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Bilateral PKR One Year Update

Susie's right. As the weather improves and you can get out and enjoy a nice spring day, you'll soon forget about your knees. This will allow you to do the things you love to do, which will improve both your knees and your spirit! When we feel better emotionally, we naturally want to do more. That doing more, as long as it's not too much!, will help to rehab those knees!
 
9 weeks post op today and I DID IT!! I walked Bashie down to the field and did the entire circuit around it and then walked home. I've walked her around parts of it before, post op, but not the whole thing. I can't remember the last time I was able to do that. Way before surgery.
Plus I lowered the seat on the stationary bike and can do rotations quite easily. No resistance. Not ready for that yet.

Did during my lunch break so I'm back at my home office, knees elevated, iced, and feeling pretty pleased.
 
You are coming along very nicely! Kneeling on your bed, walking Bashie, and rotations on the bike! You go!
 
You will achieve kneeling,your new knees are strong. It just feels weird, like sponges!
 
Wow, you walked the whole thing! Great job! Now, you are better than before surgery! That's what we all want! What an improvement you have seen!
 
Mutti3 said:
You will achieve kneeling,your new knees are strong. It just feels weird, like sponges!
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Considering how I kneeled the last time, I associate it with a lot of pain. That's where my trepidation comes from. It's next on the list !
 
I’d suggest waiting a little longer, maybe two or three more months, before you try kneeling. Oh, I’m confident you will eventually do it. It’s just that kneeling is more stressful on our new knees than, say, walking the dog, or doing daily activities or gentle bends and stretches. Your knees still have a bit of healing to finish up. No need to push for kneeling just yet. Besides, Bashie is more grateful. :puppysmooze:

Kneeling does feel weird. Spongies indeed! And the skin is being pressed down on by metal, if you think about it. Bone was bad enough. But you can get used to it.
 
10 weeks post op today. Left knee is wonderful. Righty is still problem child. If Righty was like Lefty I would be happy camper. Lefty improves daily, Righty improves weekly. But it does improve, even if at slower pace.

Today was first day I hit over 10,000 steps. 10,110 as of right now. And it won't get much higher as I'm iced, elevated and will be hitting the bed soon. I pushed myself a bit due to kneeversary but plan on backing off a bit on distances and build up slowly. By the time of my next big London trip (late Oct-mid Nov) I want to have worked up to at least 5 miles a day. This will be at a leisurely pace.

I'm still working remotely from recliner and hospital table but will test out desk again this weekend. If I want to go out to do something I do it. I ice and elevate constantly. Basically, if I'm sitting down it is in an elevated position with ice on knees. Most of the time I only take Tylenol at night and sometimes during the day if I remember it. I do sometime need to take a Benadryl at night to help sleep. I think I've just gotten used to Righty aching most of the time.

I have no idea what my numbers are. I'm just going by what I can do
 
Function is what’s important, and you are doing it! Walking is an excellent exercise. It is not easy to sit at a desk for any period of time. Numbers are only important when you play the lottery, and your knees are winning !
 
Gosh @SherrieT you are doing great. Over 10k steps -I am impressed. Try not to overdo it and have fun while you are at it! You go girl. Awesome.
 
Over 10K steps, WOW! I think the most I've got is between 4K and 5K, and I thought I was doing wonderful. You really are rocking this recovery. You'll be ready for that trip, no problem.
 
No need to do that many steps every day (I think your knees would protest before long), but it sure is good to know you CAN do it! Hey, you never know if you'll have to call on your knees to rescue you in a pinch.

My left knee was my problem child. It basically recovered two months behind Righty. Righty was pretty much painless and ready to go at two months and change. Lefty... no way. But Lefty kept getting better and is now almost 100% caught up. If a knee is going to get cranky about something (too much walking, sleeping funny... whatever) it will be Lefty. But Lefty is pain-free for days now and most of the time I don't think about either knee at all. Even problem knees come around with time. Your knees will be in that place before you know it. :)

Being able to sit for long periods at a desk took longer than being able to walk a lot. It's the angle of the bent knee that causes it to swell. Until your knees are healed enough, that's just going to be the case. Just keep testing and one day you'll be there. It's wonderful that you have such an accommodating job and set-up!

And numbers... don't matter. The real goal is what you can do. I mean, I never ever knew what my ROM numbers were all those decades before TKR. The knees were working, so it never came up. That's a happier place to be, I think. The knees are working again, and that's what matters!
 
A bit over 10 weeks post op. I have had a couple of horrid days with my right knee. It hurt so much I was beginning to think I had injured it in some way. Having such a hard time sleeping also. Then, while trying to sleep last night, it suddenly dawned on me. The weather!!! It has been so cold, windy and raining and my knee has hurt that whole time. Doesn't bother Lefty but Righty did not like it one bit! The barometric pressure was going up and down like an elevator. Hopefully when Righty gets to the same level of healing as Lefty it won't be effected as much.

Woke up today to a lovely day. Righty felt better than it ever has. I was even able get on stationary bike (it's not recumbent) without using a step ladder. Righty lifted up and over just fine. That's a first for me.

And I love it when I hear the little click-clunk of my knees.. I can only hear it when there is very little swelling so it is a good sound for me.

Happy healing everyone!!!
 
All the emotional ups and downs. This morning I told my daughter that I was just so tired of Righty aching all the time and of having to think about darn near every movement I make. Jump to this afternoon and I'm suddenly thinking that this weekend I just might try riding my bike. Real one, not stationary.

Just can't keep track of all the mood swings
 
Ups and downs. It's difficult to find the balance early on. Riding your bike might be a little much for your knees right now, but you'll find out quickly if they protest. If that's the case, put the bike away for another month or two. It's been a brutal winter and cold spring, but good bike-riding weather will be around for a few more months at least. :)
 
SherrieT said:
Just can't keep track of all the mood swings
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@SherrieT Part of the problem is we are not able to do as much as normal, so our heads get busy, busy, busy. Judging, criticizing, comparing, complaining, and on and on. I think a bike ride would be great this week-end!
 
Well, shoot, I read Susie's post after I posted mine, so maybe listen to her about the bike riding. And not me. I don't own a bike and haven't ridden in years, full disclosure btw. :)
 
That barometer can really make things miserable. Knee #1 isn't bothered about it as much as knee #2 but neither of them like the up and down fluctuations. I'll bet that if you check, as you were feeling better this afternoon, the pressure had stabilized. Some things are just out of our control!
 
@MSgirl - I immediately felt better yesterday morning. Like night and day. We were more stable up here. But the aching started up again. A small front moved in and then left. At least now I know what to look out for when Righty starts acting up
 
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