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TKR gr82cu2 Hello new knee, it's great to see you!

@gr82cu2 Hey Janet, hope today is a better day for you. Hubby says to hang in there, about 14 or 15 weeks you should see a big difference. He says that is when knee #1 lost most of its pain and stiffness although it still gets stiff once in a while.
 
@gr82cu2 but it will get better month by month. Really it will, hubby gets really frustrated too, honestly I think everyone does. It is a slow recovery, but it is a recovery. Hubby knows that without it in a few years he would have more than likely been in a wheelchair, or at least need crutches to get around. He was just getting worse and worse. He was just short of falling all the time when his knees went out on him. Something had to be done. Yes his knee is stiff, and yes he still has pain (usually around a 3), but his knees are stable. He can walk without fear of falling. I know you are having a harder time, and therefore more frustration. I wish I could take away your swelling, pain and stiffness, but sadly I can't. Sometimes you just have to look to the future and put up with the present. Wish I had more to offer than that!
 
I'm looking forward to the point where I can get to feeling better off than before the surgery. Once I feel that, this will all be easier to handle. Before the surgery I was in pain, and couldn't do many activities because of my knees - but at times I do feel like I'd take that old feeling over this recovery any day. Obviously, I'm glad I did the surgery, and I know the recovery will get better. And at times, it's not that bad. As I'm about to go drive to PT (unfortunately, my husband and son can't take me), I didn't take my pain meds today and I'm miserable. And that's before PT. I can't wait until I can wake up one day, and my achey stiffness is gone. Hopefully it will happen to me and @gr82cu2 sooner than later!! Because yes - one year, or even six months, seems so far away!! Now I'm off to PT and hope to find my small "win" of the day!!
 
@tiredwife I think I'm feeling like @ljrfrm in that right now it just seems like we've traded one kind of pain and misery for another and it's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Especially when the tunnel is so dang long and the speed limit is like 1 mph, LOL. My left knee was in really horrible shape and my right isn't much better. As a matter of fact, the right one has been giving way more and more lately. So, I know I need to go ahead with it. I'm just really, really, really dreading going through this again when I haven't even gotten through it if that makes sense. I think @ljrfrm and the other bilateral peeps are the smart ones. Do both at the same time and there is no decision making in the future about whether to do the other one, or not. It can't be fun rehabbing both at the same time though. I need to get ready to go to PT. Talk to you all later.
 
@gr82cu2 Exactly, traded one kind of pain for another. I'm just looking forward to getting closer to the end of the tunnel.

My small win for the day: I made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich that really hit the spot :)
 
@gr82cu2 Hi Janet! I'm glad to hear that you are getting some relief from your drug stash. They work wonders don't they? Today is my two week mark. I was having a hard time last night sleeping. I lay in my bed with my legs elevated and it has been very comfortable. A couple of nights ago it started that when I got up to go to the bathroom when I first put weight I my operated leg my whole side of the hip and thigh would hurt. Last night when I got up and went to walk I got a kink in my hip that was painful each time I walked. Then when I got back into bed the whole side of my hip would just throb. I tried to lay on the opposite side but I think it is just too early as it was too painful. Today the kink went away but even laying in the recliner my whole leg and side hurt and I have to keep trying to reposition my leg. It is so frustrating. I just hope it doesn't last too long.
How was your therapy? My therapy went well but I was exhausted when I got done and slept off and on most of the afternoon. I hope you have a good evening. Anne
 
@Minnie's knees, :dancy:Yeahhhh you got a surgery date!!! It will be here before you know it!!!!! I know you will do great...and remember you have all of us here to answer any questions and to cheer you on. Anne
 
@tiredwife Gosh Jackie!! I haven't had a PB&J for so long. For the past couple of years I haven't been buying white bread and instead always get whole wheat. I did find one, Martins Potato Whole Wheat bread which is really good and when fresh it is squishy, a little similar to white bread. But it still doesn't compare to a PB&J on fresh white bread.......Ohhhh now I want one!!!!! Anne
 
Oh great! @ljrfrm now you have me craving PB & J :) I have a nice healthy soup on for dinner and it is smelling divine!

So, at PT today Michelle got out the tools and worked over my knee trying to loosen things up. Did it work? No, not really. She measured me at 112 after all was said and done. So I really am stuck and have been for like 4-5 weeks which I suspected. Sooooooo frustrating! I really feel like if I could just bend another 5-10 degrees without it feeling so tight it would be ok. I do think I need another 5 degrees to be able to go down stairs comfortably. Going up I can do now pretty easily although I do feel the burn in my quads which is probably just a result of being in pathetic physical shape right now. She showed me another exercise I can try to stretch those tendons more so I guess I'll give it a try. It's just hard to comprehend how pulling those tendons out of the way for less than an hour to place the implant could cause so many weeks of rehab and aggravation. Sheesh! I've even doubled up on my Aleve the past few days trying to fight the inflammation but I don't think it's working. I just hope at my pre-op my liver enzymes aren't off the charts from all the Aleve and Tylenol I've been taking. Last year after I tore or wore through my meniscus I was taking pain meds and lots of tylenol and aleve and my liver enzymes shot up. I did a bunch of research and discovered that Milk Thistle is great for you liver and detoxing it so I started taking it and a month later my enzyme levels were back to normal range. Needless to say I've been taking it again since my surgery.

When I got home from PT I got out the leaf blower and blew off the driveway and the patio :) No rest for the weary! Better go stir my soup! TTYL
 
@Yorkimom hubby said he had that, a combination of walking different and nerve acting up. He said he had it off and on for a couple weeks. Really his hips probably need to be put back in, they would mess up all the time before TKR because of how he walked. Make sure you aren't wearing older shoes that are worn in a way that makes your feet/ legs want to walk in a way they use to. New shoes are really needed.
 
@gr82cu2 Have you considered asking your OS to see if he can bend your knee a bit more when you are under for knee #2? I'm not talking anything radical, not a full MUA, just a little bit more. Hopefully by then you will have gotten over being stuck anyway!

Your soup sounds good! It has cooled off a lot today and is rainy, perfect day for soup! You can always have a PB & J sandwich with your soup.

Hubby thought he saw some snow mixed in with the rain. Missouri weather is so odd.

Make sure you ice and elevate after your busy day.
 
@tiredwife thanks Jackie. I bought a new pair of sneakers and have only worn them four or five times before this surgery so I'm hoping I didn't use them enough to cause me any problem. Hopefully this hip pain won't last long. Our weather here today was sunny and in the upper 60's. Nice enough that I wish that I was outside to enjoy UTI. I think we must be going to get your weather. Tomorrow it is supposed to be windy, cooler and rainy. A day I will be happy to be inside. Have a good night. Anne
 
@Yorkimom Those shoes should be fine. You will have random nerve pain from healing nerves. I remember someone on here saying they use a tennis ball on their hip when it hurts, you can use a heat pad on your hip and that might help. The pain will go away, it is just hard to get comfortable with it.
 
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