TKR Rubyroo TKR #2

[FourCats]

It’s the little things!! And the little things get us to and through the big things!

 

[Rubyroo]

Knee feeling a bit swollen this am. Not bad but it is telling me that maybe we’ll stick to the one foot then the other foot shuffle down the stairs today. But I’m still on a high after yesterday & without thinking walking down them normally! I love these baby steps that give us a glimpse into our future of being able to walk comfortably! Woo hoo!

 

[Sks1997]

Rubyroo, yes, it is nice to finally see some progress! The stairs are easier for me now and I don’t dread coming down nearly as bad. I am also grateful that my hamstrings aren’t horribly stiff and painful like they were for so long. I still walk stiff legged mostly towards end of day. The popping/clicking has improved greatly and it isn’t as uncomfortable when it does pop. There are times when I walk that I’m NOT even thinking about my knee! The healing IS happening! Slow and steady wins the race!

 

[Rubyroo]

@Sks1997 How are you feeling? Are you getting more stamina yet after Covid?

 

[Susie-Q]

But I have to say doing the steps normally without thinking was super cool! Yay baby steps!

Yes! Isn't that great! I'm still enjoying the novelty of doing stairs like a normal person. Not that I don't fall back into old habits sometimes, especially if I'm carrying something.

There are times when I walk that I’m NOT even thinking about my knee! The healing IS happening! Slow and steady wins the race!

 

[Catalien45]

Hi, @Rubyroo ....catching up on you....congratulations on your stair victories! I’m pretty well going up , and, down pretty well normally now, albeit slowly, and down, I still use both rails for balance, and some, but not full support. I’m still careful not to push myself too much, I did earlier in this endeavor, & the next day, my knee hurt some.
As to the PT.....my therapists at our loal place are Great. When I first came home after my cleanout surgery, I had nurse ( for my PICC line dressing changes) and PT. The PT was fine at first, 2x a week, although even then he had me doing some things that were painful; then the last 2 sessions, he had me do one exercise that set me back for a few days, & had warned me that he was going to be “ more aggressive “, & said that my outpatient therapy “ would make me hurt” ( they never did). I knew enough from my Bonesmart friends to know better, & started back as soon as possible with the locals. He Did give me some good exercises, and Did start me walking outside, all good. But just stand your ground, & follow our Bonesmart friends’ advice. A good therapist will respect this. My dr is pleased, and reminded me that this can be a 12 month time for full recovery. That’s what counts. Meanwhile, I’m making sure I do my part with self discipline to continue the exercises regularly ( and, my therapist said , not All exercises for Every day are necessary). My husband and I are now walking daily, the past 3 days, 2 miles ( 1 hour) YAY!! ( this was one of my Big goals with a new knee, to resume our daily walks together, impossible once my knee got so bad). Today will be our trusty old Nordik track, as our streets in our neighborhood are pure Ice! Tomorrow should be better. I bet you get your share of that stuff. Btw, BritBox is great for British mysteries... Father Brown is one of our favorites , & we just saw that he has a new season in 2022.
@ SusieQ, Thankyou for that app “ just Watch”! My husband has installed it & is now exploring it. SO much better than searching around! One of these days, we must try The great British Baking Show.....I’ve never seen it, but as much as I love to cook & bake......sounds like fun!

 

[Susie-Q]

Oh, no doubt you'll love the British Baking Show! I guarantee it! I've heard about BritBox but I already have Hulu, Netflix, Prime, HBO, Showtime etc so don't want to pay for yet another streaming service.

We used to have an old Nordic Track that was like cross country skiing, surely you have something different? Don't they make Nordic Tracks now that are like treadmills?

 

[lovetocookandsew]

One step forward, two steps back.............It's funny that some days we can do things, then the very next day our knees rebel. Over time you'll find yourself naturally doing things with your new knee that you couldn't do only days before. And then, some days the things you did the day before are impossible. That's why this recovery is such a roller coaster. But, you're doing great, keep it up!

 

[Sks1997]

@Rubyroo Well, I am still coughing pretty frequently and I don’t feel like I have my full energy back but it is better. Thanks for asking! Still sleeping later in the morning too!

 

[Catalien45]

@ SusieQ... our Nordic Track is probably one of the older ones, we got it well over 20 years ago, probably 25 or 30, when we lived in Texas ( been in Colorado 22 years in July). It’s pretty basic, my only complaint is that it doesn’t register steps on my little fitbit, so I feel a bit “ ripped off” when I do a good stint on it & see no added steps on my little Fitbit. But ours is basically cross country skiing. But, it really has served us well, especially when weather is bad ( like the ice yesterday) & we cannot walk outside. Also, when my knee was so bad pre- TKR with the bone-on-bone, walking outside was just too painful, but, good old “ Nordy”, as we have named it, worked just fine.
@ Rubyroo....wow! It sounds like you are doing incredibly well! I’m still chasing that illusive “0” on extension, my extension was 3 my last time in PT this Tuesday, & my ROM 123. My Dr s aid he was fine with ending my PT appointments as long as I had a plan, & my therapist & I went over some exercises she wants me to do regularly, & she felt I was doing fine on my progress. She is very much in demand, she’s really great, & I’m sure someone else will be very glad to get the time slots that I will now cancel. Now I have to do the work on my own. But it is good. Btw, I can pretty well go down the stairs normally now, but still slowly & carefully, & I still often use both rails lightly for balance, & sometimes, do the “toddler step”, as I call it,especially first thing of a morning when the knee is stiff.
@ SKs1997, I’m so glad you are feeling better. Do take care of yourself, & be sure you get that rest. We go into my ID Drs office today for a blood draw, & then an appointment Monday, but otherwise, staying in, other than my husband grocery shopping & getting prescriptions, Omicron is pretty bad here. Hopefully it will peak soon. Just very glad to see you are feeling better.
Well, I’m about to start us some breakfast..... it feels so good to be cooking again, although I still love the way my husband does the hot cereal some days, & he enjoys doing it & seeing me love it so much. Everyone have a lovely day...

 

[Rubyroo]

I am not a cook- I missed a lot of the domestic genes you all talk about all the time. All the cooking & preparing food etc. That British Baking Show just makes me want to eat every thing those folks prepare! And the last thing I need is encouragement to eat something yummy! I do love to hear them talk. I love all kinds of accents! I could listen to them all day. I am more of the person you call if you have a snake in your garage or your dog left a dead critter on your backsteps. Don’t wince ladies! I got the Tom Boy gene! So this is why I don’t chime in on the food talk. I’m happy to be a taste tester though on some things! Quality control. PT again this afternoon. After today’s PT session I have 3 more appointments scheduled. I plan to stop after that and do my own thing. I can’t wait to be done with PT. Hope all of you are doing well today.

 

[Susie-Q]

Someone's got to be the eater of all that good food!

I found a couple more seasons of The Great American Baking Show on Hulu. Filmed in the famous tent in the UK and this time with American contestants. Paul Hollywood and a famous American baker are judges, Baby Spice and some American football player are the comedic hosts. I love the UK version with all the accents too.

I'm somewhat of a tomboy myself, @Rubyroo . I played with cars and trucks as a child and dolls. I've had to deal with a dead cat in our yard as well as a dead raccoon AND deal with all the cooking and housework. I can't even get my husband to grill! We bought a smoker a few years ago and I do all that too. I can't complain too much, he can build/fix/repair just about anything around the house so I am lucky.....

 

[lovetocookandsew]

Same here-my husband doesn't cook at all, other than fried eggs and packaged pancake mix. But his other skills are amazing, so I don't ever really complain about his lack of food skills. Besides, I love to cook and would likely get frustrated having to share my kitchen with him, or anyone else, on a regular basis.

I've also watched every season of both the American and UK versions of the baking shows. It always amazes me that they work so hard to win, and for really no end reward, other than bragging rights. I can't say I'd be willing to do it, but I do like watching the shows.

I made a smoked ham for Christmas dinner-my husband can help with getting the smoker ready to go, but anything past that would be a stretch.....lol. I like our division of skills-I design all our upgrades and he builds them to my designs. I cook, he eats...............

You do realize you can skip the last PT sessions if you want-you don't have to do it at all. I allowed them to come out here twice, but not for the PT part, just for the home health part. I let them check me and my sites the first time, and remove my dressings the second time. That was it, I declined to do any PT with them. I also declined to make any outpatient PT appointments. If you're happy with PT, by all means, continue with the last three appointments, but if not, you're not obligated to continue. It's your choice alone, no one else gets to decide your recovery path.

 

[Rubyroo]

Happy to report I’ve begun sitting in the front seat of car when hubby drives me to PT instead of having to sit in the back seat & put my leg up. It is a short trip to & fro so it is not too bad. If I was going on a longer car ride I might choose the back seat again. Also pleased to have been able to sit at my desk a couple times lately for a good portion of time & enjoy my eclectic, quirky, collage card making. I buy blank card stock & use glue sticks to put the pictures on the cards. I’ve been doing this for many, many years & I love the creative outlet & ability to express my eccentric personality through this. Plus I enjoy sending lots of cards & these handmade cards have been appreciated by many folks. They are nothing fancy but I love that there is no right or wrong in picture placement or the various subjects of pictures used- it is just purely fun. Here are a few examples of my cards. I have been collecting pictures of all sorts of things for years and have a few boxes of things I’ve cut out to use for various cards. Reduce, reuse & recycle!

 

[Susie-Q]

Beautiful! Reminds me of my scrapbooking. Using my kids pictures, usually with a theme like birthday, holidays or vacations, and designing a page, coordinating papers, stickers and colors. Creativity!!!

 

[Sara61]

How fabulous, it feels so good to slowly get back to doing things that we did prior to our surgeries.
Beautiful work !

 

[Rubyroo]

A couple days ago hubby & I went to a local nature preserve & we took a little walk on a paved picnic loop down by the lake. There were several picnic tables along the way I could rest at if I was tired or in pain. I felt pretty good & didn’t need to rest. We also walked out on the dock & enjoyed looking at the lake, water & surroundings for several minutes. The weather was nice & it was a beautiful winter day. It felt great to be out in nature & enjoying the day. I was tired when we got home & took a nap but didn’t experience any real pain.

Hubby came with me today as I took my first little stroll down the street. Walked down the street and touched the stop sign and came back home. When I got home I watched some tv and did some preventative icing. No pain so far. Sure was good to take my first little stroll in the neighborhood. Baby steps!

Tomorrow PT! Onward & upward!

 

[lovetocookandsew]

More steps toward "normalcy"!

 

[jaspa]

@Rubyroo sounds like a wonderful time out in the fresh air. I look foward to walking down my little paved street after the LTKR on 2/2, hope your PT goes well.

 

[Susie-Q]

Congrats on your new milestone, @Rubyroo !!!