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TKR liam2015: 1 Year Anniversary, Life Goes On!

With all you are doing, you don't need to be going to PT. You are getting plenty of it at home! Your knee is fussing because she has been overworked. Please try to elevate and ice as much as possible. You and your knee need that relaxation!

I agree that the rocking back and forth on the bike will help stretch and loosen up your knee. It took a while before I was able to go all the way around on my recumbent bike. And the first couple of times, it was backwards only.
 
@sistersinhim ~ it just seems like a repetition of the different knee bending exercises and frustrates me because i'm so far away from being able to do the full rotation. you go one way to discomfort and then the other way to discomfort.:headbang: i will continue to do it because it's supposed to be a good thing but it's just so darn boring with no gratification lol!:cry: i will be ecstatic when i finally do get it as it is an easy and fun exercise.:biking:
 
I love the picture of your granddaughter, how pretty. Look at all the colored pencils, wow she had all the supplies to make a great sign! Like me, enjoy them but try not to overdo.
 
That rotation will come when you don't even expect it. My first time I lifted up my butt on the tkr side without thinking about it and it went around. I yelled a yahoo!
 
Slide that seat up or back and lift that hip and roll the peddals around backwards :)
Instant gratification with adjustments lol
I used to lift my hip to make it happen and then had to work at trying to keep it normal. But seriously, adjusting the seat or foot placement can help you get all the way around. Backwards does come first typically.

I agree too. You need more resting of that knee now that you're grandparenting
 
(((@liam2015))) All of it can be very frustrating. The whole thing, everything. It's tedious, tiresome and trying. Let's blow raspberries together, shall we? PFFFFT! If you have a dart board, throw some.:friends:

Chloe is just adorable! I'll bet she keeps you hopping, figuratively and literally, just like Prince Liam, lol. It does seem like you're doing a lot now, so perhaps that's creating some extra stiffness? As if I know, eh? I wish. Sending you some cyber-flowers.:flwrysmile:
 
@sistersinhim - The first time I got a full rotation was when the physiotherapist pushed my leg around without my permission. My husband happened to have arrived to pick me up from my rehab session at the orthopedic hospital... and he saw the agony on my face. At the next rehab session, I took my feet off the pedals when I saw the PT/torturer coming my way! I told her in no uncertain terms that I'd do rotations in my own time. Now ! when I ride the recumbent bike in my condo building's gym, I have to hold the side of my knee so it doesn't hurt. IT band damage?! Beware of aggressive PT! The surgeons where I had my TKR operation support aggressive physiotherapy immediately post surgery. The therapists even threatene to phone your surgeon upstairs if a patient was deemed "uncooperative". It happened to me! Beware of this type of unacceptable "therapy." I blame it for my continuing pain at seven months out!!
 
@Pheebs52 - My whole slow, painful, frustrating "recovery" has been a nightmare. I was told that knee surgery was no longer considered major surgery by OSs and she led me to believe I''d be free of pain and back to normal "in no time." Well, I'm not pain free or anywhere near "back to normal." I regret having this surgery. I was SO optimistic and positive going into the OR on the early morning of Jan. 3. For some reason, I'm one of the few TKR patients who's had an "abnormal" recovery, according to my GP. I often think I'll never be pain free. I don't want any more surgery and don't want to have my arthritic right knee replaced. I hope I never have to have hip replacement either!
 
oh my goodness @Knees4Me ~ i remember reading that on your page and was horrified someone would do that. it sickens me. the only thing i can compare it to was when i accidentally went down the first step with my non-operated leg and it hurt like "h.e. double hockey sticks". my surgeon, i think, also believes in aggressive therapy, although i don't know for sure because i didn't go to his prescribed physio ~ paying privately so no worries of melissa phoning my surgeon. he was certainly appalled that i didn't go until week 6.
 
@Pheebs52 i'm with you re the frustration with this slow recovery as far as r.o.m. goes. it doesn't seem to matter if i do next to nothing except for a.d.l.'s. or exercise or physio, nothing changes very much, ie. walking down the stairs; rotating pedal on bike, achiness, stiffness, etc.; however, there have been somewhat major improvements, such as being able to drive, walk without the arthritic pain and doing the regular, simple household chores. i'm in my 14th week and had hoped to be further along. now that i've taken back most of my chores, i can't take a step back and ask for pampering, if you know what i mean. hubby was asking me why i was "sighing" coming up the stairs from laundry and also emptying the heavy de-humidifier. i told him it was painful going up and down so many times. i didn't get any sympathy. mind you, he's been working fulltime and every evening after dinner, sitting at the dining room table working when he was supposed to retire this year, but no such luck as the person who was supposed to take over for him decided she "always" wanted to pursue a different path in her career. i wish she would have let him know a year ago.

sorry for the rant. i'm sure i'll feel better with the weekend. i plan to take naps with Dr. Lounge and ice packs a couple times during the day tomorrow. hope everyone will have a good, safe and comfortable weekend.:thankyou:
 
@Knees4Me, I can sympathize and empathize. I had a hip replacement 5 years ago that was nightmarish and had an *abnormally* slow recovery. But....eventually, (14 months later) I did completely recover. Now, it's all just like a very bad dream. The hip works fine and I never even think about it. I hope you'll experience the the same for your knee!

@liam2015, well, I'm not rotating bike pedals with you. In fact, PT won't even let me try because he said it would just aggravate things right now. I'm also still walking down the stairs gimpy style. OS said do NOT try to force it. Well, ok then, I won't. So, here we are, stuck in our little, inflexible slots, but....there are improvements in other areas, as you have noted! I know you're ahead of me by roughly a month, so most likely feel you should* be doing better than me, but...you know the old saw about *should*. Us tortoises just need to ditch that word from our vocabulary.

Darn, I wish you hadn't taken all your chores back! Maybe this weekend you can talk to hubby about how difficult everything still is and explain that you do still need some help? I know you said he's very stressed with his work situation and doesn't have much time, but I also know he wants you to recover well. We are in this together with our spouses and partners, for better or worse, right? So, this is that *worse* part.

We'll just ease on down the scenic path with Kmak81230 and some others here and eventually, we'll bend just as well as everyone else. I really do believe this.:friends: Sometimes, though, I do wonder if we were very bad in a former life? I'm sure I must've been, lol.
 
I'll join the Friday night of frustration club. As with you two I'm doing some things well but every time I even think about working a little bit on my extension I get that "strain" pain in the back of my knee - happened again yesterday so it will probably nag me for a few days :hissy:. Yesterday evening knee felt pretty stellar, I slept well and today was achy most of the day. :banghead:. @liam2015 i hope you and your husband can have a restful, stress-free weekend. I plan to do some work in my garden if it is not raining. It brings me great joy and I have a nice bench to sit on that I can easily move from place to place. As @Happydale reminded us, we should be thankful we're not spiders!
 
@kmak81230 ~ we're here to listen to each other, so vent away. hope you have some nice weather to work in your garden but remember to get up and take a break every so often, just a little at a time. my hubby is a big pushover for our dog and our granddaughter but for me it's "tough love" lol now that the initial trauma is over. he totally encouraged Chloe to go ahead and plan this surprise party on sunday, here at our house. the weather this weekend is predicted to be beautiful so a barbecue should be fairly easy, but the clean up takes time. i promised i wouldn't complain to be able to do all my chores again so please don't tell anyone lol. i am truly grateful to be better than i was. thanks for your support. i'm also thankful we're not spiders...one knee replacement was enough for me.
 
I have been using a thunder leash with great results on my stubborn daushund Riley. Stops the jerking and pulling immediately.


Sent from my iPhone using BoneSmart Forum
 
@liam2015 I hear you and I sympathize. It really does feel like one step forward and two back.
Some days I feel like I am making progress, getting around on my exercise bike only to find the next time I can't manage even 1 rotation. Some days the stairs are fine and the next they are daunting!
And I agree with @kmak81230 that the strain pain at the back of the knee is still holding me back.
Although my PT ( private) doesn't push me to pain, I still feel the disappointment in my slow progress!

Grandchildren are our bonus in life but they don't understand our limitations ( at least the younger ones) I have 5 and the two older ones (18 & 16) are fine and helpful but the 3 younger ones (3 &4 &4) still want me on the floor playing with them. Let your hubby help Chloe ( who looks adorable btw) with the party. Try to take a backseat approach. I'm sure your family won't want a " relapse" so you may have to make them realize that could happen if you become a member of the ODIC!
 
This recovery can be frustrating, what with two steps forward and step back. It doesn't hurt to remind our loved ones that we still need certain things. Elevation. Icing. Help with chores. I told the family from the start I would need lots of help for months after. My recovery has gone ahead of the schedule I set, but I still remind them I'm not as healed as I look. They can't see my stiffness, or the aching that starts after I'm sitting or standing for too long. It's on me to say, "Hey, I need (whatever I need)." But it's a pain in the royal behind, and a reminder I'm not as far along as I want to be.
 
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