OP
OP
Rockgirl4
Former BoneSmart staff member
United States15 & 1/2 Week Update
I haven't been posting much lately because life has been so crazy. That's a GOOD thing because it means I'm out and about running errands, keeping up with the family, exercising again (though slowly adding things back in), and not spending too much time at home in front of the laptop.
Here are the highlights:
1) The upper shin pain, right below the knee, is occurring less and less each week. It all comes down to how much standing or walking I'm doing. The amount of these activities have increased drastically each week though, so for anyone dealing with that awful shin pain, please know it WILL decrease as you heal.
2) I still get a lot of swelling above the knee and in my lower leg. No way around it----any standing and activity add to it. Luckily, it doesn't bother me a whole lot, as long as I take care in not letting it get too bad. It does limit my bending a bit by the end of the day, but I can still get down the stairs like a normal person, and that is my benchmark.
3) I've now walked our 1.1 mile subdivision, including it's massive hills, 4 times. The downhill parts are a little rough, and I get a few weird aches during the walk, but the only downside is a bit more medial
knee soreness and swelling. I have to be super careful and only walk every 3 days or so. I can go downhill better than I have in 4 yrs though. That made me cry the first time it happened last week!!
4) I wish my other core/abdominal exercises were a bit easier, but I tend to do them later in the day when the knee has swollen some, thus reducing bend. I have to be super careful to keep my hip alignment perfect while doing these things, as my left hip and L4-L5 move out of alignment so easily, but I CAN do it. It just makes the knee a bit more achy. Maybe this will be a good nudge to work out earlier, not later.
5) Life in general-----I'm no longer planning my life around my right knee. Yes, the left knee isn't great, but it's done remarkably well the last 4 months. I think I could even do a 2-3 hour road trip as the primary driver, though I don't have to test that out for 2-3 more months. I even get up in the morning and don't even think about the knee. I never thought this would happen!!
6) Next week will be the first time I try to clean my entire house by myself. I hadn't been brave enough to try. My husband is my rock, and he hates for me to even try (and possibly regret it), so he's been insisting on helping with any cleaning.
I'm pretty sure I can do it as long as I don't walk the subdivision the day before.
7) To everyone struggling with getting their range of motion back----The best piece of advice I can give is do NOT focus on the numbers but what you CAN do and what you WANT to do. My numbers at PT never got above 104 when I finished at the 12 wk mark. However, within a week after that, I was able to go down stairs normally, lower the seat on my stationary bike, and do everything else I need to. The "wants" are a little slow to come (like certain exercises mentioned above), and I still need my right hip to get stronger, but it's all coming in time. I don't even care what my flexion ever measures, as it's JUST a number. My surgeon is all about function, and everyone needs a guy like him in your corner.
I haven't been posting much lately because life has been so crazy. That's a GOOD thing because it means I'm out and about running errands, keeping up with the family, exercising again (though slowly adding things back in), and not spending too much time at home in front of the laptop.
Here are the highlights:1) The upper shin pain, right below the knee, is occurring less and less each week. It all comes down to how much standing or walking I'm doing. The amount of these activities have increased drastically each week though, so for anyone dealing with that awful shin pain, please know it WILL decrease as you heal.
2) I still get a lot of swelling above the knee and in my lower leg. No way around it----any standing and activity add to it. Luckily, it doesn't bother me a whole lot, as long as I take care in not letting it get too bad. It does limit my bending a bit by the end of the day, but I can still get down the stairs like a normal person, and that is my benchmark.
3) I've now walked our 1.1 mile subdivision, including it's massive hills, 4 times.
The downhill parts are a little rough, and I get a few weird aches during the walk, but the only downside is a bit more medialknee soreness and swelling. I have to be super careful and only walk every 3 days or so. I can go downhill better than I have in 4 yrs though. That made me cry the first time it happened last week!!
4) I wish my other core/abdominal exercises were a bit easier, but I tend to do them later in the day when the knee has swollen some, thus reducing bend. I have to be super careful to keep my hip alignment perfect while doing these things, as my left hip and L4-L5 move out of alignment so easily, but I CAN do it. It just makes the knee a bit more achy. Maybe this will be a good nudge to work out earlier, not later.
5) Life in general-----I'm no longer planning my life around my right knee. Yes, the left knee isn't great, but it's done remarkably well the last 4 months. I think I could even do a 2-3 hour road trip as the primary driver, though I don't have to test that out for 2-3 more months. I even get up in the morning and don't even think about the knee. I never thought this would happen!!
6) Next week will be the first time I try to clean my entire house by myself. I hadn't been brave enough to try. My husband is my rock, and he hates for me to even try (and possibly regret it), so he's been insisting on helping with any cleaning.
I'm pretty sure I can do it as long as I don't walk the subdivision the day before.7) To everyone struggling with getting their range of motion back----The best piece of advice I can give is do NOT focus on the numbers but what you CAN do and what you WANT to do. My numbers at PT never got above 104 when I finished at the 12 wk mark. However, within a week after that, I was able to go down stairs normally, lower the seat on my stationary bike, and do everything else I need to. The "wants" are a little slow to come (like certain exercises mentioned above), and I still need my right hip to get stronger, but it's all coming in time. I don't even care what my flexion ever measures, as it's JUST a number. My surgeon is all about function, and everyone needs a guy like him in your corner.
After having so much aggressive PT following my 10 other knee surgeries, I KNOW this was the right way to recover this time.
No problem standing on one leg to shave my legs in the shower. 
Last but not least----no problems cooking a big dinner and cleaning up afterwards----with energy to spare for watering my flowers afterwards. 
I've always been one to inflame more and stay inflamed, and I can't help but wonder if the electric blanket is keeping my knee inflamed all night, never letting it calm down. I'm a scientist and try be rational....part of me thinks this is nuts, but another part of me thinks it's like keeping a heating pad on the knee all night. NOT SMART, right??????
Plus, I want to shop more, but the standing problem isn't helping.
First, we do keep a space heater in our bedroom for daytime, but my husband gets super hot at night if we use it. The electric blanket with dual controls works well because I can have my side on while his side is off. It was the best of both worlds. Keep in mind he only "freezes" in Jan/Feb.....I feel like I freeze Oct-March. 
Second, as for moving versus staying/fixing things.....this house has been a HVAC nightmare, but there's no way to fix it and get our money back upon selling. 
It was only 4 yrs old in 2008 and meticulous on the inside. However, the kitchen doors are super drafty/cheap, and the windows are cheap. We hate eating at the kitchen table from Nov-April because it's so cold in there. Also, the furnace and AC were also installed in the far front corner of the house, yet our bedroom is on the other end. The ducts don't run straight under the floor. They make 5 separate 90 degree turns throughout the length of the home. By the time the air gets to our bedroom, there's no "force" to it. You can't even feel it coming out of the vents. Also, our master bathroom is tiny (smaller than the hall bathroom) and has no airflow/proper venting. You can't even sit on the toilet and shut the door without banging your knees. Try THAT with bad knees!!!!! 
These issues were serious enough in the last 12 yrs to prompt us to pay this house off early (and fast!!) so we would have better options down the road. Unfortunately, Mother Nature made building a new home on a slope almost impossible in St. Louis this summer. 
Everything has to be relocated due to the main beam location in the basement. Both companies said the guy who designed the house did a horrible, horrible job and basically set us up to freeze in the winter and burn up all summer because no matter how high you crank the thermostat, the equipment can't force the air past 5 separate 90's and that far of a distance. Only the 2 small front bedrooms cool/heat properly. Both said you never want more than ONE 90 degree bend if you can avoid it.
