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PKR One Year Update

So glad you are making GREAT progress! It gets better, over time...PT helps, but time is our best friend! I Just past 20 weeks post op, still have some aches and tiredness , but looking back in the past when sleep,didn’t exist, and the zingers would annoy us, all gets better....best wishes for a continued slow and steady recovery
 
@Wolvesfan - just found your thread. It sounds like you are making amazing progress. Sometimes in the day-to-day we cannot see the progress amidst the frustrations and little backward steps we sometimes experience, but in hindsight you can see the great healing and recovery you've already attained. May it continue for you apace.
 
You are rocking it in my opinion!! Hearing you talk about your progress makes me so happy for you. I also makes me wonder if I should give PT another try. I'm still not able to walk briskly or straighten my leg completely. I hope you continue to make excellent progress. High five!!:yes!:
 
I'm so glad I found your thread! I'm 5 weeks Left PKR and your progression is encouraging. Please keep us up to date. We all need good news!
 
Reading your complete thread has been so encouraging! Many of the feelings and experiences you documented have been so spot on with me. And even with your struggles, you’ve always managed to have a positive attitude :) I am so happy that things have gone well for you!
 
@pkraug2020 and @Muldoh ... Thank you so much for your kind messages! I’m six months post op today, and overall, I’m doing very well. My new knee and I have become quite good friends. I’m taking a nice, long walk every morning with our puppy, and I’m averaging around 8000 steps a day...with no ill effects. The tight band feeling is still occasionally present, but it’s very faint and really no bother. For the most part, I’m going up and down stairs like a grownup, but the down stairs part can still be uncomfortable. I know that will improve with time!

I’m at the point now when I can go for long periods of time without thinking about my knee, but every now and then, it will remind me that it’s still healing, and I’ll have a little soreness, stiffness, or tenderness. I struggled so much with the emotional aspect of this surgery and recovery....and maybe I’m most happy to have that part behind me.

A couple of former high school classmates had surgery shortly after mine, and they reported torturous PT sessions, always with the “no pain, no gain” mindset. My OS is very much aligned with the Bonesmart philosophy, and while I trusted him, I still worried that without aggressive PT, my recovery wouldn’t be complete (I was wrong about that, of course).

During the first 6-8 weeks, I was more focused on what I couldn’t do than on any progress I’d made. The novelty of recovery gave way to the reality, and I became so discouraged. But now, at the six-month mark, I’m so happy to report that I’ve made great progress...and you will, too. I’ve learned that my knee will tell me what it needs. It’s ok to ask for help when you need it. Everyone’s recovery is unique to them. It can be demoralizing to compare your progress with that of anyone else. The only people who truly understand what you’re experiencing are those who have had this surgery themselves...so Bonesmart is a great support tool!

Patience, while not easy, will so often be necessary...and will yield positive results along the way. And here’s a little pet peeve (silly, I know). When I told people about my surgery, so many wished me a “speedy recovery.” I know those comments came from a kind place. But there’s nothing speedy about this recovery, and I think the people pleasing aspect of my personality felt like I wasn’t doing enough, then, to speed the process along. Crazy, right? But it taught me to wish others a successful recovery (instead of speedy), and that’s what I wish for all of my Bonesmart friends!
 
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Thank you so much for this Wolvesfan! I read this towards the end of a difficult day, and it immediately lifted my spirits and gave me hope. Finding Bonesmart and reading the blogs of members like you has been a godsend, along with the sage advice of the moderators. Best wishes to you
 
@Muldoh ... By the way, your pup looks adorable. Our little guy was always checking on me, and while I was terrified that he would jump on my knee (he didn’t), I also loved the support he gave to me. Here’s a photo of him checking in as I was elevating and icing!
 

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  • [Bonesmart.org] One Year Update
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Today was my first day post-op that I was able to take my dog for a walk around the block. I'm not sure who more excited, her or me?! :)
 
My PKR was one year ago today. I’m really happy with my new knee, and credit my surgeon’s very patient approach to recovery, along with the support of the Bonesmart forum, for a successful outcome. At no time did I feel forced or rushed to reach any measurement. In fact, since the Covid shutdown happened shortly after my surgery, there wasn’t even a PT option until I was 10 weeks post-op. My therapy consisted of the exercises shown to me at the hospital (nothing that exacerbated pain from the surgery) and activities around the house and yard as I was able.

While most progress happened during the first six months, I’ve continued to see incremental improvements during the 7-12 months after surgery, and at my one year checkup last week, my OS estimated ROM to be 0-130. I’d say that’s pretty accurate.

Now, were there were times when I wondered if I’d made a big mistake? YES. Recovery is difficult. The post-op blues, combined with anxiety about the pandemic, really got to me. Bonesmart provided invaluable support and helped my recovery by focusing on my small but still significant improvements, rather than worrying so much about my limitations.

Knowing now what I didn’t know on March 9, 2020, would I do it again? Absolutely! My left knee (formerly known as my good knee) has been acting up for some reason. It’s structurally sound, some very mild arthritis and my surgeon’s diagnosis was “your knee is just angry, so give it a chance to calm down...definitely not a candidate for surgery at this point.” But it’s given me an even greater appreciation for my strong, straight, and pain-free new knee! Thank you, Bonesmarties, for your support! Also, @sistersinhim, could you change the title of my thread to One Year Update? Thank you!
 
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What a great report and outcome @Wolvesfan ! :happydance: I am so glad you checked in and that you and your OS feel so good about your recovery. It isn't surprising your "good" knee is getting cranky. As your formerly "bad" knee deteriorated, "good" was charged with making adjustments to help keep you vertical, stressing the joint, muscles, and ligaments. :tantrum2: Then when you got your new PKR and your leg was realigned as it should be, "good" was further out of whack. Our poor "good" knees.
 
I'll be glad to change it for you.

Isn't it wonderful to be glad you made the decision to have this surgery and are now mostly over it! Your old knee will settle down now that your new knee can pull its own weight.
 
@sistersinhim...I’m so grateful! And seriously, during the first six weeks of recovery, when the whole world was shut down and I felt so isolated and worried, you and the support of this forum pulled me through!
 
I am divorced and for the majority of my recovery I was alone. I spent many hours, day and night, on this site. I had friends that held my hand, gave me a shoulder to cry on, and celebrated with me when I had little successes. They were and are like family to me. It was such a comfort to have someone who cared about what I was going through and now I am 'paying it back' by working on the staff. I know how much it means to have someone to relate to. No one who has not had this surgery knows what it is like. At Bonesmart we have all had a joint replacement and know the ups and downs to its recovery.
 
It is so wonderful to read good updates, as it gives hope and encouragement to others going thru similar situations, Thank you for sharing. You will still see on going improvements as time progresses, to the point that you eill barely think of your knee at all.
Like you, Now I can finally say it was well worth the ups and downs and all the dog goes inbetween xx
Wishing continued success xxx
 
Wolvesfan said:
When I have a good day, I’ll feel like “yay, I’ve turned a corner” and then when the soreness returns, I feel like my body is letting me down. What a crazy journey. The mind game is as challenging as the physical recovery, isn’t it!
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Thank you for sharing your journey. It really helped to read it today. The mind game is key to the recovery too!
 
I had an interesting experience today. I had an arthroscopic procedure on what used to be my good knee, and that went well. But prior to the procedure, after the anesthesiologist completed his assessment with me, he sighed and then said “Did your knee replacement really hurt?” His question caught me off guard, and I said “Yes, it was quite painful,” and then he asked me how long the pain lasted. He told me that he had a TKR six weeks ago, that he didn’t think he would survive the pain of the first two weeks, and that he was regretting having the surgery; worried that he would never feel ok again. He’s in the stage where the acute pain has eased, but the knee feels tight and swollen and his mobility isn’t near where he thought it would be. Oh how well I remember that phase, too! First, I told him that I was amazed he was working just six weeks after such a major surgery, and then we really had a good chat about the challenges of recovery...and the eventual rewards, even though your patience is really tried throughout much of the process, along with your tolerance for pain. I’ve often read on this forum that if doctors/surgeons truly understood the pain of this procedure, they might adapt a more gentle approach to recovery. So it was interesting to be in the position of reassuring a physician that everything he was feeling was normal; that the worries often accompanying recovery can be as challenging as the physical concerns, and to listen to his knee. Be well, Bonesmarties!
 
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