TKR Marguette’s Full Recovery

[Jockette]

I’m so sorry things are getting worse. I understand completely.

 

[Laurenkate]

Marguette, I haven't read your entire thread but days 7-10 and months 4-6 after my first tkr were the hardest. No pun intended but it seemed like 1 step forward and about 5 backwards. It seems like there is very little progression, people just assume you should be back to your old self, a good night's sleep is still a distant memory, and then it's annoying to be feeling negative all the time. Plus, you can't do what you want to do. When I got through the year of recovery, I realized arthritis was really settling into my left foot and ankle to the point where it feels like it won't bend on most days. The doctor said the bones were fusing together, blah, blah, blah. Obviously that didn't happen overnight but I was so focused on my knee pain pre-op, post-op, etc. that I wasn't aware of the other.

Is it possible you have arthritis too? Not a cheery thought but it might be an explanation for your pain. I keep telling myself the good news is I won't get it in the knee joint (!) but getting older certainly isn't for the faint hearted.

 

[Marguette]

LaurenKate thank you for your response. I know I have arthritis in my good leg but the pain I am having is clearly related to my RTKR. It seems I have traded the bone on bone pain for a host of other knee and muscle pains that appear to be associated with my knee and hip "cracking" when I try to walk. There is a mass of swollen tissue on the inside of and above my knee that that makes my leg look deformed. The more I rest, ice and elevate, the greater the pain. The more active I am, the more swelling. Cant win for loosing. I also have no doubt that my experience of pain corrolated with my level of depression.
Interesting to hear that 4 - 6 months were the hardest. Maybe there is hope after all. Looking forward to months 7- 12.

 

[Laurenkate]

One of the things I didn't fully appreciate until going through the process was how much everything else hurt in recovery because my walking and gait had gotten so bad before the tkr. All those muscles had to re-align themselves which took a long time. You have to find what combination of things work for you. Despite the p.t.'s assurances, I still deal with swelling 18 months after my tkr; it's probably just going to be a fact of life for me. It's better than it was but if I'm busy during the day and/or it's hot and humid, my "new" knee can be 2 to 2-1/2" bigger than the other one by bedtime. Also get this weird swelling just below the knee; it looks like someone hit me on the shin with a baseball bat. Taking a cool shower and being in bed for about 15 minutes will make it recede but it's odd.....and may be related to the (pre-surgery) numbness. All of it is still better than the grinding bone on bone pain, rocking back and forth when walking, etc. Sometimes it helps to remind myself of that - but on other days, it's very easy to forget it.

 

[Marguette]

My fear is that this is the new normal. Swelling after 18 months? Ya, exactly. Not what I bargained for.

 

[Laurenkate]

But remember, everyone's recovery is different. Most people I know who have had a tkr don't have this kind of swelling 18 months later. It could be caused by the neuropathy, arthritis, etc.; who the heck knows. I felt much better 7-8 months out and this swelling is annoying but there are so many people who are dealing with so much worse. When you're exhausted, feeling stressed, depressed, it's really hard to look at things objectively. This time around, i'm going to keep a "knee diary" and jot down once a week what is going on with it. When I look back over it once a month, hopefully it'll help me realize progress is being made even if it's hard to believe.

 

[Celle]

My fear is that this is the new normal. Swelling after 18 months? Ya, exactly. Not what I bargained for.

@Marguette ,
You're only just over 3 months into a recovery that takes a year and you're expecting too much, too soon. Stop worrying about things that may never happen.
It's still early days and your knee is bound to swell still.
It will get better as time passes.

This recovery is a marathon, not a sprint. Where you are now is not where you are going to end up. Your knee is still healing. It's a work in progress,not the finished article.

Just because someone else still has swelling at 18 months doesn't mean that you will. Every knee is different.
Your knee knows what it's doing and it's healing on its own agenda - not yours and not anyone else's.
Where are you in recovery?? (TKR)

 

[Marguette]

Just finished watching a Ted talk by Lindsey Roy "What Trauma Thought Me About Happiness"". Nothing new there for me but I sure needed a reminder and a comitment to change my perspective.
Thanks everyone for your patience and support.

 

[Jockette]

 

[Jockette]

I can relate to your discouragement as I was very stressed and discouraged in my recovery. Bonesmart has been a huge help. Hang in there.

 

[Marguette]

Hi Jockette. I wish I could just say it's discouragement but I think I'm slipping into depression which colour everything with a negative brush. Not just my knee and recovery but every aspect of my life. I'm normally good at dealing with it but the strategies I use to increase those endorphines include walking and swimming, both of which are not an option right now. I will have to focus on other ways to improve my mood. But it does start with acceptance and commitment. It may not feel like it right now but I do have much to be thankful for.

 

[Jockette]

I was pretty depressed, also. It’s a tough recovery, especially when we are not anywhere near adequately prepared for it, and I wasn’t.

Then the post op blues hit and mine lasted quite a while.

I stopped socializing because of other people’s unrealistic expectations for my recovery.

That became a vicious cycle.

My husband went out one evening to his weekly game of darts, and I was having a very bad day. On his way out the door he said, call Pat. I had a melt down first, then I called her, one of my good friends. I called her in tears and asked if she could come over, and she said, now? I could barely get my yes out, and she said, give me a minute, and she whizzed over. She hasn’t had a knee replacement but has had a hip, and couldn’t handle the PT, so she was one of the few who understood.

It was a turning point for me. We talked about my knee, then she turned the conversation to happier things (my son’s wedding) and we laughed some.

I hope you have someone like that to turn to. If not, we’re here for you, and we understand and care about you.

 

[Marguette]

Summer... everyone is gone on vacation. Lol. I visited my daughter and grandkids but she has her own issues. A few of my friends and my sister are also going through serious heath problem. In some ways, we are all in the same boat. I have been feeling very isolated and I have to be careful that I don't impose my mood on them. No husband or partner. My only companion these days is my puggie girl. She's been sticking to me like glue. Every time I sit down, she wants up on my lap. Thank you for sharing your experience and for your support.

 

[Jockette]

My only companion these days is my puggie girl. She's been sticking to me like glue. Every time I sit down, she wants up on my lap

Her unconditional love is very good. She doesn’t tell you how to recover, or where she thinks you should be, she just wants to be right there with you and keep you company. No matter how you feel, you are her hero.
I’m glad you have her.

 

[mlwreader]

No husband or partner.

@Marguette: And this could be a blessing in disguise. lol Frankly sometimes a spouse or partner just isn't all its cracked up to be. I am single like you, so had to figure out how to recover without someone living with me to help. It took a village, with my cousin, daughter in law and sons all pitching in. And frankly some of the posts that talk about husbands and teen age children who aren't helping but are expecting wife/mother to do everything they did before surgery makes me pretty grateful to be self reliant. And I hear you about the depression. Sometimes anti-depressant medication can be a stopgap when the physical exercise isn't an option.

And I concur that bonesmart can certainly be moral support and worked that way for me many a night.

I am at 10 months and still get a little swelling from time to time, plus aches and pains and twinges. I am 73 years young so it doesn't surprise me that my back or muscles in my thigh hurt from time to time. I definitely have arthritis in my wrists and hands, and they hurt a bunch especially since I still have to help myself up out of my low-slung car. But my knees? They do not hurt - how can they since they are made of metal and whatever. The connectors hurt sometimes, but I am convinced that it will all get better and better. Meanwhile I can walk, drive, shop, walk up and down stairs (v slowly the last two) and pretty much live my life normally.

Hang in there dear heart and keep posting!

 

[chicklet]

I will be 8 weeks post op tomorrow. This time last week I had decided to ask my doctor for an anti-depressant. The depression was really bad and getting worse every day. On Monday I visited a friend who has had hip replacement and she was telling me how much the Melatonin gummies were helping her sleep. So I started taking them that night and they really have helped me sleep better which in turn has improved my mood. It’s been pretty amazing. I knew I wasn’t sleeping well, but now I realize how much the lack of sleep was affecting me. My mood is much improved even though I’ve actually had more pain and stiffness in my leg the past couple of days. I’m not exactly happy about that, but I don’t feel the mental deprsssion that I was feeling last week so I’m just biding my time, waiting it out. That’s not to say I won’t start taking an anti-depressant if I need to - I will! But right now it seems like getting more sleep is the answer for me.

Hang in there Marguette. We can do this!

 

[Marguette]

Thank you all
Being on my own has never been an issue. I have been on my own for 26 years. I've gone through different phases but in large part, it does not bother me. I have a whole community around me. Lately, it is the isolation that is getting to me.
I hear what you say about getting enough sleep. That has certainly been an issue in the past but these days, I'm getting a solid six hours on most night. When you are used to averaging three hours, six hours is a miracle.
Anti-depressants are not an option but I have lots of resources and experience on how to manage depression. Not to say that I always do what I know I need to do.
I know things will get better even though I may not feel like it right now. The only constant in life is that things ate always changing. This too will pass. Time to get to work.

 

[Celle]

I wish I could just say it's discouragement but I think I'm slipping into depression which colour everything with a negative brush. Not just my knee and recovery but every aspect of my life. I'm normally good at dealing with it but the strategies I use to increase those endorphines include walking and swimming, both of which are not an option right now.

I think it would be a good idea to consult your own doctor/PCP. He/she may be able to give you a short course of anti-depressants that will get you over this hump.

I know you said that anti-depressants aren't an option. Is there a medical reason for that, or just your preference?

 

[Marguette]

Having tried many anti-depressant with no results and bad side effects, the cost does not outway the benefits and makes things worse. This is situational. It will get better on its own and there are benefits in paying attention and accepting to get to a better place. Not my first time through this. Thanks for your suggestion. Already discussed with GP.

 

[Marguette]

Today was a little better. A little less pain. Got through the day without crying. Was busy with work. Going in the right direction. Deep breath!