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TKR Rubyroo TKR #2

Hi Rubyroo! I'm so impressed with your walking! I had my LTKR on 12/18. You are inspiring me that I will soon be able to go for walks too!
 
Hi Jewlz1! Well I appreciate your thinking I'm an inspiration! It's a slow walk but I have to be patient with myself. Sometimes it is hard to be patient. Usually I'm pretty laid back but it is sometimes hard not to wish you were further along then you are. But ya gotta just put one foot and front of the other and keep on keeping on.
 
Sorry to hear your down, I'm one week behind you so will be 11 weeks tomorrow. I find I'm down. It seems like trying to get back to normal when the knee still isn't just keeps me feeling blue. I know this is a long process but I get so tired of the knee being in charge.
 
I really wish we could take a break from the recovery for a few hours, at least, like a blast into the future when we’re feeling stronger than ever and able to do something that was painful before the surgery. The debilitation can be relentless in these first months.

Visualizing better days helps me a bunch, but sometimes it’s not enough.
 
@Rubyroo - my patience has grown thin almost daily. Usually on gloomy days and later in the afternoon when I find myself tired and on my 3rd icing of the day and elevating. But, I remind myself that the time spent now will pay big dividends later. It's a lot!
 
bikinglynn said:
Rubyroo, Your shaving story hits a nerve. Today was my day to get my roots colored. I couldn't believe how sensitive my scalp was when the beautician applied the dye. It felt like she was stabbing me. I guess our entire bodies are sensitive through this healing period.
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Ohhhh noooo - I have an apt this week to get all this grey covered, since the surgery, 4.5 weeks ago. Hope I don’t experience what you did, poor thing!
 
Helizabug you have hit the nail on the head. Yes, to be able to have a break from this relentless grief. Been up 3 times in the night icing and still the pain goes on. What a journey! X
 
Had my 3 month post op appt yesterday with my Dr.. They took X-rays and the Dr. said everything looked good and he was pleased with my ability to straighten and bend my knee. He said he'd see me in December 2020 for my one year checkup. WHEW! Thank you Lord! As I was leaving I thought- love ya, mean it- but I hope I don't have to see you again for a looooonnnnggg time!

I shared with my Dr. this awesome resource, BoneSmart and told him he should check it out that it helped me a lot. He said he would check it out.
 
Good for you! I hope your recovery continues to go well.

I'm a huge cheerleader for BoneSmart, also. Everyone has to hear how great it is.
 
Took a mile walk yesterday and that went ok- knee didn't cause me any issues later that day. Today I walked a little over a mile and it went fine- hopefully my knee won't object later this evening. I think it'll be fine. I feel like my gait is like I'm walking like the Abominable Snowman. It feels unnatural and not smooth. I'm concentrating on the heel-toe thing but my walk just feels awkward. Practice makes perfect I reckon! I need to get with it because I need to lose some weight. As I sit here wishing I was having a Dairy Queen Blizzard for dinner. The evil allure of sugar!
 
That’s great that you haven’t had any repercussions with the mile walk. I suggest you not increase it every day, especially if your gait is still awkward. Keep the same for a week or more, then try adding just 5 minutes a week. If it bothers you, go for a shorter walk for a while and then try increasing it again. There is no hurry, and setbacks can take while to recover from.
 
Rubyroo said:
I feel like my gait is like I'm walking like the Abominable Snowman. It feels unnatural and not smooth. I'm concentrating on the heel-toe thing but my walk just feels awkward. Practice makes perfect I reckon!
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I find that I am repeating to myself 'heal-toe' 'heal toe' when walking, otherwise, I too walk that Abominable Snowman.
 
Me too with the funky gait! I also did a mile yesterday and finally did not pay for it the next day. My legs still feel weak and like they have lost strength from the weeks lying around. I am going to not push myself with the walking, as I suffered a week long huge back step in my progress.
 
Rubyroo said:
As I sit here wishing I was having a Dairy Queen Blizzard for dinner.
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Oh yes, a m&m one! Yum.

Jockette is right. Increase your distance only every few days. I think increasing it every day will be too much for your knee.
 
@Rubyroo well done on your walk, I am nowhere near that yet. However relate to your comment about gait, it's hard to get it right. I look like a prancing horse practising around the house, it's getting that bend. Any tips appreciated. Don't go too far, take care xx
 
While it’s good to be mindful of your gait, it also will improve on its own as you heal. Try not to stress over it.
 
You all had me laughing I was visualizing your "walking" styles. Just yesterday, I described mine as looking like Frankenstein.I guess it's part of the journey.
 
Well I made it! Thank goodness the surgery part is over. I had some exceptionally nice & caring nurses & PT staff in the hospital. These folks were so awesome I hugged a couple of the nurses & the PT lady & I prayed together for my recovery. Yay! I love good people. So far I’ve been managing Pain & discomfort with Tramadol & Tylenol. I do have Oxycodone if I need it. I did not like how it made me feel last time I took it in Dec 2019. It made me extremely anxious and I just felt out of it. I went to PT yesterday and I told the dude up front how this was going to roll & he was on board with it. He was kind and understanding. At one point he was like- try and do 30 of those- and I said I’ll give you 20 and that’s it. This time I’m able to get up & use the bathroom by myself with assistance by my stretch out strap to loop over my foot and assist the log leg to the floor. I am absolutely thrilled I am able to take care of myself in this way. I was unable to do this myself when I took the Oxycodone. Hubby says he feels that I’m a week ahead of myself compared to last time. Also another great victory is this time I’ve been able to wear my CPAP right away after surgery so I’m getting pretty good rest. Also I have not been freezing to death every second like I was last time- although last night I did break out a toboggan and slept with it on. I hope all of you BoneSmarties are doing ok. I’ve been thinking of you but wasn’t quite up to posting. Staff- would you please link my old recovery thread to this one? Thanks for all you guys do to assist us!
 
:welome: to the Recovery @Rubyroo
We have all been rooting for you and worried xx

I will leave you our Recovery Guidelines. Each article is short but very informative. Following these guidelines will help you have a less painful recovery.

Just keep in mind all people are different, as are the approaches to this recovery and rehab. The key is, “Find what works for you.“ Your doctors, PTs and BoneSmart are available to help, but you are the final judge as to the recovery approach you choose

Knee Recovery: The Guidelines
1. Don’t worry: Your body will heal all by itself. Relax, let it, don't try and hurry it, don’t worry about any symptoms now, they are almost certainly temporary
2. Control discomfort:
rest
elevate
ice
take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)
don't overwork.
3. Do what you want to do BUT
a. If it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physical therapist - to do it to you
b. If your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again.
4. PT or exercise can be useful BUT take note of these
the BoneSmart view on exercise
BoneSmart philosophy for sensible post op therapy
5. At week 4 and after you should follow this
Activity progression for TKRs
6. Access these pages on the website
Oral And Intravenous Pain Medications
Wound Care In Hospital


The Recovery articles:
The importance of managing pain after a TKR and the pain chart
Swollen and stiff knee: what causes it?
Energy drain for TKRs
Elevation is the key
Ice to control pain and swelling
Heel slides and how to do them properly
Chart representation of TKR recovery
Healing: how long does it take?

Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?

There are also some cautionary articles here
Myth busting: no pain, no gain
Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds


We try to keep the forum a positive and safe place for our members to talk about their questions or concerns and to report successes with their joint replacement surgery.

While members may create as many threads as they like in a majority of BoneSmart's forums, we ask that each member have only one recovery thread. This policy makes it easier to go back and review history before providing advice.
 
So good to hear you have had a good experience in the hospital and are back home starting your road to recovery with some positive first days. I agree with you about the Hydrocodone or similar it messes with my head too and I had better pain management with the Tramadol Tylenol combo.
Here’s the link to @Jaycey schedule that I followed just in case you don’t have it.
Keep up the good work and I’ll be thinking of you.
 
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