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TKR Finally made it

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Well Friday I was released from PT I made 110 ROM. I have been given a list of exercises I can do at the gym. Today I walked about 3/4 of a block. I may not be setting any walking records but as far as my knee is concerned I am walking a marathon. Hopefully I will be released on 19 June to go back to work. tomorrow I am going to the gym so I think I will call it an early night.
 
That's great news, Mary!!! Good for you!
 
Mary, that's the way it works. Little by little... Or so we think. In reality, the progress is huge. It doesn't matter how long your marathon is, as long as you do it.
 
Mary - congrats on being released from PT!!!! I know you were excited. Hopefully things went well at the gym today. My OS won't let me do anything (leg-wise) at the gym except bike at this point. I'll take it - it is nice to go out and look at different walls and actually see people sometimes!

I was reading through some of your past posts, sweetie we are going through this together - I have my bad days, good days and so/so days. I totally understand about the aches. Yesterday I felt good - did way too much and my knee told me about - and it was nice about it. I got the hint and stopped. It is so hard to do, but we must.

Our energy will return in time. We have to remember we had MAJOR surgery and it takes time to heal - many things were cut, moved about, etc.

Look at where you are now, less pain and able to walk further than you were before surgery.

Tell me how you get to sleep - I get tired, but then sleep doesn't come or doesn't stay very long......I used to be able to go to bed and fall asleep in a couple minutes - not anymore:sigh:.

Hugs to you my friend! Hang in there WE will make it together!:friends:
 
It seems we are better at giving advice than following advice. I went to the gym, I did too much and am paying for it now. I was in the middle of one exercise when my knee started telling me to stop but i decided I could finish the exercise. I walked it off and went on to do the rest of my exercises and finished with the bike. I was able to make complete forward revolutions and i biked for about 15 minutes with no resistance. I could not bike fast enough to keep the machine on but that is ok bcause I am doing more than I could do last week. I will omit the one exercise that hurt me from routine for awhile.

Right now I am icing, resting and elevating. I used to get to sleep easier but now I get a few hours at a time. So when the sand man comes to visit I take advantage. I sorta miss those early recovery days when I just slept and slept. We will make it through this my friend by just taking it one day at a time:doggieshmooze::friends:
 
All I can say is...relate...relate...relate..totally! Sleep seems to be hard to achieve these days and only a few hrs at a time when it does come. I thought that this far from surgery, I'd be sleeping like a baby. No gym for me. Just PT 3x a week and I can barely handle that. I admire your achievements so far!
 
Well I am almost 2 months out of surgery. I still have to make a conscious effort to tell myself to bend my knee when walking. I am not able to walk very far but each day I can get a little further. I am still going to the gym. and am having a better time since I started listening to my knee. If my knee says stop this hurts I listen. When I come home my knee is swollen and stiff but will feel better once I elevate and ice my knee. I make be making baby steps but I celebrate any progress I make
 
Mary, everything seems to be proceeding in a very normal way. Glad to hear that you are listening to your knee. It does know best!

Take care and keep us posted. We care.
 
Mary, sounds like you are doing well - not overdoing it and if you find you have - you listen to your knee and cut back! GREAT job!!!!
 
I still make it to the gym every other day. I use the rowing machine, bike, treadmill and leg machines. I do supported squats have not made it into the pool yet. Still have tighness in the quads but I am sure that is still to be expected. Am going to the store later today to try and find a seat pad for the bike. It has been awhile since i had been able to bike and now after 20 minutes on the bike my bottom is sore.

I have not gotten too much farther in my walking and find I get tired real easy and am still using my cane but I still am happy because I feel a ton better than I did prior to the surgery

Am hoping that my temporary VA disability kicks in because I need to get some bills paid. If I can get some of the bills paid off I might be able to go ahead and retire early since I am not sure if I will be able to be back to full duty by the 6 month cut off but I will have to worry about crossing that bridge later.
 
Sounds like you're coming along nicely, Mary. You're just a little over 2 months post op, so I think you can feel really good about your progress.

Those bike seats can be painful---particularly if you are out of practice sitting on one. Fatigue can last quite a while. You just have to figure it in to all your activities and take time to rest.

Sure hope everything works out with your temp disability--don't need the worry of unpaid bills hanging over your head.

Take care of yourself and keep us posted. We care.
 
Well been gone for awhile had some ups and downs. I am doing pretty good today not alot of pain which I like. There is still some swelling but I am sure that will be with me for a bit longer. Still have the feeling of tight bands around my knee. I am getting used to my knee clicking along with me as I go about my daily activities. Still feel pretty tired most of the day got to start pushing myself to stay up and busy in preparation for going back to work.

I am having a hard time keeping my foot pointed straight. My toes keep turning out if I don't make a conscious effort to keep them straight. I guess after years of walking that way it is going to take a little work to get my muscles back to normal.

I can bike 25 minutes on the stationary bike at the gym, I can do assisted squats and can walk up stairs normally usng my cane. Still have to go down the steps one at a time. well let me go try to catch up on the forum before I have to take a nap
 
Great update Mary. :biggrin: I remember when you had a hard time with the bike and now your pedaling away! Its all progress and its a long journey this TKR stuff!!:hysterical: Stairs are still difficult for me to go down because of my left knee which will be replaced on July 23rd. I can go up without holding on but going down I have to hold on. :sigh: Good luck to you Mary on your recovery.:friends:

Margie
 
have been feeling alright still having some pan and stiffness but it is getting better. Had one of the grandkids over every night for the last week. It was a blast but really tuckered me out. Had not been to the gym for a week. Went to the gym and it kicked my butt no pain no gain. Don't yell I was doing upper body exercises. When I was doing the knee exercises I followed the no pain more gain mantra. I have learned the hard way to listen to my knee and stop when it says stop. I biked for 20 minutes and am thinking about upping that to 30 minutes. Still waiting on the VA to start my disability payments Uncle Sam can work slowly but then again they do have a lot of claims to process so patience is the key word.

Going back to work next week and I am starting to get nervous. Will have to make sure to take some stretch breaks and brink my ice packs. I will just take it one day at a time.
 
newnee said:
Going back to work next week and I am starting to get nervous. Will have to make sure to take some stretch breaks and brink my ice packs. I will just take it one day at a time.
Click to expand...
Sounds like a good plan.
 
I saw the PA today and got my release to go back to work on Wednesday. We talked about my pain, knee swelling and low energy level. I told him I am ready to call it a day after being up and about for 4 or 5 hours. I might be working desk duty but I do work at a stressful job and have to be able to help the citizens coming to me with my full attention and provide a well written and investigated report. We decided to teporarily cut my hours to no more than 25 a week for the next month along with no kneeling, no running and no standing longer than an hour. Then I will get my restrictions reevaluated. He asked me if my work would have any problems with the restrictions and I told him they are going to have to deal with it. Of course if they are not happy I can always stay home.

The doctor was very happy with my flexion and extension and said I am coming along very well in my recovery. I requested to be taken off the Vicodin and put on Tramadol instead. I am feeling good I am on the up side of this roller coaster ride. Hope it continues through first day back to work I go in at 0630 hours and should be off by 1130 hours. At least I am off Thursdays and Fridays this month so once I complete work I am off for 2 days. Bad side is my days off change to Saturday and Sunday in July so when I come back to work after my days off I have to work 7 straight days but I will make it.
 
Sounds like a good plan, Mary. Good for you for speaking up and helping to make your return to work better for you and your knee. :ok: You've done really well, and I'm sure you'll continue to improve. Take care, keep us posted, we care.
 
Well yesterday was a long long 5 hour day. I came home and was so tired I fell asleep but i survived the day. I did not think I had done that much but my body had other ideas. I Iced, elevated, medicated and slept the night away. Saturday starts a 7 day work week fortunately they are only 5 hour days. Not feeling well today so it will probably be an early night
 
Been having a rough go of it at work even though it has been desk duty. I make sure I stretch, ice and elevate my knee. Guess it will take a little bit for my knee and the muscles to get used to a work routine. It was nice at home to be able to lay back and elevate my my toes above the nose whenever I needed to or sleep when I am tired. I am having a hard time getting to sleep at night so I am tired all day. I come home and basically crash on the couch. I got up this morning and I was in pain it got a little worse during the day. The pain was along the inside area of my knee and was painful when i bent my knee. It is feeling a lot better now. Have not been to the gym in a week have been too tired. Will try to get back into working out next week

All in all I still feel better than before.
 
Hi Mary,
I'm sure it's rough getting back to work. I know at times I still get so tired it's almost impossible to stay awake. I'm sure it'll start getting easier as time goes by. I don't know when those strange pains that come and go finally stop. But even with the aches and pains I have now it's still better than before surgery. Maybe we'll never have young knees but at least we'll be able to play with our grandkids. I think that would knock us out knees or no knees :)
 
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