TKR kmak's TKR recovery thread

[Fire wolf]

I am also a fan of massages! Was getting them once a week for about 2 months prior to tkr to start working on self care again. My ex didn't want me to get them, but she had no issue asking me to give her one!! I have only had one since tkr, and it was great!

 

[kmak81230]

Another day of early wake-up for 6:15 spin class. Because I seem to love the up and down pattern of recovery I was not satisfied with the 20 minutes of pedaling on Tuesday so lowered the seat and upped the time to 30 minutes this morning. All felt good until about the last 5 minutes - but I just had to get to 5 miles. Slow bender, slow straightener, and still slow learner. I was able to ice and elevate a couple of times today so am no worse for wear - or sleeping I hope.

40# on the bench press today - Notorious RBG, I'm comin' for ya!

 

[Pheebs52]

I am busting a gut!

 

[kmak81230]

Now don't go hurting your back some more . . .

 

[Fire wolf]

Fantastic job!!! I know what you mean about having to get to the next round mile! I have a feeling that you will be feeling pretty good tomorrow!

 

[SusieShoes]

Machines are perilous for me because I like to round up. I cannot go 7 miles, I have to go 10. Round numbers are my downfall. 5s and 10s. So I would be Chairwoman of the ODIC if machines were in the mix. Walking the neighborhood... keeps me sane. Please do not fall into the trap of thinking you have to meet that next goal, that next level, until you know for sure you're ready for it. Not, like me, the "I'm here, things are good... let's go for it!" Mentality. Sure ticket to pain.

Crossing my fingers that you feel great this morning!

 

[Polkadot]

But spirits are good and I feel like I have a bit of a plan, vs limping aimlessly through recovery.

This is exactly what I'm starting to struggle with. Limping aimlessly is starting to feel "wrong." I want to get back to painting, and maybe saying that out loud to you all will motivate me to take the needed steps to do so. I'm finally just on Tylenol most of the time, so blurry vision isn't a problem any more!

Congratulations to you on getting back to your spinning class and on upping your activity without too much discomfort!

 

[kmak81230]

Feeling good this morning. Just the usual stiffness and mild swelling. That said, I think I will stick with 30 minutes or 5 miles for the next couple of weeks. I'm like @SusieShoes - like those round numbers and 10 miles is too much for now! To all my working colleagues whose knees probably need a little more rest and elevation time- TGIF!!!!:smile2:

 

[kmak81230]

Not wanting to derail @Jennszoo thread, I want thank everyone for weighing in over there on extension. I had been working on it with what I call the chair hang (ottoman stretch), the bed hang, the long strides, etc and was getting some gentle joint mobilization at PT then stopped when I felt the *pop* muscle strain. That seems to have cleared up so am back at it, carefully. Thanks for the reminders and info that you all provided Jenn. In the last day or two I am up to about 10 minutes 2-3 times a day stretching the leg on my desk at work or the shower chair at home, where prior I was only able to stand it for 5 minutes. Unlike @SusieShoes I could not watch Game of Thrones and keep my leg still so prefer tamer TV . I am hoping to work up to a longer time as my PT said that the tight muscles will start to loosen up when fatigued which can take up to 20 minutes. As others have said it will take continued work and I regressed in the couple of weeks that I stopped the stretching - went from fitting the arm underneath to the kitchen sink . So I will hang my hat on one of @Josephines statements in Jenns thread "Maybe even longer" when talking about how long it might take to make sufficient progress.

 

[Fire wolf]

Great to hear you are doing well, and maintaining some limits! For me, lying on my stomach and having leg hang off side for 10-20 min seemed to do the most help for extension. However, :smarties cover your eyes: I did add weight to my ankle, starting at just a half pound, but then that didn't seem like enough, so I kept adding until I felt that it would be helpful, which was when I couldn't add any more weight to that particular adjustable ankle weight, at ehhem 5 pounds. Also, a nice round number!

 

[sistersinhim]

It sounds like you're coming along really well. That extension bugged me to for a while until I decided to just forget about it. And, before I knew it, it had come in! Yours will, too.

 

[kmak81230]

Just heard the Pink Floyd song "comfortably numb" - reminds me of the outside of my knee - or maybe all of me. Cloudy here so no meteor watching - will check again when I have my usual middle of the night wake up call.

 

[Fire wolf]

Who needs to "feel" anything anyway? Sensation is sooo overrated! Not being able to feel a body part is quite in vogue these days! Think of the possibilities- joining a carnival as someone who can repeatedly stab, burn or otherwise torture their knee and not even flinch! Honestly, if that numbness would spread all over, we could tryout to be crash test dummies even! We could look at the external world of hazards that others fear and mock them with chants of "didn't hurt, didn't hurt"! I am almost swooning at the thought! Rain and clouds here, so no meteor watching, but who needs that anyway, especially when you have the incredible super powers of numb knee!!

 

[kmak81230]

A few days shy of week 14 - woke up as kranky Kathleen. Must've been doing yoga in my sleep (can I just say that I hate yoga). Am stiff, achy and nervy like about 3 or 4 weeks ago. . I did find a couple of interesting cookbooks garage-saleing this morning so perhaps some low-key cooking in order this weekend.

 

[Thesoutherncook]

You are at the rollercoaster phase of recovery. Some days you are on top of the world and when you least expect, it you take that heart stopping plunge down! Take heart, this too shall pass!

BTW, my #1 TKR ( 2 yrs old) has recovered 99% of feeling with just a very small numb area on the outside of the knee. I hardly notice it anymore.

 

[Canada35]

Kathleen that sounds like a great idea. Cook up something yummy! It is generally my happy place!
Take it easy this weekend and you will be on your way to your usual sunny self soon!
Pegi

 

[Fire wolf]

Cranky? You? Nah, impossible! Maybe TKR just wants you to be at work! Perhaps OS gave you the weekday TKR and not the weekend or full week one? Will send evil eye his way! In the meantime, relax, ice, elevate, take some Tylenol, cook a little if you like, and know that tomorrow will be a better day!

 

[Fire wolf]

Hoping that things improved for the rest of your weekend, and that TKR gave up night time yoga! Perhaps some parkour would be better? I am considering trying it myself! Sleep well!

 

[Fire wolf]

I don't know what day your massage is scheduled for, but I am looking forward to that for you!

 

[kmak81230]

After three or four of what I would call some of the best knee-feeling days of the past thirteen and a half weeks I had a stiff, sore, swollen knee Saturday which made me cranky as I so look forward to the weekends for a few normal, fun things and had to spend more time on the couch with Dr. Lounge and the ice bags. Blech!. Sunday I felt a little better physically but still not my usual "mostly optimistic" self. I spent much of the morning weeding in my garden (my garden is one of my happy places), contemplating the meaning of . . . my new knee, which I am not yet convinced is better than the old one - Grrrrrr. A bucket or two of weeds later I decided to get out my "townie" bike and see if I could actually spin off the trainer or stationary bike. I was able to ride up and down the street - - YEAH! Instant mood change as I can see that I will be able to get back to one of the activities I love - cycling.
Until the TKR success story that we've all heard about arrived at my house!
We are hosting a friend of my spouse's for a few days - Thursday to be exact. This person had a bilateral TKR about seven years ago - thin legs, good looking scars, and the recovery milestones we slow benders all dread hearing: ROM achieved in 3 months (-4-135), walking 5 miles at three weeks, riding a road bike 20 miles at 6 weeks. Gracious hostess that I am, oohed and aahed and said I wasn't quite there yet. Then the admonitions about hard work, pain, exercises . . . with lots of advice about particular exercises and pushing, and suggestions for additional torture that would surely help my *cruddy* extension. Feeling guilty, I put my leg up on the shower chair for my 10 minute stint but had my form corrected and was told better to be on the floor - and adding some weight would be most helpful. With my nose growing longer each moment I assured guest that "oh yes, I did some of those earlier today - at least 2 dozen" - "good idea - I do those on Tuesdays"; "we did heaps of those at PT on Friday". My DW (bless her heart), seeing my panic -- mentioned that I had found a great online forum that promotes a better way of recovery - less pain = more gain. Oh no, cannot be - more suggestions for hard work followed . . . OMG I need to be rescued as I think my knee starts swelling whenever house guest enters the room. Luckily, busy work week this week but I left the house at 6 am to go to the gym (better equipment to do all those hard exercises - HA!). I think I will have to go to work early and stay late all week. Is it Thursday yet?