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Revision TKR Lovetocookandsew’s long road to recovery

Your garden sounds amazing! I'm hoping I don't kill my one tomato plant. I personally hate tomatoes, but I'm growing it for my husband :).

I'm glad you're doing better! I remember the first time driving after my last surgery. Not much better than putting the top down and throwing that puppy into gear :cool:
 
I'd need a giant can opener to put the top down on my SUV.....:heehee: I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE tomatoes! If you ever need tomato growing advice, I'm glad to help. If I don't know the answer, I guarantee hubby does. But so nice of you to grow them just for hubby! I attached a picture of some of this year's tomato plants (taken from my phone so not the best quality-they are actually green, not yellowish like they look in the picture!) They are getting orange-can't wait for RED tomatoes! Our garden isn't as lush and huge as it usually is....I haven't been able to take care of it and hubby isn't here all day, so it's suffering a little.....sigh.
 

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Your 'maters' are BEAUTIFUL Kim-!! Ours have little babies on them now- I can't wait to start making salsa this year!!
 
Another step back into normal life. I finally cooked dinner tonight. It was a simple meal, just brined and grilled pork chops, marinated and grilled golden egg squash from our garden, roasted and smashed Yukon Gold potatoes, also from our garden, and Galia melons (not from our garden as our melons aren't ready-but they were delicious). But I was worn out so hubby had to do the dishes.......But it felt so good to actually cook again.
 
:yay: Suzie! Mopping after a TKR is a big accomplishment in my book! I haven't mopped or vacuumed yet, but I have dusted and straightened. I'm just not bouncing back at all for some reason, I'm just very slowly doing stuff even with little energy. Compared to a couple of weeks after my surgery, I am doing better but compared to where I should be I'm not doing that great yet and I'm sick of this lack of energy and stamina. I know it'll come back, but the wait is about killing me! Plus my knee is still really swollen-it doesn't look like it's shrinking at all. The scar is looking pretty good though. Okay-whining finished for tonight...........lol.
 
You're talking to a whiner who has only reached 87*s in flexion at 7.5wks out- I get it- HAHA!!

I was thinking just tonight of the first few days home from the hospital. And how I so hated when it was time to get up & go to the bathroom because of the raw pain I felt with each step. Just standing up felt like a balancing act! How I felt so vulnerable and like I was on foreign feet. I get right up now and don't even think about it-!!

No doubt the recovery is slow. I'm watching the birds eat my blackberries because I can't climb the hill where they are, LOL! On the positive side of that however, I'm not getting shot in the knee anymore with that horrible arthritis pain! I'm so thankful for that!

:climb:
 
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Your tomato plants look amazing (for tomatoes, anyways :heehee:). I'd like to learn to make pasta/pizza sauce from scratch and can them. I made pesto using basil that I grew and that was exciting for me. A first!

I'm glad you're doing better and are doing more it feels so good.
 
@LoveGiants Good job making pesto! I had to pull out my basil the other day as it went to seed, so I need to replant it. Luckily all my other herbs are still thriving. I make marinara every year from my tomatoes and other garden veggies, but I freeze it instead of canning it. I have a vacuum sealer so everything goes in vacuum bags in the freezer. I quit canning as it's so hot here and way too much work IMO. Sometimes I make a basic marinara and use it for many different recipes all winter, other times I make a chunky style sauce. I attached a couple of pictures of different marinara sauces I've made. Everything I use to make the sauce, except the mushrooms, is from our garden. I never add any kind of meat as I wait until I am using it to add anything else but veggies and seasonings. I usually make more then one batch, plus I also end up freezing a lot of whole tomatoes too. I also attached a picture of some of our tomatoes ready to be frozen, then vacuum sealed once frozen.
How about those Giants?!!!
 

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lovetocookandsew said:
I'm just not bouncing back at all for some reason, I'm just very slowly doing stuff even with little energy. Compared to a couple of weeks after my surgery, I am doing better but compared to where I should be I'm not doing that great yet and I'm sick of this lack of energy and stamina. I know it'll come back, but the wait is about killing me!
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Allow yourself to recover slowly, because you've been through two big surgeries in a relatively short space of time. That's bound to take a lot out of you. I know how hard it is to be patient but, believe me, you are right where you need to be. :friends:

[Bonesmart.org] Lovetocookandsew’s long road to recovery
 
After cooking or mopping be sure you spend time elevating and icing. That's the only way to keep the swelling down.
 
@KarriB I do a lot of icing and elevating; party because of the swelling, and partly because I can't take any pain meds other than Motrin, so icing/elevating helps with pain. But no matter what I do, the swelling doesn't go down. I guess it's a matter of time, and I hope it does reduce eventually so my ROM gets better. I really want to get back on my bike!
 
Yep, time is what it needs. I was forced to not bend or use my knee for a month. It was not swollen at all during that time, my whole leg was skinny! I know everyone can't and shouldn't do what I had to. But it's been said to take the time you're up and on your leg, then ice/elevate for double that time. It's what I did when I was allowed to bend.
Not sure how you manage without pain meds, I took oxycodone regularly for over a month. But you are absolutely correct in getting back to normal at little at time and making accommodations to help you. I went phased back to teaching at the 3 month mark and that was with a huge complication a month after the TKR. So it will come with time and patience.
 
Luckily, the pain isn't extreme, it's mostly uncomfortable. But at times it flares up, and then I take Motrin and do extra icing. But I am grateful the pain isn't horrible since I can't take narcotic pain meds. I wish my knee was skinny-it really keeps me from bending enough to be able to ride when I have the energy. I have an app't with my OS in two weeks-I plan to ask him then if the swelling is normal or more than it should be. My ROM isn't terrible, just not enough for bike riding, etc. I'm almost at 6 weeks, and I really hoped to be doing a lot better by now. Just have to hone up on my patience......
 
I don't want anyone around here to think I spent a great deal of time damp mopping yesterday- LOL!

We're talking vinegar/water in a spray bottle, sponge mop, and just hitting the hot spots in front of the kitchen sink, stove and walking path- LOL!! MAYBE... 8 mins?!!

I love your marinara sauce and idea for freezing tomatoes Kim! I've only dehydrated and canned them- I'm going to try freezing them this year now! Yours look so beautiful!

Nothing better than grabbing a container out of the freezer or jar out of the pantry on a cold winter day of something you grew in the warm months! My sister is an executive in a busy city and I have her growing tomatoes, peppers & green beans in grow bags on her condo deck- LOL!
 
Just know that frozen whole tomatoes aren't good to use in salads or just to eat like a fresh tomato, but they are great in soups, stews, etc. The skins just slide off after they're defrosted, then use in recipes. I've dehydrated them also, but really like them frozen better. I would however, recommend you purchase a vacuum sealer if you don't have one-they keep so much better vacuum sealed and don't get freezer fur and that funky freezer taste as they do in containers or zipper type bags. I like to freeze them first, then vacuum seal so I can later take out as many as I need at a time. Just wash them, remove the stems, let them dry then put on lined trays to freeze individually, then put in vacuum seal bags. (Don't cover them in plastic wrap while freezing as that causes them to get a layer of ice on top) Easy peasy!
Btw-I've found my vacuum sealer pays for itself in saved food. I use it on all my garden produce that I freeze, on all my meats, on my soups and similar recipes that I also freeze; I buy large blocks of cheese at Sam's Club and then cut them into smaller pieces and vacuum seal, they last for months and months in the refrigerator and never get moldy before we can use them up. I use it on everything I want to keep longer. I also use it when dehydrating-I put the dehydrated foods in canning jars then vacuum seal the tops to keep them airtight.
 
lovetocookandsew said:
@LoveGiants Good job making pesto! I had to pull out my basil the other day as it went to seed, so I need to replant it. Luckily all my other herbs are still thriving. I make marinara every year from my tomatoes and other garden veggies, but I freeze it instead of canning it. I have a vacuum sealer so everything goes in vacuum bags in the freezer. I quit canning as it's so hot here and way too much work IMO. Sometimes I make a basic marinara and use it for many different recipes all winter, other times I make a chunky style sauce. I attached a couple of pictures of different marinara sauces I've made. Everything I use to make the sauce, except the mushrooms, is from our garden. I never add any kind of meat as I wait until I am using it to add anything else but veggies and seasonings. I usually make more then one batch, plus I also end up freezing a lot of whole tomatoes too. I also attached a picture of some of our tomatoes ready to be frozen, then vacuum sealed once frozen.
How about those Giants?!!!
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Good idea to freeze sauce. I do need a bigger freezer! Your sauces and tomatoes look great—my husband would be in heaven :). I hope to have a bigger garden next year. This year it's one tomato plant and some herbs in a raised bed. I'm still having fun! Baby steps.

The Giants!!! I was worried about the June Swoon, especially after Hunter went down :blackcloud:, but they've been planing so well! June BOOM! heheheheeeheee
 
It's an even year so they have to do well.....:heehee:

I agree-baby steps when you're learning a new skill. Gardening can be a lot of work, but it's also fun. Luckily we have all automatic watering and since we do square foot gardening in most of the beds, we don't have a lot of weeds to pull, except in the bigger beds, so it's not a huge chore to water or weed like it was years ago. (Of course back then I had 6 kids to help with that...lol) Weeds in the big beds used to not be a problem either, until this danged drought and we no longer have lawns to mow and put the clippings on to help keep the weeds out....sigh.
I actually had to have multiple freezers, but can't imagine not having one! I'll bet your herbs are wonderful!
 
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