MUA Festina lente -Hastening slowly

[KarriB]

Where are you driving Friday?

 

[Spex10]

Just ventured out. I had to scrape the ice off. However, it all went well. No problem at all. I'd thought I might have forgotten how to drive!
I only went to a local shop but I got a lovely welcome from the staff. Felt great.
Back to checking proofs...

 

[Mireille]

@Spex10 Way to go! Must have been liberating.

 

[Want2hike]

Congrats on driving again! That freedom is so good for mental health and feeling like life is returning to normal.

 

[sistersinhim]

How liberating! So glad to hear that you'll doing so well!

 

[Spex10]

Big day yesterday -I drove to the supermarket and did the weekend shop all by myself. Not only that I then went out for our annual ladies reunion tea party at a posh tearoom.
Got home and fell sound asleep at 6pm!
Will have a quiet day today...

 

[sistersinhim]

Oh wow! What a 'normal' day you had yesterday. Doesn't that feel great! I hope you feel good today and don't suffer for your busy day yesterday. Is your ROM still holding? That was really a good decision you made even though many of us tried to talk you out of it. I'm so glad you listened to yourself instead of to me!

 

[Spex10]

Oh yes my ROM is a constant source of joy to me. Each morning when I get up and go to the bathroom I wonder if my knee will bend -and it does! I get my foot well behind my marker line on the floor. Sorry if too much information, I'm just so darned happy about it.
Sometimes if I'm sitting at my desk and look down I can't believe how far back my foot is! I only work at my desk for a couple of hours at a time then have to walk about and ice and elevate.

 

[KarriB]

Glad you had a normal day! Is there anyway you can elevate at your desk?

 

[Spex10]

Not really. My legs are so long that my feet would run into the massive tangle of wires dangling down the back of the desk. To be honest its so wonderful even to have my knee bent so I can have my foot flat on the floor that I revel in it!

 

[L.I.T]

So happy for you, @Spex10! A good few days, indeed! I, too, have the problem of not being to elevate at my desk - I ended up putting my leg in to of it - I look like a contortionist!

Keep up the good work, m'lady!

 

[Spex10]

I've got a query. My knee just isn't as hot as it was when it was really healing. Its the same temp as my other knee. It seems to have plateaued with swelling. Do I still need to ice and elevate? I vary my position - legs up, feet down, walk about, pedal my pedaler. Is that enough?

 

[sistersinhim]

After a busy day, I still swell some and have to ice. So I saw, yes, ice as long as you have any swelling or extra busy days.

 

[L.I.T]

There you are!

I wish I had an answer for you - unfortunately, I seem to be in a similar situation except with the once or twice a day 'pop up' swelling. Not getting worse, but not getting better. Knee is mostly same temp as the other except during the random swelling episodes. Otherwise, it's a little more than 'slight' swelling 24/7. Sometimes the ice induces a pop-up swelling. Makes no sense to me, but I'll put in a request to the ortho gods to give us a clue as to what to do next!

 

[BARBRI]

I was told by my PT yesterday that at our stage of post op recovery that we should only ice after exercise that may induce swelling and just before we go to bed at night. She says that over icing can cause knee stiffness. Makes sense to me.

 

[Cratchit]

@BARBRI The advice from your PT re icing is really interesting. I`ve noticed that icing doesn`t make a great deal of difference to the swelling, it`s more the elevation that brings it down. However, it`s quite soothing to put an ice pack on after exercise and just use it as an excuse to relax for an hour!

 

[newlybionic]

Elevation will help to bring the swelling down. So as long as you feel any swelling at all, no matter how small elevation will help. Ice use is actually two fold. It does help to bring down swelling and also helps with pain. Remember that swelling is your body's response to pain.

 

[sistersinhim]

It amazing me how all these people that have never had a knee replacement can tell others what's best for those that have. On this site you have thousands of people that have been through the replacement. Everyone can benefit from those experiences. Ice is a wonderful pain reliever.

 

[Spex10]

My knee isn't swelling and isn't hot. Think I'll experiment a bit. Interesting the research about icing. Thanks for finding that out. Sounds quite logical.

 

[Celle]

@Spex10 - Now you're doing so much better, would you like your thread title to be changed? If so, just let us know what you would like the new title to be and we'll change it for you.