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TKR Di's Recovery Thread

I'm glad you're feeling a bit better today. :friends:
 
Thanks Celle:
Yup! Feeling better (again) :eyebrows:
Can't help but consider too how much I anticipate Sprintime here every year. It has finally ARRIVED FOR GOOD, all sunshiney and dafodils...and the WARMTH...omg, the warmth! Which is like angels from heaven for me.
Took two short walks today and probably over-did a bit...my wonderful sister is so cute. She suggested I might be "ready" to start preparing dinner at night now for the family...which I want to do and would be happy to do except that NO WAY can my knee tolerate standing for this long to make din-din after taking care of just MYSELF on any given day...however, have promised her many backrubs until knee is able to adequately manage dinners.
Now...if I can just convince my kitty to stop jumping up and down on my surgical scar it'll be a win-win, meow.
:kitty:

Btw, considering beginning to water-walk down at the local indoor pool. Thoughts?
 
You don't want to risk introducing infection by going in too soon but, as long as your incision is completely healed, with no open areas or scabs, water walking sounds like a good idea.

Be careful, though, not to do too much. With the water bearing much of your weight, it's easy to overdo things without realising it.
 
Like the little train going up the hill ... "I think I can, I think I can!" Keep going Di!
 
Aww... Thanks all of you. Will try the water walking- just up and back the length of the pool ONE time only...no open cuts, scar healing beautifully :yes:
 
I've had a busy week and just getting caught up on everyone else's week. It has been beautiful here in PA! Now we need some leaves!
I wouldn't suggest cooking a full meal because you're right, standing for long periods of time is painful. At 4 weeks I started to throw easy crockpot meals together. I wasn't standing long, each time I got up for a walk or the bathroom I'd do a little prep. Chicken breasts layered with stove top stuffing, then cream of chicken soup mixed with sour cream on top and cooked on low for 3 1/2 hours gave me a feeling of accomplishment and everyone else did the extras and clean up.
 
@KarriB
Omg...you're making me hungry! Mr two favorite things to eat- chicken and stovetop stuffing- already have the cream of chicken soup.
Been doing a lot on the leg (as it seems willing...) of course not NEARLY what I'm used to doing but about half of that.
Yes, it's been glorious here weather wise in the Westmont section of Johnstown...hard not to be ecstatic now that Spring has arrived. I'm a total warm weather baby and honestly don't know how many more winters I can survive up here; especially after having lived right on the ocean in Charleston, SC for ten years. It totally spoiled me. But fact is too all of my family roots are here in PA and I love this state.
Thanks for keeping up with me Karri...perhaps one day we can hook up in Pittsburgh for a bite to eat?
Di
 
@KarriB
...btw, what temp in the oven for your recipe? AND, all ingredients together for 3 1/2 hour or what? You can probably tell I don't cook much. :shrug:
 
Let me know when you are in the 'burgh. I'm a half hour from the city. The recipe is in a crock pot, I believe it's on low for 3 1/2 hours, but you can google chicken and stuffing crockpot recipe and it should come up. I've just been cooking for the last few years and credit the Internet and Pinterest particularly. I do ok as long as there aren't too many ingredients my next challenge is a roast in the crockpot! When I get home tonight I'll pm the recipe to you. Have a good day!
 
Omg, had another complete meltdown again yesterday- feeling so hopeless for many other reasons than just my knee. (now entering my eighth week recovery)

Went to see my OS today for my 3rd f/u in 5 weeks. He asked me to straighten my leg and says back of the knee looks good but he's not happy at all with my ROM.

He said I needed to "aggressively push" the bend in the knee. He didn't ask if I was still going to or so glad I didn't have to tell him that I wasn't GOING to or but that I WAS doing or (BoneSmart pt, lil)

Then, after the appointment, my sister picked me up (the sister who has taken me into her home because I had nowhere else to go...the sister I've asked to look at this marvelous website so she'll see how much it's helping ME) . I told her what my OS said about the need for aggressive rehab to make the knee bend and she TOTALLY sided with him...said something like "...I don't know WHY you QUIT going to pt! You have to get back to work!"

Ouch! Hope she's not losing too much patience with me...need to remember she's never had a surgery.
 
It's hard to have to deal with family when they think that if we only worked harder we would get back to normal faster. Perhaps you can enlist your sister to go on short walks with you now that spring has finally come to PA. This is the best exercise. Practice the heel toe steps and bending your knee a bit when you take a step and that will begin to improve your ROM. It helped me the first time and I'm hoping to get out and take some walks too.
 
Sometimes you just have to ignore people and do what's right for you. Love her, but at the same time remember it's your knee and your body. Maybe all you need to tell her in the future is that your OS is fine with your progress, or something similar that's truthful but won't cause backlash. :angel:
 
I agree with the advice above. Keep doing what you know is right for your knee. You're the one who feels what your knee is like, so you're the one who decides what will happen to it.

Heavens, it's only 6+ weeks since your TKR. What's the rush? Keep treating it gently and your knee will bend all you want. It's not exercise that helps it to bend. It's time and reduction of swelling.

I'm not surprised your sister doesn't understand. She hasn't had a knee replacement and she's probably expecting your recovery to be as fast as recovery is from other surgeries. She's going to believe the "experts" before she realises that you know best what is right for your own knee.
She's concerned for you, so just be calm with her and tell her something like "It's going to be OK. There's no need to rush or try to meet a deadline. My knee feels much better than when I was doing all that exercise."
 
My BFF had a TKR one year before me. I was the one pushing her to do things and she was the one crying. I had never had surgery and thought if she did normal things she's feel normal. :yikes: I have since apologized more times than I can count. My friend who lives an hour or so away had an OS that prescribed no pt at all, just heel slides and normal living. Her knees are fine.
 
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Thanks so much for encouragement and support-
Feeling pretty good the rest of today. "Pooper scooped" the back yard today for sister (we have two large dogs) and she and I are actually very close...I'm hard on myself and VERY sensitive about "not pulling my share".
Going off my pain meds in a couple of days and will see how the knee does on just Tylenol...
Yes, agreed, I don't need to tell her everything the doctor tells me, my bad, lol
 
Take it slowly if you want to come off the medications. It's a little early for doing that, so keep taking them if you feel an increase in pain. The best time to reduce your meds is when you find you are forgetting to take a dose, but don't feel more pain.

When coming off the meds, either reduce the dose, or spread the doses further apart. Taper off gradually, taking weeks, not days, to do it. Reducing too fast can lead to nasty symptoms.
 
Yes, understood and thanks. The truth is I've been taking a little bit more on the pain meds than were prescribed- not addicted or anything like that but have a very low tolerance to pain and doctor has prescribed minimally despite my telling him this...won't be due for another script until Friday of next week and have enough medication to last me through Tuesday of next week. Wish me luck Celle...
 
I do not understand doctors withholding much needed pains meds. I can understand them questioning if someone were asking for the same amount 6 months out as they needed the first month, but forcing your patients to be under-medicated at first is nearly criminal. I am so grateful my doctors know we need a lot of pain medicine at first and that we will naturally taper off.
 
Agreed...I think in large part (and unfortunate as it is) the crackdown here in U.S. on opoids b/c of the addiction rate has affected those of us that truly need the meds...also could depend on the doctor themselves. My OS is very conservative and wouldn't prescribe me ANY pain meds prior to surgery. Now I'm working with a chronic pain specialist who is more understanding- but if I were to ask even THREE DAYS EARLY ( which is what it's boiled down to) for another script he'd probably say no...I'd like to be off the pain meds...depending on how well I do without them I may not need another script at all. The only pain I have now is muscle/soft tissue healing pain. No bone or joint pain at all. I know this because I take a pill just before I go to bed and wake up 8-10 hours later; get out of bed and move around a bit before taking more meds. No bone pain, just stiffness and a little wobbly:fingersx:
 
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