Bilateral TKR Crow22 Recovery Diary
- Thread starter Crow22
- Start date
- Status
So glad the sleep is improving. Keep on hiking!!!!!!!
rosietosie
junior member
@ljrfrm - the deep blue is like tiger balm or other mentholated rubs. It might be good for your aches. I'll loom up the others and send a private message. I've been using doterra's Serenity in a vaporizer at night to see if it would help me sleep. I slept six hours straight the first night i used it.
ljrfrm
graduate
@rosietosie Thanks so much. I ended up using the Deep Blue and from the smell, I figured it was like Tiger Balm. Thanks for any info you have. I did some research online but would love more info. I'll have to check out Serenity!
ljrfrm
graduate
OP
OP
Crow22
junior member
- Joined
- Nov 22, 2013
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- Finger Lakes region of New York
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United States
Hello everyone, wow, I can't believe that it's been a year already! They say time flies and no kidding. So what the heck have I been doing since last year? Well we left for Florida in January 2015 and it was really good for my knees. Walking in the sand/Ocean and hiking every day helped strengthen my quads and calves. We came back to NYS in April as we had to get our Greenhouse ready for planting. Again, I've been able to get back to living like a normal person. June found us going out west for Ceremony, and I was a little concerned as I had to be on my feet constantly for 4 days. My knees held up super and I was only a little sore on the last day.
My Dr. apt in May went really well, he was really pleased with my progress and said that I am very much ahead of the curve.
This sure has been a wild ride! The first 2 months were really tough, but I got through it and worked really hard in PT and at home to get the range of motion, but more importantly to get stretching. I never worked to the point of pain, only to the point of discomfort, and I believe that really helped me so much. I was always very aware of who had their hands on me and what they were trying to make me do.
I must say that I have my life back. I don't think of my knees very much, I do have some clunking when I walk but I asked the Dr. about it and he said it was normal for my implants. It doesn't hurt, just is a little noisy, esp at night when I get up to go to the bathroom. And you know what is really cool? I can see my bony knee caps! Ha ha ha, who would have thought that the sight of my boney knees would bring such glee!
I have hiked gorges with my Grandchildren, worked in the woods with my husband cutting and loading wood onto our wagon. I'm walking about 2.5 miles every day up and down these hills in NY! Life is just really grand.
I did have problems sleeping after surgery and for quite some time after that, but this spring I went to a hypnotherapist and she made a tape for me that really solved the insomnia problem.
The only thing that I can't do really well is kneel. I can do it for short periods, but it's really not too comfortable, so I don't do it that often.
I don't need any pain medication, but I have taken an Alieve if I get a little sore, and it usually takes care of any stiffness.
I can't say enough how glad I am that I've had this surgery, it really has given me my life back. I know that I've said that, but it is like a miracle every day that I get up and can walk pain free.
For anyone contemplating this surgery, I say go for it. Yes you will have pain, yes you will be brought to tears so many times you can't count, but you will be so glad you did it when you too get to about 8 months.
Everyone is different everyone heals at a different rate so be good to yourself and give your body time to heal, that would be my best advice.
I will try to get on here more often, but I gotta tell ya, I'm living life in a beautiful pain free way, and it is just totally awesome. Love to everyone here. I'm living proof that you can do it!
p.s. I can even run, just a little to get out of the rain, but I can do it. I never thought I would be able to move that fast again, but I can. I'm not going to be strapping on running shoes and hitting the pavement, no way I want to keep these new shiny knees in great working order for a long, long time.
My Dr. apt in May went really well, he was really pleased with my progress and said that I am very much ahead of the curve.
This sure has been a wild ride! The first 2 months were really tough, but I got through it and worked really hard in PT and at home to get the range of motion, but more importantly to get stretching. I never worked to the point of pain, only to the point of discomfort, and I believe that really helped me so much. I was always very aware of who had their hands on me and what they were trying to make me do.
I must say that I have my life back. I don't think of my knees very much, I do have some clunking when I walk but I asked the Dr. about it and he said it was normal for my implants. It doesn't hurt, just is a little noisy, esp at night when I get up to go to the bathroom. And you know what is really cool? I can see my bony knee caps! Ha ha ha, who would have thought that the sight of my boney knees would bring such glee!
I have hiked gorges with my Grandchildren, worked in the woods with my husband cutting and loading wood onto our wagon. I'm walking about 2.5 miles every day up and down these hills in NY! Life is just really grand.
I did have problems sleeping after surgery and for quite some time after that, but this spring I went to a hypnotherapist and she made a tape for me that really solved the insomnia problem.
The only thing that I can't do really well is kneel. I can do it for short periods, but it's really not too comfortable, so I don't do it that often.
I don't need any pain medication, but I have taken an Alieve if I get a little sore, and it usually takes care of any stiffness.
I can't say enough how glad I am that I've had this surgery, it really has given me my life back. I know that I've said that, but it is like a miracle every day that I get up and can walk pain free.
For anyone contemplating this surgery, I say go for it. Yes you will have pain, yes you will be brought to tears so many times you can't count, but you will be so glad you did it when you too get to about 8 months.
Everyone is different everyone heals at a different rate so be good to yourself and give your body time to heal, that would be my best advice.
I will try to get on here more often, but I gotta tell ya, I'm living life in a beautiful pain free way, and it is just totally awesome. Love to everyone here. I'm living proof that you can do it!
p.s. I can even run, just a little to get out of the rain, but I can do it. I never thought I would be able to move that fast again, but I can. I'm not going to be strapping on running shoes and hitting the pavement, no way I want to keep these new shiny knees in great working order for a long, long time.
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referee54
Former BoneSmart staff member
- Joined
- Dec 21, 2007
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Thanks for the great update!!! By writing what you did, you have given a great of hope to those who are in the "Dark Days of Recovery." They can see what you are doing now and they can see what type of life awaits, them, too!
Again, thanks so much for the wonderful update!
Great advice to the countless folks who wonder why their recovery is taking so long!
Again, thanks so much for the wonderful update!
ljrfrm
graduate
So glad to see the update - as I mentioned, I wondered how you are doing. I'll post my one-year update tomorrow (too tired now!) - and while my recovery hasn't been as quick or problem-free as I would have liked, I'm getting to where I eventually want to be as well.
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