They tell you that every knee is different, and you tell yourself every knee is different, but it is still
weird when your knees behave very differently.
July had a lot of pain in the shin where the prosthetic is hammered into the bone. She still does. It's tender, any direct pressure on it is still uncomfortable at just shy of 12 weeks. It was almost 8 weeks before I could start wearing my compression stockings on my calf comfortably. Yesterday I put them on both legs to moderate the ridiculous swelling I have in my whole leg-there's something consistent between them- and it was fine. At 3 weeks.
July had a ton of pain around the tibia and would not twist at all for a long time. Newbie is much less against it, and I think the biggest problem with it is the swelling. I'm pretty sure most of that had to do with all the extra straightening July needed and the weakness in the outside muscles from being twisted up all those years.
Neither leg likes just sitting up in a chair. With July, it was that pain around the prosthetic. Having just the weight of my leg on it made it ache and quickly ramp up to pain. Newbie doesn't like it either, but the issue is mostly in the hamstrings and it's more of an ache that works itself up to a nice tight cramp. Same problem, but very different issues.
Now that I'm walking properly, more or less, with both legs, I'm getting a lot of tension and discomfort in all the muscles in my bum and up the back of the hip on Newbie's side, particularly after laps in the culdesac. I find that odd because that's the leg that's been doing all the walking and most of the work for years.
July had horrific cramping and aching in the quad from minute one. Newbie has had some, but nothing compared to July. I think that's another use related issue, not just from the tourniquets.
I have been following BoneSmart precepts more this time. I've done some stretches and a few exercises but never the full amounts mandated by the PT handout. I'm not noticing any particular difference in the motion in my leg, and I think I've saved myself quite a bit of torturous pain in the first weeks. Then last night, when I woke up at 2 am, which definitely has happened with both knees, Newbie absolutely insisted on moving. Right Now! So I did some lifts and a bunch of stretches, and then I got up and walked a bit, and did some different lifts and stretches. She's a little sore around the incision this morning, but nothing excessive and I still have just a little of the twitchy, need to move feeling. So I guess she's ready for some gentle work. I find it very interesting that she told me she's definitely ready.
It is most unfortunate that the humidity is high and the nice temperatures are gone, so walking the culdesac is out. On the upside, it means I'm mostly ready for outpatient PT to begin on Monday.
Tomorrow will be the Surgeon mandated 5 days and I'll take of the dressing and see how the incision looks. The dressing has absorbed just a little serum drainage, but not much and no blood. Still stings a little.
If I get more computer time today I'm going to read back through
@winemama's journal. She's mostly moved on into having a healed life, but she also did her knees 2 months apart. I'll be interested in the history of her journey and the differences between the two experiences now that I know more.
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