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TKR Kate97497’s post op

Week 4. Everything is going well. I see improvements daily. I went to PT today and I think it was a little much. Most of it was good but she pushed me on ROM. My extension is at 0, it has been since week 2, but not as much for flex. At 91, she told me to push beyond comfort but not till pain level is at a 9. I took a short nap once I got home and leg is still very stiff, some discomfort.
 
I'm tired. I feel good overall but I am really tired in the evening. I work from home but it is not hard. I was on a Zoom today for an hour and wow, it was difficult to move after sitting still for an hour. I move around a lot more on a normal basis. I made some soup and cornbread for dinner but again, not strenuous. Come 7:30, 8:00, I can barely keep my eyes open. I don't allow my self to sleep in the evening, I have a hard enough time at night. I find myself going to bed an hour earlier although I just read for an extra hour. I still go to sleep around 11. I hope my energy level increases soon.
 
Yeah, that fatigue sticks around for awhile. I finally felt some of my stamina coming back in my 3rd month (a couple of weeks ago). You can't rush it, it will come back in time. I like to think of @hawk2go 's spoon theory. (example) You are only given 30 spoons a day. When you use them all up, you are done (wiped out). Right now your knee is using a lot of spoons a day healing (probably at least 15-20) so you only have 10-15 spoons left for working, making dinner, etc. As you progress in healing, The Knee won't need as many spoons and you'll have more energy for your other activities.
 
Cooking is what I am missing most. Watched Paul Hollywood make a corone yesterday and thought 'my jack would love that' Its on my list of achievements to make for Christmas. I am so glad you are managing to get around and cook and it gives me hope that I will achieve the same in the next few weeks.
 
Please pace yourself and take lots of breaks in prepping all that food for Thanksgiving. You are only one month post-op and it's very easy to overdo it. ( I read about your food plans in another thread)
 
[Bonesmart.org] Kate97497’s post op
[Bonesmart.org] Kate97497’s post op [Bonesmart.org] Kate97497’s post op
 
You are doing well to even be cooking at one month. My poor husband doesn’t cook much and he ended up eating some pretty simple/weird things for those first two months. I have only started really cooking meals in the last month. I had such trouble with nausea in the beginning that I wasn’t even interested in eating and lost 11 lb in two months. I think taking way less of the Norco has improved my appetite.
I had a big day of shopping/ cooking today and my knee isn’t happy! Hoping to not be on my feet a lot tomorrow. I did manage to ice/elevate 3 times.
 
@Sks1997 I am pacing myself and I haven't made anything too elaborate although I've done a bit of baking. Saturday I had a hair appointment, grocery store trip planned along with an overnight visit with my grandson including trip to toy store and out to dinner. I knew it was too much. I ordered my groceries for Sunday with pick up rather than actual store visit. Had a rest between hair appt and grandson coming over. We made it to toy store and got our dinner to go instead of eating in. I find myself doing a lot more planning than my norm. Figuring out my priorities and going from there.

My nausea went away as soon as I stopped the tramadol, 3 days after surgery. My pain wasn't as bad as the misery from the drugs.
 
Today will be the true test. Although I am going to my son's for Thanksgiving, I'm making most of the food. I've been in the kitchen all morning, taking 10-15 minutes breaks when possible. I still feel good but I am a bit anxious toes how I feel later today or even tomorrow. Lots of icing tonight.
 
Things have been moving along nicely. Good movement, only using cane on stairs and outside. Getting ready to transition form PT back to my own trainer. Last week, I was putting my sock on my bad leg and made some wrong movement, it felt like I pulled musclier my calf and it hurt. Thought I was going to go sock less on a chilly day until I remembered that I bought some kind of sock assist contraption before surgery. Found it, still in packaging and it worked like a dream. My feet are warm again. Yesterday in PT I mentioned that I am getting twinges of pain with some exercises on the side of my kneecap. Not horrible and pretty brief but definitely there. The therapist felt around my kneecap and was happy with its movement but started discussing possible scar tissue. He kept feeling and applying some pressure to that area for 5 minutes It didn't hurt but I woke up this morning with a very swollen and uncomfortable knee. I'm icing and elevating but this is the most uncomfortable I have been in weeks. Not a happy camper.
 
I started massaging my scar at around 6-7 weeks. There are some good scar massage videos, both general and specific to the knee, 5 minutes per session seems to be the recommendation. My surgeon and my chiropractor recommended vitamin E oil but some people on the site use other stuff like CBD oil and Bio Oil.

In my recent PT sessions, the therapist does 5-10 mins of massage around the patella and scar before we start work. It seems helpful at this point in my recovery because each time I've awakened fine (without that anticipated swelling and soreness). When I woke sore and swollen after PT sessions, I rested and iced until everything calmed.
 
I had my 8 week post-op visit with surgeon this morning. Still making pretty steady progress. He reminded me to keep icing in order to reduce swelling. How long does it take before you can get in and out of the car normally? Right now I put the seat all the way back and need to have my door wide open in order to get in and out comfortably. I want to put my car back into my single car garage but I can't open the door all the way in the garage. A bit of twisting needed to get seated. One of these days winter really is going to hit and I want my car parked in garage.
 
kate97497 said:
How long does it take before you can get in and out of the car normally?
Click to expand...
It happens with improved ROM and is probably different for everyone. I forget when it happened for me since it wasn't an important milestone for this city dweller - maybe 4-5 weeks????
 
Is it Christmas yet? The holidays wear me out in the best of times. Now kind of over the top. I finished wrapping today, got all of these boxes out of my house to recycling station ( a lot of boxes since I never ventured into a store), picked up my new contacts and made the last cookies. I had to sit at the table to roll out the cookies, no more standing for me. TomorrowI I pick up my daughter at the airport, she will be home for a week. And that means that my grandchildren will be here a lot, they miss their Te-Te. At least she will be in charge of them. She is an elementary school counselor so she is pretty good at wrangling wild children. How is everyone else holding up?
 
Doing good though I haven't even pulled my official Charlie Brown tree out because we had a kitchen flood that used all my mental and physical energy. Long story short, got a new dishwasher installed incorrectly on Nov 26. The emergency plumbing issue is resolved but have to care for some peripheral damage now.

I have organized a neighborhood cookie exchange inspired by our Bonesmarties, that has already begun. We got our first exchange last night, so I have some work to do to make sure the next one is a proper exchange. Merry Christmas to all who celebrate, Seasons Greetings to everyone.
[Bonesmart.org] Kate97497’s post op
 
@hawk2go A flood in the kitchen would send me over the edge this week in the best of times. You sound as if you have a good attitude. Scaled down Christmas here - 3 foot tree, didn’t get the big one up but I’m not sure that I don’t prefer this kind of holiday. My daughter and grandchildren decorated. Not the way I do it but everyone had fun. Maybe between the surgery and pandemic I’ve learned a simpler way to celebrate. Happy holidays to all. You have been a blessing.
 
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