TKR gzuckero's Recovery - '6 months in<

[MGS]

You poor thing! Sounds as if you are doing great. This is the time to be good to yourself and take all the help medical and otherwise that's available. I'm only 11 days post op, but I know what you mean about not sleeping. I couldn't believe how depressed I felt following hospital discharge, that's a side effect that nobody warns you about. You've were probably in pain for a long time before the op. and feel totally worn out. Anyway, keep hanging in there and give yourself a pat on the back for doing so well. Sending you lots of hugs.
By the way, if I lived near you i'd definitely be up for a girls night out!!!!!

 

[flossie66]

Well, first of all, congrats on the new knee! You're on your way to feeling MUCH better, and I can sympathize with all you're experiencing-like most everyone here!!! You're still way early in the game, and it sounds
like you're doing great!!! I found that in my mind things were much further along than what my body was saying at the same point you're at, but eventually the two will get into sync with each other! Just keep hanging in there and know that the grass is so much nicer and greener on the other side, and you WILL get there! I did have trouble sleeping, too, and found that melatonin worked wonders! Keep on keeping on-you got this!!!

 

[kneeper]

You are doing fine at 3 weeks. It sounds like you didn't get a good idea ahead of time of what to expect. You are probably crying b/c of those expectations and the fact that lots of people get emotional with this surgery. Not to mention that you aren't sleeping well. I hate to tell you but most of us don't sleep well for several weeks after this surgery. Naps will be your friend. Hang in there and feel free to ask us questions or vent. We get it.

 

[Roy Gardiner]

I cry at least once a day because I feel like I failing.

You are not failing; it is not a contest! There's actually not a lot you can do to help the healing process -- so relaxing and 'rolling with the punch' is key.

I'm 3 weeks in left TKR. Am I just expecting too much? I thought I'd be riding my recumbent bike, walking to the park and generally getting around good

Yes, you are expecting too much. Sure you can ride the recumbent, but not for training, just for stretching to get that ROM.

have a wine night with the girls and just let it go but then will I fall even further behind???

No, you wouldn't.

Unless you started dancing round the room. Ask me how I know that

So, in summary, don't put pressure on yourself. Relax, sit around, watch telly, all that lazy stuff. It's good for you

 

[MidwestTKR]

Hi and welcome but Oh my goodness!!!! Yes, you are expecting way too much, way too soon!!!! At 3 weeks post-op I was homebound and my life consisted of a home PT coming 3 times/week and me doing PT exercises 2- 3 times a day, followed by icing and elevating and a nap pretty much every day. I had very little energy, was in intermittent pain, tired easily and felt like my entire life revolved around my knee. I should have given it a name! lol

Thankfully, I had wonderful friends who brought me meals a few days a week for the first month and came to visit me regularly. My sister was an angel and stayed with me for the first 2 weeks taking wonderful care of me. I was on regular pain meds for approx 2 months post-op and was resistant to taking them after about a month, because I thought I should not really need them any more by then. I also like you thought I should be feeling much better than I did at that stage. How not true did that turn out to be! Thankfully, I found this forum which was a Godsend for me!! Also, my sleep was not normal at all. Up until about a week ago (and I am 11 weeks post op- left TKR), I was waking up in the middle of the night and then up for a few hours before I could go back to sleep.)

This is a huge hit to our body and it takes TIME to heal. Listen to the cues your body is giving you and follow them. You will need regular pain meds, regular icing and elevating and lots of naps. Do not try and do too much yet. It will just hinder your recovery. You will feel better in time. I am getting better with each week that goes by, but still have quite a way to go. BUT, I can see that I have made progress, that my recovery is NORMAL for this type of surgery, thanks to the people here and am slowly getting my energy level back. Just know that what you are going through is completely normal and to be expected!!!

Hugs.

 

[KarriB]

Relax, sit back and rest that knee with elevation and LOTS of ice. There's a club on Bone Smart called the ODIC (over do it club). Everyone wants to get back to their lives and wants to recuperate quickly. But your soft tissue, bones, muscles etc., just don't agree. They've been put through tremendous trauma and need to be babied. Gentle exercise and short walks are really all you should be doing at week 3.
The depression comes whether you feel like a failure or not,it's just part of the process. I didn't start cutting back on pain meds until week 4 and it was a natural progression. Week 4 was also the time frame I began to do light cooking.
Read some of the threads here and you'll read how many TKRs cope.

 

[referee54]

Please take it easy and be kind to yourself. You have to understand that you have had two bones sawed off (amputation) and two implants not-so-gently pounded into your bones. There was possibly some filing and shaving of the bones done, too, and then you were finally closed up.

We are used to recovering from arthroscopic surgeries fairly quickly and easily, but this surgery is far from that. Your knee basically was "nuked."

This recovery can be challenging and slower than we expect and slower than we are prepared for.

Please read those articles that have been posted for you and understand that what you are going through is all to be expected---they are normal.

Rest, ice, and elevate and understand that you will reach your destination of being fully recovered, but it will take more time than you thought it would---but again, it is normal and you will get there.

 

[tigz]

Know that you aren't alone in this. I can guarantee everyone here has had the same moments, some longer, some shorter. This is a terrific community of support from folks who are in various stages of TKR recovery and even RECOVERED (someday I'll be there LOL just not for a while yet).

Hugs to you.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

[referee54]

will I fall even further behind???

It is not about falling behind or moving forward faster.

There is really nothing you can do to speed things up, but there is plenty that you can do to slow things down.

Just focus on the present and take it one day at a time. Move forward with that philosophy and you will get to the destination of being fully recovered---but it will be on your surgical knee's schedule, not yours.

 

[mimi_frog]

Hi there!
I completely relate to how you're feeling. I've cried so much over the last 2 weeks I felt like I was losing my mind. Between the pain, the helplessness, the inability to sleep and the dissapointing exercises, I felt like a big failure. I'm sure this is a very common feeling.
This forum has saved me from dispair. You're not alone. Keep,taking your meds, do your PT, and relax. Hang in there. You're doing great!!

 

[dtmbf]

Oh my, you are me after my 1st TKR. You really are doing great for 3 weeks, sleeplessness is just part of the recovery as are tears. I cried buckets after every one of my joint replacements. It's a really big surgery, you're in pain, perhaps scared you'll not get your life back, and totally overwhelmed. So give yourself permission to be emotional. But please, do not stop your pain meds. I did that and it was a monumental mistake and took me days to get back on track. Extension will come but please don't kill yourself trying to force it - slow & steady will give you the best outcomes. Don't forget to ice & elevate. Strategies for sleeping that work for me include, using multiple pillows to prop & cushion my body & my knee, taking my pain meds 45 minutes before I went to bed, drinking tonic water with quinine to help with the muscle cramping, twitches, & spasms, no computers or iPad 3 hours before bed, no naps after 5pm, and a good book. And still it took me about 6 weeks before my sleep became easier, but it's still not normal. Please remember you are not alone - folks on this forum are so supportive & helpful - and understand exactly how you are feeling!

 

[gzuckero]

I've read all of your responses and can't thank you enough. I think sometimes just knowing that you aren't the only one in the world like this makes all the difference. I've got all the links above and am going to read all of them. Since I have the insomnia that's what I do, read everything I can on recovery and things to do/not do.

Your kindness in your responses is just, well, heart-warming. (And I'm crying again) I'm going to keep reading and icing and elevating and doing everything. I'm never a quitter, but man oh man this one is a challenge.
Thank you all so much. On to reading my articles!!!

 

[CATSMUM]

You've got the right attitude to get through this recovery. The initial few weeks are the hardest but it does get easier and the day will come when you'll say to yourself that 'all the pain and angst was worth it'.

 

[Legin]

It is soo difficult. All we hear pre operation is yaay you will feel no more grinding bone on bone pain. No mention of hey your leg could swell and its very painful and oh you may become an insomniac for a while. Sounds like something on scyfy channel hey. But all of this is a possible outcome for the majority. Think of what has happened to you is it no wonder. But it ends up like shock when reality hits in. I think, (very rarely) that it hits the strongest people more. They are the hey I battle thru colds or carry on with bad back type people. Why hit them more well its the wall, you physically can't do that movement, bend etc so for often the first time you can't get on with life and have to rely on others so we feel sad for our lost life.
It is only for a wee while although it definitely doesn't feel it. Also lack of sleep wrecks emotional state. So sleep when ever you feel like it, don't panic and most of all don't think oh I'm.so far behind in this process. There is no set in stone timescale. Keep smiling

Legin THR Sep 14

 

[mimi_frog]

I've discovered that no 2 recoveries are alike, however, the feelings you're describing are all too common. Those articles have great info in them! My husband read them too to try and understand what was happening.

This is the hardest thing I've ever done and the roller coaster of emotions was something I wasn't prepared for. The wailing at 3 am feeling the lowest of the low then the highest high being able to lift my leg on to the ottoman on its own. It's crazy!! Keep us updated and know we're all in this together.

 

[daughter stalker]

Congratulations on your new knee! I understand about not being able to straighten out your leg and the sleep thing. I thought my leg would never get to 0. It did get to 0 at its own time. It is very important for us strong willed people to try to take it easy. I cried quite a bit and had issues with sleep for quite a long time. This too shall pass. I also was crowned queen of ODIC by some of my Bonesmart friends. Please don't go to ODIC. What you have posted can be considered normal. Take it easy (easier said than done) and good luck on your recovery!

 

[referee54]

I can tell you that I experienced sleep issues, too---it was not that I was in pain, but more of the fact that i could not just get comfortable.

I watched late night episodes of Law and Order and I found this site on one of my late-night gallops through the internet.

I also would stand by the front window in my living room and watch the world go by. I never really wept outright, but I felt depressed. The pain meds have much to do with this, as does you new dependence on others (albeit temporary.) My wife was at work, so I was alone for most of the day, and for the first four weeks or so, I did not go anywhere.

We expect this recovery to move faster than it does, but we also have to remember what specifically was done to our knee or knees, and when we do that, we can understand that, while the recovery train is moving slowly, it will take us to the spot where we want to be.

 

[iivesfam5]

Take a deep breathe and plan for something - I am doing BTKR next week (YIKES) and I booked a vacation for next May. So once I get home I will start looking for things to do there - and it is a big vacation - a Hawaiian cruise - I figured after this surgery - I deserve it!!! I am planning to look far ahead and TRY to be patient. I hope you feel a bit better soon so you can encourage me!!!!!

 

[treypops]

@gzuckero

I'm sorry that I'm only just now reading your thread. Please don't get down on yourself; you're doing great. Post-op blues are very real. As an active guy who was suddenly inactive and unable to do the simplest of tasks, I felt the same way a lot. It will get better.

If you check out my post-op thread in my signature at the bottom, you will see that I, too, struggled with insomnia during my recovery. Not so much in the first couple of weeks, but it was probably the most frustrating thing about my recovery during the 8-12 week window for me. I promise it will get better.

Rogers, AR? I'm not very far from you. I hope you get back to more positive thoughts very soon. Trust the process, because it works!

 

[Cindy knits]

You are not alone! First, let me say, I AM a crier.....I cry over commercials, music, stories.....almost anything. But there is something about going down this TKR road that makes me almost constantly on the verge of tears. I even told that to my PT that yesterday. Today, while watching Anne of Green Gables, I choked up four times!

I think there are many reasons for the emotion....as one have mentioned. But I have just decided to roll with it...let it out. This will all be behind us soon! Promise!


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