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TKR GrandyGirl's Recovery Story 1/14/12

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Hi Dori
That's a brilliant report! I think one of the toughest things to conquer is doing a museum or gallery trip. It's the combination of standing still and walking slowly. You have achieved one of the 'normal' activities that makes us know for sure that this op was worthwhile!

I'm sure with your determination the toes will be pointing forward soon!
 
Hi Dori

Well done on your long drive. I have a couple of long drives under my belt and I'm still not comfortable with sitting for a long period - but I guess the stiffness is a little easier than before my op. It sounds like you had a nice day :thumb:

This walking business is tricky with our new knees - for sure. I do believe a great deal of patience is required for this part of the recovery - it's so hard to retrain the brain and muscles. Have a good day!
 
Diney said:
Hi Dori
That's a brilliant report! I think one of the toughest things to conquer is doing a museum or gallery trip. It's the combination of standing still and walking slowly. You have achieved one of the 'normal' activities that makes us know for sure that this op was worthwhile!

I'm sure with your determination the toes will be pointing forward soon!
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Di,

I had a very lovely day but the long drive and the museum was too much. I'm feeling it today and in fact postponed my session with the trainer until tomorrow. I just didn't feel like I would accomplish much by trying to exercise my knee today. So I've been taking it easy, icing on and off and relaxing. I went out earlier this morning and ran an errand but I'm in for the remainder of the day, and night. I'm a little stiff but overall I feel really good and so glad that I got out yesterday and had som fun!:yay:

Dori
 
Jazyb said:
Hi Dori

Well done on your long drive. I have a couple of long drives under my belt and I'm still not comfortable with sitting for a long period - but I guess the stiffness is a little easier than before my op. It sounds like you had a nice day :thumb:

This walking business is tricky with our new knees - for sure. I do believe a great deal of patience is required for this part of the recovery - it's so hard to retrain the brain and muscles. Have a good day!
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Hi Jo,

Yes, it is very tricky business with out new knees. We really aren't as far along in our recovery as our minds sometimes tell us we are. I had a very nice day yesterday but today my knee is a little swollen and I have been icing and elevating on and off. It's not nearly as bad as it was in the beginning but it is a gentle reminder to me that at 3 months, I'm still a "semi-newbie" and to continue to take it easy as I recover.

You're right...it does, take a great deal of patience. And how are things going with you?

Dori
 
Hello Everybody,

It's been 2-3 days since I last posted. I've been taking care of some business matters that I needed to postpone because of my surgery in January. It feels good to be able to finally check these items off my List of Things to Do list.

The session with my trainer this week went well. She's revving it up a bit and it feels good to be able to do some of the things I am asked to do. For example, I was able to stand up from a sitting position and sit down from a standing position without using my hands whatsoever, just using my core strength and bringing my arms overhead when I got to an upright position. It sounds so simple, but for years, I have used my hands to assist in getting in and out of a chair. I look forward to being able to do that more gracefully as I continue to develop muscle strength, balance, and stability.

I hope you all had a wonderful week and are enjoying your weekend.

Dori
aka GrandyGirl
 
Hi Dori

Good for you getting up with no hands - it's amazing how we have been using our hands/arms for years and now it's a hard habit to break. I am still not doing it with any grace :th_heehee:

I am doing ok - I have a cold so I do feel a bit under the weather. I have not felt like exercising for a couple of days, so I feel a bit lazy. The annoying part of it is that my hubby and I are going away to France tomorrow for a few days and I don't feel my best :sigh: . I hope that I will start to feel better tomorrow - fingers crossed!

Have a good weekend Dori :thumb:
 
Dori, its great to hear about these improvements that come gradually and mean so much. I can remember the first time I went down a flight of steps in the shopping mall without moving to hold the rail as I went down, and when I reached the bottom my husband actually gave me a clap and said you did that without thinking, and he was right I actually didn't even think about it, so I made sure that when returning upwards I did the same and did not hold the rail, and everything was fine. So give yourself a pat on the back for getting out of that chair without using your arms, great stuff!! :thumb:

Jo, sorry to hear that you have a cold, I have been absent from the site for a few days as I too have had this flu/cold/cough for almost 5 weeks now and it was really dragging me down some. I thought I had left it behind last week, but my little grandaughter came round to visit with an awful cold and sure enough 3/4 days later I was sneezing and streaming again so out comes the Vitamin C tablets, the boxes of tissues, and good old paracetamol tablets, and fingers crossed it won't be so bad this time.

Enjoy your time in France and hope the weather improves, I am so fed up with the rain this month. Our house renovations are stop/start for the passed couple of weeks and everything is so wet now! :sigh:

Take care everyone. :friends:
 
Hello!

Jo, I would love to have an "April in Paris" experience. I hope that by the time you step off that plane with your hubby, your cold symptoms will be a thing of the past.

Aretha 5 weeks is a long time to have a cold! I'm so sorry to hear that and I also hope that you are feeling back to normal soon. It is so easy to catch the flu bugs from our grandchildren. It's happened to me more than once.

PooShay, I am getting around so much better but I still have a long way to go. Sometimes after a long busy day, my knee still gives me grief at night. I toss and turn. But at least the insomnia has passed. I'm glad you're doing well.

Every now and then I have a shooting pain that wakes me up out of my sleep. It happens occasionally when I am just sitting in a chair watching TV. The pain lasts several seconds and then goes away. It's pretty intense. Does anyone else have this or do you know what it's about??

Dori
aka GrandyGirl
 
I have these from time to time, Dori. I think its nerves doing their thing--we tend to forget about them and concentrate on the muscles, tendons, ligaments, and soft tissue. But at least it goes as suddenly as it comes and doesn't happen often.
 
Hi Dori,
I was thinking about you yesterday during my 2 hour ride to see my OS. I was just wondering if you still had pain, and today I read your post and see that you are having some of the same problems I do. I was released from the OS for 9 months after a 3 min. office visit. He is a great surgeon, but sure doesn't spend any time post-op with patients. He said everything looked good, but the only thing he did was move my leg out and in a couple of times. I am still having quite a bit of pain on the outside of my knee...I have a knot that came up on Monday, it is very painful and swollen there. He just said it is a little swelling going on there. I also get those sharp stabbing pains....must be nerves reconnecting. My energy level is not so good either right now. Do you still have a problem with energy? I find myself starting chores around the house and running out of steam right in the middle of getting anything done. Shopping is also still a major deal for me. Do you have any idea how long the energy drains last? I really thought I would be much better by now, but I guess this will truly be a year long recovery. I think of you and Diney often, hope you are both having a good week.
 
Hi Luvtocamp,

I definitely am seeing progress but I am not out of the woods yet. If I do too much, my knee still swell up. However, I AM able to do more and more as time goes by. Every week presents something new. This week I am aware that the tissue on the lateral side of my knee feels numb. This is also the area where I am getting the ocassiona shooting pain. (Yes PooShay it feels like a lightning bolt and I agree that it's probably something to do with my nerves trying to make a connection again)

As far as my energy level is concerned, it is much much better. Remember right after surgery when all we could do was sleep all day and stay in bed? Well, I am able to stay up all day now, without a nap. I am able to do all of my errands and even some social activities without crashing. So I would definitely say my energy level has improved. However, my lifestyle is not back to its normal pace yet. It would be challenging getting thru a full day at work. I have agreed to work on Saturdays at a colleague's office from 9 to 2 (I am an optometrist) beginning in May and I hope I can keep that commitment. I think I can. We'll see.

I am feeling good about having had the surgery. I believe that it will take somewhere between 9 months and year for my body to get back to normal. I still need to have my other knee operated on and I may wait another 3 to 6 months to schedule that, just to give my new knee a chance to heal more.

Good to hear from you!

Dori
aka GrandyGirl
 
Thank you for your fast reply, Dori. I sure hope you have good luck with the returning to work. I am really glad I am retired right now! I do see improvements almost weekly now, but the energy drain and also the tight band feeling, sometime causes me to second guess my decision. I have to step back and remember the pre-op pain that had no end, and then I get back on this recovery bus. I have a few family members and friends who think this should be over by now, they truly have no clue what this recovery all about. I will always be thankful for this forum and people like you who have made this journey more bearable!!
 
GrandyGirl said:
For example, I was able to stand up from a sitting position and sit down from a standing position without using my hands whatsoever, just using my core strength and bringing my arms overhead when I got to an upright position. It sounds so simple, but for years, I have used my hands to assist in getting in and out of a chair. I look forward to being able to do that more gracefully as I continue to develop muscle strength, balance, and stability.
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Not simple at all. Excellent progress. :yes 4:
 
Thank you Kneeper! I am very surprised and pleased that I am able to do this exercise. Another name for it is a "half-squat". My session was Wednesday afternoon and 24 hours later, I really felt it! I'm still a little achy today but it is not in my knee area, it is in my hamstrings and quads so I am going to work it out. I think I will go to the park and walk a little bit this morning. I am keeping my Grand Dog, Winston while my daughter is working in California this week. He is a little papillion, cute as a button and I'm sure he'll enjoy the walk and sniffing for squirrels in the park.

BTW...I am also retired from private practice...thank Goodness! But I keep my license current and do work a day here and there, "every now and then" if the conditions are right: close to home, short hours, not a crazy-busy practice. I haven't worked since last October so this assigment in May will be interesting. Thinking about it already makes me want to sit down:rolleyespink:

Luvtocamp, I have come to the conclusion that I am happy I had the surgery because the pain was a pain in the "you know what". But nothing will ever be the same as it was before arthritis took its toll. I do not think that modern medicine can restore us to that pre-arthritic state again. So maybe I will have to deal with some stiffness, the tight band, lighnting bolt-shooting pain, ocassional swelling, icing, fatigue.....SIGH...heck, maybe I'm just getting old!:loll:

I wish it were better and I hope that in time, it will be. We're still not even at the half-way point yet. It's barely 4 months out so let's hang in there a little longer, shall we?

Love & Light

Dori
aka GrandyGirl
 
Hi Dori
I know exactly what you mean about suddenly having no energy. I can be walking along fairly briskly and all of a sudden I run out of steam and it feels like I am going in slow motion! But it is getting better all the time.
 
Yes indeed. Life gets better all the time. Last night I attended a very special art event called The Hunting Art Prize. I've enjoyed it so much for the past 2 years and put it on my calendar in January before my surgery hoping that I would be strong enough to attend by April 28th. It is such an outstanding event replete with amazing art, delicious food, and great creative energy! The winner of the art prize is awarded $50,000.00. I was so happy to be there walking among the hundreds of art patrons, sipping champagne, grazing on absolutely incredible cuisine, and enjoying the art!

My knee was so happy it didn't hurt one bit and I didn't need my cane! So yes, life does indeed get better and better:yay:

Dori
aka GrandyGirl
 
:wow2::hapydancsmil::goodpost::hapydancsmil::wow2: ANOTHER SUPER POST!!!!

Here's a toast to you and your knee:cheers_wine:for getting back to real living!

This is such a boost for other BoneSmarties who are getting close but not quite there and feeling a little discouraged. YOU DID IT! That means they can too.

Take care, Dori, and keep us posted. We care.
 
What a lovely way to celebrate feeling so good Dori, and I love going to art exhibitions, etc. being a painter myself. Can't wait till this awful British weather gets god enough to get my easel out in the garden and try and paint the views we have from our garden. The extensions are coming along so slowly, it has rained almost every day for the past couple of weeks and everything is sodden and craving the sun.

Hope you continue to get better and better, but without stating the obvious, please don't overdo it either, you really are doing so well and we want it to continue that way too.

Take care Dori :friends:
 
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