TKR Jennszoo Staged TKR, working on running again

[Jennszoo]

They like the name George so far. Our dog is Charlie and the other cat is Prince (both came with their names from the shelter) but we mostly call him Kitty. We aren't super creative here. Lol.

I'm spending a few mins with the baby before I head to bed. Feel bad leaving him here alone in my office, but he has a cozy bed, food, water, a box and he seems pretty chill.

 

[Pheebs52]

Jenn, it's great to see how far you've come! I hope the traffic fairy is with you tomorrow and you're all able to view the eclipse totality at your friend's place. My guess is, with all the driving you've been doing during the week, you'll ace this trip.

 

[Pheebs52]

Oh, and congratulations on getting a new addition to the zoo, lol! I love the name George; purrfecto!

 

[Jennszoo]

Man, I'm so tired. 2.5 hrs to get there, almost 3 hrs to get home. My knee is so swollen. But worth it. Seeing the total eclipse was an amazing 2.5 minutes. Hung out with friends for a few hours. Even saw a bear right off the deck of their cabin. I'm not sure which the kids loved more. Almost got them in bed and then I'm going to snuggle with my kitten and some ice!

Tomorrow will be a lot of rest. I might even go back to a full percoset at bedtime tonight (been taking 1/2 pill).

 

[Fire wolf]

Nice pics, glad you had a great time!

 

[kmak81230]

Love.those.shirts!!!!! " Turn around bright eyes" - perfect!!!! Sounds like u had an amazing trip - hope you can get some good rest and recover well from the ODIC. Wonder if the bear came out cuz he thought it was nighttime? So great you could give your kids such an awesome experience!

 

[Canada35]

Great pictures! Love the shirts! Sometimes it's worth the revenge of the alien bionics isn't it? I think today was one of those days for you! Today excitement - tomorrow rest!

 

[liam2015]

those are great pics and i love the t-shirts. did you get any pics of the eclipse? you can post them with the others in the social page. you deserve a good rest today. fabulous experience for you and the kids, although i prefer not to see a bear up close.

 

[sistersinhim]

What a wonderful day you had! You know what to do to today!

 

[sandi4213]

What a great day for you and the kids! I hope you slept last night and are able to get some rest today.

 

[Fire wolf]

Here's hoping that you are icing and elevating your way through the eclipse after party!

 

[Jennszoo]

Here I go again! I travelled to Chicago at 9w post op with the first knee and now I'm travelling to Maine, VT, Boston at 8w. It's a whirlwind trip, staying with some friends I've been posting online with for 15+ years but haven't met in person. Plus, I haven't been to ME and VT, so I'm getting 2 new statesi under my belt. In a way, it should be easier, bc I went to Chicago with my girls. This trip, I only have to keep up with myself for 3 days. No driving, just passenger riding around the different states. And some walking. Slightly longer flight (3hrs vs 2 hrs). I already have my wheelchairs assist set up with Delta. Flight leaves at 9pm!

As for the knees...I'm basically just dealing with aches and swelling from my normal ADLs. I sit & ice as much as I can, but kids.... driving is finally getting easier. But yesterday,between taking ben to school, picking him up, then the girls to rehearsal and picking them up, I was in the car for 4hrs! (My hubs is on a business trip, so it was all me!).

Extension is coming along slowly. I don't think I'm at 0 but it definitely feels less bent when I'm standing. I'm still mainly doing gentle stretches and haven't gone back to PT. Mostly still feel that annoying nagging pain on the outer edge when I try to extend all the way.

Left knee has amazing ROM and only aches a wee bit at the end of the day. I can walk up the stairs foot over foot but still use the rails to compensate for weakness. I can go down foot over foot, but it hurts righty, so I don't do it often.

Kitten is adorbs! I'm going to miss him. And my kids and husband,too!

 

[sistersinhim]

You are back to your normal life, it sounds like! Wow, and so quickly! What an inspiration you are to those just beginning this journey!

 

[Canada35]

Wow! Good for you Jenn! What an adventure. Always interesting to get to meet people face to face after being virtual pen pals for so long. You feel as if you know them but there may be some surprises along the way too!
I hope you have a great trip and both knees behave themselves.

 

[sandi4213]

Sounds like an exciting trip. Remember the lessons learned last time and don't overdo. Take some good shoes and take care of those sore feet too. Oh, and have fun!

 

[Jennszoo]

You are back to your normal life, it sounds like! Wow, and so quickly! What an inspiration you are to those just beginning this journey!

I wouldn't say normal, I still have to pace myself a lot. Rest a lot. I still use the scooter at large stores bc they're there and I want to conserve my energy to get through the day. The next two big hurdles are adding in regular exercise and starting back to work next month! Yikes!

 

[liam2015]

what a fantastic report Jennszoo. enjoy meeting those friends in person and have a fabulous trip. it will be nice you won't have to drive, can relax and enjoy the scenery. good you got the wheelchair assist at the airport. i hope your friends take good care of you ~ do tell them if you need anything.

 

[becticu]

Hi Jenn, I was catching up on your thread. Lots of exciting things going on! Have a great trip and be careful!

 

[Pheebs52]

Jen, you are unstoppable! I'm always amazed at all you do, even on just a *regular* day, but these trips you take are mind-boggling to me! I think you'll love VT and Maine; whereabouts are you going? Or perhaps you've already done it and are home now? Hah, I wouldn't be surprised! We've had great weather lately, so I know you'll enjoy that!

 

[Jennszoo]

Hey all! Survived my whirlwind trip to New England! So pretty. Visited a friend near Portland, but didn't really get to see much of ME. I landed at midnight and we headed out Friday morning towards VT. We drove up Mt Washington. That was amazing. I hobbled my way from the visitor center to the peak, so I'm saying I climbed a mountain! Lol

Then spent 2 nights in VT, grabbed a quick bite in Boston and flew home Sunday night. The knee did great! The hardest part was sleeping since I didn't have my ice machine. And arriving in Atl, the wheelchair assist was a mess. I was shuttled the wrong way, eventually left in a huge line of wheelchair passengers in the concourse w no one to take us to baggage claim. I was so ready to get home, I just walked it. I feel bad for those who couldn't. They might still be sitting there.

Today, I went kayaking! Getting in and out of the kayak was tough. We accidentally ended up at a dock so pulling myself out of the boat onto the dock was a sight! I'm glad no one was filming or Fat Middle Aged Lady Gets Out of Kayak would be the latest viral YouTube video!

But it was a lot of walking to get the kayaks to the water and my left knee is fine, the right is only mildly achy. The paddling on the calm water was fabulous for my mental health. I so needed it!

And the last news is that I stopped at the running store and got new shoes. I'm going to start walking for real now and my old running shoes didn't feel great. Excited about my new shoes! But I won't be breaking them in tonight! Lol

Now to go catch up on all my knee buddies!