Revision TKR Elaine’s slow-as-a-snail revision recovery

Dear Elaine,
This is temporary you will recover eventually and everyone does this at a different rate. My 80 year old neighbour has been telling me off daily (in a nice way) for not bending my knee enough and sharing his exercises with me!

Can you get some fresh air , an upbeat visitor , listen to your favourite music ?

When my work colleagues came round we laughed at all their family / work updates it’s uplifting to forget about knees for a while.
I teach physics and when I get a new class I tell them that it is a forbidden in my lesson to say ‘I don’t get it’ instead they can ask for help but they needed to say although they don’t understand it now , they will in the future! Obviously my students think I’m bonkers but they do really well.

Sending you healing vibes from the UK and warm wishes.
Annie x
 
Love your cat, and the fact that you shared your ice.

As for the compression socks, might not be a complete loss... if any of my socks feel too tight—LOL, as in all of them after knee surgery when all the nerves in the leg are on high alert, I just take scissors and snip the edge in the back. Worth a try.

I also find that even a half of the lowest dose tramadol combined with 2 tylenol 500mg gives some decent pain relief. And I hate to take anything. But pain interferes with the recovery.

Hope you feel better soon. Hug that beautiful cat.
 
Amazon should be fine with the return of the sleeve.
 
I don’t feel like I’m healing. Very discouraged and don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. If hope’s an essential part of recovery, I’m in trouble. Would like to think I’ll read this a year from now and be amused (not the best word) at my inability to see down the road. And this paragraph was pretty redundant (or “superfluous” as Captain Jack Sparrow would say).
I’m sorry you are so discouraged. :console2:

I remember another member who had a long discouraging recovery. She finally had a good outcome.

Here is her thread, you might find comfort in her journey.
https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/marguette’s-6-to-12-months-journey.47205/

Read my next post before you check out her thread.
 
Here is Marguette’s most recent post:

Hey BS friends,
Hope you all had a great holiday season. Just thought I would check in on all.
I think life, over all, continues to improve. I would say the knee is 90% better. Still a bit of discomfort but can do most of what I need to do without pain. I sat on the floor today to play with my dog, something I avoided doing before for fear of not being able to get up. To my surprise, a was able to put my full weight on my knee on the hard wood floor. Good thing cause it would have been quite the site if I hadn't been able to. hahaha!

I booked my one year follow-up apointment with my OS for March. Hard to believe the year mark is almost here. I'm just about ready to put this chapter of my life behind and move on. Can't thank all of you enough for all the support and empathy you have shown me, especially in those first six difficult months. I will drop in from time to time to say Hi. Keep well my BS friends and speedy recovery.
 
Just read your thread, and sorry to hear you've been through so much. Your comment about the compression sleeve made me smile, as I just did similar and ordered a 'one size fits all' neoprene knee wrap (to hold ice packs in place I was thinking). Well it arrived, and it just about fits round my arm (yes I could lose some weight but I'm not THAT big!), the legs in the listing photo must belong to a child ....:loll:
 
Sorry you're still so uncomfortable. I know you are probably tired of hearing it, but you're still recovering at 13 weeks.
Keep on with the icing, elevating and gentle motions.

I was still doing stairs a bit gingerly at 12-14 weeks--especially down. But I just took it a little at a time and gradually they became easier and easier.
Hang in there. :console2:
 
Hope you are feeling ok. This forum was so comforting when I had my TKR as I’m was woefully unprepared. Reading true recovery stories made me feel less isolated. Thinking of you! Ps please can you tell me what exactly a cliff diver is?
 
@kneeper Have tried it (two tablets of extra strength Tyl) 3x since your recommendation. Has helped 10-30%. Guess that’s better than nothing.
The most effective way to take Tylenol is 2 x 500 mg tablets 6-hourly, to a total of 4,000 mg (4 doses) in 24 hours. You need to take it regularly, to keep up the levels in your bloodstream. If you just take the odd dose now and then, it's far less effective.

Check all other medications you're taking, to make sure there is no Acetaminophen in them. If there is, scale back one or two of your regular doses, so you stay within that safe 24 hour limit of 4,000 mg.

I don’t feel like I’m healing. Very discouraged and don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. If hope’s an essential part of recovery, I’m in trouble. Would like to think I’ll read this a year from now and be amused (not the best word) at my inability to see down the road. And this paragraph was pretty redundant (or “superfluous” as Captain Jack Sparrow would say).
You are making progress, but that progress has slowed down now. You won't see the almost-daily improvements you had earlier in your recovery.

This is a year-long recovery and you're only a third of the way through it. There's plenty of time for improvement and your knee is working quietly in the background, to achieve that improvement. Your knee won't always feel like it does now. It's still a work in progress, not the finished article.
Tortoise forward.PNG
 
I understand your feelings of frustration, because I have the same feelings. You’re not alone. I envy the members who have such great outcomes, sadly, I’m not one of those either. That’s not to say that we both won’t be that person, eventually, but we want it now!! When it comes down to it , we have no choice but to keep plugging on.
 
I logged in tonight looking for someone struggling so I didn’t feel so alone. I found this thread and I am sincerely sorry you experiencing such a challenging journey but want to thank you for sharing. I had a total knee in May 2018 and it “didn’t work” so I had a revision April 2019 and during post op recovery a blood clot was discovered so went back into surgery for a bypass. I want my life back - I am (or was) a very active person....I miss hiking, biking and enjoying all outdoor activities. Initially I had great hope but have lost sight of the light at the end of the tunnel. I just want you to know you are not alone...and neither am I. As everyone says, we will get through this. I was told by my trainer not to compare day to day. Rather, are you better today than you were last month? I do feel stronger but my pain is not better. My extension and flexion are not better. I guess the lesson is to focus on the positive....even the small things. Again, thank you for sharing....you helped me. I pray for your physical and emotional healing. I will continue to watch your journey.
 
I'm sorry you're still feeling this way. I think the others have said it all already. You're almost a quarter of the way there and considering you have all those stairs to deal with I'm not surprised your knee is still objecting to them, but there's little you can do without growing a pair of wings. At 6 months my knee still lets me know if I've climbed up and down a lot of steps.

My favourite mantra is 'Life's not about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain.' Celebrate the things you can do now that you couldn't do 8 weeks ago and maybe find some new things to enjoy whilst waiting for the healing process to continue.

What sort of things do you enjoy? I did some jigsaw puzzles and free online courses. My Pilates teacher is working with someone recovering from surgery who is having difficulty with walking and other mobility issues. She puts on some happy music and they just move weight from one foot to the other swinging their arms around, almost dancing, but makes her feel better. I hope you can find something to help, take your mind to a happier place and away from the pain. :console2:
 
@eelainea65 I have read your entire thread and there are similarities in our experiences. I can empathize with your feeling of losing hope. I had the same feeling and still have flashes of it. I was scheduled for my left TKR in July when stress fractures in the left ankle caused it to be postponed and took away all the progress I had made from last Fall, when my right kneecap broke after my right TKR. I was just trying to get to the place where I could walk with some semblance of normalcy and I was heartbroken to be back in a wheelchair unable to walk at all. I'm a little calmer with distance from it and all I can think now is that the Universe was trying to tell me that it wasn't the right time to have that second TKR. Who knows why? My little human brain can't figure it out any more than I can figure out God. Nevertheless, I am plagued with anxiety about whether I will ever be able to walk again and I have to work daily on simply living in the moment, reminding myself that yesterday is over, that tomorrow hasn't even come yet, but that becoming shrunken and bitter isn't going to help the person I could be tomorrow.

This whole psychological thing is a battle for our souls and I think we need to pray for one another, so trust that you will be in my prayers. Don't feel bad about feeling angry or sad. Sometimes you just have to accept yourself where you are and trust that you will feel a little better the next day, week, month, or whatever. I do think that before we can regain some hope for the future we have to mourn and grieve for the things we can no longer do (whether temporarily or not, we don't know right now) and for what we had hoped and expected from the surgeries, but never received. And yes, there is envy of the people whose recoveries have been successful. This is not a feeling that I am proud of, but I've found it's best to acknowledge it, then just move on. This allows me to eventually feel happiness for other people's successes.

I was outraged to read of how you were dumped by the man you love but I absolutely believe that what goes around comes around, and that eventually we get back what we dish out, so I think the Universe will eventually deal with him too.

Stop watching inspirational videos about paraplegics who can do more physically than we could ever do before we developed our joint problems! I believe this leads us to make unhealthy comparisons. We are not paraplegic.

Hobble on! :tiredwheel:
 
4 1/4 months... The prodigal Elaine has returned again. Humbled by the kind and encouraging messages that greeted me. Also humbled by the ever increasing pain spurred by my return to full time work Aug 15th (~260 miles daily as lab courier). Part-time hours are not an option. I’ve pondered repeatedly whether I made the right decision.
Too much, too soon?! Tried keeping an ice pack on my revised knee, but got carried away last week. Second degree freezer burn! O_o (See hideous photo)
Resorted to a Tramadol yesterday. First time in ~3 months! Hate opiates, but it was glorious to have the pain cut in half! Unfortunately, I also wanted to take one today. I denied myself as I wish to avert a slippery slope. Barely got thru the day. My coping mechanism was running on empty. Cried in frustration on the way home tonight. Pain has been creeping up to 7.5 when standing/walking. Strange knife-like stabs have begun behind my knee and debilitating zingers have increased in my left hip. Painful neuropathy in my feet adds to the cocktail of major discomfort. I’m one hot mess and it’s not sexy. >_<
I’m nervous to visit the ortho clinic. I neither want to be told something is remiss nor that I returned to work prematurely...or be dismissed with “people heal at different speeds.” Even if that is true. ‍♀️
The weather here in OR was gorgeous Labor Day weekend. I made the most of it by sitting on a chair lift at Mount Hood. (See non-heinous photo) It was heavenly. I could’ve stayed on it for hours.
I owe several of you much-deserved personal replies. Hope to write again this weekend. It’s another 3-day one for me {clap, clap} as I’ve Monday off for my birthday.
Bonus photo of me faking a smile during my lunch break. Looks legit, eh?! =‘D

Deliriously tired and ready to snuggle down with my kitty, Elaine
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Freezer burn.jpeg
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Too much, too soon?! Tried keeping an ice pack on my revised knee, but got carried away last week. Second degree freezer burn! O_o (See hideous photo)
Ouch!
That's a nasty freezer burn. I bet you won't make that mistake again. :console2:

That sort of thing is the reason why we advise people to always have some material between their skin and the icing medium to protect their skin, so freezer burn/frost bite doesn't happen.
 
You sure did burn yourself. That looks so painful. Your aches and pains are probably a result of your not being even halfway through a year long recovery. Occasionally taking a Tramadol shouldn't disappoint you. They are there for when you need them. There are days you will and days you won't. There's nothing wrong with that.

That view is beautiful along with that beautiful smile!
 
That’s definitely a gorgeous view, but that freezer burn, ouch!!! I’m a couple months ahead of you in this revision journey and honestly I couldn’t imagine driving all day. About 2 hours is as long as I can take being behind the wheel before I have to have a break. And then I’m so stiff and sore I can barely walk when I get out of the car.
Yes, probably is a little too much too soon, but in reality, sometimes there’s no other option, so we do the best we can. Rest with your kitty when you can!
 
Beautiful view!
Sorry about the ice burn.
You have my full empathy & sympathy for knee & foot pain. I have a knee thread, 2 other foot threads, and a shoulder thread.
Good thing we have Nurse Cats.
 
Good thing we have Nurse Cats.

I love the concept of nurse cats.
I love your picture but I could not sit at that height. I would be hysterical with fear. Heights terrify me.
Glad to hear you are moving forward. Sometimes we have to return to work whether we like it or not. In my case I lost my job so a little part of me is cheering you on, despite your discomfort.
 

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