TKR Looking for reassurance - or company for my misery...

[soSuesew]

I agree with the surgeon, that you still have marked room for more improvement to be seen.

Thanks Sheryl. In some ways, this is still a dilemma for me. 110 + degress isn't great but, given the circumstances, it'll do. But there's a danger in this - I'm aware that, subconsciously, I could stop making the effort and, well...settle (especially as I am allergic to exercise).

I guess it's a case of be grateful but try harder!

Sue

 

[Dulcimer Diva]

This is going to sound weird, but I actually find it comforting that you doc says full healing can take 15 months: that tells me I will probably have further improvement with my right knee and gives mr courage and patience with my left.

 

[soSuesew]

D Diva, one of the hardest things for me about this experience has been to let go of my expectations, other people's expectations, my perceptions of other's expectations...I think I would have had a heart attack nine months ago if someone, especially the doctor, had suggested that I might need 15 months to recover. But in my circumstances, that's clearly what it might take.

I honestly don't know if it's a widely-held view - maybe there are doctors out there who would, equally, have a heart attack at the suggestion. But Dr Rocca is experienced, expert, highly-regarded (my GP said if he ever needed back surgery, he wouldn't let anyone other than Dr Rocca touch him)...why shouldn't I believe him?

(Completely unconnected but since I mentioned the GP - you can rely on him for an honest view. I had a moan a few months ago, saying if I had known how hard it would be, I've have thought twice before having the surgery. He snorted and said "Ridiculous'" waited a few seconds and then said "Unless you planned to spend the rest of your life lying on the sofa?" Well, ok...)

 

[Jaycey]

Sue, great update! And how lucky you have a totally realistic surgeon. Not one of these that tells you that you should be jogging in a matter of weeks! Healing continues for all of us way past the 12 month mark. Some of us continue to see the changes. Others don't notice. Bottom line this is a very major op and months of healing is totally normal. Sounds like you are ready to enjoy that new knee!

 

[Nanners]

I just had to get my unoperated knee injected becuz it was not happy. While there I was asking how long is the stiffness and soreness going to last. And he said, it can be as long as 2 yrs for some people, and told me to hang in there, it would get better within time. Hugs!

 

[Dulcimer Diva]

Yesterday before my first PT session, the PT and the surgeon's PA told me, "We have no set goals or expectations while you're here--only hopes and encouragement. No two patients are alike, no two knees, even on the same patent, are alike. Do the best you can but if it hurts too much, stop. If we try to do something and it hurts too much, tell us to stop. There are no timetables and you'll get there when you get there."

They must be following this forum!

 

[Nanners]

Good news Diva!! Bonesmart methods just might make your knee recovery spectacular!!

 

[soSuesew]

While there I was asking how long is the stiffness and soreness going to last. And he said, it can be as long as 2 yrs for some people, and told me to hang in there, it would get better within time. Hugs!

It's a mystery to me, Nanners, why we (well, me, at least) find it so difficult to hear what we're being told. I am the queen of internet research and researched tkr to the nth degree. My lovely surgeon explained it (and checked my understanding, given the language thing). The GP, never one to hold back, bluntly said it was hard and would take a year. The physio said it's a slow, slow process but give it time, it will come. And, in the early days at least, I chose to ignore all of it and trashed around, unhappy, scared, making myself and everyone I came into contact with miserable. Sigh...

If I had listened, accepted, done as I was told (other than the hurting thing at physio), I don't suppose I would have got better any quicker but it would have been a happier experience all round.

Still, I'll know better for the next one (gulp!).

Sue in windy Aix en Issart

 

[soSuesew]

The lady at the strawberry farm rang at lunchtime to ask if I wanted strawberries for jam-making. And if I did, could I collect this afternoon before she offered them to someone else? Collected them and thought I'd better make the jam straightaway while the fruit was at its best.

Potted and labeled the jam, then sat down to have a little cry. This time last year, I couldn't drive to collect the strawberries and couldn't stand up long enough to make the jam. Such a small pleasure to have restored but a pleasure all the same!

Sue in incredibly stormy Aix en Issart

 

[speccybecky]

You're getting there Sue, hope you enjoy the jam!

 

[referee54]

This is going to sound weird, but I actually find it comforting that you doc says full healing can take 15 months: that tells me I will probably have further improvement with my right knee and gives mr courage and patience with my left.

Bingo---I have been told, and believe it to be true---that total healing can take upwards to ---and even beyond a year.

Diva, one of the hardest things for me about this experience has been to let go of my expectations, other people's expectations, my perceptions of other's expectations..

All of us, at some point, had to learn to let go and let the knee be in charge---our schedule and the knee's schedule for recovery are two different types of creatures, and the knee is the one in charge.

 

[soSuesew]

Well, I've been chugging along in my own slow way but hit the brakes a week or so ago when I started getting stiffer and experiencing some pain and swelling front and medial side of the new knee.

It was sufficiently uncomfortable that I took my walking stick out today, as the knee has been locking up too. The physio was shocked to see the stick, so today's session consisted of some TENS treatment, massage and icepack. She's sure it's tendinitis so I am on ice and rest, anti-inflammatories and walking exercise only, no PT or exercise bike.

Funnily enough, despite my natural tendency, I'm not imagining the worst. It feels like a temporary hiccup and I can't wait for it to pass so I can carry on recovering.

Sue, patiently waiting for something that feels like summer in Aix en Issart

 

[soSuesew]

A round of applause for me, please, but also a note of encouragement for others who are facing a slow recovery. The PT and I threw caution to the wind yesterday and measured my ROM. A grand 115 degrees - not much by many's standards but I have fought and struggled for every degree.

So, in case you doubted (and people told you otherwise) you can gain ROM months and months after surgery. And I've found my five extra degrees in the last month despite the tendinitis and being on 'light' physio.

I have a secret wish (well, not so secret now) to get to 120 degrees by the end of the year. That will be the end of the surgeon's estimated recovery period for me and will be, I think, the best I can hope for given the circumstances. But, truthfully, if I don't make it, I can live with what I have and be grateful.

Sue in brilliantly sunny and warm Aix en Issart

 

[Celle]

Hi Sue and Nanners,
It's now 19 months since I had my TKR and my knee is still stiff when I wake up in the mornings and if I sit for too long with my leg out straight. It soon loosens up and performs perfectly in every other respect. I've stopped wondering when that stiffness will go away and just accepted it as part of life.