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TKR Fire wolf recovery<

I am still having a lot of swelling. I'm not sure I have ever been better than moderate swelling and in fact have not gone down stairs comfortably much, if at all, this week. It feels as though I am at a plateau with ROM currently. I keep thinking about @bertschb who stayed at the same ROM for several months so am trying not to be too disappointed. I wonder if my PT will measure on Monday?? I can kneel on one of the weight machines at the gym but I don't have my full weight on it so am impressed that you are kneeling for real. I hope you have a restful weekend as it sounds as though your weeks are very active for a relatively new knee.
 
It sounds as though you are handling work okay! I can hear some "tough it out" philosophy behind your words. You know, going foot over foot multiple times both at work and at home; making Bio Spence carry the loads instead of trying out a cart; being pretty exhausted and contemplating a 3 mile hike on a trail this weekend; letting people in your class do just a little bit more than you usually let them... Are you still being kind to yourself?!? I certainly hope so. You and your knee still deserve loving, gentle care, even if you do have to do Herculean tasks like what you've described at work.

The hike sounds rejuvenating, if a bit long. Let us know how it goes. I'll be sending positive vibes your way that it's everything you hoped it would be, and that you come home ready to shoulder those (decidedly difficult) burdens again.
 
@liam2015 I like my new avatar as well, so thank you!:) In terms of the stuff that I carry, it is all over my shoulder in two bags. One is my laptop messenger type bag, the other is in an extra large tote bag that I got from LL Bean that zips closed so my hands are free the whole time. I was carrying the same stuff pre TKR when I was in constant pain and wearing a clunky unloader brace. Bionic Spence really doesn't seem to mind. It does not cause any pain while walking, nor do I feel the need to limp or hike my hip, or anything than walking with a normal stride. Honestly, I have looked at some wheeled bags, but have not found one that I like. I haven't looked for carts, but maybe will check the Internet to see if I can find something that will suit my purposes. Needs to have wheels that can handle gravel parking lots and lots of uneven walkways.

@Pheebs52 the kneeling was more out of necessity than out of desire or choice at this point, although I had always wanted to eventually be able to do most pre-TKR activities including kneeling. This just came a little sooner than I would have liked. I did keep it to the minimum that was completely necessary, which was no longer than a minute or two for the couple of times that I did so, and only with thick padding to protect Bionic Spence even further. Not feeling that the recovery has been spectacular, but I will take the huzzah! Thank you! :happydance:

@kmak81230 I did not put full weight on Bionic Spence either, as I leaned more on my left side just to not stress him out needlessly. I really don't like when he starts to complain!:heehee: Good luck at PT! I can't imagine if I still had to try to fit that into my schedule! :oyvey:

@Polkadot yes, there still is some "tough it out" thinking going on with me, but I am not sure that I will ever completely get rid of that. It really is my inner athlete. I have however not been doing nearly as much as I would have been if I had not found this site. Other than my everyday going to work kind of stuff, I am still not doing any additional exercises or trying to force flexion at this point. And letting the class do more instead of me demonstrating as much is a big deal for me as I recognized my limitations. The exhaustion will always be there due to my having Narcolepsy. Some days are better than others, but the 12 hour days that involve the 2 hour one way drive are particularly tiring, especially when I have to do them several times in a week. With regards to the stairs, I have been going foot over foot both up and down for at least 6 weeks now, and it really is just trying to be as "normal" as possible. If I really couldn't do it, I wouldn't be.

As far as my plans for the weekend, well, the saying "we plan, God laughs" certainly holds true! I had a killer migraine today, one of the worst I had in awhile, so I slept until about 4pm. I would definitely say that I got quite a bit of rest today!:sleep: There were a few times that my quads gave me some issues, as I sleep on my side with my legs curled up, but straightening them out seemed to help. For the most part, Bionic Spence has been sleeping through the night, and normally only gets up with me when I have the overnight bathroom trips, which do involve going up and down the stairs, but even half asleep, the stairs do not present an issue. I was so happy when I was able to get rid of the portable commode upstairs that I used for quite awhile post surgery! Although I was grateful to have it, especially on nights when I know that there is no way that I would have made it to the bathroom at the turtle's pace I was moving at!:snork: So in all likelihood I will not be going on the hike tomorrow. :sad: I do have some other things that I need to do that I didn't get done today, so I will try to do those tomorrow. I did get my targeted compression sleeve in the mail today that is supposed to help activate my quads and hamstrings a little better, so I am looking forward to trying it out. Apparently you wear it for 1-2 hours while being physically active each day, then after a month (I think, but will need to look it up to be sure) you wear it every other day. So I hope that it helps, though I guess it will take some time before I know for certain. Fortunately this week for work I am only 40 min from home, except Fri which is another 2 hour away day, so I should have time after work to take a good walk. :walking: I sit far too much during the day and really need to add more activity, walking is plenty for now, to my days to start getting things back into shape. I wasn't really allowed to be too active several months prior to having Spence replaced with Bionic Spence, per my OS's instruction, so I am incredibly out of shape and not happy about it. I really just can't wait to get my life back again!
 
I woke up this morning thinking about your "inner athlete," or more correctly, mine! I surely wish mine was not as submerged as it is. In fact, for years I didn't think I had one. But I grew up during a time when the only organized sports for girls was G.A.A., and the girls in that organization were such amazing athletes, they intimidated me. We didn't get a women's basketball team until I was a senior in high school, and although they would have taken me on the team, I couldn't swing the daily practices because I was already working. I think of my daughter, whose inner and outer identities include a strong dose of Athlete, and how she attacked her recovery after ACL surgery. I want more of that drive for myself!

Now that I'm mostly off the meds, am walking with a lot less Frankensteinian overtones, and can walk for at least a mile without pain, I'm going to focus on that. Walking doesn't seem very "athletic," so I believe I'll call it hiking--though there will be very little climbing as we live in a flat farming area! Maybe not so long in the future, I will be able to report that I did a 3-mile "hike!" I used to walk around 6 miles a day before my arthritis went bone-on-bone. I remember how the day didn't seem complete, and my body didn't feel good, if I didn't get at least a 3-mile walk in. I want that back!
 
No hiking for me today. I am completely drained from my day yesterday, even though I slept all day yesterday. Today I am still feeling pretty worn out and am contemplating a nap. I feel like a lazy slug. Getting sick and tired of life and medical problems ganging up on me.
 
Fire wolf...it's okay to feel like a lazy slug once in awhile, even more than that if your body needs the extra rest. go with it for now. you work so hard, take the time you have available to heal. i'm in awe of you ladies and gents that go back to work within weeks or months of this surgery. :curtsey:
 
Probably a good idea to rest today fire wolf. You had a long week of active work, driving, etc. It will do you good to head into next week feeling rested -even if the driving is less. I expect there will be golf on the tube - always good for starting a nap!. The dark days of recovery only last a few weeks while the dog days - where we are now - seem to last for a few months - I'm looking forward to the brighter days of recovery myself. :flwrysmile:
 
I really can't thank all of you enough for your support! I am by myself in this recovery, no friends to bore with the details or complaining, but the lack of in person support can make this struggle worse some days. I did go for a walk today to start using the T:25 compression sleeve that came in the mail yesterday. I can say that it did feel pretty good to walk with it. It puts pressure on the medial hamstring and medial quad to help them learn how to fire better and communicate with brain better. Now that I am sitting awhile, only wear sleeve when active, I am getting alot of that nervy type pain, have some stiffness, etc. I do have some clunking and clicking, but I had that pre- Bionic Spence as well, so nothing new. At least the grating is gone. I do not find that it feels mechanical or anything in there, not sure why. Anyway, I think that I will stick with using the thigh high TED stocking on that leg daily when I go to work, as it does seem to make a difference in that I don't notice as much stiffness, swelling, etc. I am considering going back on a regular regimen of Extra Strength Tylenol, even though I was happy to not need it at times. Not sure if it will help or not. Perhaps @Josephine could provide some insight?
 
Fire wolf said:
I do not find that it feels mechanical or anything in there, not sure why.
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Did you expect it to feel mechanical?
Fire wolf said:
I am considering going back on a regular regimen of Extra Strength Tylenol, even though I was happy to not need it at times. Not sure if it will help or not.
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Well try it and see!
 
@kmak81230, please let me know when brighter days of recovery have arrived for you, as I am hoping that they might at that point be closer for me.:SUNsmile:
 
Josephine said:
Did you expect it to feel mechanical?
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I did not expect it to feel mechanical, but it seems a common thing for many others. Not comparing, but it just curious to me.

Josephine said:
Well try it and see!
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I was just wondering if the Tylenol would make a difference with regards to the stiffness and swelling. I don't really like to take any more pills than I have to, but I will give it a try and see what happens. Unfortunately I am one who doesn't like to overmedicate with pain meds as I don't want them to mask something that is going on. After all, from what I understand, pain is big way that our bodies know something is wrong, though I could not imagine going through the early recovery without pain meds.
 
@Fire wolf - This is where I chime in, to remind you that better days are ahead, but everything takes time. At 3+ months since your TKR, you feel as if you've been in recovery for ever, but really you're only just over a quarter of the way through this year-long recovery. Some of your body's energy is still being directed towards healing your knee, so that's why you tire easily. At this stage, your work is quite demanding for your knee as well.

From now on, everything should improve gradually. Better times are coming.
 
Thank you, @Celle for that. It is a long recovery, and I do struggle with the fact that I can't just push through it like I have with all previous recoveries. Some days I see progress, other days it feels like 10 steps backwards. Trying to find my routine again has been a challenge, but I am sure that will come. While some things at work are demanding for Spence, I am grateful that it gives me a mental distraction away from Spence.
 
@Polkadot, hiking doesn't need to involve climbing. I think of hiking as anything that puts me in amongst the trees. I would say that you definitely have an inner athlete, in my opinion, if you are craving that feeling of going for a good walk! I have gone full force rehabbing all prior injuries and surgeries, probably much like your daughter did, however I was completely thrown when I realized that I cannot do the same with Bionic Spence. I won't let it stop me from putting everything I have into this recovery, but I know that sometimes it means resting like crazy!:) :-) (:
 
Yes, our new knees have their own, distinct, type of recovery. Spence is such an individual I feel like I know him. He and Lefty should never meet to compare notes; they'd both get ideas. :heehee: Nut yeah, this recovery is so very different from other surgeries or issues. I had a frozen shoulder years ago and correcting it required heavy duty PT. It hurt insanely, but my therapist assured me I wasn't damaging the joint. She was right. The issues were mainly muscular and the bones undamaged. Knee implants are different. We're dealing with trauma and things that heal more slowly than, say, an abdominal surgery.
 
Bionic Spence and Lefty might have fun together, @SusieShoes!:heehee: I know that my OS and PA feel a connection to Bionic Spence, as they do refer to him by name! Apparently some of my twisted humor is catchy.:snork: Even when I had the implant put in my shoulder I was able to rehab it quickly and without PT, and the drilled to set that in. But, alot less was done there than was done to set Bionic Spence in place, and it's not like shoulder is a weight bearing joint. I gave up trying to walk around on my hands many many years ago, though it would have come in handy now!:heehee: I am frustrated as well by my back and bum hurting from all of the sitting and laying. One pain at a time is fine, thank you very much!
 
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