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TKR Late Bloomer<

Yes, it is normal to have stiffness and swelling for up to year. At 4 months I was still icing when I came home from teaching. I'd ice/elevate while checking papers or relaxing with a book.
 
@KarriB that was the one benefit of the wound vac, kept the swelling away. Now it seems to have come back stronger ( or should I say tighter) than ever. Seems like even a evening of icing and elevating isn't getting it completely down, getting up in the morning with some slight swelling to start the day. Maybe I should consider seeing about a ice machine yet???
 
I will say this, I used the ice machine right after surgery for a few months, then when I went back to work it was easier to use gel packs. Sometimes I took a gel pack in the car while I was driving the half hour to school or home I'd push th ice pack up my pant leg to relieve the swelling. I know I posted on your thread that I couldn't bend my knee for a month. There was NO swelling at all because all I did was elevate, walking was difficult and the brace would slide down. Even my friends commented how thin my legs looked, however as soon as I started being more active the swelling came back.
 
Haven't heard from you in a few days. How are you getting along?
 
@sistersinhim aww, thanks for asking and thinking about me. I really have appreciated everyone's support on this site, without it I would have continued to accept all I was being told from the medical professionals.
I'm doing ok, just been a busy week, have my father-inlaws 90th b.d this weekend, and I've done nothing to help with the upcoming party, so far. Offered to put some picture boards together and make a card box. Card box completed, picture boards not started yet, each evening I get sidetracked. So tomorrow for sure it's something I have to work on. Also had the grandson's first band concert and I am awful with dates, 15 mins prior to the the start of the program my daughter called and said mom are you coming, I said do you think he would hate me if I didn't make it, she reminded me I cancelled on another event a week or so back, so to say the least I hit the road and made it to the program 10 mins into the start. Missed 2 pieces, but did hear 2 that they preformed. And I stood against a wall behind the band, so he didn't see me come in or realize I was late.
Been dressing free for almost a week and the knee looks good, swelling lately has been a issue, Icing thru the night. I put the ice on at bedtime and fall a sleep and don't remove it till morning.
Even tho I hadn't written as I don't have anything new right now to share, I read the postings during my lunch time and prior to retiring for bed. ( and I will comment if I feel that anything I have to say can be beneficial.) I'm hooked on this site and the postings of all the folks that do well and all of the ones that also are struggling.
 
After reading some of the newest postings, it made me wonder about the upcoming change in the weather, Winter is right around the corner for those of us in Wisconsin and the other northern states. Does the cold weather seem to affect the knee? So looking forward to getting back to water therapy, but I want to wait for that skin to thicken and to make sure that every little nook and cranny is healed shut. I know there were a few times over the summer that I felt a change in the pressure seemed to make me ache more, haven't noticed it for a while. Hoping that the aches and any pain and swelling will sooooon be a thing of the past........... well it may be a bit before that's true, but hoping to say someday I feel great !!!!!

Oh also with up and coming Winter weather is there any special advice to prevent slipping and falling, I am a clumsy person, think that is why I needed the knee replacement in the first place as to many falls over the years on that left knee. So far I've been good as I'm moving slower than the usually do. But my husband has always told me I am almost to cautious on ice, where I actually give myself more of a chance of wiping out. Open to suggestions on how to take care during the winter months ahead.
 
It's a good idea to take canes/walking sticks with you when you go out in icy weather, even if you don't normally need them. They can help to prevent a tumble.

I've read of people using things called Yaktrax on the soles of their shoes.
 
I keep a cane in my car for snowy/icy weather. I'd rather use it than fall on the pavement. Cold rainy weather seems to make my knees and other joints ache more than the extremely cold for some reason.
 
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I think lots of people have said the weather changes make quite a difference to knee comfort for a while but that it eventually s wears off.

I'm struggling with stiffness, swelling and tightness a lot of the time too but I keep forgetting to check any link to the weather!
 
Weather changes aren't hurting the new knee as much as it did before. Also, many have suggested trekking poles for walking in slippery conditions. As for me, I won't step a foot out if it's slippery! I, too fall very easily. That's what tore my meniscus this last time before the replacement. I also tore tendons in my shoulder from a fall in '12, so falling is the last thing any of us need to do.

I hope the party is a huge success this weekend. I lost my mom at 90 years and am so glad we gave her a party.
 
I seemed to be a little weather sensitive in the first year--not the cold so much as weather changes--but it went away. I've never been weather sensitive with my arthritis.

I had my knees done a good 5 months before the snow flew and I found I was actually more confident in the snow and ice with a stable knee, though I was (and still am) very cautious to avoid wipe outs. At least I didn't feel like my knee would be the thing that would make me fall!
 
Do ask for a handicap permit from your OS~they can issue you a 6 month one to get you thru the winter season to be able to park as close as you can when you shop or eat out.
 
The best thing I know of for negotiating snowy and icy surfaces are YakTrax. You can get them from Amazon or possibly in stores near you. I've used them for years and they work beautifully for stability and "grip" power.


[Bonesmart.org] Late Bloomer<
 
Thanks, Jamie: I knew I had gotten these things for my aunt in NJ years ago and I'll definitely myself a pair as well as sets for my husband, daughter and son-in-law! They're moving to a house with a steep driveway!

I'm trying to pay attention to whether weather affects my knees. I think it does, but I can't yet rule out my consumption of foods that tend to do likewise!

Oh, and I did get a handicapped permit my OS, too. Although, in a way, my husband could qualify too, since he had a stroke a year ago and has a resulting foot issue...

I am not yet at 4 months and still run my ice machine buddy all night every night, with a 1-pillow elevation as well. I tend to be a "sweller", for lack of a better term. Some days when I'm on my feet a lot, I wish I could ice my knee at work, too...
 
Thanks for all the helpful advice on getting around this winter. And for those of you that shared ideas I see others also chimmed in and got valuable advice and helpful hints also. I worked until a couple yrs ago at like a five and dime type store, I remember we carried the Yak Trax, I remember we would maybe sell a pair or so a season, don't think they continued to carry them, so it's nice to know some place like Amazon carries this item.
Trying to catch up, seems to be the story of my life right now, 90th b.d went off wonderfully, thanks to my sister-inlaw doing the planning of it, I offered to do Thank you notes, so I will have participated some in the end, in a few weeks Thanksgiving will be here and I am trying to find ways to make it easiest for me, We will be having a house full, so I need to get the basement and upstairs straigthened up for company, plus planning the meal. Thinking of getting a smoked turkey done locally then maybe the green bean caserole and party pototoes and instead of pies, maybe the Pumpkin type torte or crisp. Things that could be made ahead, it will be a supper meal so that will give me most of the day to do the last minute things. It will be simple as it always has been, I am not a fancy person, and I can get overwhelmed with planning events in my home, not that I am a slob, but I always manage to stress myself out. This yr the energy just isn't there as of yet, plus I am dealing with the swelling and such also. So I feel like I need to start extra early on all events of getting ready for Thanksgiving, seems to me it's my year to have Christmas also, that will be a little smaller group, myside of the family, verses my husbands side for Thanksgiving.
With still trying to work and recover any advice to help with holiday meals would be appreciated, plus I think others can benefit from it also.
 
Yak Trax are not meant for hills.. They tend to roll out and break.. We use Katoola Microspikes for our walking. Do fine on the flats and also gentle hills. Not sure if I can break out the Hillsounds ( more aggressive points) for steeper climbs this winter.

The Katoolas have spikes so are less fun to get on and off. We have dedicated winter walking shoes and leave them on.

Delegate. Thanksgiving is a family affair. I am in charge of fowl. Nothing more. I might buy a pie.
 
@little red canoe yes, we talked about making the holidays a pot luck of sort, I know Christmas maybe this yr, thinking it's to late at this point to make Thanksgiving a potluck, I'll be ok. ( I could be in perfect health and I find it's still a stressor for me.) Thanks for the advice on walking aids. We live on a incline, but the winter months I really don't walk our driveway unless I get stuck in it. Would use the devices mostly for work and that's mostly walking on a flat surface, I work at school and have recess duties.
 
@littleredcanoe, thanks for the response about shoe thingies for winter. I didn't know about those other products, but to save knees is a good thing for my next generation! Maybe they won't need to get their knees done...
 
We call the hash brown casserole "party potatoes" too! When one of the kids went off to live on his own the recipe he called for was Party potatoes! Try to make as much ahead of time as possible, then you can just pop things into the oven. I agree with delegating. Call family and ask them to bring a particular dish, we've done this for so many years we all have our specialties we bring for the holidays. Costco has fabulous pumpkin pies!
 
My knee is continuing to improve, I can feel and tell of improvements weekly, still dealing with stiffness at times and swelling. But I am up and going to work each day and coming home to household task, although I spend a fair amount of time with the leg up every evening with ice and then go to bed with the ice packs. Realized this past week one of my issues is my feet, especially the left one the same as the replacement knee, I have a lot of stiffness in my top of my foot, it could be the plantar not sure, haven't been wearing my inserts, so I need to start there and if it doesn't improve go see the foot dr. Notice some of my hobbling isn't knee related as my knee is study and stable but my foot and the pain when stepping onto it after sitting for a while, looking back this isn't a new issue it was going on prior to the tkr.
Walked the driveway today, it's been a while that I've done anything extra the dog loved it and it was good for me also, also tried the recumbent bike as I hadn't done anything like that since the stopping of p/t, I was afraid I would have maybe lost some of what I had gained, but that wasn't the case, went around with ease.
Steps up are going well, and if there a short step going down is ok, but our are standard steps and I just can't seem to get the pattern there as of yet.
Another item that I have to come to grips with is weight loss, I am short and round at this point. I have a nice new sturdy knee and now my feet or foot bothers me, losing weight I am sure would be a big benefit for many areas in my daily life.
Ran into my husband's cousin at a local store, she also had a tkr replacement a couple yrs back, she had been following my f/b postings and I never had posted as much on there as on here, but she said she has been disappointed with her recovery and outcome also, 2 yrs out and still having swelling issues, she said she has right from the start, and she said her biggest complaint was she developed terriable back issues after the surgery. She felt also your not told the full story prior to the surgery, your given a pair of rose colored glasses to put on and they make it seem so much better then it is. She said also she wasn't informed of how long it would take for recovery. Like I said to her, I could have been given all the info the good and the bad or possible bad of the surgery and I would have probably still had it, I was in need of it. But I do feel I wasn't as prepared as I thought I was, which I think can or could lead to a person's depression your just not expecting how long it really does take. Work has been hard, and it's been a uphill battle, but becoming more social again has been good for me, I guess when able anyone should try and get out some, what ever you can handle at your point in recovery, think it's a good natural medicine for our mind and soul during the recovery process.

Hope everyone is having a enjoyable sunny weekend.
 
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