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TKR Pheebs52 Recovery Discovery Journey May 22

Good afternoon fellow Smarties! It was a bit of a rough weekend for our Birthday Girl, Miss Pheebs, but she is 13 and has a few, serious and chronic health problems. Kidneys primarily. However, true to form, she bounced back late last night and seems to be her usual perky self this morning; phew!

Despite her problems, I'm happy to report I had a kneetastic weekend. I honestly do believe rocking has helped, on several levels. My back and hip were still a bit ouchy though until late day yesterday, so we didn't do much other than a trip to BJ's. But, the knee was pretty darned good.:yes!: Today, EVERYTHING felt good; woot!:yes!:

Today is Week 12 and....finally, at long last, they *let* me try the bike at PT and....I did 2 minutes of slow, very slightly ouchy, forward rotation! Could've knocked me and them over with a feather! Whoohoo! I'm so excited! I know, I know, it doesn't take much, but these are the milestones we use to gauge our recoveries, right? They didn't bother measuring today (yay) so I've no idea what the numbers are (yay) but....I. Can. Bike. :happydance: Now I'll be looking to purchase a bike for home use, so more $$$ out the window in pursuit of a "Happy Knee," but, that's why we put ourselves through this bony nightmare, eh? Yes, it is, so that we can get back to doing the things we've always enjoyed doing! :yay:
 
Congrats on the bike! Riding my recumbent bike was my favorite exercise and I can't wait to be able to do it again. I ordered mine from Amazon and am very happy with it.

I am glad Miss Pheebs is better. We were all worried about her, I think. It's good to have your smiling face back. :curtsey:
 
Good news that Miss Pheebs is feeling better. A dog of that age is almost certain to have health issues. My 13 year old girl is half-blind, half-deaf, and has arthritis that, thank goodness, medicine helps somewhat. Poor old thing. But they're incredibly sweet at that age, too.
Bikes are the best! Your knees are going to love that exercise. :upright:
 
so glad miss pheebs is feeling better ~ i love senior dogs for their calmness and sweetness. that's great you could pedal the bike at p.t. are you thinking of getting a "city bike" for riding or an exercise bike for inside? i have my city bike up on platforms (not sure what they're called) so i can ride it stationary indoors. still can't rotate but i look forward to riding it again.
 
Thanks for all the kind and caring comments and well wishes for Miss Pheebs! She's a tough little bird, 12 pounds of determination wrapped in a silky coat with a heart as big as a St. Bernard. She's really been quite inspirational on this knee recovery journey, because she also has some arthritis, but doesn't let it stop her from flinging her Kong ball down the steps 50x a day! She literally never gives up, but she does *fizzle* at the end of each day. On most days, she remains pretty feisty, despite the arthritis, kidney, bladder and leaky heart valve issues she has. Gosh, now that I see that in print, I think she might be my twin, lol!:rotfl:

@liam2015, you just asked the questions I am currently asking myself, lol. I used to have a road bike that I put up on a *trainer* in the winter so I could ride it indoors. In the Spring, I'd take it off the trainer and get outdoors, where I'd much rather be. Prior to that, I had an exercise bike I didn't like that just happened to be a recumbent model. I know many here love them, but for some reason, it really aggravated my hip and back, so I sold it. I discussed it with PT today and he confirmed that anyone with my hip/back issues should stick with an upright model. So, the question remains; outdoor bike with trainer or dedicated exercise bike? I'll have to mull it over a bit and discuss with Mistah as well.

@SusieShoes, well, THE KNEE didn't exactly love it today, but...the psyche sure did! The way it happened was totally surprising, like so much with these crazy new knees; hah! My intention was to try backward pedaling, but my leg had other ideas, lol.

@sandi4213, I hope you can get back on your bike much sooner than I was able to! I'll have to browse Amazon and see what they have. I'm sure they have a lot, but my preference would be actually going to a store where I could try some out 'cuz .....*fussy-butt* syndrome unfortunately rules. Of course, Sports Authority is no longer in business around here, so there are very few places I could go. PT mentioned one place but the bikes sounded a bit pricey to me.
 
Congrats on pedaling . . . BIG milestone and I think you will enjoy it as a way to get a good stretch for the knee without weightbearing.:upright: Glad Miss Pheebs is on the upswing -- and super duper congrats on a happy knee, back and hips today.
 
Welcome back! You were missed! So glad Miss Pheebs is better. We had a mini Schnauzer who was with us for 13 yrs. They really are part of the family!

:biking: :wowspring:Great news on the bike!! I'm sure you were thrilled! Maybe you can go to the "pricey store" and test ride/sit on theirs then order online for less $$$ ?? I have a recumbent, but understand your concerns.
Mine sat, gathering cobwebs, from knee #1 until now....hoping to get on it soon!
 
Thanks so much Helen, and hey, GMTA (great minds think alike) on the in store/online shopping experience! That's exactly what I plan to do, lol. BTW, if you can pedal that bike just 4 weeks post-op, I'll have to stop talking to you. Really, I will. I just can't be seen with SuperStar overachievers, ya know? I'd lose all credibility in the S-L-O-W L-A-N-E and I just can't risk that. I don't want to return my T-Shirt or lose my laggard buddies. So, please, just wait until at least 8 weeks, ok? That would be *acceptable*, lol. :heehee:
 
Oh, not to worry! I SAT on the bike today and rocked the pedals gently! PT turned the gadgets on and I looked at him and said, " What? You're trying to shame me today by making the bike tell me to pedal?" He laughed and set a timer and for 8 min I rocked along!
 
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Ahhhh Pheebs....that's great news about Miss Pheebs recovery and as you would put it Huzzah! To you and your bike riding. I have an upright exercise bike ( previously used as a clothes hangar lol) but I must admit the seat is NOT comfortable! But it will have to do for now. I also have an almost new city bike hanging in the garage. It has a comfortable gel seat, regular handle bars and even has springs for a pleasant ride but and it's a BIG but, I am petrified to even try riding it. It's a bit big for me ( or I am shrinking) and I am so afraid of falling. Maybe if I could get training wheels to fit.......hmmm...
 
You did it Pheebs52! Yahoo! Front revolutions! And your Miss Pheebs being better! What better news could you have!
 
I bet it won't be a year before you get that bike on the street! It feels so good!
 
Glad to hear that you and Miss Pheebs are doing well! I swear that I must be the only one whose PT never wanted the seat lowered! I only ever rode it so that my legs were almost straight when pedals were at lowest point (on upright bike). I did ask if I should lower, as this is what I did for prior knee rehabs, and she said absolutely not. The goal of the bike was to warm up and get muscles used to working better for the purpose of walking.
 
hi pheebs ~ i can tell just by bending my knee that i won't be able to do a full rotation. i do get on it, the seat is up high and i rock back and forth for a few minutes but it doesn't do anything but cause discomfort when i go as far as i'm able which i can do doing heel slides or stair lunges ~ it kind of makes me feel frustrated. i have invented a new exercise though for those of us that can't do a full rotation: i mimic the action of pedalling (without putting my feet on the pedals) while sitting on the bicycle seat...lol...you know, like the floor exercise where you lift your legs and do the bicycle pedal. i did some rocking out on the deck this morning while the prince ran around. i'm also liking the pleasant feeling of walking down the stairs backwards. it doesn't bend your knee as far as going down forwards, but it bends it just enough to make it somehow feel good and you can keep your operated knee straight. tomorrow i go for an x-ray, booked at my last surgeon appointment but i don't think i have to see the surgeon and i certainly won't make the effort to find out. (actually i'm pretty sure it's just for x-ray and if anything is wrong they will call me).
 
@liam2015, I actually think your pseudo-bicycle motions are a brilliant idea! Keep rocking in your chair, and doing those backwards stair steps. I think those two actions have helped me the very most in recent weeks. I'm sure your X-Ray tomorrow will be just fine and for your sake, I hope you don't have to see the OS, lol. Just curious, have you tried pulling your knee toward your chest recently? I have and it's been a good stretch with no pain. Naturally, I thought of you.:SUNsmile:
 
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