TKR kmak's TKR recovery thread

[SusieShoes]

Those are impressive stats for your trip. Better yet, you're only sore and not reporting a complete setback. Yay for you! And you're so right... that reprieve from recovery-mode no doubt did you a world of good. Part of getting back to normal is to not have to think about baby knees every waking moment. How much more normal and fun, and healing, to indulge your love of travel, sightseeing, new adventures and food and family!

 

[kmak81230]

Thanks Celle, Liam2015 & Knit2go! It was an accomplishment and it makes me hopeful that I will get back to my active life at some point - but not this week . I will miss my therapist -- got a little teary-eyed this morning -- hopefully our paths will cross again. And when I have to get knee #2 done I will make sure to find one who is gentle and who respects the BoneSmart path to recovery.

 

[sistersinhim]

@kmak81230, now that's some fantastic walking stats! Especially, on a knee that's only 2.5 months old! How inspiring for those coming up behind you!

 

[nensi]

Flabbergasted.
I love that word. You have to sound it out syllable by syllable.
It was the first word that popped in my head, reading about your SF adventure. Who would've thought that you could pull that off with a minimum of discomfort?
What a nice interlude between knees, or wait am I mistaken - do you have a right tkr planned ?

 

[kmak81230]

Thanks for the kind encouragement Susie, Paula, and Nancy! I will eventually need my right knee done but am in no hurry as it seems to be holding up with minimal pain (despite the OS saying that it looks worse). I'd like to keep my focus on lefty for awhile and enjoy some "normal" time before I jump into #2. I expect it will be sometime in the next two years -- I have pretty good health insurance at work and would like to retire in the next three years (before Medicare eligibility) so will need to do it within that window. I have learned so much about how manage recovery from Bone Smart I think I will much smarter the second time around.

 

[dvannie]

I'm sure you will wake up one morning and just realize as the day goes on that you haven't thought once about your new knee ... it will officially have become a normal knee

 

[kmak81230]

Won't that be nice @dvannie? Hope all is going well for you after the MUA today - your initial follow-up report was promising

 

[Pheebs52]

@kmak, what incredibly, impressive walking stats! As someone else said, even your little setback at home is just that, *little.* I'm sure a day or two with the Lounge Doc and some ice will get you right back to "Go mode." Ok, maybe not back to SF mode of 6 miles per day, but that's alright. Just normal "Go mode," and that's a fine thing.

 

[kmak81230]

I hope so Pheebs -- today was painful walking - went back to the cane at work. Probably delayed reaction to all that activity. I'm not motivated to walk that much for awhile . . .

 

[Pheebs52]

I'm really sorry to hear about the painful walking; pffft! I'm sure it is a delayed reaction to all you did, I mean, you really were a SuperKnee while in San Fran! There's no way I could've done all the walking you did...nope...not even close! So, you use your cane for a day or 3 until everything is back to *wonky-normal.* I'll bet you snap back pretty fast!

 

[sistersinhim]

I'm sure that knee needs like of recoup time now. Try and take it as easy as you can!

 

[SusieShoes]

Whenever my knees flare up, it's always taken at least two days for them to settle, and three or more days to get back to "as before." I noticed this after PT. So it's not surprising your knees are taking their good ol' time about settling down. Hope they feel better today, and you can find fun ways to stay off your feet for a bit longer.

 

[kmak81230]

@Polkadot - you mentioned going to a Lake Michigan beach - where in MI do you live? I grew up in Grand Haven but moved away in my 20s. I miss the lake and am sad to not get there this summer.

 

[Polkadot]

@kmak81230 - I live in Lansing. My husband is a professor at Michigan State. He has at least four more years before he retires, and I have been retired for about that long already. As a wannabe artist, I have been finding the middle of the state not very inspiring. We went on a trip last year to Puget Sound. When I came back, I knew I wanted to live somewhere like that someday. After a lot of dreaming, we decided to do something interim.
With some money I had put aside and semi-forgotten about (my BEST way of saving money!), we purchased a condo in Muskegon on the edge of Muskegon Lake, which leads out to Lake Michigan! My idea was to have a studio there, where I could go for a few days at a time, frequently, and Dave could easily drive there on weekends. But this knee thing has held me back! I am just now thinking I may be able to navigate the 2 1/2 flights of stairs up and down more than once a day. Grand Haven is, of course, just down the road!

I'm hoping that long walks on the beaches of Muskegon and Grand Haven area are in my future. I can't wait to do some sketching and painting in the "haul-ups." Some things to look forward to!

 

[kmak81230]

Your painting studio sounds delightful! I hope you will recover quickly to be able to enjoy some lake and beach time this summer. A couple of my cousins have kids who attend MSU and I have a good friend who teaches in the Tourism dept there. My folks still live in GH and they are aging so I try to get back there at least once or twice a year but will not make it this summer unfortunately. I was there in Feb this year and it was during a warm spell so spent some time at the lake. I expect you'll be navigating stairs quite nicely soon. I am getting pretty proficient on the downstairs at 11 weeks out (at least I was today ;-).

 

[Pheebs52]

@Polkadot, can I share your studio? I'll be very quiet, I promise. I paint in my basement, lol! But, I can't complain since we do have so much inspiring scenery here. I just take photos of *hopeful subjects* and paint from those. Your knees will be up to those stairs in no time!

 

[sistersinhim]

Oh yes, new knees on the steps are a huge difference from the old knees!

 

[kmak81230]

Good morning Smarties! Here I am at 12 weeks aka 3 months aka ¼ of the way of this year-long journey – I suppose it could end up being longer but I can’t bear to think about that today! I have my 3 month OS check up tomorrow and I have been especially diligent about resting so as to have the best chance of not being swollen with poor ROM. I think my flexion is somewhere between 106 & 110 depending on the accuracy of my measurement (which is highly suspect). As for extension I’m quite sure no improvement over the past three weeks which makes it somewhere around 5 or 6. Hope the OS is not too disappointed. I’m actually feeling pretty positive and optimistic as I sense I am improving with each week. At this point in my recovery:

• I can sleep almost as well as I did prior to surgery and can sleep comfortably on one side with the help of a thin pillow. The other side is also comfortable for about an hour or so. This sleeping bit is huge.
• I can easily get through a full day at work with no ill effects (aside from stiffness after sitting for a long period). This is also great for me as my work life is getting busier. I work at a university and we are gearing up for the start of school so am glad to be mentally sharp, with good energy to make it through never-ending meetings and long walks across campus.
• I have less discomfort in my knee on a regular basis. I still have some at times (and in different places) when walking and doing stairs, but it is intermittent (most often occurring when tired or overworked).
• I had been bothered a lot by “nervy,” “achy” pain in my shin and ankle and that has improved considerably in the past two weeks.
• I can go upstairs without use of a railing, using good form, much of the time. I can go downstairs using the railing with good form, much of the time.
• I recover from overdoing it much more quickly- generally overnight – and I am not so “trashed” after work that I can’t take on a few household chores or work in the garden.
• Yesterday I did not take any meds for the first time since surgery – wow!
• I think that when I am not stiff my walking is pretty good. I no longer have “the wobble” where my quad fires randomly.

Continued Challenges

• Stiffness! Very stiff when I get up to use the bathroom at night. I call it “the human pinball” as I bounce from wall to wall half-asleep. Also very stiff after sitting or lying down for any length of time. Fortunately I can usually walk it out.
• “Strain” pain behind my knee which appears anytime I overstretch or try to work the extension (even laying with my leg straight out on the bed or sofa or ottoman exacerbates it). It usually takes a couple of days to go away and will reappear even after a week of feeling good. Very annoying!
• I get asked all the time if I feel “normal” or if the knee feels better than it did before – the answer at this point is no. Except for a brief moment today when walking from the garden to the garage and at other times when I am sitting at my desk at work or at the dinner table, I am always aware of it – mostly how it feels and what it can’t do. I was fortunate in that pre-surgery I was not in constant pain for most ADLs. The surgeon said I was a candidate for a partial as most of the problem was behind the patella but that I would be back for a TKR within a few years so probably best to do it all at once. I’m glad I did and will also look forward to not feeling this knee so much!

 

[kmak81230]

celebrating 3 mos with a soak in the hot tub!

 

[SusieShoes]

Now that's a fine looking leg! Such a nice pale scar, too. Mine are still red. And what a wonderful report! Three months is almost magical for some of us. A good place to be, though not yet perfect. I'm envious of your ability to side sleep all night. Oh, for that day!