@Noanie and @GZGirl22 :
Thank you for your posts. Isn't interesting the many ways our bodies adjust to not only the
assault of major surgery but also the
requisite healing that follows the surgery? I've learned so much from
Bonesmart and the posts of my fellow TKR'ers. I wish I'd known about
Bonesmart before my RTKR in June 2019. It's helped me so much to know what to expect this second time around.
TKRs are
MAJOR surgeries that impact not just our knees but many other parts of our bodies. After my first TKR I didn't know that my blood pressure could be unstable or that, after the spinal wore off, my knee would feel like it was on fire or that I had the right to refuse painful PT or that, well, you get the idea. Then, after my second TKR in April 2021, I didn't know that my first TKR knee would "wake up" and twinge and ache at times while my more recent knee was also busy healing.
Knowledge is power!
I have a friend who is scheduled to get his unstable painful knees replaced six weeks apart this fall. I'm hoping that he takes the time to look at
Bonesmart before he goes under the knife. Otherwise, I'm afraid that he's going to be really surprised by the pain and by how long it'll take to recover. He is severely bowlegged so I've recommended that he read posts by forum members who have had their legs straightened by this surgery. After my friend's first TKR in September, the ligaments, tendons, muscles, etc. in BOTH of his legs will be adjusting to his new knee. Then, six weeks later, after the second TKR, all of the components in BOTH of his legs (and hips too, I guess) will be adjusting all over again. Eventually, he should be walking pain-free for the first time in many years but it will take some time to recover completely (6-12 months).
United States
I'm having another replacement. Not unless they can put me in a coma for 6-12 months until I am fully recovered. I'll admit it, this is the hardest journey of my life.
