ell me, do you remember that first day after surgery, from the moment you first woke up in recovery?
I woke up just fine---no pain in either leg. I was excited and nervous, and then, on the next day, they got me out of bed.
The first week. What was it like to stand up?
The first time I stood up, I was nervous, but there was no pain--my legs were a little wobbly, but no mjor issues---I did walk in a peg-leg style, though.
The first week was spent sleeping, gong to PT and to OT twice a day, and eting things that had no taste (due to the pain meds.) Repeat...
How long was it before you could stand up unassisted and walk to the bathroom, down the hall?
I was able to get out of bed on my own in a few days--although I really did not want to do much. Again, the body was expending large amounts of energy in the healing process, and the pain meds made me feel like I was living in a gigantic cotton ball.
What was the therapy initially like?
Not really painfull, at least not for me---it did cause discomfort, but it was very frustrating, as I kept waiting for major progress to kick in. I did not realize that progress is measured in tiny increments.
I will tell you that I was one of the unlucky few that had adhesions, and I chose to deal with those myself---and those would really hurt when I popped one. Most people do not get them, though.
When could you first go back to some semi-athletic activities you enjoyed?
Please keep in mind that I had my BTKR in November, so there was not much going on. In April, I was back cycling, and also, in April, I was calling balls and strikes for college and HS baseball games. I still did have an ever-so-slight limp, though. That took me about five and one-half months to finally lose.
Also, how old/young are you btw
? You can pm if you are not comfortable sharing.
I am 59 now--I had my BTKR when I was 53---six years ago. I reffed college basketball for 17 years and I have reffed HS and college football and baseball for forty years---just baseball now.
I was very active up to the time that I had my BTKR---cortisone injections kept me going for about eight months, and I was teaching, coaching middle-school football, and working part-time on a produce farm. I will say this, during the day, I did not hurt at times---but I always, always hurt at night and sleeping was horrible.
Most importantly, how long will I have to wait to carry my little 2 y.o. princess upstairs to bed?
That may take some time, as stairs can be a problem. Strength and stamina are normally the last to come back, and the ROM is necessary to get up the steps (going down is a real issue and can take about four months or so.) It depends on how fast you heal and get stronger---as well as gain the ROM.
Again, I honestly and sincerely hope that you heal quickly and easily, but the reality of it is that your knee, even during a partial is going to sustain some major surgical trauma. Even though only one part of your knee will be replaced with an implant, the recovery can be similar to a TKR.
Now, I use an elliptical during the bad ones here in Northern Ohio, as well as a stationary bike and a trainer attached to my road bike. During the spring and summer, I umpire, work on a produce farm, cut trees for firewood to heat our home, and cycle 120-160 miles a week.
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