Help

[Jujubee73]

Thanks for the responses. I'm glad I found this group before surgery and have felt informed and supported.
I placed a call to my OS and discussed with the nurse about my visit with the PA. Currently I am waiting to hear back.
Thanks again for all the encouragement


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[Josephine]

You know, if your OS and nurse are not very supportive about this, you do have a right to make up your own mind about what you will - or will not - do. It's your leg. Read this Saying no to therapy - am I allowed to?

 

[sistersinhim]

It's your knee and you have the final say so!

 

[Jujubee73]

I received a phone call from my OS today. He was apologetic and disappointed in the way I was treated by the PA. He assured me I would never have to see the PA again, and he had spoken with him and felt the situation was resolved. My OS told me my knee would probably take longer to heal than most because of the trauma of the past 17 years.
I truly am grateful he cared enough to call and talk me through all this. I know he is a great surgeon and person.
Now to get myself to the other side of this recovery. My husband had surgery today to repair a torn biceps tendon. I foresee several days of resting on the sofa in our future.
Honestly have not felt like doing much for the past 12 weeks, I don't seem to enjoy much of any thing any longer. I'm struggling to just do what I need to do. Hopefully it all resolves soon.
Any advice would be appreciated


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[KarriB]

The blues can hit hard during a TKR. I struggled with a desire to leave the house and felt isolated. Take a look at this link. We also have a blues thread in the social room. I'll try to find it for you.

https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/post-op-blues-is-a-reality-be-prepared-for-it.7591/

 

[KarriB]

Reading how others felt during their recovery may help, here's the link.

https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/depression-post-op-blues-open-for-all.34457/

 

[Jujubee73]

Monday was 15 weeks post op. I finally am starting to feel better and not have pain every single day. I still have swelling and am icing and elevating my knee everyday. Yesterday I walked for 2.25 miles and it felt great. Here is my concern; I cannot get my knee straight. I do the stretching and I also work on getting a better bend, but I am starting to worry it will never be straight and never bend any more than it is right now. I've been trying not to freak out, but I'm starting to wonder if I will ever get this leg back to normal.
I can walk up and downstairs normally.


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[Josephine]

Here is my concern; I cannot get my knee straight.

Would you like to revisit my comments to your answers in May? It's here.

However, since that's 9 weeks ago, would you like to answer them again for now?

 

[Celle]

There's still plenty of time to improve your ROM (Range of Motion), because it can continue to improve for a year, or even much longer, after a knee replacement.

It's not unusual for extension to take longer to achieve than flexion, because the tendons and muscles at the back of your leg will have shortened and they need to be gently stretched again. You can't do that fast, because of the danger of causing small tears.
Here's an article about extension:
Extension: how to estimate it and ways to improve it

 

[sistersinhim]

My extension was slower coming, too. I started taking longer strides while holding on to the walker. That helped a lot.

 

[Jujubee73]

Help! I am 6 months post op and find I am exhausted by the end of most days. Some days I have to push myself to finish all my commitments. Is this normal? I am wondering if I need to go back and check with dr. My flexion and extension are good, still some swelling and heat, bUt man am I tired most of the time.
Please comment on this as I am struggling.
I am 53 and healthy other than Tkr!

 

[Jockette]

What is your day like? It sounds like all your commitments keep you pretty busy, which can still take a toll on you, even at 6 months.

I am 6 months, also. I'm retired and am able to pace my activities. I don't often get exhausted. I think I am coming along slower than most, my extension is good but my bend is not. It doesn't take much activity to get my knee pretty uncomfortable. I guess that's why I pace myself which is why I don't get super tired.

There's a huge range of "normal" and "par for the course" and we are probably both in it. But at 6 months it sounds like you and I both figured we'd be further along by now, even though we know it's a long slow recovery.

Welcome to Bonesmart, we're glad you're here!

 

[Red's Mom]

Tired was a big part of the recovery. There was something magic after the six month though. I began to get a bit of my energy back and by 9 months my energy level seemed to return to normal. Remember the recovery for a TKR is a full year or more. Read the library articles about energy drain it is a real phenomenon post TKR. Things will return to normal and hopefully be even better than pre operatively since hopefully you will be pain free! Keep the faith, things will get better.

 

[Celle]

Hello again, @Jujubee73
You'll notice that I have merged your newest thread with your original recovery thread. This is the second time I've merged threads for you.

For several reasons, we prefer that you only have one recovery thread:

• That way, we have all your information in one place. This makes it easier to go back and review your history before providing advice.
• If you keep starting new threads, you miss the posts and advice others have left for you in the old threads, and some information may be unnecessarily repeated
• Having only one thread will act as a continuous diary of your progress that you can look back on and BoneSmart staff can use for reference when you ask for advice.

So please post any updates, questions or concerns about your recovery here. If you prefer a different thread title, just post what you want and we'll get it changed for you.
If you need an urgent response to a question, just tag a member of staff.
How to tag another member; how to answer when someone tags you

Here are the instructions on finding your thread, How can I find my threads and posts? . Many members bookmark their thread, so they can find it when they log on.

 

[Celle]

Help! I am 6 months post op and find I am exhausted by the end of most days.

By 6 months, most people are feeling almost back to normal.
However, I notice, after reading through your thread, that you have been consistently in a hurry to recover, and impatient with slow progress.

So, I'm reminding you that complete recovery from a knee replacement takes as long as a full year. It's a marathon, not a sprint, and you're still only half way there.
It does sound as if you are trying to do too much. If you cut back your commitments, do you feel less tired? If so, there's your answer.

There is also a possibility that you could be anaemic, so it would be worthwhile seeing your doctor, to have your blood iron level checked.

 

[Josephine]

I received a phone call from my OS today. He was apologetic and disappointed in the way I was treated by the PA.

Wow! What a turn up for the books!

Honestly have not felt like doing much for the past 12 weeks

I'm not at all surprised.

I think you missed my earlier post (because you started a new thread!) where I asked you
I'd really like to offer you some structured advice but in order to do that, I also need to ask you some questions. Are you willing for me to do that?

 

[phrog]

Hi, @Jujubee73. Tired has been part of recovery for me. I am about a month ahead of you and while I'm able to do quite a bit, I certainly "hit a wall" by an hour or so after supper. I have some underlying thyroid issues that are probably contributing to this, but I think a lot of us are just worn out by the end of the day. If you exhausted and concerned about it, though, an appointment with your primary doc may be in order. Wishing you well in your recovery -

 

[kneeper]

It could be you are just pushing yourself too hard--as others said, even at 6 months most of us don't feel back to "normal." I know I was still pacing myself at 6 months. A checkup with your pcp couldn't hurt.