TKR Panammaniac’s Recovery Thread

[Layla]

Awesome update! Congrats on the weight loss also, that has to feel pretty good.
A new knee and a new you!
Have a great weekend!
@panammaniac

 

[EalingGran]

That's brilliant news- well done.
I got my BP checked this morning as part of an NHS research project and it was fine (104/ 78) but my pulse is still higher than usual. I think it is due to a mixture of residual pain/ stress and post- op inflammation. Trying to stay relaxed and not worry about it!
Can you get BP measurements in your local pharmacy? We can get that done free in some pharmacies the UK if you book.

 

[EalingGran]

The 30lbs weight loss is amazing too-and bound to help joints and BP. I am trying to lose a few Xmas pounds- any tips?!

 

[panammaniac]

The 30lbs weight loss is amazing too-and bound to help joints and BP. I am trying to lose a few Xmas pounds- any tips?!

For me it was two things - 1) being able to increase activity level due to not being in pain, and 2) simply cutting down on how much I eat. I looked at the nutritional info for all of our favorite restaurants. I don't know about the UK, but in the US all of the restaurants have to publish that and make it available on demand. And almost all restaurants in the US give you way too much food. It's not unusual to see a dinner with over 3000 calories, which is more than what most people should consume in a day. When we go out to eat I've gotten in the habit of automatically dividing my dinner in half and taking the other half home to eat later. That in itself has made a huge difference. And I found that eating only half was usually plenty - my body didn't NEED to be consuming the whole plate. A nice side effect is my digestive system is functioning much better. I sleep better and don't end up waking up with heartburn in the middle of the night like I used to.

 

[EalingGran]

I think eating half is very much the French style and a good tip! I often share a cake or dessert with my husband- or try to only have a mouthful or two of his.
In the UK only the bigger restaurants/chains have to give calorie counts. A physio I saw pre-op said that every pound you lose is 3lbs of loading off your lower limb. Years ago when I first had hip pain I lost 28lbs and my hip pain went away for almost 15 years. It has now gone again with straightening my leg with knee surgery.

 

[Layla]

Happy Four Month Anniversary!
I hope you're enjoying the weekend and February is off to a good start for you. Take good care and stay in touch!
@panammaniac

 

[panammaniac]

@Layla Thank you! All is still going well. I am in New Mexico for the weekend, back to my old college town for an event hosted by my alma mater that my daughter is in. On Friday morning we had a few hours to kill before her event started, so we decided to go for a little morning hike. This is a hiking trail that I hadn't done in over 30 years. About 3 miles round trip and the outbound part is a steady uphill climb. Not steep, but steady, and of course dirt and gravel all the way. I made it just fine. Last year at this time I couldn't have done it. We made the round trip in about 90 minutes. I'm pretty sore now and the knee swelled up just a little, but not too bad. I'm just thrilled that I can do things like this again!

 

[EalingGran]

That is great news and very positive.
I am a couple of weeks behind you. I can only do 3 miles on the flat with a half hour break for coffee! A solid hike going up hill to start is a real achievement.

 

[Layla]

You're welcome!
Great accomplishment, panammaniac! I'm sure with some rest, elevation and ice you'll be back to normal in short order.

Your weekend sounds lovely and I am betting your getaway is bringing back fun memories from your college days.
Enjoy your remaining time in New Mexico and safe travels home!
@panammaniac

 

[JusticeRider]

@panammaniac it’s great to hear an update! I cannot believe you are hiking!! Has your surgeon recruited you yet for a testimonial on her/his website? If not, they should! You are a poster child for a great TKR recovery. That sounds like a really fun trip, and I hope after a little TLC your knee will feel good as new again.

 

[shr]

Looking good!

 

[panammaniac]

@JusticeRider My surgeon hasn’t tried to recruit me, but she did tell me I’m one of the best recoveries she’s ever seen. I had a follow-up appointment with her over the phone on January 20 and she was shocked that I wasn’t taking any meds at all, not even Tylenol. She said that’s unheard of. The hike was something that under normal conditions would be a pretty easy hike. The trail is in great condition. It’s just a little bit uphill - my heart was pounding on the way out because we were walking pretty briskly. My daughter commented about how I couldn’t have done it last year, and she was right. It’s one of those things you take for granted until one day you can’t do it, and then it’s that much more special when you can do it again. I was pretty sore the next day, not just the knee but the whole body. The knee is still a little bit stiff and swollen today. I definitely overdid it a little, but it was worth it and I’ll be perfectly fine in a couple days.

I hope you’re doing well! I’m not getting on here as much as I used to but still try to check in from time to time.

 

[JusticeRider]

It sounds like you’re doing great, @panammaniac ! That must have been really satisfying to be able to do a hike you couldn’t have before. I bet you’ll bounce back fast. I’m doing pretty well, slowly but surely here I’m going to post a 6 month update in a few days and I’ll tag you on it.

 

[panammaniac]

A small milestone today - I was able to put ice skates on and do a little bit of skating for the first time in a few years! Nothing major, just a few laps around the rink. It felt good to be back out there and everything went just fine.

The background on that is 15 years ago when my daughter was 2 she started taking skating lessons. I bought myself a pair of skates and took a few skating lessons myself so I could help her practice. She’s now a national level competitor and a far better skater than I ever will be. By 2018 she didn’t really need my help anymore, and my skates are hockey skates instead of figure skates. The rink she skates in has an over 50 beginners hockey league, and I was going to sign up because I turned 50 that year. I was in the process of shopping for pads and a helmet when I injured the knee while officiating a high school basketball game, and until today I haven’t returned to the ice since. I don’t think I’ll ever try playing hockey now, but I asked my surgeon about ice skating and she said “I don’t see why not.”

 

[sistersinhim]

I was able to put ice skates on and do a little bit of skating for the first time in a few years!

This is fantastic! I know you were thrilled. How wonderful to get back to doing something you loved. This surgery can make such an improvement in our lives!

 

[Layla]

Skating...how wonderful! Some people may not even be able to put the skates on at this point let alone take a few laps around the rink. Good for you!

You're definitely an athletic bunch. You must be proud of your daughter.
I do hope you're able to enjoy more time on the rink, just no triple axels, please. At least not yet.
Have a great Sunday and week!
@panammaniac

 

[panammaniac]

6 month report: Yesterday marked 6 months post surgery, and I'm happy to report that everything is still going extremely well. I'd say I'm probably about 90% recovered and able to function fully normally with almost no limitations. I was just on a cruise last week and I took the stairs everywhere I went. If you know cruise ships, there are a lot of stairs. I had no issues climbing from Deck 3 where most of the main activity was up to Deck 8 where my stateroom was, or Deck 10 where the pool was. The only remaining thing is the area around the knee still feels quite numb, and it does still swell a little bit with a lot of activity, but those are perfectly normal things that I know take at least a year to get past. I won't be going out and running any marathons or anything like that, but the knee feels great and my quality of life is much better than it was before the surgery.

Chances are someday I'll have the other one done, but since getting the LTKR the right knee hasn't been bothering me. The surgeon said we will look at it when I go in for my one year checkup, but as of right now I'm nowhere close to having the right one done. I think part of what made the left one go bad so quickly was the torn ACL that we didn't even know was torn until the surgeon cut me open.

 

[benne68]

Happy six month an-KNEE-versary, @panammaniac! Sounds like you are doing well.

since getting the LTKR the right knee hasn't been bothering me.

The same thing happened to me (opposite knees, though). I expected to need to have leftie down last fall, but so far, so good! Also, I recently noted that -- at 18 months post-op -- my knee is still improving, so you are likely to continue to make gains for at leas the rest of the year, if not longer. Congrats!

 

[EalingGran]

Do you still get any warmth in the new knee? I am just slightly behind you at 5 and 1/2 months and mine is still a bit warm by evening. I an doing stairs a lot more normally but wouldn't relish a cruise ship just yet.
Great update- hope you are having a wonderful holiday!

 

[panammaniac]

@EalingGran Yes, it does still get a little bit warm, and it does still swell up a little bit with a lot of activity. My OS told me this would be normal for a year or so. It isn't intolerable. A little bit of ice after I've been active takes care of it.