am going to make it through this just fine. I must remember to slow down and take the rough patches with grace and humility and allow others to bless me by helping me through those patches. :friends:
 
BJ. Take care of that back. Ice it. Pay attention to posture when you sit and stand. Stretch your back after you take a shower. Try to include some back exercises (once the problem is less acute) along your with knee exercises. The pelvic rock and the bridge are two gentle exercises that help me a lot.

Hang in there!
 
BJ- so sorry about your back! Is this the first time this has happened? DId you twist in such a way that caused it to do this? If it keeps up it will need further investigation!
You will be fine doing individual PT- the only thing will be measuring your rom, which you can do yourself.
Rest up, and keep us posted!
 
Tim, Thanks so much. I really felt that it was ok today to listen to my back and just plain take care of myself and nap and rest. I guess I felt kindof proud of myself for allowing myself to listen to my body. This is just all so foreign to me after living my life full tilt and taking care of everyone but me.

PooShay, Thanks for the reminder to ice and stretch my back and take care of it in that way. I think that I am so pre-occupied with my knee that I actually did not think of that. :loll:

Jancat, I just kindof woke up with the back issue and do not know what I did to get that way. :scratch: Do you know how I can measure my own ROM? I am not sure how that will work. Thanks for your encouragement.
 
Hi BJ,

I hope the back is improving, it must be a little frustrating but keep your chin up. By all accounts some set backs are normal and you have been doing fantastically well so focus on the positives and work through the difficulties.
 
Hi BJ

I hope your back sorts itself out very soon - this recovery all seems such hard work at times :hairpulling:. You know the drill for back pain and knee pain; medication, ice and rest ...... If you have an iPad or iphone there is an app you can buy that will measure your ROM - there is a thread on here devoted to it. The app is called KneeGoni and it works really well. Take care :thumb:
 
I wakened with a bad back this morning , I didn't sleep well so I think I slept in an odd position. Could it be your sleeping position? Fortunately I already had a massage appt for today and she did my back as well :thumb: I don't have an I phone but there was an app on my 'experia' just called ROM. Not sure how accurate it is and don't use it much now.
 
Hi;
I can truly say there is nothing more horrid than having your back give out while you are recovering from a knee.
It happened to me at week 3. Now I am sure you just have a crick form tweaking something, and I agree with the stretching and icing/ heating to relax your back.
If it doesn't improve, I'd get it checked out with your PCP.
I am so sorry about your PT. It is such a shame when our insurance decides what we need....
I have had a revision and did only very gentle PT at home for 6 weeks. I just started outpatient therapy, but we are concentrating on my back instead of my knee, because it is more important.
There is a book on knee rehab written by a PT who had a TKR. Name escapes me now, but someone will chime in shortly. The exercises in it are all you need to rehab your knee. I'll go dig mine up and post it once my meds kick in...
Sandy
 
Hi BJ,
So sorry to her about your back pain, that is no fun whatsoever on top of everything else.

However I'm damn impressed that you went to the hairdressers. You go girl...:thumb: I've been searching the phonebook for a mobile manacurist to come and do my nails but hell I'm gonna book me an appointment for a full mani and pedi...thanks to you and your inspiration. :wink1:

In all seriousness, take care with the back, be gentle with yourself and be happy at least you don't have roots...:th_heehee:
 
Hey, I love how you all chime in and encourage me. :friends: This morning I got up and slowly worked through my exercises, because my back is still in need of TLC and rest, but it feels a wee bit better than yesterday. I also got on the stationery bike and moved the pedals around and around for 7 minutes, nothing like aerobic exercise, just turning the pedals. Then I iced my back and my knee, got a shower and before I knew it it was lunch time and meds time...

Thanks Noddy, I will work at continuing to focus on the possitives.

Jo, I do not have an Iphone. I have an Ipad, but it is the first one and I don't know if it can do such things... I tried to download a rom measurement thing on my phone but it did not work. :cry:

Nancy, I am sorry to hear that you woke up with a sore back this morning. A massage sounds wonderful and I do have one scheduled for next Monday, but right now that seems so far out. I hope that your massage was wonderful and very helpful.

Sandy, thanks and yes it is ridiculous that our insurance has to limit things so, especially when pt could be sooo helpful after a surgery like this. Please do let me know the name of the book with all the exercises in it, after your meds take effect of course... lol

Adnil, back pain, no fun at all indeed. Well, I was truly very glad that my pain pills helped and settled my back pain enough for me to finish my hair appointment, after all it is very important that we take care of ourselves. Those pick-me-ups are so important to our state of mind and keeping us 'up', whether it is a hair cut, massage, getting our nails done or even a bit of 'retail therapy'. So, you go ahead and do something special for yourself and get your nails done.

You all take care of yourselves as well!!! :friends:
 
Hi BJ, I,m just now reading your post. I'm not sure how I missed it, but really enjoyed reading it. You sound like a real fire cracker, good for you. I laughed at your comment to your doc, about how soon can I ride horses. I can totally relate. I was also excited to see that you had hopes of snowboarding after three months. I hope you will keep posting, and let us know if that happens. It would be a great inspiration to me.
Sorry to hear about your back pain, it sound quite a bit worse than mine. I've been lucky I that department, and have found a few exersizes that keep my back pain mostly away, while I lay around sooooooo much. Hang in there, with that, and do what ever back stretches and exersizes that you can manage. Lots of luck to you. I will continue to follow your posts
 
This book? "Total Knee Replacement & Rehab" by J Brugioni and Jeff Falkel.

It's available on amazon.com in hard copy or Kindle (Can be used on iPhone/iPad with Kindle app).
 
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