Bilateral TKR Hard night

[gerilari]

Thank you all... I needed that. I haven't been here for so long I forgot that anyone cares. I think you are all correct and I will get to walking. My heart problem is AFIB and leaves me breathless, etc. but i should be able to do more... i was just feeling let down by my body and didn't think about just movement would help my knees even at this point. I forget that it's never going back to "natural" knees and these special new baby ones need extra care. Thank you all again. !

 

[KarriB]

Check with your cardiologist first and if he/she says it’s ok start slowly and just add small increments of time after a week or so. I hope you’re feeling better soon.

 

[Polkadot]

i was just feeling let down by my body

I think many of us have had these feelings. I spent quite a bit of my life taking my body for granted. Now that it needs some loving attention, I get annoyed that I have to think about it and take what it needs into consideration when I'm living my life.

I'm so sorry that you are having other health issues. AFIB is tough to live with sometimes, and it must be a bit scary to have your knee start acting up after enjoying increased ability to do things like work on your landscaping and going camping. I was struck by your assertion that you have pain when doing exercises that you feel you should be able to handle, yet earlier in your recovery, you went out to do battle with rocks and even crawled under your mower! That can't have been very comfortable at four months; yet, you did it, you strong woman!

@KarriB's experiences with walking may be something you want to explore, rather than continuing to be disheartened with those heel slides and other manufactured exercises. When we do real-life activities, somehow we can persevere a bit better through any discomfort that comes along with them.

Sending some hugs your way!

 

[SusieShoes]

Getting older means our bodies are going to let us down at times. Our partnership with it requires a little adjusting, mostly on our end. That AFIB diagnosis, for example, not needed! But seeing as it's there, you find ways to work with it.

I hope you find walking to your liking. On thing I like about it is I get landscaping ideas from some houses. Your cardiologist can guide you on how strenuously you can work out. You're so right about how the knees want to move. They like to move. They're built for it and moving them makes them happy. I notice on days I don't do my morning walks, and just sit at my desk, my knees complain a bit. Only then do they get stiff. I'm better off if I take a half hour to ride my bike, or clean out a closet. Get them moving.
Hope your spirits pick up soon!

 

[Polkadot]

I found that when I identified some parks fairly close to home that had good walking trails--crushed lime, sand, or soft tar--I enjoyed the walks more. Jumping in the car to take a 20-minute walk can seem counter-intuitive. The change of scenery and the likelihood of running into other walkers, though, is motivating! One of our parks was donated by a local farmer. He still tills the fields, and the walking trails border them, also going through a wooded area, tangled, bushy terrain, and a small lake. I would never have known this park was two miles from home if I hadn't Googled our township's parks. My goal is to work up to covering all the trails, for a 4.5 mile walk. I'm at 1.5 to 2 miles (two different trail choices), depending on how I feel, currently.