TKR Left TKR 9/23/19 My Journey

I just went for my first solo walk with my cane. About 5 blocks. Weathered it well.
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Hope I did the quote thing correctly. WHOO HOO for moving to a walker @Thatbpguy :scary::scary::yes!:

I am using one around the house, but miss my pack on the walker! Hopefully will be moving operative leg well enough to go outside and DRIVE this week.
 
I just went for my first solo walk with my cane. About 5 blocks. Weathered it well.
Hope I did the quote thing correctly. WHOO HOO for moving to a walker @Thatbpguy :scary::scary::yes!:

I am using one around the house, but miss my pack on the walker! Hopefully will be moving operative leg well enough to go outside and DRIVE this week.
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I took 2 short solo drives Friday (each about 2 miles). Lots of pain on back of leg. But wifey was gone for the day and I needed a few supplies. Laying around all saddle sore is maddening. So it's good to gain even a morsel of independence back.
 
I just went for my first solo walk with my cane. About 5 blocks. Weathered it well.
I don’t remember how many weeks post op I was, probably at least 4 and probably more, when I took my first solo walk. My husband was not home and I just felt like taking a walk, so I did. Two houses away I met up with a cat. You know how cats like to walk close to you and weave back and forth. I said to the cat, don’t you trip me, I’ll never be allowed out by myself again! (My husband was a bit over protective in my recovery :roseshwr:). Thankfully all went well and I arrived home safely.
 
Like you I'm a side sleeper and my doctor suggested sleeping with a soft pillow between my legs - trouble is after a bit My knee get a stiff so I spend my night going from side to side:bored:
Even my dog looks tired in the morning haha ...
Tried @Tykey relaxation tape it was smoothing but didn't send me to sleep :yawn: so here I am at 04:16 am chatting on BoneSmart instead :)
 
Yeah, my softest pillow isn't going enough. It's maddening. So I move between 2 beds and my recliner. And I have chocolate at the recliner.
 
In my few weeks of recovery I spent many middle of the night hours on Bonesmart. It's nice to know that whatever the hour is, someone is here to talk to and share our recoveries with. People that haven't had a joint replacement just don't understand like we do!
 
In my few weeks of recovery I spent many middle of the night hours on Bonesmart. It's nice to know that whatever the hour is, someone is here to talk to and share our recoveries with. People that haven't had a joint replacement just don't understand like we do!
Truly, this site is invaluable. It has given me a LOT of comfort.
 
I'm finally sleeping a bit better now....but my treat at 2:30 to 3:30 was a peanut butter toast with bananas and Bonesmart! Yes, it is very comforting!
 
90. Finally hit 90 on ROM and 8 for extension. If I can maintain this and maybe add a bit to it for my Dr apt in 2 weeks, I will escape MUA. I love my new pt. She spend a lot of time massaging the area and using her hands to stretch it out.
 
Ok, 5 full weeks in the books. ROM around 90, extension 7. Hopefully this will appease my ortho and we can skip a MUA for now. I meet with him in 2 weeks. Sleep is still 2 to 4 hours per night and under pain. Taking 1 to 1.5 pain pills. Today I return to work. Mostly a sit down job and 5 10 hour days per week. It's going to be hard, but gotta do this. Despite Hershey Kisses to help recovery, I have lost 10 pounds in last 5 weeks. Only 5 away from yearly goal. Well, dead tired from morning exercises. I will ice knee on my breaks and sleep 30 or 45 minutes on my lunch break. Take care everyone.
 
For what it's worth, my new knee is named Sammy. We had a great dog named Sammy that we had to put down due to terrible knee injury to a hind leg. He was a water dog that was afraid of the water. Lived to chase rabbits. So the spirit of Sam is now in my knee. Let's go, Sammy.
I can't believe it, I named my knee Maleficent because I had set myself a goal of seeing the movie 2 weeks after my surgery. Love Angelina Jolie and knew it would help motivate it. It's worked!

I loved you named it after your dear pup.... that's great
 
Ok, 5 full weeks in the books. ROM around 90, extension 7. Hopefully this will appease my ortho and we can skip a MUA for now. I meet with him in 2 weeks.
You have the right to say no to a MUA, besides, you have already hit 90. The majority of OSs don't expect that until 6 weeks and you are aread of that.
Today I return to work. Mostly a sit down job and 5 10 hour days per week. It's going to be hard, but gotta do this.
Don't be surprised if your knee swells more causing bend to go down. Sitting down is hard on a knee, too, because you can't elevate properly. Don't get discouraged, the swelling will go down when your knee's inflammation goes down.
 
Well, dead tired from morning exercises.
Exercises that cause you to be this tired are not necessary. You are not helping yourself by doing this. Being back to work, and everything else you do in the natural course of your day, will give your knee all the exercise it needs.


Try to find a way to elevate your leg while sitting at your desk. At 5 weeks I was still in a lot of pain with both feet on the floor. At home, when sitting at my computer desk, I used a small box to rest my foot on which kept it at a higher level than the floor
 
Ok, 5 full weeks in the books. ROM around 90, extension 7. Hopefully this will appease my ortho and we can skip a MUA for now. I meet with him in 2 weeks.
You have the right to say no to a MUA, besides, you have already hit 90. The majority of OSs don't expect that until 6 weeks and you are aread of that.
Today I return to work. Mostly a sit down job and 5 10 hour days per week. It's going to be hard, but gotta do this.
Don't be surprised if your knee swells more causing bend to go down. Sitting down is hard on a knee, too, because you can't elevate properly. Don't get discouraged, the swelling will go down when your knee's inflammation goes down.
Thank you for this post. I will not get discouraged if this happens. BTW, it was hell, but made it thru. I work with some really good people and it was nice to be back. Blessings to you, Jockette.
 
@Thatbpguy, I'm hitting 2 weeks of 4 hour days, plus the 35 minute drive one way, and my knee has been more swollen and sore from driving and walking more! My PT is done, and I just get 1x a week massages....but the poor knee hasn't settled down yet :umm:! I also elevate and ice with a rolling ottoman and pillow under my desk, just beware, now that you are working such long days!!
 
@Thatbpguy, I'm hitting 2 weeks of 4 hour days, plus the 35 minute drive one way, and my knee has been more swollen and sore from driving and walking more! My PT is done, and I just get 1x a week massages....but the poor knee hasn't settled down yet :umm:! I also elevate and ice with a rolling ottoman and pillow under my desk, just beware, now that you are working such long days!!
For sure, my knee is swollen. Not sure how I can elevate it at work. But I can elevate and ice it 2 or 3 times. Any, like you, my 50 minute commute is killer on the knee.
 
Well, week 7 and Wednesday I see my ortho and his recommendation for MUA. In the last few weeks I have slowly but surly improved from about 85 to 94. Just using a cane part time, but still a lot of stiffness.

I know he's going to push me for it and I just don't want to. Hell, maybe I need it, I don't know. I'm just so tired of it all. Why can't I heal in peace? Most the internet articles support MUA. I was visited by a pal who is in his early 70's. He had tkr about 9 years ago and never made it past 120 degrees. His dr wanted to do a MUA and he left and never returned. States he is teaching Tai Chi, walking and feels fine.

I am just so vexed.
 
94 degrees at 6 weeks is just fine. If your OS pushes for a MUA, he's one of the few that do it after a knee is 90 degrees at 6 weeks. You are past that. Ask him what bend he got on the operating table after he sewed you up? That's the minimum bend you will get when your soft tissues heal and all the swelling goes down. That takes time, up to a year's time and for some, even more.

And by the way, what's wrong with a bend of 120? Numbers don't matter. It's what you can do. Please try and not worry about it, that bend will come and you'll be able to do the things you want to do. But, that takes patience. Oh how I hated that word, but time and patience is what it takes to rock this recovery.
 

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