getting better

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misscheer

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Hi all,
3 and a half weeks post op.Just another update I am getting better each day. Slow progress but getting there, I have a 110 Rom and 0%. Pt is getting better drove for the first time on Sunday went into the store by myself not easy with crutches but I did it. Still getting a little frustrated not being able to do everything I used to but I will wait till I can. I tend to swing my hip when I walk my pt told me to march but of course I exagerate the marching so I had to try and concentrate on walking right. So now when I walk I am saying to myself "heel toe, heel toe". Did anyone else have that problem very hard to sleep I would love a good nights sleep, I have heard of others who have had a hard time sleeping also any suggestions? Truthfully I thought this would be so easy to recover from and that I would be normal really fast boy was I wrong. It is slow and at times very painful still need the meds trying to cut down but I find I feel better and can do a little more if I have no pain. How long before I can feel normal and do what I used to do? How long before there is no limp when I walk without aid? How long on the coumidin? Sorry for all the questions. I am walking and exercising everyday, going in my pool also I am not laying down at all during the day. thanks for any advice and help
 
I think i was on blood thinners (coumadin for you) for 6 to 8 weeks. Os should tell you. Walking correctly was something I had to relearn and still have to fight the urge to peg leg or stiff leg. Sleep will return, promise. Have you tried a sleep aid like tylenol pm? I'm 4 months out and am really starting to feel normal againLike i was years ago. Glad to hear you are improving. store was exciting wasn't it! My first store outing was a Walgreens. i used the cart and no cane. i brought the cane, but didn't use it. Enjoy the pool. I'm jealous....
 
Hi all,
3 and a half weeks post op.Just another update I am getting better each day. Slow progress but getting there, I have a 110 Rom and 0%. Pt is getting better drove for the first time on Sunday went into the store by myself not easy with crutches but I did it. Still getting a little frustrated not being able to do everything I used to but I will wait till I can. I tend to swing my hip when I walk my pt told me to march but of course I exagerate the marching so I had to try and concentrate on walking right. So now when I walk I am saying to myself "heel toe, heel toe". Did anyone else have that problem very hard to sleep I would love a good nights sleep, I have heard of others who have had a hard time sleeping also any suggestions? Truthfully I thought this would be so easy to recover from and that I would be normal really fast boy was I wrong. It is slow and at times very painful still need the meds trying to cut down but I find I feel better and can do a little more if I have no pain. How long before I can feel normal and do what I used to do? How long before there is no limp when I walk without aid? How long on the coumidin? Sorry for all the questions. I am walking and exercising everyday, going in my pool also I am not laying down at all during the day. thanks for any advice and help

Wow--you are doing really well on your ROM.

For me, it was at least about 6 weeks before I could sleep through the night. It will come. Most of us feel very impatient with our progress at times. Now at 12 weeks out I can barely remember the first 4 weeks (sort of like childbirth!).

.

Relearning to walk was annoying and comical for me. Had a PT and hubby following me around the house saying "heel toe" and "straighten up." I would usually whine that I don't know what straight feels like as I had not stood straight in years :)
 
Relearning to walk was annoying and comical for me. Had a PT and hubby following me around the house saying "heel toe" and "straighten up." I would usually whine that I don't know what straight feels like as I had not stood straight in years :)

you just remind that hubby & PT that new knees are awesome at but kicking when you are through.
 
misscheer said:
Truthfully I thought this would be so easy to recover from and that I would be normal really fast boy was I wrong. It is slow and at times very painful still need the meds trying to cut down but I find I feel better and can do a little more if I have no pain. How long before I can feel normal and do what I used to do?


Well, misscheer, you're not the only one who has fallen into the trap of thinking this is going to be a breeze! (Think I might just save this next bit so I can copy/paste it next time!)

This is the issue: you have had major, MAJOR surgery! Even having a bunion done takes several weeks to recovery from, this takes months! It's a shame that surgeons don't prepare their patients better on this point. 3½ weeks is nothing! It's very early days yet and if you'd made your post at
3½ months, I'd still have said that. You're doing great though, so don't despair on that point.
A knee replacement is one of the biggest, most invasive pieces of surgery going and not only does it take the body a lot of time and energy to heal, it also makes you feel drained and listless, and that plus the meds affect your appetite and your sleep patterns (like no sleep!) and on top of that the whole thing causes a LOT of pain.

One thing I would say with much emphasis - it's FAR too early to be even thinking about cutting down on your pain meds. When you get to 3-4 months, maybe think about it then, but do not deprive yourself. It will only hinder progress and prolong the whole business.
 
Hi Getting Better, I am 7 weeks post operative and had bilateral knee replacemnt. I went back to work part time last week because my surgeon thought if I got back to normal I would have less of a difficult time adjusting to getting off the pain meds. In some ways she is right as when I am working, I feel quite fine, but sleeping is very difficult. I get hot and cold, cold like symtoms, restless and all of my other arthritic sites feel worse than before - toes, fingers, thumbs, hips. Luckily I do not have to walk on them. I also swing out my leg and my phisio reminds me to walk straight, but I can certainly now stand much straighter than before and can walk and stand without anxiety looking for a place to sit.

My knees do feel tighter since off the pain meds. I am trying to take tylenol instead. But they are not really that painful, just tight and sometimes twing if I move or twist suddenly.

After 3 weeks you are doing great. I have been told that you feel much better after 3 months, closer to normal after 6 months and totally out of the woods after a year. Have a safe ride.

Marilyn
 
Marilyn - do be careful of trying to cope without sufficient pain control. That tightness and twinging is low grade pain which can be every bit as counterproductive as the more intense kind. At 7 weeks, you still need better pain control. Be kinder to yourself and think about cutting back at around 3 months.
 
you just remind that hubby & PT that new knees are awesome at but kicking when you are through.

True Jennifer!

One day when on my stomach on the table, I threatened to kick my PT..he laughed and said "Go for it--if you can do it, we'll be done."
 
Hi all,
3 and a half weeks post op.Just another update I am getting better each day. Slow progress but getting there, I have a 110 Rom and 0%. Still getting a little frustrated not being able to do everything I used to but I will wait till I can.

Truthfully I thought this would be so easy to recover from and that I would be normal really fast boy was I wrong. It is slow and at times very painful still need the meds trying to cut down but I find I feel better and can do a little more if I have no pain. How long before I can feel normal and do what I used to do? How long before there is no limp when I walk without aid? How long on the coumidin? Sorry for all the questions. I am walking and exercising everyday, going in my pool also I am not laying down at all during the day. thanks for any advice and help


Hey -
I am just over 3.5 weeks post op and I am still using one crutch, pain meds, laying down much of the day and struggling to sleep. My ROM is barely 112 and straightening is really painful. I have been encouraged by several on this site to just be patient. We are all different and we all heal differently. I am choosing to just trust that.

I too thought that because I was relatively young 48 and somewhat fit that this would be a piece of cake. It hasn't been. Had a horrible time in the hospital with pain control and am still having to use quite a bit. But I am going to choose this day not to compare my recovery to anyone elses. As long as I am doing my best at exercising and doing all that they tell me - I can relax. That is a decision I just made - so I am trying to grow into it!

Take care!

Annette
 
Annette,
Best of luck with your recovery. The very first thing my therapist told me was not to compare myself with others. Everyone is different and no matter what they are all gonna heal at their own pace. Once I accepted that notion
I was fine. It is difficult to look at others while at PT or to read on here that someone who is at the same stage post-op as you who is flexing lots better and walking without any aid. I am 2 weeks post-op still using a walker and
"self-flexing" to 82 degrees, on CPM I am at 90. But I look at it this way,
I don't drive the same speed as everyone else, I don't work at the same speed as others, I don't even eat at the same speed as others. So I just listen to my body and I push it as far as it will let me. One thing is for sure,
I AM doing better than last week, better than the week of my surgery, and will be even better next week! One thing I have learned is that (for me anyway) this is not only been a physical surgery but a mental surgery as well.
Hang in there, listen to your body. I am still amazed at the progress I have made in just two short weeks!
 
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