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TKR I now have a matching set!

Hi @ApricotPie :

Nothing changed: same surgeon, same hospital, same equipment, but VERY different result. Don't expect to be able to compare recovery results. I am a very good control experiment that demonstrates that knees have a mind of their own and will recover at the rate they want.

Regards
Chemist
 
Hello All:

I looked at the calendar today and realized I missed the 2nd anniversary of my first TKR (I have never been very good at anniversaries, just ask my wife). I guess that gives a good indication of where my knees are - totally in the background. Oh I do have occasional stiffness, but I think most of us do at 65. All I can say to those of you that are in early recovery and struggling is hang in there. Give your knees the time they need to heal and you should have a happy ending.
 
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:happydance:
 
Hooray! Thanks for the good news from the future!
 
I have been reading this forum for a while now and there seems to be more frustrated type A personalities than at any other time. My advice to all of you is slow down.

I managed a group of 74 researchers and had budgetary responsibility for the Dept. I knew I just had to be there. I was back in the office a day or two after a couple of arthroscopic surgeries on my knees - no big deal and no real issues because I heal fast. I thought I could do nearly the same with the TKR - wrong. I did try to grit my teeth and push through the pain and swelling. Didn't work, it just made me (and my staff) miserable. Give your knee as much time away from work as you are allowed. The only person that remembered that I returned early was me - and I wish I hadn't. Also, work from home if possible.

So ends the sermon of the day.
 
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We all think we are so indispensable, but if something really drastic happened to us and we never returned to our job, we would be replaced and the company would go on, probably just fine.

The healing of our knee is important for the future outcome of this surgery. I agree, take time for it to heal right. In the grand scheme of things, this recovery is a drop in the bucket, though it doesn’t seem so at the time.
 
Hi @Steelergal @FitGal @Poctdb et al

I am not sure if you look at my thread so I decided to "invite" you and suggest you take a look at my "sermon" that is up one post. Take it for what it is worth. I decided to check and make sure that I was being accurate. My arthroscopic surgeries were both on Thursdays and I was back in the office full time on Monday.

As a side note after 30+ years of playing the corporate game (8 of those years involved 15 trips to Europe per year) I decided it wasn't fun anymore, turned in my type A card and retired (early). Our goal now is to spend our kids' inheritance.
 
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@Chemist Thanks for the sermon, it's a good reminder! I work for a great company and have a very supportive boss and team. Right now, I'm only in the office 3 days a week and for about 4 hours a day. The rest is work from home. I know how incredibly lucky I am to have a job that I can do from home a lot of the time. But yes, my Type A personality is pushing me to be better RIGHT NOW. And it's mostly so I'm not a burden on anyone. I'm learning that no one cares about that but me. :)
 
@Chemist
I purposely told them 8 weeks....maybe more and that it wasn’t up to me the OS would make the call.
What did the OS do....told me it was MY call!

I agree about the “frustrated Type A” portion of the sermon.
I learned more about myself in this 2 month timeframe than in the almost 58 years prior.
Believe it or not....this IS me slow.....or at least slower and more patient than before.
BUT...slowing down is not an overnight lesson....particularly when your life has been successful as that Type A....
 
Hi @Poctdb : try turning in your A card. You might like it. I now have time to enjoy my garden, have perfected my bread recipe and have visited the Galapagos islands, New Zealand , the monarch butterfly wintering grounds, national parks in Utah, India (looking for tigers), Botswana (photography safari) and will be going to China to see the pandas.
 
@Chemist - I am reading this while I sit at a red light and on my hour commute home...left the house at 6:30am and it is now 6:15pm and still not home. Meetings all day, barely ate lunch (which I’m ok with as I sit all day), only had one instant ice pack with me today, knee swollen resulting in pain, and I am miserable - but I’m the boss and can’t be miserable. I don’t want to be injured/broken...

Like @Poctdb - my OS left it up to me when I return to work and drive. A type A with a hard head translates that to “be tough and get back to work”. What makes it worse is that I have deadlines at work that involve my direct involvement....tough to do these over the phone.... plus - in my line of work - “presence” is valued.... it’s almost like I wish the Army just said don’t come back to work at all for three months, but instead - a civilian doc said it was up to me and the military told me they can only give me “30 days leave” and need a more in-depth note from my OS that says why I need more time???.... seriously - total knee replacement and they need a “more in-depth note”? so, if I ask for more time, it’s like I’m this weak leader or something.

Sorry for babbling.

Your “sermon” helps me put things in perspective.....I plan to take more control of my calendar next week and spend time on “me”. I’ll figure everything else out as it comes.

Well, I’m in the driveway now and it is 6:30pm...yep a 12 hour day :groan:
 
@FitGal .

You are an amazing person putting in that long day. You must have an incredible pain tolerance.

We always faced deadlines in R&D and I was responsible for communicating results to management in Europe. I finally realized that I had to trust my staff to do the right thing when I couldn't be there and utilized Skype/FaceTime or similar software when staff and/or management needed to "see me" and my knee(s) told me to stay home.

You and your knee need time to heal. It is time for others to step up. Turning more over to my staff helped prepare them for when I turned in my Card :),

I promise no more preaching. Have a good evening
 
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@Chemist
I am 8 years younger than you so I must work. I have no people to do the right thing. All the items you have listed will be possible at retirement, and have already been planned for being a Type A, but not now TKR or not.....

I could turn in my card...but instead I am gradually punching holes in it....

Turning it in now is out of the question in many ways.
 
Hi @Poctdb ,

I know different stages of life have different requirements.

Take good care of yourself.

I hope the rest of your recovery goes well.

I will now shift out of lecture mode and return to my garden. Currently in the process of germinating and establishing 9 different native milkweeds in my garden for the monarch butterfly migration. :)

Take care everyone.
Chemist
 
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My mom in Iowa raises Monarchs and has released 116 so far.....they are coming for your milkweed.....
 
Hi @Poctdb ,

Good for your mom! Tell her we have lots of flowers for her monarchs.
 
Good morning:

Just a quick note for those of you concerned about flexion/extension. My extension is still slowly improving (approaching 0) and my surgery was well over a year ago. Be patient and gentle with your knees and they will reward you in the end. Mine are letting me enjoy a great day here in Houston. Just finished a 4 mile walk and now going to work in the garden.

Take care
 
Excellent news!
Hope you are safe from all the flooding a few weeks ago!
 
Yep. No issues here. We only had 8 inches of rain at our house. Nothing like the rain east of us or the 40 inches of rain we got during Harvey.
 
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