TKR Redsing57 Straight knees for 2nd TKA

I live with someone (husband of 42 years) who is also in this slave driving mode in his head....I try to get him to relax just for his health and he truly doesn't know how. It was his "family status" growing up (just to throw a bit of psychology in there!)

I believe it starts with the recognition that you can only help others when you, yourself are in a healthy position. Like the airplane analogy of putting your O2 on first, then help the person next to you. You need to care for yourself at this huge juncture in your recovery. You are just 9 days behind me and I tend to over do my activities periodically. We still pay for the ODIC (Over doing it club) membership with internal swelling and sore muscles. Since I just had one TKR surgery that corrected quite a valgus deformity, I know it doesn't take much to cause all my muscles and back to go bezerk!!

Recognize that internal voice that keeps driving you...feed it with positive talk: "I AM doing the very best thing for my knee and that is my FIRST priority" then repeat every time the voice tries to drive you into over activity. It really does work!

Best of luck on this journey and be kind to yourself!
 
But I'm doing less, gentler, more often, about every 2 hours or so.
Sounds pretty good, but remember that your knee and surrounding tissues have been through a trauma. It's ok to give them a bit of a break. You are doing awesome for 5 weeks.
er clothing in storage chest. I think I did too much. Today is 5 weeks post 2nd tka and 4 months after 1st knee tka. Burst into tears and my sole happiness becomes feet up and ice. Right now that's my happy place. I was even wrapping presents for daughter's birthday and decided to finish later. True confession: I'm a slave driver in my own head. Trying to fire that voice and be kinder to self.
Yes, you did too much. We've all done that at one time or another. Now you've learning that it's ok to be kind to your knee and pace yourself. :ice:
 
Today is 5 and a half weeks post 2nd TKA. I've got the blues big time. Prob did too much cooking, birthday celebrating for one of my kids yesterday and today I tried some strength training. Did about 8 mini squats and really felt it. So I stopped. Tried to ride my recumbent bike and couldn't get a full rotation. Was either up too close or back too far. At the PT I could do it easily. So I just stretched back and forth for a couple of minutes and then walked around, washed some clothes. Guess I want to be stronger, have more stamina. So hard to wait. Possible road trip in 2 weeks, maybe 3 hour drive. Worried I might not be.able to drive that long before knee gets really stiff. The reason for the tka surgeries was to live life. But it seems to take so long. I'd like to drive and take as many stops as I need to bend stretch and walk as needed so I can enjoy this time of year. Blues and impatient
 
Looking for ideas and suggestions for blues. Today is 9 weeks post right TKA. 1st knee was done in June. I know in my head I'm doing well and I'm so thankful. Still doing my stretching and ROM exercises, added some strength exercises too. Not completely off the cane yet but sometimes I leave it at home to go out in public. Forget where I left it at home. It's just that I'm so tired of stiff knees, cant do what I want freely yet. This has been such a tiresome journey to heal. Fall weather has me longing for the mountains and I usually go in the fall but fatigue and long hours driving made me reconsider and stay home. Tired of my house and sad thoughts! Are there some ideas that helped cheer anyone up after their surgery? I've had 2 back to back. Ugh
I'm glad it's done wish I felt like myself
 
I’m sorry you’re feeling so down. :console2: It is very sad to not make a trip that we enjoy and look forward to.

As you know, the blues are a side effect of major surgery. Having 2 surgeries probably increases that, plus the extra energy drain of 2 surgeries.

Try to remember that this is temporary.

Maybe try calling some friends and chatting on the phone, or even texting. Maybe invite someone over for a little visit? Watch some favorite movies?
 
You know what helped when I got the blues? The sitcom Frasier! I recorded a bunch, they were on in the summer in the middle of the night on the Hallmark channel. I also watched them in the middle of the night when I couldn't sleep. I'm mostly past that phase at 13 weeks although still have pain, things are getting better just slowly.
 
Thx @Starsfan22 great suggestion
Glad things are getting better. It stormed here today and man o man I felt it before and during. When it's over, I can feel that too. Guess I need a job with the weatherman.
 
Weather still bothers my knee, more so afterwards.
 
Today was second time I noticed how bad they hurt, not terrible pain, just more stiff and cantankerous than normal. As I told a family member about it I realized the weather connection. Had not put that together before today.
 
It's just that I'm so tired of stiff knees, cant do what I want freely yet.
I was just having this same conversation over in my thread. I am tired of sore hurting knees. Like you I had them both close together making it an extra long process. A couple of things are helping me, although I freely admit I have my own down days.

I took up knitting. It keeps my brain busy and gives me something to focus on during the long hours of icing and elevating and just plain waiting for my knees to heal. Is there a sedentary hobby that might interest you? Or some kind of creative work you could do for charity? I'm challenging myself to complete as many hats and mittens and scarves as I can before the new year to donate to those in need. I don't think it really matters what your focus is, just that it's something you can do while in healing mode that will challenge you enough, but not too much.

Take a trip. You're hearing the call of the mountains, but don't feel you can do that yet. What could you do? One more month and my husband and I are going to Disney for a week. We were always going to celebrate our 20th anniversary, even before I scheduled the surgeries. I'm even more excited for the trip now. I know I won't be able to walk the parks yet, but just being able to manage the hotel and dining rooms and things like that will be such a wonderful change! And we have very literally been counting down the days. On very bad days, I like to watch YouTube videos about various Disney things. Knowing it's coming up has been a big help. Just a small change of scenery might be a big help.

The other thing is, in my recovery thread I try to post every time I hit a minor milestone. Something I couldn't do before surgery. Standing up while cooking is a big one. Dashing into the store for just one thing without it being a huge production. Think about where you were, and where you are now and try to count each of those little blessed improvements. It helps me realize that while sloooooooooooww, my recovery is definitely happening, and it's all better than it was before.
 
Yes. So many things about this I like. I did buy some yarn and crochet hooks but havent taken the time to learn the pattern I need for a scarf or hat..I crocheted when I was babysitting in high school and loved it. But it's been awhile. What can I do now? I just took a shower and stood the whole time, no cane today. I usually use the cane to get in and out. Used to have to sit in the shower the whole time. I also dressed standing up. Weather has been dynamic here lately and it deeply affects my knees. I was weepy last night but sometime during the night it let go of me and I felt more 'normal'. My hubs and I have taken short drives to see the leaves change coupled with a nice lunch out. We went out yesterday. Air pressure gave me lots of extra pain, cold front moved in last night. So the drive wasnt as pleasant as the week before when we found a country bbq place and sat outside to eat. I had coffee with a friend yesterday and that was nice. Maybe I can watch some youtube videos on how to make a scarf. Years ago my thing was shawls. With fringe. I'm also working in affirmations and telling myself good things. I'm not there yet but little things add up and help.
 
I have a friend who loves to crochet and she says she learns most of it on YouTube.
 
I love this forum
Thanks for the ideas, chats, listening while I whine. Love how others can relate
 
Maybe I can watch some youtube videos on how to make a scarf.
Definitely. Almost everything I know about knitting I've learned from Youtube! I'm in 2 scarves and a pair of mittens. It doesn't seem like a lot to me, but there there was all that unknitting I had to learn as well! lol
Thanks for the ideas, chats, listening while I whine. Love how others can relate
This forum has really helped me through this seeming endless recovery. Having both in quick succession has made it extra tough for us because the bad part has lasted so long between the 2 knees. Making friends here who are going through the exact same thing really helps keep my spirits up. My husband is supportive, but Bonesmarties understand like he can't.
 
but there there was all that unknitting I had to learn as well! lol
I did a quilt pattern, Scrappy Trip Around The World, where you sewed strips together for speed, and then you had to “unsew” part of it to rearrange it. The pattern called it “reverse sewing” I got tired of that real fast and instead just sewed 2.5” squares together in the right order without having to unsew anything! It took too long to unsew! :doh:
 
where you sewed strips together for speed, and then you had to “unsew” part of it to rearrange it.
What an odd methodology. Sewing is much faster than unsewing. I'm not sure how anyone sees that as faster. Unsewing and unknitting are very important skills to have but most people find they get more than enough practice without building it into the process.
 
I often wonder how many 2.5” squares are in that king sized quilt! (I just put it in my avatar.)

I tried knitting once, but I could only do it when my friend who was teaching me was sitting next to me. Without her, I was lost. I’m better with fabric!
 
@Jockette that is a very lovely quilt. I've done just a little quilting but that is a black hole of time I have pushed aside until retirement. I have some friends who are avid quilters and I know just how much time it can take up if you let it. If you really wanted to learn to knit, or another more portable craft, I highly recommend YouTube where you can, in fact, have your 'friend' sitting right beside you. I must have watched the cast on video a dozen times and I could never, ever have figured out mittens from just the pattern.
 
It has been 12 weeks now since 2nd TKA. The last month I have mostly worked on ROM exercises, stretches, movement. I've not been back to pt since 5 weeks. I decided since insurance won't cover any more than 20 pt appts per year and the fact that I had 2 knees done didn't faze them one bit. Even after surgeon requested more PT for me, it was not to be.

This has been a confusing journey for me. At my joint class pre surgery I learned some about PT and what to expect in recovery. I had a tough physical therapist who pushed me hard and moved my knee to tears and literal screams. I thought I was supposed to. I read, watched YouTube videos on TKA recovery and heard similar cautions and how to's.

With my 2nd TKA I just couldn't go back to her. I tried a new company and they did a more thorough massage before i exercised. When she moved my leg, the ROM strangely did not hurt at all. But there came a time when I wasn't straightening like she wanted and the awful MUA came up.

About that time I found this forum and the advise, cautions, experiences here have been so amazing. I have found I believe people with their experience because there isn't a conflict of interest so to speak. But since I slowed down with 'aggressive home pt' (I brought home a list of PT exercises to keep doing after i Quit). I took the advice here to do ROM, do daily activities slowly as able. I'm sleeping much better, more comfortable at night (had to get some meds for insomnia). I drive to appts, go shopping, do not worry about cane use. I sometimes leave it around the house and forget what I did with it. Other times when weather changes, I need it again. Or if I've sat for awhile and surrounding muscles are tight.

I started doing my recumbent bike again, and it's an older model different from PT, it was much harder to do. I worked up to 3 minutes going slow and getting my legs to just go around. Now in just about 5 days, I've gotten to 8 minutes, and it feels so soothing. After the first few uncomfortable seconds, I get into a zone where the movement relaxes and soothes. I've added a little resistance, not much.

I've started doing squats and heel lifts again. Before it hurt too much and i got discouraged quickly. I also had crying jags of fatigue that made me not want to do these strengthening exercises. The articles written here showed me the difference between recovering from 1 TKA vs 2. Big difference. I had it in my mind that I wasn't doing anything and that I'm not going to heal correctly if I stopped those PT exercises. I still don't do them all but the ones I have done, I think i'm ready to do them now. I don't feel so fatigued.

Today I saw the fruits of my efforts in easily going upstairs, walking with less of a limp, smoother. It just takes so much time to heal. I feel like I've been in kind of a slump for the last month and a half. But maybe I've needed that time to just heal. I got back on the forum today and read several threads. This place is so encouraging. I like to read about others' recovery and I relate so well to it. Thank you for putting this forum together and keeping it going. Thanks to all the admins and moderators that give their time and experience to encourage, teach, and share with us.
 
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