TKR Neesie's Recovery Thread

@Neesie , there's no need to apologise for "whining" or venting. We know how you feel, because we've all been there and done it ourselves. We're here when you need a virtual shoulder to cry on, or a virtual hug. :friends:
 
OMG. 4 months and you're still having setbacks. Excuse me while I pull up a blankie and sit and cry with you. I'm already bored with all this. I expect in another 2 months there will be some genuine toddler worthy meltdowns. I think you're handling everything as gracefully as you can.

Dont feel bad. I'm pretty sure we all get turns here. Its definitely your turn.

Are you knitting? Knitting will help. I've been assured that knitting makes everything better. If I could keep a count and knit while laying on my back, I'd be knitting now too.
 
Last edited:
Thanks @luvcats. I am knitting hats/cardigans and blankets for donations to local hospitals. In another week I start the 100+ holiday ornaments I make for residents and staff of my mother’s assisted living facility. They do all serve as a distraction but I still find plenty of time to feel sorry for myself. I’d be delighted to pass my turn along to someone else.
 
I’m with you Nessie. You are not alone. I have episodes of crying deeply into my pillows until I’m exhausted. It seems to help. It’s such a journey. Months ahead still to assure us it’s worth it.... and this is the frustration, I think.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Im sorry you're stuck in the sad. It's a hard thing and one of my least favorite parts of recovery. I spend a lot of time on social media when that happens, reaching out to my support group.

My grandmother learned to knit when she heard about a group that knits sweaters for children in Appalachia. She learned to love it.

I had to frog out all the knitting I did in the 2 days before this surgery. I'm not holding myself to a terribly high standard for that first project but the two rows where somehow I switched from all knit to all purl about 2/3 into the row, that was just the last straw. I'm thinking this weekend I'll spend some time down stairs in my recliner and I'll be able to pick up my needles again. It's so addictive.

What sort of ornaments will you be making?
 
@luvcats I am the queen of frogging. The woman who re-taught me to knit was a master knitter BUT she also believed that there had to be 1 mistake in each and every thing. No one is perfect. She also taught me about knit worthy (those who just don't appreciate what is involved so you don't knit for them).

I knit mostly little 5 and 6 pointed stars, bells. The residents hang them on their walkers and doors. Here's a photo of some of them:
 
Hmmm, looks like the photo didn't copy properly. And I do Christmas trees and balls too.
star1_small2.jpg
 
They are precious! You are very talented and giving by sharing your talent to those that need something to brighten their days.
 
Quick question to those who are farther along than I am. How long do you ice? I worked for 4 hours today and felt stiff and achy. I iced for 30 minutes. My OCD nature is screaming in my head because I don't know if that's "right".
 
I iced until my knee felt better and less swollen, sometimes an hour sometimes longer. As long as there’s something between your skin and the ice you can keep it on as long as you like.
 
Those ornaments are just adorable!!! I'll keep them in mind for the future.
I'm not a perfectionist by nature, but I do like to think I have a certain standard. Lol One problem here or there that the average person wont even find does not bother me. Changing the stitch in the middle of a consistent block? That I couldn't live with. Lol

I ice until the cold bothers me or until my ice pack isnt cold. Or, later in the healing, when I needed to get up and do something else.
 
I elevated and iced the whole time I was sitting or laying down. I did this for the first couple of months. This kept my swelling and pain way down.
 
Quick question to those who are farther along than I am. How long do you ice? I worked for 4 hours today and felt stiff and achy. I iced for 30 minutes. My OCD nature is screaming in my head because I don't know if that's "right".
You can ice for as long as you want to, but anything less than about 45 minutes won't accomplish much. I used to ice every time I sat down or went to bed. I iced all night long,changing the ice packs when I woke during the night.

Have a look at this article:
Ice to control pain and swelling

The article begins with this information:
Conflicting advice is often given to patients regarding the use of ice. Some doctors, nurses and therapists advise using it or 15-20 minutes 3 or 4 times a day. This is only appropriate when healing from an injury. Following joint replacement surgery, ice is a critical part of your pain management program and should be used on your joint and any other areas around it that are painful as much as you like. Just be sure to never place the ice source directly on your skin. This can cause severe burns as well as potentially reduce the flow of the blood and lymph circulation.

When using an ice pack, put a cloth between the ice source and your skin. A tea towel, kitchen towel or hand towel is perfect. Even if you are using an ice machine, you should have at least a thin cloth or your dressing between the cold surface and your skin.
 
At 4 months, things are improving and I'm more able to have a life. There's still lots of pain but it's manageable. What's very interesting is that now my left knee has started to really hurt again. I can compare the 2 different kinds of pain simultaneously. I don't have the experience that lots of other people have mentioned; i.e., they're both wretched and one is not "better" than the other. There's still not much chance I'll consider doing Lefty but @luvcats approach is so positive maybe I'll reconsider that.

Just curious - has a brace on a bone-on-bone knee helped anyone?
 
Love your pretty ornaments!

I agree that icing is part of ongoing pain management.

Bone on bone? I waited 8 years after my meniscus tear cleanup/removal surgery to do its PKR. Too long. Should have done it at 5 yrs. I was grinding the leg bone. Ugh.

The minute I felt bone on bone pain in the left leg, I had that PKR. Much quicker, easier recovery.
 
@marieltha according to the surgeon my left knee was worse than my right but my right hurt more so I did it first. It’s been bone on bone for way longer than five years but based on how difficult this recovery has been I’m not willing to do it yet.
 
You have to be ready for it and up to doing it. I feel the same about my complicated bunion. My OS is not recommending I do it until much past the full year of shoulder recovery.
 
Forgot to add that my knees were still 11 months apart, and would have been more/further apart, but I had to move the knee surgery up (to use the walker) when I tore my shoulder tendon. I had to have both knees sturdy for the shoulder recovery, which requires walking, and an unstable, buckling knee could be treacherous.

This has been a humbling experience with losing and regaining stamina. I hope to not repeat it.

Be careful and rebuild your stamina.
 

BoneSmart #1 Best Blog

Staff online

  • mendogal
    Staff member since November 10, 2023

Forum statistics

Threads
65,179
Messages
1,597,053
BoneSmarties
39,363
Latest member
HikerWalker
Recent bookmarks
0
Back
Top Bottom