MUA LTKR, 8 weeks out; MUA at week 5; worried about ROM

[Pheebs52]

"that I should be "sucking it up" more".....wth? Who gave you THAT idea @Polkadot, your....Mom? Definitely not a friend. Just throw that tape right out of your head. You're much too smart to buy into that philosophy!

Wowza! Congratulations on your cycling feat today! You really rocked the bike today and guess what? I did ten minutes too! That's 'cuz we're *twins*!

I'm really sorry to hear you had one of *those* days; pffft! We all get them, eh? They just arrive out of the blue (literally) like the random aches and pains that seem to have no rhyme or reason. I often wonder if those types of days are related to overall fatigue? I know when I'm exhausted the mood tends to slide. As such, I'm sending you <<<STRONG SLEEPING VIBES>>> for tonight! Use them all up immediately upon arrival!

 

[Pheebs52]

If all else fails, throw your wine glass in the fireplace! It's thrilling and releases a lot of frustration, lol. Ok, it is messy to clean-up, but worth it.

 

[Pheebs52]

Hahaha, @Polkadot, perhaps when I've actually mastered one of the 'Silly Walks," I'll make that proposal to Gary! Until then, I'd say, stick with YouTube, lol!

 

[kmak81230]

A big Kneerah!!! for the biking! I think you will also earn the cycling badge to go with the low toilet seat badge! Hopefully this great accomplishment will help get you out of the doldrums. Keep up the good work.

 

[Canada35]

Great work on the bike Polkadot! Tremendous work! And as far as the blues we have all had our dog days! Know them for what they are - frustration at the tedium and low level pain that stretches on for months and then kick them to the curb! You have made far too many gains to let them hang out at your house!!
Maybe in your case you can rid yourself of them in dark paints on canvas instead of your usual bright sunny beautiful paintings!
Have a great day today - you have now officially joined the biking group on our tour of France!

 

[Polkadot]

Hi, Everyone, I was just re-reading the last bits of my thread in order to do a new update and realized to my chagrin that I never replied to your previous comments! I thought I did; but it was all done in my head! So...

Yes, @Fire wolf, the 2 PTs are "those guys." On Pheebs' thread, I just posted a video of them showing how to kneel on a TKR safely. I like them because they aren't pretentious, muscled, or model-perfect; they barely stage their videos--you can see where they've thrown a drape over a mess--or maybe they leave the mess showing; and when they demo a move, they are careful to act out the restricted amount of bend that TKR patients would exhibit, rather than showing off their own 150 degree bend and perfect extension. They seem to do the videos because they care. And they don't seem to push anything extreme, at least not that I've seen. (Geez, I sound a bit love struck, don't I? Well, you have to admit: a caring PT can be a bit sexy...).

@Pheebs52, I think you've hit the nail on the head. The needing to "suck it up" part comes from my mom. I'm still working to throw out that tape! It's amazing we can still be dealing with childhood issues now, isn't it? For me, I think it's been rooted out; then maybe 10 years later, something brings it up again. Sigh. TKR: the gift that keeps on giving: in this case, the reminder that I have to continue to be my own advocate against ancient family issues. SIGH again.

Thanks, @kmak81230 and @Canada35! The cycling success on upright bike has continued--YAY!--so I'm starting training for the trip to France. I always appreciate the words of encouragement and reminders that Doldrums are normal in this game. I haven't gotten out the paints yet but will soon. Expressing some of these pits and valleys is a great idea.

 

[Pheebs52]

@Polkadot, I love that you actually believed you replied to these postings, lol! I've lost all count of how many times I've believed the same.

I don't think we ever completely shed the ancient, family issues, we just learn to react to them differently with time and age. Naturally, they crop up when we are at our most vulnerable, sigh*.

 

[Polkadot]

3.5 Month Update:
As a member of the slow-benders club, I don't have a great deal new to report here. "Bud" continues to be cantankerous some days and close to angelic on others. My PT has dropped to twice per week through next week, and then I will be done except for a check-in once in a while. I'm seriously considering their maintenance program, which entails 15 sessions at about $3.50 each. The sessions never expire, and one can come in at any time. The sessions include help from a PT assistant in keeping track of and doing prescribed exercises and activities. The assistant can ask the physical therapists for advice on raising level of difficulty, new exercises, etc. As my previous gym closed precipitously and I'm not sure where to go next, this maintenance program seems like a good idea to keep me from backsliding.

Like @Pheebs52 and some others on this site, I'm also searching for a good swimming pool--harder to find than it should be!--and possibly a water-walking or aqua-fit class that feels comfortable. Another thing I'm considering is a Silver Sneakers exercise class and a beginning Yoga class for elders, both at our local YMCA. I hate to think of myself as in the silver-haired club, but both of these classes encourage participants to exercise up to their personal limits, and neither class would force me to do anything that would jeopardize my TKR at this point. For example: In both classes, people can sit in chairs, use chair backs for balance if needed, or do all exercises with no physical aids. Lots of stretching and balancing, which I think would be good. In the exercise class, when there is the walk segment, one can walk, march, jog in place, or jog around the room. What do you think? Too tame? Too low a bar? Before my bone-on-bone period of time, I did regular aerobic classes from time to time, have not done much Yoga, and spent most of my exercise time on weight machines, treadmills, and cycles.

Regarding my ROM, my PT hasn't measured for a couple of weeks. I think it is hanging in there at a little over 0/105. At least, I hope it is! I don't think I'd be able to ride the upright bike if it had backslid. I have walked downstairs foot-over-foot a bit, with pretty good form--only a slight lifting of my hip or an occasional landing on tippy-toe. This continues to be difficult, depending on the day, time of day, or what I've been doing with my day! I continue to try and balance home exercise so I don't cause myself a lot of swelling and discomfort. Over Labor Day weekend, my husband and I took several walks of 1.5 miles each or so, with only minor swelling and some knee pain right across the patella afterward.

My biggest pain-in-the-you-know-what has been not sleeping well. I've gotten a fairly good handle on the burny pains that seemed to keep me up at night, thanks to @Pheebs52, yet I still struggle to go to sleep at a decent hour, to stay asleep once I've fallen, and to get back to sleep if I wake up in the night. I seem to have developed "restless legs," for one thing. For another, even with some pain medication, my discomfort is just enough that I can't get comfortable enough to sleep. Gabapentin, Oxy, and Norco don't seem to help me at all. Tylenol ES sometimes does. I'm developing sleep patterns that are going to be very hard to break: reading until very late and very sleepy, then dozing off; waking up after sleeping for an hour, and then tossing and turning until about 4:00 AM; finally getting into a real sleep and then sleeping until 8:00 or 9:00 AM, which is quite late for me, and completely off my DH's schedule; and then napping in a chair mid-afternoon for an hour or more when I don't want to. That said, last night was a good night for me! X your fingers that I'm on a roll.

I...I...I... so sick of thinking about ME all the time! But that's my report, and I'm sticking to it.

 

[Canada35]

Wow Polkadot.....the last two paragraphs of your report could have been written by moi! Especially the sleep rhythm. Why is there a fairly deep sleep between midnight and 1am but then no sleep at all between 1 and 4am?
I have resorted to doing anything but stare at the ceiling!! Finally sleep comes from 4-7am. I have not been a sound sleeper for the last 10 years but I always put it down to work and family stress but these days if I sleep 1 in 5 nights I am doing well. Sheesh....just let us sleep already. We will all be much happier

 

[kmak81230]

Nice, thorough update @Polkadot. I like the idea of the maintenance program. It is inexpensive and gives you the flexibility of getting some expertise and guidance as you need it. Is there a gym or health club that takes Silver Sneakers where you could workout on your own? You might have to try a few classes or activities to see what you are ready for - or what meets your level of interest and fitness. I feel exactly the same way about my ROM - I think I am hovering around the 110 mark and of course still working on the slow to come extension. I've quit worrying about overdoing it though I don't intentionally do too much on any given day. Just about everything makes my knee swell, it doesn't hurt, and it generally goes down by the next morning. I was reading on another thread that someone's OS said that some people swell and some don't. Well, I'm just swell, er . . . a sweller .

So sorry to hear about the crappy sleeping @Polkadot and @Canada35. It is so annoying. While my sleep is less than desired I think I'm getting some. I find it hard to get to sleep and I wake up a bunch of times in the night, mostly to find another comfortable position for the spoiled princess that is my left knee. I must be sleeping some as I generally fall asleep before the podcast I start listening to is finished and am usually asleep when the alarm goes off in the morning. My compulsive worrying self thinks I am headed for early onset dementia for lack of good sleep based on recent research reports. I have quit looking at my phone at bedtime and try to either read or listen to a podcast with mixed success. I hope your good sleep last night becomes your new pattern.

 

[Polkadot]

Why is there a fairly deep sleep between midnight and 1am but then no sleep at all between 1 and 4am?

Good question, @Canada35! Inquiring minds want to know! After one pretty good night's sleep, I was back to this pattern last night. Sheesh is right.

I have not been a sound sleeper for the last 10 years but I always put it down to work and family stress but these days if I sleep 1 in 5 nights I am doing well. Sheesh....just let us sleep already. We will all be much happier

I've never been a sound sleeper--I need it to be cool, preferably with a ceiling fan blowing on me; dark, preferably with no little green or red LED lights shining in my eyes; and quiet, preferably with no snoring from DH or the cat. So I am a bit of a "Princess and the Pea." However, this 1 in 5 night thing is perplexing. That's about the ratio I get, too, and it is hard to understand because even on my worst pre-TKR nights, and that includes the nights with bone-on-bone knee pain, I slept at least twice as much as I do now.

My iPad is now my best friend. How about you?

 

[liam2015]

hey Polkadot ~ that silver sneakers yoga class for elders sounds great. when i was going to my yoga class, our instructor had chairs for anyone that wanted to sit in chairs, also all kinds of props for support, blankets and pillows. she said if you couldn't do the pose or didn't want to, you could just sit or lay down on your mat, same with some of the dance steps in yoga dance or zumba, she would always show us the easy way and the more challenging way. there was a variety of age groups, shapes and sizes in the class. one lady used to come that had suffered a stroke sometime before and she did the yoga dance class as best she could. there's no judging. as someone else posted the other day, don't look side to side, look ahead. sorry about your lack of sleep. do you have anxiety by any chance? that is the one time that i can't sleep, lay awake and wake up with butterflies in my tummy, if there's somewhere i have to go the next day that i'm nervous about, or have to drive somewhere i'm not familiar with, getting ready for a trip, that sort of thing. i'm so happy right now i don't have any commitments, other than 2 physio appointments next week but that doesn't bother me since i know the way now. oh just remembered, another pack walk tomorrow ~ excited about that.

good luck getting back to yoga and finding a pool with classes or just to walk in. i'll be looking also for a pool. have a lovely weekend.

 

[SusieShoes]

We'll... there's evidence that our sleep rhythm naturally lends itself to midnight oil. In the Roman Empire it was considered quite natural for people to have a first and a second sleep. The period in-between was considered perfect for meditation. The emperor Augustus liked to write at such times, as did the emperor Claudius. Cicero liked to write his letters at night, then send them off in the morning. Maybe you could take up letter-writing? Study a new subject? Transcendental meditation? I dunno. I never could figure out what to do except roll over and go back to sleep.

I hope you find your way back to your preferred sleeping habit soon. It took me four months. Like you, I prefer it to be cool... yet I must have a sheet or light blanket over me because I must be warm, but not too warm... and my feet cannot be cold because I can't sleep with cold feet... and the pillow just so. This was impossible to achieve while I had to sleep on my back with knees elevated on my Lounge Doctor. Sleep then was never better than barely adequate. But then my knees gradually accepted side-sleeping again (this took much test-sleeping that ended up with me on my back again, unhappy) and now, at last, I can sleep blissfully through the night with my knees content on their pillow, and my head on its pillow, and a light blanket over me. I really missed it.

Sleep does eventually go back to normal again. But it may be the last thing that does so.

Oh, and I would totally join that Silver Sneakers class! You can alway unjoin if it's not what you thought.

 

[Pheebs52]

@Polkadot, I think the *maintenance program* at only $3.50 per session is a wonderful idea; sign me up! I also think the "Silver Sneakers," program is a good place to start. It may not be where you finish, but it's a sensible beginning. Is there an age requirement, i.e., 65+? I mean, just how *silver* does one hafta be? 62+? I should look into it at my own YMCA though I hate the super-crowded conditions there. Still...they have pools and I can always just do my own water aerobics and perhaps some swimming. My biggest objection beyond the crowds is it's not a salt-water pool; pffft! Spoiled? Yes.

As your twin, you know I could just *copy & paste* most of your progress report. As such, of course I think it's great! I definitely do have more good days than bad now, but the bad ones hit every now and then, usually through my own carelessness though, such as overdoing or lack of icing/elevation. Sound familiar? Hehehe.

I really wish I could contribute something helpful about sleeping, but I'm rather stymied. It's seems to be such a common issue which leads me to believe that *someone* must have the answer, yet...here we are. For whatever reason, (most likely my own experience in the first several weeks) I still feel it's a pain/discomfort issue on some level and perhaps could best be addressed by your PCP/Family Physician? I know I was certain at one point that I'd developed "Restless Leg Syndrome," so I definitely did suffer through the problem for the first 6 weeks or so. I was up every 2 hours or so, and wide awake during the *Witching Hours*. However, around week 7 or 8, all very mysteriously returned to *normal.* Please, don't throw anything at me 'cuz I just can't run quickly enough to avoid being hit.

 

[Pheebs52]

FWIW, we have identical sleep requirements, lol. But, I'll add one more; my feet must hang over the bottom of the bed. No tightly tucked sheets allowed!

 

[Polkadot]

Hi, @liam2015, funny you should ask about anxiety. I'm not normally a terribly anxious person, but I was wondering about that, too--and in an odd kind of way. I feel as though my body has been "on edge" ever since the surgery, and actually for about two months prior to it, during the waiting period. My body sometimes feels as though it's waiting for my TKR to heal in order to "get on with things." I wonder if there is such a thing as anxiety that takes hold much like depression does, in a generalized sense. I say this because although I'm retired and have really nowhere to go and nothing to do unless I decide to do it, and a really pleasant, non-stressful life with my DH, there's this unsettledness and edgy thing going on that's like a little cloud I notice from time to time. Maybe some of this is what prevents me from relaxing into sleep.

@SusieShoes, that's really interesting about the Romans' sleep habits. I'm also reminded of Buckminster Fuller, who experimented with sleeping for about a half hour every 6 hours. He claimed that gave him about 22 hours a day for productivity. If we can turn this unexpected and unwanted wakefulness into a gift of time, maybe that can help us weather it. The problem of being out-of-step with our families, friends, and the rest of our world remains, though. Buckminster reportedly had to give up his preferred sleep schedule because his partners and business associates got really tired of being called in at all hours of the day and night! I suppose that wasn't as much a problem for the Romans, however, as it was probably a practice that all those in a certain eschelon of society adhered to--like the Mexican siesta. When everyone is doing it, shops are all closed at the same time, life stops for a bit, and there is no problem!

When my daughter was little, and I a single parent working full time, I did either stay up very late or get up very early as the spirit moved me to do writing, journaling, or drawing. At 3.5 months post-TKR, I am just now finding energy to begin doing some of these things again. I'll have to put supplies where they are easily reachable so I can change the narrative from "Poor Me; I can't sleep" to "Great! Some time to write/journal/draw!" It's definitely worth a try, as I seem not to be able to gain control over the phenomenon any other way. What do they say? Go with the flow? Oh, I know: When in Rome...

@Pheebs52, Silver Sneakers is for 65 and up as a free health program through Medicare; I'm hoping (because a friend thought it possible) that I can pay the YMCA's normal class fee and join at 64. I'll let you know. If I can't, the Y has another easy Yoga class and an exercise class geared for "mature people." The hours aren't as good for those, though. I also thought about using the Y pool on my own. Great minds...

 

[Polkadot]

@kmak81230, thanks for the input on the various exercise options! I do think I'll start with the maintenance thing. Re ROM, swelling, etc: I am also a champion swell-er. I think it goes along with being a Slow Bender for many of us. I like your attitude about it. I am at the point where most of the time I just ignore it. I only ice when I am quite uncomfortable now.

Yeah, early onset dementia is quite the worry! I've also heard that not getting enough sleep interferes with losing weight. My doc has told me, too, that diabetes and low thyroid function are affected by lack of sleep. So there you go. I DO have reason to stay awake. One cant really worry when one is asleep!

 

[Pheebs52]

@Polkadot, I didn't realize "Silver Sneakers," was a free program through Medicare. Thanks so much for that info, especially since I'll be reaching that milestone soon. I keep telling myself I won't be a year older, just a day older than the day before; hah!

When I was about 30, I had a major surgery that didn't get off to a good start. I won't bore you with the details, but, about a month into recovery, I developed a full-fledged anxiety disorder. I sought treatment for it, and it was diagnosed as "generalized anxiety," but exacerbated under certain conditions. I definitely felt "on-edge" most of time, and it did interfere with my sleep until I sought help. Foolishly, I put up with it for a year before seeking help. The psychiatrist who treated me told me it's a very common phenomenon post-surgically! I took medication for a year and then slowly weaned off it under his guidance. So far, so good, and that was 35 years ago.

 

[Pheebs52]

"Yeah, early onset dementia is quite the worry! I've also heard that not getting enough sleep interferes with losing weight. My doc has told me, too, that diabetes and low thyroid function are affected by lack of sleep. So there you go. I DO have reason to stay awake. One cant really worry when one is asleep!"

Sheesh, I wouldn't sleep either if I was harboring those thoughts in the background @Polkadot. Nope, not a wink. I don't wish to sound cavalier, nor am I bragging, but honestly, I don't worry about much anymore. I think the Year of Anxiety, a mother who developed dementia at 66 and Two rounds with the Big C basically wore out my panic button. I won't say I'm immune, but probably about as close as anyone can get who isn't a full-fledged yogi.

 

[Polkadot]

Hmmm...a common phenomenon post-surgically, you say? Sounds a bit like a soft form of PTSD, doesn't it? I may need to check into the medication route at some point. I definitely won't wait a year! Thanks for sharing that. I feel better already knowing that I'm not the only one who has felt this free-floating edginess...

RE Silver Sneakers: I don't know all the ins and outs of the benefits and how you get them. It may be something that disappears when the Obama-era health care is eliminated or changed. I think it came into being then.

PS. About being a Yogi: You did look quite calm in your avatar selfie! Adverse life events can certainly shape your way of approaching daily life. I guess that's one reason this has been so surprising, as I too have had a number of these events, have "woken up and smelled the coffee," and am usually quite unflappable. Only one bout with the Big C, though. Maybe that's it. Not that I'm complaining, oh, Universe!