TKR Recovery Progress Stalled

[Rubyroo]

You spoke of hedgehogs & little hoglets! I bet those are adorable! I’m a big nature nerd & love all flora & fauna. Even all the creepy crawly things most folks don’t like. Big reptile & amphibian lover.

 

[DEL2022Jan-23]

@Rubyroo We get frogs and frog spawn in the pond, heaps of butterflies as well as spectacular dragonflies, and tiny wolf spiders hiding in the stones at the ponds edge. Its what we have spent so long trying to achieve here by gardening the way we do. Talking about it has me so looking forward to the spring and summer- particularly with a knee that should let me do what I would like to do there

 

[DEL2022Jan-23]

To all my friends “Happy Womens Christmas “ or “Nollaig na MBan” from Ireland!
Its the day women have as a holiday, visit friends (not during Covid), eat, drink and be merry! Men are supposed to take care of the household and children. It is also the day the last of the Christmas cake is to be eaten-please note the Christmas cake is full of alcohol and well wrapped can last all Christmas.
I hope today brings you all happiness, health and freedom from pain!

 

[Sara61]

Nollaig na MBan to you, here in Portugal we call it "Dia dos Reis " we to celebrate with z special cake, Bolo de Rei, this is to celebrate the end of Christmas.

No chance of me having a day to be waited on...the house looked so bad ( both MIL and husband are blind when it comes to cleaning) so I cleaned the lounge /kitchen mopping floors etc already this morning, they are now both of the opinion I'm fit enough to do these things, trouble is I can't stand a dirty house, and with living in the country the house gets dirtier than normal. Now I'm icing my knee as its not overly happy x

 

[DEL2022Jan-23]

Welcome to the ODIC , plenty of room on the bench for you!
You need to stop looking around the house and learn to live with whatever the best job Carlos and your MIL can do for the moment- it’s only for a another little while and afterwards you can clean to your hearts content at the same time as your knee is happy and recovered!
Dark sunglasses worn in the house should stop you seeing the dirt - I have learned not to look downwards, so long as the surfaces at eye level are clean then I won’t worry about the rest! Don’t forget I have 4 dogs in the house….

 

[Susie-Q]

@Sara61 , don't go down this path, I beg you! I did the same thing with the housework as I was tired of waiting for things to get done around here so I started doing them myself and the rest of the family was HAPPY to relinquish those tasks back to me! You are not ready to do all of that yet! Seriously, I get it though.... and went through the same thing myself. I wasn't worried about my floors but the dishes and laundry.

I'm looking forward to getting back out in the yard too. I'm so glad there wasn't much to do this fall/winter and that my surgery was timed so I'll be ready to get back out when spring comes. I have perfected the "bend over" at the waist for weeding, etc. I haven't kneeled for so long on my right knee (because it used to be my newly operated on knee and didn't like kneeling for a long time) so I kneeled on my left knee. Then as it wore out, I kneeled less and less, even though I have several of those foam pads. I also have a garden seat but because I'm so tall, I end up sitting on it and my knees are above my hips, which makes it impossible to stand up from (this is why short toilet seats are bad too). This is even with the seat adjusted to its tallest height. Maybe with two new knees this will be an easier task come spring. Looking forward to longer days and warmer temps!

 

[Sara61]

Good Morning Ladies - the odic wasn't too bad, although by the time I went to bed, Mrs knee did have a wee grumble, however yesterday I also had a light session of PT- I don't think I was there longer than 30 minutes, (the journey to and from was longer, but it was nice just to get out of the house.)
I know, I should leave housework which I mainly do but I have pale grey ceramic wood effect floor tiling, initially they looked fabulous in the store, and when sparkling clean at home too, but every bit of dirt sticks out like a sore thumb, and very hard to ignore, had I known this prior to purchasing them, no way would I have had these tiles installed through the house, just as well I don't have ocd as the wood effect markings on the tiles would drive me bonkers.

One of the good things about having replacement in the Winter, is that by Spring & Summer we are able to enjoy the outdoors once again, in the Winter months it's feels good to be indoors and you don't feel guilty about recovery or slouching in front of the TV.

@Susie-Q I can so relate to toilets seats being too low, likewise I'm fairly tall. On my accessment with the surgeons PT guy he asked a whole bunch of questions and one was how easy it was to get on & off the toilet seat, Lol I replied, I have seat raisers at home so it's easy but anywhere else it's a nightmare as usually there are no handles to help pull yourself up with so you are reliant on your quads and mine are not very strong.
Kneeling for me is a no go, tried it once after my last replacement and it felt so uncomfortable, now with two new knees, if I can't reach it by bending then so be it, maybe in the future, once both knees are fully healed I might try again...

 

[DEL2022Jan-23]

@Sara61 I understand completely what you are saying regarding the floor tiles- when I was having building work done ( all now one big space) I wanted the lighter timber look flooring, had the samples at the house and was telling my builder about what I thought I should get. He said let me show you one thing and laid out 3 different samples, dark one , mid range one and my favourite. He then stood on each one with his dirty boot…his wife wouldn’t listen to him when doing their new kitchen and put down black tiles, he says she regrets it every day- too much cleaning. I ended up with his choice, mid range colour and it quite literally doesn’t show any dirt- wash it when you know it needs it , not having to clean it constantly because it looks dirty even when it isn’t really. With 4 dogs and a husband it is a blessing !
We also did the bathroom and took out the high toilet, replaced it with a low one…guess who had to buy a riser for the toilet. I have to say using a low toilet after the surgery I felt like I was falling backwards with no idea of when I would hit the rim- very disconcerting!
Take care Sara, mind your new knee and have a good day

 

[Catalien45]

This is my first time today to get to Bonesmart, catching up! All the posts on gardening just really got me excited!! Several years ago, my husband put in 2 raised gardens in our backyard ( my knee had already begun to show signs of pain & problems) he made the frame high enough so I can sit on the edge, really has helped. Last summer, my knee was so bad, I wasn’t able to be as active in it in the past. That’s one thing I’m Really looking forward to! We always plant tomatoes in one garden, yellow crookneck summer squash in the other, rotating each year. The true crookneck squash isn’t always carried in the stores, & we both love it... and I cook it in a combination of how our two Mamas cooked it ( both were wonderful cooks). All my greens, I plant in big pots on our patio, also any peppers, they seem to like it best, with morning sun, shade during the heat of day, then sun later in the day. Our sun in Colorado is so low & close, it can be pretty intense & scorch the more tender crops. We also plant broccoli on the side of the house, & it is so much fun! And, I love flowers in pots. We have a Marigold that volunteers in a front bed. It is big & beautiful now, over time, & grows abundantly 2-3 feet tall. Seeds itself. My husband has dubbed it “ military grade!”

That photo of your garden is Beautiful !!... it looks so very warm & inviting. And the critters sound delightful! We have a lot of squirrels, but they don’t seem too interested except for some of my pots... I think they like to hide their nuts in the soft dirt! So I have to devise covers until the plants achieve a decent growth.

@Sara61, I agree with everyone else.... please take care of yourself.
Interestingly, I am feeling so much better just the past week or so, & am suddenly very aware of all these things that “ need to be done”. I’m just allowing myself maybe one reasonable project a day. None of them are going anywhere. ( I like Eire1’s idea of the sunglasses ☺). Years ago, I had a friend whose husband had a chronic disease that we all knew would take him early. My kids were little, & one morning, frazzled, I lamented, “ I haven’t done Anything... haven’t even made the bed” . Her response was “ 20 years from now, who’s going to care?” It helped me put it all in perspective. I do like a clean house & some semblance of order, but sometimes, it has to take a lower priority. Take care of yourself first - and find those sunglasses!

@Rubyroo...when I was growing up in Texas,we had horney toads, as we called them. (I recently read, to my relief, they are Not extinct,as I had thought, but, far less of them). I would regularly find one, name him - usually Herkimer, fix up a “home”, & before long, my folks would remind me that he needed to be outside, & of course, I’d put him back out. But they still fascinate me, and I have fond memories of all my Herkimers! Thanks for helping this fond memory crop up. I love your photo of your beautiful flowers!
SusieQ, I’m short, 5’, & I now see that in this recovery, that can be an assent! I Do have be really careful with my climbing habits. I always have a stool handy to get to higher cabinets, but with my balance still a little off, I have to remember that “ slow & steady” rule. Btw, I’m regularly practicing your hint on going downstairs foot over foot, holding onto the railing until the last couple of steps. I’m determined to get that down... like you pointed out, sometimes it’s not as good, but, I feel I’m progressing.

Finishing this up Friday morning- I see my surgeon later today. Should be a good visit, hoping for an OK on baths instead of showers, & hopefully a good overall. Interestingly, my PT noticed a little fluid pocket on my knee, & I recently saw others had had this, & it went away over time, reassuring, but, I will point it out to him, for sure.

Everyone have a lovely day... cold one here...9 degrees now, but up to 40’s later today . Stay warm, everyone!

 

[Susie-Q]

anywhere else it's a nightmare as usually there are no handles to help pull yourself up with so you are reliant on your quads and mine are not very strong.

Mine aren't either. I learned over the years with bad knees to use the handicapped stall when possible while out. The toilet is higher and there's a grab bar to help a person get up. Our local grocery store has a bathroom with one handicapped stall and one regular stall. I learned the hard way when I used the regular stall, while sitting, my knees literally were less than an inch away from the door when it was closed!!! (not all bathrooms are this tiny) No room to lean forward to help myself get up, I had to use the back wall to help push myself up! We installed higher toilets in both our master bath (when we first moved in) and our guest bath when we remodeled it last spring. The kids bathroom still has the regular low toilet and I rarely use it. I used to be 5'11" but have shrunk a bit and now I'm around 5"10ish. Hubby is 6'2ish.

 

[patriciad]

Love reading all the posts on this feed. Such a lovely group of supportive ladies who are really getting to share their daily lives. Very inspiring to see such camaraderie!

 

[Starsfan22]

I so get this post. My biggest challenge is getting up from low toilets. I'm 5'8" and with bad knees, well you know. Newest replacement is getting stronger but only slightly. My main exercises are targeted at strengthening quads. I'll still have riser at home, I could give it up but pain is bad if I have to use lower toilet. We too bought the tallest toilet available when we remodeled our bathrooms.

 

[Jockette]

4 years later I still like the riser seat, why in the world world I go back to those low toilets!

 

[Sara61]

Bom Dia Looks like we are the only two early birds on BoneSmart it's rare just to see 2 members and friends at that, The US are all asleep or about to go to sleep.
How is your toe faring ? Hopefully on the road to recovery.
Yesterday I had a very quiet day, although I enjoyed my peace & quiet, by the time they got home, I was for no apparent reasons grumpy ( mood swings ) taking it out on poor Carlos, I think it was his comment that he was playing off golf today & tomorrow, which if I'm honest is only in the morning so he's not really missed, but I suppose it's because I'm stuck at home with no means of getting out, so despite biting of my nose , I retreated to the bedroom where I sulked all evening- in retrospect silly me ...the trouble is where I live we have no close neighbours, my friends are still working, so they live busy lives, usually we would invite at weekends or I would meet up with them in town but Covid restrictions put a stop this. My MIL mentioned to Carlos yesterday she had no idea how I manage living here all year round, as bless her she hasn't spoken to anyone other than us in 1 month, I think she is ready and looking forward to going to her home in the city, usually when I'm mobile its not an issue, Summer months I'm busy with looking after several properties and tourists it's only the Winters months that are quieter and not being able to drive one realises how isolated we actually are, at some stage we will need to think about downsizing and moving closer to a town/ city but I just love our outdoor space and here it is now hard to find similar nearer the coast or towns x

 

[DEL2022Jan-23]

Dia dhuit Sara,
Your terrace looks so beautiful, I actually thought I could feel the warmth of the sun it was so nice!
I do understand how you felt yesterday, I get so frustrated at times when my mind wants to do what I could usually do but my knee/toe goes “oh no, not today, not for a long time”. It’s hard to just let go and as they say go with the flow particularly when you are used to doing so much, being so organised and busy. It’s lonely when you stop, and then I have too much time to dwell on things, for my part it’s a bit of resentment that my husband is more able to do things - the normal state of things is that I am the one who keeps everything going. If something needed doing then I was the one doing it- it is so hard to let go of that. I am over 3 months post surgery and because of setback etc I feel like I am back at the start again- I suppose the nerve pain kicking off again was what me off this week- yesterday it was like I had my own personal constantly pinching the back of my calf all day and making me trip over my own two feet. Ok deep breath now…
A large part of who you are and what you do is being around and relating with people, Covid has put a halt to that for the moment, it should improve in the future hopefully with the vaccinations and boosters. It is understandable to occasionally get frustrated by things particularly having a new knee to look after ! I always have a spare spot on the ODIC bench beside me
Where we live there are 4 houses nearby but it could be months before we see anyone- the majority of our regular neighbours moved over the course of a year and the new neighbours don’t know us due to us having to isolate so much. So it is just us two, with the occasional delivery of groceries, and of course the menagerie- the first month was the hardest but now we have adapted to the isolation. When we did the building work it was with our later years in mind, we updated as much as we could and I don’t think we could find a house that would suit our needs better as we age.
I do understand about moving in to a village or town, my mother did it, my sister and brother did it - all in America- we lived in a town years ago and knew it just wasn’t for us- too much noise, too many people and not enough space. The countryside is really where our hearts lie, but we are 25 minutes away from 2 towns and 45 minutes away from a city so not too cut off!
Hopefully today is sunny, warm and healing for you!

 

[Jaycey]

Good morning lovely ladies! Glad to have your company here!

I do understand about moving in to a village or town

We are in the middle of this process. We moved from London to Yorkshire countryside. It's beautiful and we are very lucky to have such a gorgeous property. But village life is not all that great and the property is far too big for just the two of us. We will be moving to a place where we can walk to shops and restaurants. Downsizing is tough - as you tend to fill the space you live in.

Stay warm and dry!

 

[Sara61]

@Jaycey Yorkshire is lovely, for a short while in my teens I lived in Harrogate, it was in Harrogate that my Mother discovered her desire to spend the Winters in the Algarve as Harrogate was so cold, once they fully retired they moved to the Algarve full time until they both died, they had a good 20 years of sunshine, this is how we came to live in Portugal.

 

[DEL2022Jan-23]

@Jaycey It is funny how much people have in common- my previous neighbor from England decided to move back after his wife died. He bought a property in Wales close to a village over a year ago but has now decided the house is too big for him and the village isn’t really within his ability for a walking distance ( hip replacement) so is now going to do exactly as you are doing- downsizing and moving where the village/small town is within a better walking distance. He doesn’t mind where exactly he goes just wants to be in England.
His wife was a lovely lady and they are truly missed in the neighbourhood.
Hope you have a good weekend!

 

[Susie-Q]

@Sara61 your outdoor space is so lovely! I totally get why you wouldn't want to leave that even if it means being far out from things. We have a very nice outdoor covered patio space but we can't really use it from late Oct through April. As soon as the weather start cooperating I want to put out the rug, cushions and all my summer accessories. Hubby even put in an outdoor tv last summer, partly so we could show a slide show for his dad's 90th birthday party, which was mostly held outside. After Christmas is when I start dreaming of my outdoor patio again and I will go out there and sit in the sunshine as soon as the weather starts getting in the upper 50s (F) (14-15 for you Celsius folks).

We love our neighbors and really got to know them during Covid. When we got our dog as a puppy in 2020, it really was the catalyst to getting to know the neighbors with dogs. We'd meet at the field up the street, be outside and get to socialize, both dogs and people. I count them as good friends now. That probably wouldn't have happened without Covid and especially if we hadn't gotten Daisy. Daisy (left), her bestie, Scout (bottom), Loki (top), Stella and Angel

 

[patriciad]

@Sara61
What a beautiful outdoor space. I would love to have a dip in the pool, sit with a coffee then drive you in to the nearest town for lunch.
I miss my dog so very much. First Christmas without him opening his tissue wrapped gifts so lovely to see @Susie-Q little fur companions. But I can’t complain as downsized to a small house in a great spot. Florida winters are gentle on the knees that’s for sure.