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TKR Braunzie's Journey on "The Other Side"?

I am happy for your progress, and waiting for your next progress ifmn. Can't agree more to your comment that Bonesmarties take the time to reach out and be there for us. Keep the good job young lady.
 
OK! Here comes the 6th week whine!! Ready?? :tantrum2:

UGH!! Having a hard time sleeping. So tired of sleeping on my back with me knee elevated. Keep trying to try sleeping on sides and my knee ends up aching.. in a different way than when I know I've just overworked it a bit. BLECH! Seems like I'm sleeping less now than I was earlier on.. Very frustrating!!

Trying to be diligent with making sure I walk / exercise as prescribed here for where I am in recovery and finding that I'm getting VERY bored in doing the exercises. Still feel VERY restricted on what I can actually do - can't really let go of the crutch yet. I feel like I want to do more, but the crutch keeps getting in the way.. and everything still takes SO long to do.

Started spending more time sitting at a desk while I work on my photo editing, but learning that sitting too long doesn't make my knee happy. Just gets more stiff.

I KNOW I'm making progress and I KNOW I'm doing more. I should be HAPPY about that.. Knee doesn't really "hurt" during the day.. I'm pretty careful not to push it too hard, but I'm so tired of the stiffness and physical limitation. I know I need to be patient. I KNOW I NEED TO BE PATIENT..

And I have PT today - NOT looking forward to that. :blackcloud:

I'm sure this frame of mind will pass.. Haven't posted the last couple of days cuz I didn't want to rant, but now I've gotten it out of my system and I can move on... :heehee:

Thanks for listening!!:yes!:
 
You're at that 6 week point when you're wanting to get on with Iife. They say patience is a virtue, which is great for people when they've not had a tkr! This recovery is a long one and most bonesmarties just want to get on with life. It will be worth it in the end, just try thinking back to what your knee was like a few months ago!
 
I could have written your latest post myself!! I feel EXACTLY as you do. I'm afraid I'm unable to offer anything other than a virtual hug and to say you are most definitely not alone in how you are feeling. I've felt like this these past couple of weeks or so. I think the first week we're just so relieved to have survived the surgery, the next couple of weeks we're getting used to our limitations and enjoying the small wins. Then as @CATSMUM said, we hit a point when we don't feel unwell, we are getting slightly bored and so feel we want and need to start doing more but we can't so we end up at the Wailing Wall! Please don't feel you can't rant on here very often. You can and you should if it helps. Remember that you'll be helping others who are perhaps not posting on here but reading threads and gaining a lot from them. :console2:
 
@Braunzie -- I am at 8 1/2 weeks today. I can finally sleep on my side using a body pillow. I borrowed my daughter's to see if it would work, and then bought one at Target during their dorm room sale last week. I know how you feel wanting to be able to do more. We are at our oldest daughter's house staying with the 4, 6, and 11 year old grands while they take the oldest to college move-in day. After two hours getting them fed and supervising showers, etc. I was exhausted. Had to sit, elevate and ice before I could get myself ready for the day! I rarely do the PT exercises at home. I figure stairs, walking, preparing meals, doing laundry, light cleaning, up and down out of chairs, etc. is enough right now. My flexion increases by about two degrees every time I go to therapy so that keeps my PT thinking I am doing the exercises at home! I will have a good day (emotionally) and then one where I feel really down on my progress. It doesn't help that my husband thinks I should be back to 100% by now--of course he thought that at two weeks post-op, too.
 
Psst. Do you feel elevation while sleeping is beneficial for your knee at this point? Consider trying the body pillow or some other pillow to cushion your knee and try sleeping in a position you find comfortable. If it doesn't work, go back to fighting to elevate, but you may be at a point in recovery where you can begin resuming your normal sleep patterns.
 
@sdgrandma - have you had your husband watch the TKR video?? :heehee:

@PolarBear60 - I've been doing exactly as you described. Don't think elevation is "beneficial", other than that is the only way I can sleep without discomfort still. I would expect to be able to go back to my old sleep habits at this point (which is what is so frustrating), but my knee has other ideas. And the knee is the master, as we know.. Will keep trying until it works! :)
 
Speaking of hubby's and videos, when I had my LASIK done, my husband got to watch and got a DVD and thought that was so cool. He actually asked the surgeon if they make a DVD of the knee surgery!! Ummmm NO THANK YOU!!! But he got to watch and got a lesson in inserting a pic line pre-OP so he was happy.... He's and odd duck sometimes :rotfl: ..
 
I know how you feel, @Braunzie . I am 6 weeks out today. I have been watching the clock here at work move very slowly the last three hours. I am beyond tired. And since my toe is messed up I can't even look forward to swimming when I get home. I will do as I did the last three days, which is go home, put on pajamas, and climb in bed. I know I am healing. I know there is a monster energy drain. I know this too shall pass. I think I will just put my head down on my desk and... zzzzzzz
 
Ah. So the KNEE wants the elevation. I misunderstood. I thought it was you thinking you had to elevate for an arbitrary reason. Bummer.
 
@sdgrandma - so, to give you insight into what kind of person I am. I would give my husband two options if he was thinking I should be doing more than what I can do..... (options are always good - it's all about CHOICES! :heehee:) "Watch the video OR, give me a break and understand I'm doing the best I can.." :loll:... so... that may not work, but then again, it might??? :yes: hehehehe!
 
@Slainte - My heart goes out to you, Slainte! Can only imagine how tired you are after working all day - during the whole week. I was feeling "inspired" this AM to try a new White Chicken Chili recipe.. (I haven't really "cooked" in a long time, and I LOVE cooking.) Put together my grocery list, went to PT, went to the grocery store (OK.. NOT that big of a deal, normally!!) came home, put the groceries away and decided... I'll cook it tomorrow!! LOL! :heehee: The thought of standing up in the kitchen to put it all together was just too much. Hubby came home, told him the "intention" and he said, "OH, that would be good!" For a split second, (the pleasing wife that I am) I thought I might "tough it out" for the man that I love. hahaha.. Then I became sensible.. I'll do it tomorrow when I'm more "fresh".. - Good thing he loves me back!!! :yes!:

Hope you don't mind if I take a lesson from your playbook and try to get my OS to give me more time off so I can delay going back to work as long as possible. I'm a wimp... Certainly not as brave as you!! But, I also admire bravery!!! :flwrysmile: And I'm pulling for you to overcome that energy drain as soon as possible!!!!:friends:
 
@PolarBear60 - Yes.. I'm trying to figure out how I can better communicate to my knee to convince it to "take a chance" on doing something new.. What I've tried so far doesn't work. I'm SOOOO ready to stop "elevating and icing".. hahahaha:heehee: But I also know it will be quite a while before those words are not actively part of my vocabulary..
 
Swish said:
I'll be six weeks on Wednesday and know what you mean. I am doing well but can't wait to be pain free. I finally went all the way around on the stationary bike last week and my ROM is 120/0. So PT is going to start working on strengthening....that should be fun. But this morning I woke up with more pain than usual and relying more on my cane again. Two steps forward...one step back.
Click to expand...
@Swish, how long have you been in pt?
 
Oh.. PT today.. new numbers.. 124/6.... Extension is still a challenge.. And honestly the fill-in therapist has been better about taking it easy with me. Gotta give her credit. I told her I was still having a hard time with stairs (only doing the two step) and that I was looking for a way to build up to a full size step and thinking about getting one of the "exercise steps" that they have at the office. She KINDLY told me after next week, I could have the one they have there, as the office is moving. It's her own personal one, but she won't need it anymore.. I thought that was pretty darn nice.

Lesson: Communication is a good thing if the therapist is doing something that causes pain.. They CAN change their approach if they understand the impact of what they are doing.. :yes:
 
Sounding good, and liking that ROM. My husband went out for takeout Chinese and lured me from my lair of desolation. I had a good rest first and am happy again. I went to my favorite fruit and veggie store last Saturday and bought granny smith apples to make apple crisp. Still have not had the energy to make it. My son told me he would make it if I oversee the process. Heck, yes! So tomorrow we shall have a bonding experience.

Thanks for the sympathy. So happy tomorrow is Friday! Pretty neat that you are getting the exercise step. I haven't climbed any steps yet. Wonder how that will feel?
 
My weirdo knee decided I could sleep on my side if elevated on pillows. And TKR was the bottom leg! Sure looked odd but I slept okay twisted up like a pretzel. I would try new positions and move once knee got uncomfortable. After a while it decided pillows were bad and I had to stop putting it on a pillow.
 
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