TKR Everything Comes to She Who Waits

[patient 99]

Are you & Wally enjoying a Piña Colada on

Nope. Wally is busy taking bets on how you will answer @Dabber Message no. 1517 `what do you do?'

Wally is giving odds of 10 to 1 that you will only mention your evening job. The odds for you also mentioning your night job are 30 to 1. Now that's where I think Wally has you all wrong. I am going for the 30 to 1 (and so are most of the other `girls'). I said to Wally, `with Diana what you see is what you get'. She will not shy away from mentioning night work under the lamp post. Its your call. Carol

 

[Dabber]

@robynhood May I ask on Carol's thread how your TKR feels and at what stage it became really good, please.

I know I'm an exception, but I'm trying now to just walk about 1/2 mile some days and I'm nearly reduced to tears, after it being OK, it's painful but as I say I'm the odd one in all of this.

 

[robynhood]

Hi Sue. I first noticed a big difference around the seven month mark. Before that it was very hit and miss with good weeks and bad weeks. Since then I have seen an improvement month to month. I don't regret my TKR at all just don't want to go thru another one just yet. I think Sue with all your other medical problems it will be a very gradual process with you. You've done so well to get where you are and it will take time to build up the muscles in your knee again.. Walking half a mile is a good start and I'm sure it will get less painful the more you do it. I still get swelling sometimes in the TKR knee if I've had a strenuous day and I've never had a brilliant ROM but my knee is 100% better than it was..


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[Dabber]

@robynhood I'm so thankful not to have the bone on bone pain. As I've been trying to be a little more active I've developed a new pain on the kneecap, I'm pretty sure as you say it's muscular although I do get a lot of clunking from the knee and can move the joint sideways to clunk on demand! My ROM remains good, but everything else is variable.

 

[new knee in June]

@patient 99
My honest to goodness night job is Top Secret You must swear to not tell a soul
I work for the School Dept. ( Finance & Administration ) because I am surrounded with
People's information ( S.S, phone, addresses) & such. I have my own personal Code & keys.
I set up for the next days meetings, Make sure all their folders are correct, set up the coffee
& act like my usual Sunny self My husband also works nights in Maintenance ( sometimes I
Meet him under a lamp post) He has been there for 25 yrs., me 11yrs. Great job....
Pension & retirements for both of us
Have a wonderful Day,
Diana

 

[patient 99]

how your TKR feels and at what stage it became really good,

Hi Sue I think I am obsessed with how other TKRs feel. I wanted to ask Pat @robynhood if she is able to iron standing up? I find that too uncomfortable so I now sit to iron. Also with mine I seem to have to kick start it. After dinner I sit down for about an hour with my feet up on a pouffe. When I get up its extra tight and doesn't want to bend. If I get up in the night |I kind of hobble to the loo.

I do think strengthening muscles is what you will have to concentrate on - particularly your quad muscles. These days I strap a weight round my ankles, and sitting on a chair I lift my leg and hold it for 15 secs and repeat about 10 times. Its taken me 13 months to be able to go up and down stairs normally. I say normally I still have to hold the handrail, and I am slow.

can move the joint sideways to clunk on demand!

Not sure what you mean by this. What, sideways like when you move the leg out from the hip? Nobody seems worried about clunking if that's any consolation. What are your ROM figures? Mine are 110/0. They have been that for over 6 months so I suspect that's as good as it will get. Some drawbacks to that, but generally I can manage OK.

Given your lack of energy you will have to be extra careful not to overdo it. I agree with Pat half a mile seems ambitious given that you are almost starting from scratch. Hold back those tears. Just keep telling yourself this is really just like week one for me. xx Carol

 

[patient 99]

Looking at me every day saying come on get the other one done.. You will be fine. No thank you. Not just yet.

Couldn't agree more.

 

[robynhood]

Yes Carol I can stand quite happily now doing ironing an hour at a time no problem. .....,, until my non TKR knee complains then I give up.


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[patient 99]

I can stand quite happily now doing ironing an hour at a time no problem.

Hi Pat, I've just been reading some of your early messages. You sure have come a long way. Standing ironing for an hour WOW. Hope I can do that one day. Carol

 

[turtle68]

Wow, you all have been busy while I was gone, ironing and everything. I do have a good solution for the ironing thing - I just don't do it unless I have to, when I do, I'm able to do it standing up for 1/2-1 hour. As far as stairs go I can go up okay, but still do baby steps going down, and always holding on to the rail. Carol, it sounds like you have the right idea with the exercise to put off surgery on your other knee. Also, I think I mentioned to you that I had a couple of steroid shots that kept me going for a couple of years - during that time we visited Washington, D.C. and Boston where we seemed to walk every day almost all day long. Do they offer those to you in the U.K.?

My knee held up fairly well on the trip, forgot to pay for extra leg room on the way back, so a bit stiff this morning. We left Chicago yesterday and it was 40 degrees and got off the plane here in Houston, it was 90 - love it. Now to the laundry (and ironing).

Hugs and Bugs, Dorothy

 

[patient 99]

Hi Dorothy, welcome home. 90F wow. May be a bit too hot for me. I like it best when its about 70-75F. I heard on the news Oklahoma has been hit hard with tornadoes. I didn't pay much attention until they said Texas might be in for it too. Then I thought Oh I hope Dorothy is alright. Obviously you are.

I am very envious that, like Pat, you can iron standing up. What is wrong with me. Am I a wimp! Yes you can get steroid injections here too. I didn't know that much about them until I came onto BS. Apparently they work best if given using ultrasound - hit the spot better. But as I'm not getting any pain in my unoperated knee at the moment I don't need it.

I'm having the hall decorated at the moment. I've made a boo boo with the colour. I've been worrying myself sick. I emailed the decorator. He's just phoned me back. He said `what you worrying for, its just a tin of paint'. Was I relieved. Will have to make sure I get it right second time round.

I'm off on Friday for a 3 night break, but its not too far to travel. You are the queen of long distance <grin>. Bet it was good to see the grand kids and just as good to come home. Nice to have you back. Carol

 

[new knee in June]

@patient 99
Hello Carol,
I hope your knee has been treating you well In work last night, I had to replace
A fluorescent light ( those long thin lights ) I had to get up on a chair. I couldn't 't do
It with my good knee. But, my replacement knee had no problemIt was truly an
Ah- Ha moment. I couldn't believe it so I did it a few more times
My point is.....Everyday we are getting better & able to do more thingsEven after
1 year or 14 months or even 2 yrs.
Thinking of you
Diana

 

[Dabber]

@new knee in June, love your job description......and you both work nights; I couldn't step up onto a chair with my new knee and it's 4 days older than yours.

I can go downstairs fine, it's up I struggle with.

@patient 99 Ironing I can do a bit of but I don't do much of anything as my stamina is so low. I went to the opening night of the Gang Show as Ds has been rehearsing since Nov, we took one grandddaughter who loved it. First time out for me for a year apart from hospital and the local pre-chemo hotel overnighters and I could hardly manage to walk to the car after and am so very exhausted today.....my own knee was hurting too, naughty! ROM by the way somewhere about 120-130/0.

The clunking, well if I lie on my side with the TKR leg on top but over and resting on the bed and I move the TKR leg thigh up slightly, the replacement joint clunks as the thigh half of the leg moves and leaves the other half static, it's only slight movement but like space in the new joint, not tight like the other knee. I don't suppose it's anything. It also clunks when I walk and you can hear it clunk, like tin man. I have 2 bulges I think are fluid.

I see my GP tomorrow, I won the lottery after all , got a bookable appointment at short notice. If I go in with all my problems mid afternoon and we work through them, knee up or neck down or order of occurrance and we don't stop for tea, we might be home before dusk. I only wish I could, I'd never get up again!

We need a thread called "Carol's cyber friends."

 

[new knee in June]

@patient 99
Hi Carol,
I hope you are doing well If I may speak with @Dabber on your thread, Thank You
Dear Sue,
The clunking you describe is common for a new Knee. I have it too. I read on B.S,
That if it doesn't hurt...not to worry. It does become less as time goes by. Good luck with your
Appointment tomorrow. I will be thinking of you
Welcome home @turtle68 We missed you.
Carol, If I don't hear from you, have a lovely 3 day vacationYou deserve it !!!!!!!!
Have a Wonderful Day Everyone,
Diana

 

[patient 99]

My point is.....Everyday we are getting better & able to do more thingsEven after
1 year or 14 months or even 2 yrs.

With you in my corner I can't fail. xx Carol

 

[patient 99]

ROM by the way somewhere about 120-130/0.

Show off Sue I know you are still exhausted and not through the woods, but honestly there is a marked difference in your messages. The obvious one being you joke a lot more. But its more than that you sound less resigned. Hang on in.

We need a thread called "Carol's cyber friends."

Lets just think of my thread as that. I understand the point of each person having a thread, but sometimes its just easier to use one for chit chat. Hope your GP appointment is a good one. See you when I get back. Carol

 

[Dabber]

Have a lovely time @patient 99 and lovely to see you back @turtle68, yes, I think clunking is OK and it will strengthen up gradually @new knee in June but ouch @robynhood the bakers cyst is so troublesome for you.

 

[patient 99]

Hi All, Got back from my mini break today. Knee fair to middling. Was a bit sad half way through Jimmy James and the Vagabonds. Everybody was up dancing and I was doing my famous standing still moving my arms dance. Then the music changed and they were singing `lets twist again like we did last summer'. When I saw everybody twisting their knees I couldn't help but see the funny side. So I turned my down into an up - I twisted my arms as if they were made of rubber. I think a lot of people were very impressed. I've probably started a craze.

There was a gym and pool in the hotel. I tried out a new bit of apparatus. Don't know what its called, its similar to a stationary bike, but instead of pedals there are large pads to stand on and you sort of march up and down. It really got the muscles in my upper legs working. I'd forgotten just how good the pool is for stretching. So I've decided to go back to the gym - even if nobody talks there.

I'm off to catch up on threads now. Hoping everyone is good. Carol

 

[Pumpkin]

I twisted my arms as if they were made of rubber.

Love the visual of your rubber arms . I can't wait to get back in the pool, at the gym people are pretty quiet, but at our neighborhood pool everyone is a chatterbox.
Glad you had a good time ,

 

[new knee in June]

Welcome Back Carol,
Glad you had a lovely time at the hotel It's great to escape every day life &
Pamper ourselves
@BionicWoman2 would be very proud of your new dance, Did you practice this one ?
Thinking of you
Diana