TKR Mireille's RTKR 4 months

[Mireille]

@skigirl ,you're so right! I started my Bonesmart style recovery yesterday and feel so much better today. Taking it easy, icing, elevating a lot more and resting. Today is the 1st day ever since the surgery where I haven't felt the tight band feeling, that's a huge win for me.

I'm an avid reader also but haven't been able to focus enough to get through many pages of my current book. I'm going to keep at it until the focus returns. My oldest son, gave me an Amazon Echo for Christmas and it's one of the things that is helping me relax and distracts me from focusing on my knee. I sound like a lunatic while singing (if you can call it that, lol) along to my favorite songs. In the evening I listen to meditation or nature sounds, it actually helped me fall asleep a couple of times.

You have great ideas to help pass the time. I will check it out and let you know how it works out for me. Thanks again for the support, it's greatly appreciated.

 

[Mireille]

@UACats70 thanks! That's the reason why I think this site and its members are so great! By sharing your experiences, newbies like me can avoid painful mistakes and make our recoveries a bit easier on ourselves. I'm reading, listening and learning. Hopefully the day will come when my own experience will help someone else.

 

[Mireille]

@KarriB @mbrown I'll definitely check The Crown on Netflix. Daytime tv is so boring. At least The Blacklist is back!

 

[UACats70]

So far I've finished The Crown, House of Cards, Stranger Things, working on Orange is the New Black, then will watch This Is Us and Mad Men.

 

[Josephine]

My recovery (both times) got me hooked on Judge Judy and Home Under the Hammer (a property development programme - format never changes but the properties and buyers do and they make it a great programme!)

 

[mbrown]

I just started True Detective and it's incredible. It's not on Netflix but the season is only like $10 on appletv

 

[Mireille]

Ooh, I forgot about House of Cards, saw 2 seasons and then forgot, great show. I'm going to pick it up again. Stranger Things is awesome, love that series and can't wait until it comes back. I watch Sense8 on Netflix, a bit explicit for some but a good show.

I love home improvement sites, I watch a lot of HGTV and DIY networks. I wish the Fixer Upper people would come and redo my home, lol

 

[Aquafool]

Hi Mireille! Just do your basic ADLs, follow the Bonesmart mantras and you will avoid a ton of problems. I belong to a knee group on Facebook and these people have a LOT of complications which seem to mostly be caused by vigorous PT. I feel sorry for that group because they are so focused on killing themselves with therapy. I had my knees replaced Aug 15 and Nov 3 and, long story short, I had no PT. My OS tried to convince me otherwise. Nope. And so far so good! I've had my ups and downs with my recoveries as everyone does and it hasn't been a breeze. I'd say it's been pretty normal all in all. And nobody has taken and added more trauma to my already traumatized knees. Prior to surgery, I was all gung ho about doing PT and bending my knee as much as possible. Silly me! I'm a nurse and was 100% wrong about the entire recovery process. People who haven't had one have NO CLUE and therefore I refuse to take any orders from them. Ha!


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[little red canoe]

I couldn't stand the gloom and doom of that FB group. I joined and left the same day..

 

[Red's Mom]

Hi Mireille! I loved Good Girls Revolt. The Crown was amazing. I recently heard about Vikings on the history channel. Less is best. By resting elevating and icing more now your recovery will be shortened in the long run. I totally get the do nothing crazies. Hang out here to pass time. This is one time in life that over achieving is sure to backfire! I was unable to knit or read for weeks. Finally now I can read simple books again!


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[Mireille]

Hi everyone, today was a really good day thanks to all the advice I've gotten. My 1st OP PT is on Monday and I'm going to go, see how it goes and call the shots. When I went to my Evaluation earlier this week, the PT seemed to be gentle so we'll see. I will not let them bully me, nor will I put up with pain or bad handling. I'll let you all know how it goes. If it feels right, I will continue going, if doesn't, I won't go back. My knee, my choice. Feeling feisty, lol

 

[Mireille]

@Red's Mom ,thanks. I tried reading today and I guess not ready yet. I'll keep trying. Listening to music is my current favorite pastime. It keeps the focus off my knee. I'm going to start watching The Crown tonight.

 

[Mireille]

@Aquafool Glad to hear things are going well for you. It's encouraging to hear that. I too was gung ho about bending my knee the 1st and 2nd week because I had a lunatic in house PT that was trying to cripple me. I didn't know any better. My BFF is a PT and he also said I needed to push so I became obsessed. I still love him to death but I'm not doing that anymore. What's the point of working myself so hard that my knee gets stiffer, swollen and so painful that it sets me back and leaves me unable to do anything for days? Then I have to start from the beginning and the vicious cycle repeats. Nope, no point and not doing it again. I hope you continue to get better everyday.

 

[Pumpkin]

Glad you have a PT who appears to be gentle, if not ask for someone else, or just do not go.
For some simple games you might want to try the games room, https://bonesmart.org/forum/view/games-room.12/

 

[zzevi]

Yes, that darn brain fog will keep you from reading or anything else that seems to take focus. I considered that a weird thing during recovery, you have all this idle time on your hands but just can't focus on somethings, yet like the others I could sit and watch series on t.v. for hrs. The good thing is your focus will return and you'll be able to do the things you love again. But it took a while.

 

[KarriB]

My best friend has had lots of surgeries and I could never understand why she didnt take advantage of that "down" time to read. I learned my lesson! Had my kindle loaded before I went in for TKR and couldn't read for 3 months. I am an avid reader and tried many different books, but I just couldn't focus.

 

[kneeper]

Great to hear you're finding things to keep you occupied, @Mireille . Remember, you're not being "idle" when you ice, elevate and watch Netflix--you're letting your body do the work of healing.

 

[nancyjo]

It is one of the hardest things in the world to have...patience during recovery. Mayo Clinic docs don't use PT at all after TKA's. They gave me 3 mild exercises to start at home when I felt ready. They were just mild stretching type and don't do anything that hurts. They said to just let your knee heal and it will all come. After 6 weeks I could do what my knee directed me to do. What ever I did, at 6 weeks, I had 0 extension and 125 ROM. I personally think it was the rest, rest, ice, ice, and elevate, elevate. It was hard to do. Very hard, because I am not a sit around person at all. I am totally sold on the NO PT. Let your body heal. It takes time. If only you could order patience from Amazon and have it delivered with the 2 day delivery! Recovery is hard work!


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[Mireille]

I hope everyone is having a good day or evening! Being idle is very hard but I've been doing that now and feel better than I had been. The tight band feeling went away for a while yesterday but returned in the evening even though I was elevating and icing. My biggest problem is sleeping, if I get 4 hours a night I'm lucky. Last night got 1 hour in. Just couldn't get comfortable. It's frustrating.

What kinds of gentle exercises and stretching are suggested? I'm doing quad sets since my muscles bother me more than the knee itself. Other than that, just ADL's and rest, elevation and ice. I use the CPM machine but nothing strenuous. The actual movement gives me some relief.

 

[nancyjo]

Squats are a huge no! That is instant pain and very hard on a new knee. My 3 exercises were mild heel slide only until stretching but not hurt, sit in the bed with your leg straight or with your foot on a chair (NO pressing on it , just resting it there), and lift your foot straight out but not until after 3 weeks. Mayo does not advocate any PT or recommend it.