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Bilateral PKR On the other side

Thanks @benne68 I do all the exercises I can that fit with my current situation. Unfortunately for the best lower back ones I need mended knees, and obviously I’m not there yet.
 
Legseleven said:
the best lower back ones I need mended knees,
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Yep! I remember struggling with that -- and I only did one knee at a time.

My yoga teacher at the time suggested doing a seated version of the cat-cow stretch, and a seated side bend. While not quite as effective as the originals, they did help me a bit.
 
Day 40: All week I’ve been building up to walk to an afternoon event near my house, which was today. I’d diligently increased my steps every day this week, without overdoing it. I managed the event and stayed a bit, moving around and sitting in 2 different chairs, had a cuppa, then walked straight home to ice, ice baby with my new and beloved best friends the Cryocuffs.
A good result and I’ve set myself some more goals starting in 3 days time, and some more for September. Meanwhile I’ll continue with my graded activities.
We all know Rome wasn’t built in a day, and how new knee parts take time to recover from, so I’m gradually adapting to exercise my patience muscle more and more.
 
This is amazing! I’m so proud of your approach to recovery….very measured and logical. It’s going to give you the success you’re looking for. I hope you enjoyed the event you attended and you have many more to look forward to.
 
benne68 said:
! I remember struggling with that -- and I only did one knee at a time.
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Absolutely. I have spinal stenosis and really need to be able to get on the floor and kneel to do cat stretches or at least lie on my tummy to do back strength poses like sphinx.
It is really hard early on. But even seated pilates/back exercises are better than nothing.
Good luck! You are doing well.
 
Day 41.
Unsurprisingly the knees, mainly left, complained a little more in the night, after their big outing, so for the first time in ages I took 2 paracetamol at 4.15 am. This meant when waking again at 8 am with the low back pain that it was too soon for more paracetamol. Instead I applied Volarol gel to the low back and did my usual walking around and around on the crutches and up and down the landing. See how that goes.
Today will be more walking, icing, skateboard, icing, chair pedals, ice, ice etc. I do have a good ROM. Nevertheless it now feels a bit like being on a journey, or mission, that one can’t stop or get off, so the only thing to do is to keep going. The novelty, not quite the right word, of it all has worn off, the scenery is becoming dull and there’s still a long, long way to go….. to Tipperary ….
I expect I’ll think of something to lighten the way as the weeks go on.
 
YES! With my knees I felt like each day's routine of rest, elevate, ice, activity, repeat was one daylong martial arts kata (form) that like any form had to be repeated each and every day, slowly improving.
 
Thanks @mendogal
I know I’m doing well, however some days the whole scenario appears to stretch endlessly before me… I can see how far I’ve come, how well the knees are doing, maybe I just want a break and a bit of normalcy… and an idea of when that might be.
So just as Winston Churchill said “KBO….. “
 
I hear you.
Right now it's the wee hours here; I'm in a too noisy urban hotel for the night instead of my quiet home and all I really want in life right now is to be able to take my forearm-to-fingers cast off for just fifteen minutes and take a nap.

It's a feeling we all become too well acquainted with during these long recoveries.

The single best recommendation I see repeatedly on Bone Smart is to use this, your recovery thread, to note and celebrate every tiny milestone. When you get those overpowering "can it just be normal for a bit" feels, read those and remind yourself that you're getting ever closer to a new, better normal.

You had a bit of normal, it sounds like a great outing and that's a new and different pattern: have a little adventure, get a friend to bring you to a cafe or a hair appointment or a park, try to not overdo it, and plan on taking the following day as a rest day. And so more milestones and the pattern changes again. Progress.

Hang in there. And feel free to vent here!
 
Thanks @mendogal very much. Your plaster cast must be so challenging on every level. You’re right in so many ways.
So this morning in a small bid towards normalcy, and as there’s only me, I did my Scissorhands impression with a small load of washing and then dared to make a few banana pancakes to use up a squashed banana. I even used the perching stool, half way through, and they took only a few minutes to make, however I was absolutely wiped out. I was actually quite shocked by how I felt. The Energy Drain strikes again.
It can only get better.
It will get better.
 
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Hello @Legseleven, I've just been reading your thread and I must say I am in total awe. I'm at home, day 2 post TAR and whilst in hospital spent overnight and one day in the 'elective orthopaedic' recovery ward. It's a nightingale style ward and mixed in terms of age, sex and operative procedure - even after one day it was obvious that recovery was particularly difficult for patients that had knee surgery. Unilateral knee surgery and they were staying on in hospital whilst those of us with ankle, foot or non-weight bearing surgical sites were off home!
Well done following you bilateral operation and all good wishes for your continuing recovery.
 
Thanks @sistersinhim very much. In one way I do know this, I guess some days and nights are harder than others either on the knees or for the whole person.

Thank you @Newhip_Pol for your kind words. Good luck with your ankle recovery.

So I’ve emptied the dishwasher and walked the lane twice today, and I alway come back to Ice, Ice, Baby. My new song should be “I just want to be free.. “
I know I will be.. back to strengthening the patience muscle. Thanks all.
 
Hi Legseleven.
I think we're on a little bit of a high once we're beyond surgery, just to have that portion of the journey behind us. Recovery is a novelty at first as we establish routines (which are ever changing) we're focused on healing and brighter days ahead, but the energy drain is still there as our body uses energy toward healing first. At one month post op there is still pain, and likely swelling and stiffness. It is not unusual to become bored and feel as though recovery has stalled. You've been working hard, but you still don't feel back to normal, or as good as you expected you would. Try to focus on all of the progress you've made, which has been great! Keep it up, you're doing amazingly well, but still have a way to go until you reach the finish line.
I hope you have a good week. :)
 
Thanks @Layla

Day 42. 6 weeks today. Yay!

So I’ve pushed it a bit today. I was invited to meet friends half an hour away, by car.
Driving is no problem at all, and this was the furthest I’d driven since the op. It’s only me needing to open the doors wide to get in/out that makes the parking tricky. Both knees are fine in the automatic car.
Parked by the pavement, walked few yards on crutches into a pub, able to sit 20 mins with legs up on bench, straight, then back to car. Next drove couple of hundred yards to the local Hall, walked in on crutches to see the art. Back to car and home to ice.
A nice change, a good day, and will see how the knees react.
They’re definitely still in charge and I listen and move onto the next activity/position accordingly.
Have iced twice since I got home. Fingers crossed and on we go.
 
Legseleven said:
It’s only me needing to open the doors wide to get in/out that makes the parking tricky.
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I remember this dilemma. One time, while my husband was still driving me around, he parked in a "normal" space with cars on either side. He looked at my strangely when I told him I couldn't get out. Somehow, he didn't recognize that I needed an empty space on my side of the car so I could swing the door all the way open to make things work! :heehee:
 
I remember one of our former staff members, @Sara61 had gone to a store by herself, and a car had come and parked next to her while she was in the store. When she came out, she had to ask a person passing by, to back her car out of the space, so she could get in! I remembered that when the same thing happened to me, but I was at my chiropractor’s office. I went back inside and asked one of the girls working there, if she’d back my car out for me.
 
This is one of the main reasons for requesting a temporary handicap tag from your doctor. Then you won’t have to worry about this problem.
 
I have permanent handicap plates, but sometimes someone will park over the lines, and I'll still have a difficult time getting in or out of the car. A few times I've had to get someone to back it up for me. This seems to be a common problem, and even more so as the years go by. Many people just don't care.
 
@Jamie sadly we can’t get them in the UK. I wish.
I’ll let you know if I have to ask anyone to back it up for me!

So after my outing later on I pushed it a bit more and went up to the top of the house today where my studio is. My heart and soul needed it, even if the left knee is grumbling a little tonight. Lots of icing.

I’m hoping to get up there almost every day now… always lots to make and do.
 
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