TKR MSuki’s Fabulous Recovery Journey

[Susie-Q]

I understand what you are going through. When I had my first TKR in 2010, both my parents were in (separate) adult family homes. My mother had advanced Alzheimers and my dad had vascular dementia, diabetes and needed full time care. My kids were 13 and 16 at the time. I was truly in the "sandwich" generation. It can be very stressful dealing with all of this and healing/recovering from major surgery. I remember at the time I actually looked forward to the surgery because it really was a bit of a break from all the doctor appointments, visits, financial things I had to deal with for my folks. It really forced my sister to step up and do more. She had no excuse to fall back on using her work as she's a teacher and it was summer. My mother passed in 2011 and my dad in 2016.

Just know you are doing the best you can and as @sistersinhim says, enjoy those happy conversations and times with your mom while you can. Hugs!

 

[MSuki]

Thanks Susie, I really appreciate the understanding and encouragement. Sending everyone major hugs and wishes for a happy new year!!!

 

[MSuki]

@Big O You’re motivating me to get out and walk more….I had not been able to walk any significant distance for a long time before this surgery so I have a lot of muscle to rebuild. I started walking but then it got cooooollllllddddd. So I guess I should bundle up or warm up my long inactive treadmill…

 

[benne68]

I started walking but then it got cooooollllllddddd.

I have the same problem here in Connecticut. Winter is not the most hospitable time for taking long walks. After my first TKR, I became a mall walker (something I swore I would never do!). It's actually nice, though, to have a flat surface in a climate controlled building with benches along the way for resting as needed. Do you have an indoor shopping mall or even a big box store near you?

 

[Jockette]

My husband and I used to go to our local Target to walk. It was not huge and not busy, so it was easy to do a loop around the wide aisle around the store. He had Multiple System Atrophy, so he needed a safe place to walk, and pushing a shopping cart helped him stay steady. (incognito walker)

 

[benne68]

pushing a shopping cart helped him stay steady. (incognito walker)

Yes! The shopping cart is soooooo helpful!

 

[MSuki]

It's actually nice, though, to have a flat surface in a climate controlled building with benches along the way for resting as needed. Do you have an indoor shopping mall or even a big box store near you?

Good idea, although parking at our mall is not great. Maybe Sam’s? I went to the hardware store today with my husband and I’m counting that as a walk.

My husband and I used to go to our local Target to walk. It was not huge and not busy, so it was easy to do a loop around the wide aisle around the store.

This brought back some memories - when my 10 year old grandson was about 2 or so, before my knee issues started, we would go to Target and I’d push him around in the cart. On the wide aisle next to clothing, I would look around everywhere to verify no one was around, and if no one could see us I would run with him! Of course this led to him begging me to go fast every time he was in a grocery cart.

Here he is in 2015…..in need of a haircut with his little brother, they are 9 and 10 now but even cuter!

Edit: @Big O, sorry! Just realized I’m on your thread!

 

[Jockette]

Edit: @Big O, sorry! Just realized I’m on your thread!

I moved our discussion over to your thread.

And, I did an edit of your post on Big O’s thread to just your basic reply to him.

 

[Jockette]

I would look around everywhere to verify no one was around, and if no one could see us I would run with him!

You were such a rebel!

 

[mendogal]

My first TKA was January. It was our big drought-busting winter so outdoor walking wasn't an option! I mapped out a route in our house (fortunately we have a very long hallway!) and how many laps equaled 1/4 mile, 1/2 mile.
When I got up to a mile, we'd go to our local home improvement store or the even bigger Home Depot to take timed walks!
Of course, my June TKA led to summer walking. With high temps 95 - 105, and a night owl husband, I had to walk indoors until I felt secure enough to walk solo with my cane outdoors in the pleasant 65 - 70 degree early mornings!

 

[MSuki]

@Jockette you found me out!

@mendogal did you just measure and divide? How long was your route? At 1760 yards for a mile I think I might lose count before I got to a quarter mile, but I’m thinking about where my route could go. (Sometimes I get distracted at PT just counting to 30!)

BTW, at 7 weeks and a few days…. Earlier this week, I noticed I was sleeping a little longer, about 6 or 6 1/2 hours not counting rolling over and going right back to sleep, or getting up for bathroom and going right back to sleep. Last night, I decided I was far enough along and had a massage. I’m a member of Massage Envy and this was my first since surgery. I went to a new therapist I hadn’t seen before and told her about my knee, didn’t want her to suddenly twist it or push on my shin which for some reason is still really sore. Turns out she has previously worked for a doctor doing post surgery massage and even breaking up scar tissue and lymphatic. She said it was after cosmetic surgery but still! So I told her do whatever she thought and I’d tell her if anything hurt. Only time I had to say anything was once when she rested her other hand on my shin and she wasn’t even massaging it. She didn’t use a lot of pressure and usually I like a lot on my upper and mid back, but I left with everything feeling relaxed. Then only place that hurt on the way out was my hip flexors which I had not mentioned and which she didn’t work on.

I was in bed almost 10 hours, admittedly I woke up a few times this morning but I just kept rolling over and going back to sleep. First time I have slept 7 hours plus since the surgery. If this keeps up I might be awake enough to accomplish something!

 

[mendogal]

My basic walk in the house, each lap starting and ending at the end of the kitchen counter, was 170 feet.
I figured 8 laps as 1/4 mile, 15 laps as 1/2 mile (close enough).
I can NOT keep track in my head! Every time I passed that kitchen counter I made a hatch mark on a scrap of paper.
Sometimes on the long hallway I'd practice walking backwards or side stepping.

 

[Jockette]

Every time I passed that kitchen counter I made a hatch mark on a scrap of paper.

I did the same thing. Years ago my friend and I were walking in our local park, doing a 2 mile loop. The park had an incentive that once we walked 100 miles, we could buy the T shirt that said so. (Yes, we had to buy it, but back then it was only $5) I think we had to do it by the end of the year, and it got really cold and rainy that December. My husband was a high school basketball coach so I went to the school gym and figured out how many loops was a mile, and used a small notepad to keep track, so I could finish up the miles I needed, and I did accomplish that! The park had a mailbox set up, with a notebook inside, that everyone kept track of their miles. It was an especially cold windy day that I went there to log in my last miles! Fun times!

 

[JusticeRider]

@MSuki and @mendogal , I have a 680 sq ft house. In the early months I almost drove my husband crazy doing hundreds and hundreds of laps around the kitchen/living room. I just about wore a path in the floor!

 

[MSuki]

I just had a near miss, sort of funny since I didn’t get hurt. I have a nice treadmill which I’ve barely used that I purchased right before I had to quit walking. It has a touchscreen. I know it has some sort of Bluetooth capability so as I was walking, I was trying to figure out how to connect my phone to it, I was walking at a very slow 1.5 mph. I know where the settings are on the main screen, but I wasn’t sure if I can get to settings during a walk. I saw a little symbol at the top right corner of the screen and I thought maybe that will take me to settings. I touched the symbol and immediately the speed changed from 1.5 mph to 12 mph. I was wearing the little safety magnet so I could’ve pulled it out to stop the treadmill but I didn’t think of that. Instead I quickly jumped to the side rail as I hit stop. I guess I should push buttons with an unknown function when I’m not walking on the treadmill. i’m not even sure why you would want a button that does that.

 

[benne68]

Oh my goodness, @MSuki! I'm so glad you didn't get hurt!

 

[MSuki]

Thanks. No one at my house will ever use the treadmill at that speed. Might have jogged at 6 mph when I was 20!

 

[sistersinhim]

Thank God you're OK. Things can happen in an instant!

 

[MSuki]

You are so right. All I got was a tiny twinge in my hip (which I think has already gone away) from my moving to the side rail so fast in my panic. Could have had a bad fall.

 

[MSuki]

8 weeks update -

Sleeping - in the last week I have been sleeping more, just after week 7 was the first time I slept as much as 7 hours (not counting little wakeups to turn over or fix pillow, etc. as long I went right back to sleep). Couple of days ago I slept almost 10 hours and again last night. I know you can’t make up all the lost sleep but I’m making up for some of it.

Recumbent bike - Day before yesterday I accidentally did 27 minutes on the bike; I had previously worked up to 15. I just move the pedals slowly while doing this and that on my iPad - I’m on it now. It didn’t bother me at all so I think I am back to 30 minutes a day which I was doing before surgery. I got into this habit after my left knee surgery. It seems like riding on the bike loosens everything up because I often wake up a little stiff.

ODIC - Back in the ODIC yesterday after aquatic therapy. I knew it was going to happen but kept on anyway. But my knee is only slightly twingy this morning. The real issue is my right glute which got activated, used, and abused yesterday morning. I think it’s good to exercise my glutes because my IT band pain on side of leg is sore to touch all the time lately, but I feel like maybe we need to repeat a session once in a while instead of always adding something new. This was caused by a stepping up exercise. It’s funny that my knee could take it but not my butt.

I am pretty motivated to get these particular muscles stronger because these are the exact muscles I need to get out of the bathtub. And I really could have used a long hot soak last night instead of the shower.

Oh almost forgot, didn’t measure my walking path in the house yet, but I have started walking it. I think it’s about 120 steps and includes walking by living room, a circle around the kitchen, down long hall to guest room, another circle in the kitchen, and back to my starting point. Between that and running some errands I somehow got got over 4000 steps! It’s a start!