KarriB
Former BoneSmart staff member
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I have to say I might like the idea of island living.
TKR Here she comes just a walkin' down the street
- Thread starter greatlakes
- Start date
OP
OP
greatlakes
graduate
@KarriB its perfect for me as a retiree. I'm not sure it would have been a good fit for me when I was younger and enjoying the vibrancy and attractions of a big city. And even as a retiree, I'm not sure I would've moved here if it weren't for the Internet. Always on top of my list with a good book store, but with digital books that's no longer an essential. We have a nice little book club here to get together and talk about books. Plus online ordering makes life so much easier in a remote area, and Facebook and message boards like this allow you to stay connected in ways that were impossible 20 years ago. Anyway, I live on Beaver Island if you want to check it out online.
I want to live on an island!
I stopped by to tell you how much you helped. The stretch -- I think you nailed my problem. But the best gift was the flashlight laugh. Thank you, thank you!!!![emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]
Shelia
RTKR - 8/23/16
LTKR - 10/11/16
I stopped by to tell you how much you helped. The stretch -- I think you nailed my problem. But the best gift was the flashlight laugh. Thank you, thank you!!!![emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]
Shelia
RTKR - 8/23/16
LTKR - 10/11/16
KarriB
Former BoneSmart staff member
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Thanks, Audrey, I will google it. Guess I'm strange, but I love winter, love hunkering down with something in the oven or soup on the stove, a fire going and a good book. This is my first year as a retiree, so I'm looking forward to not getting up and out of the house in the cold weather. I did get a taste during my TKR rehab because it was the year of the Polar Vortex.
TML
senior
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What a wonderful detailed report! Keep up with all that you're doing - it sounds like you're balancing the healing that is going on throughout your entire body. Remember the word 'patience' when you start to get frustrated with the pace. Sleep well.
mamazipp
graduate
You are doing very well. Good to have a routine to follow, and it sounds like a very sensible one. I really like the going for lunch after PT with a good book and an hour to read. What a lovely treat to give yourself. It's good to remember to do that.
You'll really enjoy the pool when you go to the mainland.
You'll really enjoy the pool when you go to the mainland.
OP
OP
greatlakes
graduate
I am posting a very good five week report particularly to give heart to anyone who is morbidly obese but who has found a surgeon to agree to do a knee replacement. It took me three tries and eight years to find a surgeon who would do the operation on me because of my weight. He gave me a knee called an LCS knee, which is an older kind of replacement, but is supposed to stand up better to the stresses of the additional weight.
For my check up today, the orthopedic dr agreed to see me a week early, since I'll be travelling for the next two and a half weeks. We did X-rays and he pronounced them to be perfect! A little of the "caution" is going out of my cautious optimism. I've been almost afraid to believe that this is working. Also had therapy today, and the therapist is going to wait another two days to measure, but said he was very happy with the look of my bend and the extension was decent although probably still a few degrees from zero. I've been exercising on a recumbent bike and a nustep in my garage on very low resistance. Today we tried me on a regular exercise bike, and my operated leg was able to easily handle it. The non operated leg, not so much! Oh well, that's for another year.
I had several questions for the surgeon. He said I may swim when I go to the mainland next week, but suggested I wait until the three-month mark to get into a hot tub. I asked him about flu shots, and he also recommended waiting until the three-month mark for that. He said I can start using scar cream, as the scar is healed over. So all good news.
Things that are still problem areas include severe sensitivity of the scar, especially at night. I haven't tried the saran wrap, but I think I shall. I also still tire easily. I am up and about late morning, doing errands, visiting my parents, and going out for my quiet me-and-a-book lunch. Then I rest a few hours, do a half hour of exercise, rest a couple more hours, then am up and about doing daily living things for a couple hours before resting for the night. Gentle stretches during the day whenever it occurs to me. So perhaps a total of five to six hours up and around on my feet or sitting up. This tires, but doesn't exhaust me. There are areas of pain around my knee here and there, sometimes more than others, some pain in my upper outside thigh, but not in the back of the calf which is the only area where the surgeon was concerned (blood clots). Still a lot of stiffness and tightness. The hip pain from my old bowlegged and stiff knee is getting better with the stretching, but can be painful at times.
Standing now is painless. It used to be so painful as to be almost impossible. And where I used to drive the short parking lot with the grocery store at one end and the restaurant at the other, today for the first time I told myself, you can walk that now! You don't need to plan your day around minimizing walking! I'm taking two extra strength tylanol pm at night, two plain ex strength when I wake up, and two in the late afternoon. Plus still doing aspirin for another week. I have several norcos in reserve for my trip in case the driving and swimming require something stronger at night. I still elevate most of the time when not on my feet, and ice for an hour three times a day. I am still using a cane and walking very carefully and deliberately to get the correct gait.
Other than ice paraphernalia, my favorite recovery item has been my foam elevating leg cushion. I've used it constantly, and throw my legs around on it a dozen different ways. It's going to be so beat up by the time I'm done!
I'll post about how the swimming goes next week. I know we're never completely out of the woods regarding infection possibilities, but at this point things are looking pretty good.
One final thought for anyone heavy who is contemplating this. Although I was never able to control the eating part of my weight problem properly, the one thing I always did was exercise. Ever since I retired, I've been exercising on my nustep at least an hour a day at least five days a week. This summer I even stepped that up for three months before the operation. Most days this summer I would do water exercises for an hour, exercise on my nustep for an hour, and do weight bench exercises for a half hour. I don't know to what extent that's helped in what's been a remarkably good recovery from the operation, but it certainly didn't hurt anything, and I heartily recommend it.
Best wishes to us all!
For my check up today, the orthopedic dr agreed to see me a week early, since I'll be travelling for the next two and a half weeks. We did X-rays and he pronounced them to be perfect! A little of the "caution" is going out of my cautious optimism. I've been almost afraid to believe that this is working. Also had therapy today, and the therapist is going to wait another two days to measure, but said he was very happy with the look of my bend and the extension was decent although probably still a few degrees from zero. I've been exercising on a recumbent bike and a nustep in my garage on very low resistance. Today we tried me on a regular exercise bike, and my operated leg was able to easily handle it. The non operated leg, not so much! Oh well, that's for another year.
I had several questions for the surgeon. He said I may swim when I go to the mainland next week, but suggested I wait until the three-month mark to get into a hot tub. I asked him about flu shots, and he also recommended waiting until the three-month mark for that. He said I can start using scar cream, as the scar is healed over. So all good news.
Things that are still problem areas include severe sensitivity of the scar, especially at night. I haven't tried the saran wrap, but I think I shall. I also still tire easily. I am up and about late morning, doing errands, visiting my parents, and going out for my quiet me-and-a-book lunch. Then I rest a few hours, do a half hour of exercise, rest a couple more hours, then am up and about doing daily living things for a couple hours before resting for the night. Gentle stretches during the day whenever it occurs to me. So perhaps a total of five to six hours up and around on my feet or sitting up. This tires, but doesn't exhaust me. There are areas of pain around my knee here and there, sometimes more than others, some pain in my upper outside thigh, but not in the back of the calf which is the only area where the surgeon was concerned (blood clots). Still a lot of stiffness and tightness. The hip pain from my old bowlegged and stiff knee is getting better with the stretching, but can be painful at times.
Standing now is painless. It used to be so painful as to be almost impossible. And where I used to drive the short parking lot with the grocery store at one end and the restaurant at the other, today for the first time I told myself, you can walk that now! You don't need to plan your day around minimizing walking! I'm taking two extra strength tylanol pm at night, two plain ex strength when I wake up, and two in the late afternoon. Plus still doing aspirin for another week. I have several norcos in reserve for my trip in case the driving and swimming require something stronger at night. I still elevate most of the time when not on my feet, and ice for an hour three times a day. I am still using a cane and walking very carefully and deliberately to get the correct gait.
Other than ice paraphernalia, my favorite recovery item has been my foam elevating leg cushion. I've used it constantly, and throw my legs around on it a dozen different ways. It's going to be so beat up by the time I'm done!
I'll post about how the swimming goes next week. I know we're never completely out of the woods regarding infection possibilities, but at this point things are looking pretty good.
One final thought for anyone heavy who is contemplating this. Although I was never able to control the eating part of my weight problem properly, the one thing I always did was exercise. Ever since I retired, I've been exercising on my nustep at least an hour a day at least five days a week. This summer I even stepped that up for three months before the operation. Most days this summer I would do water exercises for an hour, exercise on my nustep for an hour, and do weight bench exercises for a half hour. I don't know to what extent that's helped in what's been a remarkably good recovery from the operation, but it certainly didn't hurt anything, and I heartily recommend it.
Best wishes to us all!
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KarriB
Former BoneSmart staff member
- Joined
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- 11,941
- Age
- 70
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- Pittsburgh, PA
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- United States
So happy to hear your good report! You've been patient and diligent with resting, icing and balancing your new lifestyle. Good for you, Audrey!
That's a wonderful report, @greatlakes . 
Than you for posting it.
You're pretty active for 5 weeks post op, but you seem to be sensible about it. I like you lunch-and- a book idea!
Do be careful not to overdo while you're away. It's very easy to do too much while swimming, because the water supports your body and you only feel the tiredness when you get out of the water. Walking on sand is hard on a new knee as well.
Than you for posting it.
You're pretty active for 5 weeks post op, but you seem to be sensible about it. I like you lunch-and- a book idea!
Do be careful not to overdo while you're away. It's very easy to do too much while swimming, because the water supports your body and you only feel the tiredness when you get out of the water. Walking on sand is hard on a new knee as well.
TML
senior
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What a wonderful 5-week report! You're much more active than I was. Recovery for me from my June surgery has involved more of my body than just the knee or bowed leg. I continue to have new 'pains' as my entire body adjusts.
Tabbycat
post-grad
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Excellent report, well done you. I'm really happy you are having a good recovery.
Tabby xxx
Tabby xxx
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Happy to hear how well you are doing, thanks for the encouragement.
jmp65
junior member
@greatlakes Sounds like you are doing fabulous! Good for you...keep up the good work and enjoy your trip!
mamazipp
graduate
Great Lakes, you are amazing. First of all, a testament to not being held back, or suffering, due to your weight. Your recovery has not been hindered by weight so we can throw that argument out the window! Your commitment to exercising, as a life style, is commendable and puts me to shame! And I really admire your pre-op planning re going far away to have your surgery, and figuring out how to do it (hotel stay, meal planning, possible need to pay staff for ice and food runs, etc). As someone who also had to travel far for my surgery, I just never considered the plans you put place and I am in awe of your determination to get it all done. If I ever have to have the second knee done I might just consider some of your ideas!!
So glad to hear your hard work is paying off. I'm sure the swimming will be wonderful although, like others have said, it takes more out of you than you realize at the time. Just remember to build in rest times.
Congrats on your 5 week progress.
So glad to hear your hard work is paying off. I'm sure the swimming will be wonderful although, like others have said, it takes more out of you than you realize at the time. Just remember to build in rest times.
Congrats on your 5 week progress.
OP
OP
greatlakes
graduate
A Paean To Ice
They say that I shall tire of you
But this will never be!
Even whilst my knee turns blue
You are the one for me.
You wait behind the freezer door
While I go on the town
And when your presence I implore
You never let me down.
Your comfort is the boon I seek
When pain sets in at night.
And when I'm teary, tired and weak,
You're there to clasp me tight.
Nothing stands between us
(Except for one thin towel)
I'll leave you just to shower
(And perhaps to clear my bowel)
No fair weather friend, you, my dear,
Stand staunch when snow is pelting,
But woe, and this deserves a tear,
The sun is out, you're melting!
They say that I shall tire of you
But this will never be!
Even whilst my knee turns blue
You are the one for me.
You wait behind the freezer door
While I go on the town
And when your presence I implore
You never let me down.
Your comfort is the boon I seek
When pain sets in at night.
And when I'm teary, tired and weak,
You're there to clasp me tight.
Nothing stands between us
(Except for one thin towel)
I'll leave you just to shower
(And perhaps to clear my bowel)
No fair weather friend, you, my dear,
Stand staunch when snow is pelting,
But woe, and this deserves a tear,
The sun is out, you're melting!
mamazipp
graduate
wonderful ode to ice.
Carole4815
graduate
Your progress is amazing! Thanks for writing this thread. It's very inspiring and encouraging for other heavy people like me who have not had this surgery yet.
