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TKR No Kneecap and a TKR Experience

@birdwatchr, I know what you mean about getting back into the choir. Since I still have to sit with my leg propped up, I've not made it back to the choir loft. We were missing 3 people in there yesterday of which I am one. And I'm the only alto, so they were unison. I'm going to try and get up there next week. It's only an hour! Our church is old and we don't even have a permanent pastor. The older people want an older preacher and the younger, which are very few, want a younger preacher. I would like one in his late 30s to late 40s to try and get some young families in. But, we don't have a lot of money to offer one. And a man that age probably has a family and needs a decent paycheck. Unfortunately, as people die, no one comes in to replace them, so we are getting smaller and smaller.
 
@birdwatchr sounds like my former church. Now I belong to a community chorus which has between 90 and 100 members. We are intergenerational and singers only have to be able to match pitch to join. We have two concerts a year. It is a whole lot of fun. We have six sections. I sing Second Alto. I love our director. We start up again in August after a summer break. That is one reason I wanted my surgery moved to an earlier date. Now I am sure I can join them in August. :)
 
@Floridagal
You know, I did see a posting somewhere that one of our community choirs is auditioning! I should look into it. Our big chorus is too demanding and costs too much, but we now have a smaller one that seems to be more reasonable. They are the ones that had the ad. Looking forward to more normal days!
 
We have a community chorus that Marilyn and I were members of for about 5 years, but they moved their rehearsal site to about an hour away from home, so we had to drop it. It had gotten to be more of a fund raiser anyway and I am not a salesman, so I was ready to leave so the move gave me an out. I have found since this surgery that I can hardly sing anymore. My range has shortened and my mouth is super dry. I know the dryness is from the meds, but I have no explanation for the range shrink. Maybe it's only because I'm not singing much now. I hope that's all. I used to sing anywhere from soprano to tenor, so I could pinch hit where I was needed in choir. Since we have no men singers that do parts, and the rest of the women are sopranos, I'm the alto now. Some songs really call for a tenor part, which I'll jump to, but of course leaves no altos then. If only we would grow. And if only my voice comes back!
 
I haven't tried singing since surgery. I don't have that good of a voice so I hope it hasn't gone down hill!!!
 
Have any of you noticed that after you've walked for a while that you knee becomes kind of spotty with red blotches and what looks like bruising? I don't have that first thing in the morning, but the coloring develops the more I'm up moving around. It also becomes much warmer.
 
My scar definitely becomes redder as the day goes on. The heat varies with activity.
 
Do you have a bruising around it for about 2"?
 
Hi Paula. Just catching up on your recovery. You're doing great! Walking for an hour..wow! I can barely make it to the back of Sam's club before the pain is too much. I tried it the other day and had to have my husband go get me an electric cart, as the pain with every step was more than I could take. I can only imagine an entire hour at this point. I did however, drive myself to the OS and walk the hallway to his office. I'm not sure why that didn't hurt as much as the walk in Sam's club, except that the walk to his office was direct and quick, and then I sat down to wait to be called, while the walk in Sam's was slow and a little less direct, as I was shopping. You're doing great; keep letting us know how you're doing.
 
@lovetocookandsew, it wasn't a solid hour of walking. My walker has a seat on it, which I did use every few minutes. And believe me, I did swell way up and became very uncomfortable. When we got home all I did was go sit down. Marilyn unloaded the car, put up my groceries and then fixed me lunch! So, it wasn't as much as it sounded. The week before I had used the motorized carts at Sam's and Walmart. I didn't need to go to Sam's and Walmart had no motorized carts available. I never would have walked it if they had. I'm still sore and stiff from my trip, but do have a house full of groceries and am not as bad as Saturday night!

I have yet to drive by myself. The way wooziness comes on me sometimes, I'm afraid to. My knee is not great while driving, but OK. I'm more concerned about the energy drain causes the light-headed woorziness.

@Josephine, is it normal to still be getting bruising on the top of the knee after being up and walking for a while? It goes away during the night, but if I'm walking more than normal it shows up from the incision our to about 2 in some spots. Is the implant causing the bruising?
 
@sistersinhim
For just having surgery June 2nd, you sound very busy! Are you sure you aren't overdoing it?
Please don't drive until you are feeling better and off the heavy pain meds.
I guess I was still struggling to walk with a cane at 5 weeks and my knee hurt most of the time, you are way ahead of me at this point. great for you :yay:
I do remember having some spotty red area's on the top of my knee around 3-5 weeks but it finally went away.
 
I usually go to WalMart late at night or in the middle of the day to not only avoid the crowds, but to make sure there's a cart available. There's no way I could make it through that store walking....lol. You shouldn't be driving yet, so I'm glad you're not. As long as you're on pain meds, no driving! But my OS also says they don't recommend driving before 6 weeks regardless. I cheated a bit as I was off pain meds, so drove very short distances at around 5 weeks. But I braked with my left foot, and still do. My SUV pedals are at different heights so I can't just pivot my ankle and foot to brake, I have to lift my leg, which is still painful to do. I could do it if I had to, but it's easier to just use my left foot, even though that's not recommended either. The longest I've driven is the 10 minute drive to the OS, so I'm still not driving that much.
 
@Majella, I'm off of the heavy meds except at night sometimes. During the day I'm using Tramadol and Tylenol. But, I agree I have to be completely confident in my driving I won't get behind the wheel without someone else in the car with me. When I'm out in the public I have my rolling walker. I don't trust having enough strength to hold myself up if someone bumps into me. In the house I'm fine with nothing unless I'm feeling extra tired, then I'm back on the walker. That's because it has a seat on it that I use to carry things.
My red spots come and go as do the purple bruising places.
How are you feeling now? My pain isn't too bad except when I'm trying the sleep! During the day the worst thing is the stiffness. Pain meds don't seem to touch that. I wonder what will. Anybody know how to reduce the pain from stiffness?
@lovetocookandsew, if it was just me I'd be out shopping before 7:30am, but I had to wait for someone to come with me. When someone's doing me a favor like that, I going to go at their convenience, not mine. When I get back to driving alone, I'll be back up there early! I am blessed because I can just pivot my foot back and forth in my car. I'm looking so forward to that independence!
 
I'm not a morning person at all; if our WalMart was a 24 hour one, you'd find me there at 2 am. There are a couple nearby that are 24 hour, but I'd rather just go at 8 or 10 pm to the one close by. Plus, when I do my monthly shopping, my husband usually likes to go along to pick out his own stuff; he's at work on weekdays and snoring away at 2 am. Just like the gym I used to use (and plan to go back to)-it's 24 hours and I usually went at 2 am.
 
I don't get bruising on my knee but the incision seems to change colors like the old 'mood' rings from a while back. Purple means it's not very happy with me and that is usually after work or when it swollen. It's red when it's warning me and pink when it's happy.
 
@ sistersinhim
As for the stiffness, it drives me crazy...I get up in the morning and shuffle to the kitchen l(my husband says I walk like a penguin) :heehee: By the time a take a shower and move around I can walk pretty good most of the day, unless I take a nap, then the stiffness/pain sets in a-g-a-i-n! :what: I read from someone's post it took a year to 15 mo before the stiffness when away...geezzzz!
 
I still get that whenever I sit or lay down at all. The first few steps are hard and then I'm off!
 
@newlybionic, your incision tells you how it feels just by you looking at it! Does it pre-warn you that you'd better stop what you're doing? @Majella, the stiffness is more of a problem than the pain is except when trying to sleep. Then it's the ache that wants to wake and keep me up. If I get up and walk the ache goes away. But, the stiff feeling stays with me most of the time. I'd have a lot more ROM if it weren't for this stupid stiffness! I have to admit that sometimes the stiffness is less than others, so there is hope that sooner than later there will be more times without that stiffness!
 
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