Become an Insider

TKR Sandi's knees, take 2

sandi4213 said:
I just started showering by myself not long ago and I am surprised that I was able to get him cleaned off pretty good, bathtub rinsed off, and dog dried off.
Click to expand...
You did it and you did it all by yourself! Sandi, you are well on the way to a real normal life again! Once you get rested up, I bet you felt really good about your accomplishment in that bathtub!
 
Sandi, I've come to appreciate a surprising bonus of BoneSmart. We get a glimpse into lives of folks who all share something big in our lives - our TKR's - and we also get to see the many ways our lives are different. We have folks living in high rise apartments in the city, and then we have you, dealing with a dog that rolled in a pig pen, and young children learning up-close-and-personal about where our food really comes from. I have fond memories of 4-H as a kid. Thank you for sharing. It sounds like you are really doing great. I still need (or better say "have the luxury to have") plenty of help with everything. Weaning off is going to be difficult!
 
Sandi, I don't remember the thread you were on but you were talking about fatigue and staged knees, etc. Yes I absolutely believe the fatigue is worse after the second. I can't begin to do at 12 weeks with this knee what I could with the first. I'm doing a lot of things but not what I consider a normal day at all.

I'm not a good one to preach but try not to compare knees! I still get discouraged when I do. I didn't pray for patience, because you know what they say about that. However we just have to be patient. You will start looking back at how much progress you are making. You aren't even a month out yet. Be kind to yourself!:friends:
 
Thanks Becky @becticu . I know that you know how I am feeling. I know it will get better and in a few weeks I will look back and see how far I've come. Thanks for the understanding. :console2:
 
@becticu Your perspective from further along in this journey is really helpful for us new stagers.
@sandi4213 All I can say is YES! Fatigue is definitely more of an issue this time around. The PA I saw for follow up on knee #1 warned me that recovery from knee #2 would be harder but I wasn't sure in what way--I think this is it--our bodies are just slower to bounce back.
 
Hat's off to all of you with *Staged Knees*! I really don't believe I could have put myself through that ordeal, but I also know many don't have the option of waiting a bit longer.

@sandi, I don't know how I missed all the excitement here with the dog who rolled in the pig-pen, the dog bath and the 4H exhibition, but somehow I did! I certainly know what it's like to have to bathe a dirty dog that's gotten into *sumthin'* and in my case, it always seemed to happen at night, just when we'd like to go to sleep. For us, it's usually a *city-slicker skunk* that creates problems; eeuuuww. Thankfully, we haven't had any episodes here during the worst of my TKR recovery, but I'm in awe of what you did, especially so early on in recovery! How exhausting!

I hope today will be a clean-dog day and a better knee day for you!:happydance:
 
Agreed - you all are heroic with your staged knees. I'm so glad I didn't have to do them both at once or stage them. Hang in there -- you will be so happy to have them both done if you can get through these next several weeks!
 
@gertie It does really help to have someone further along to help. I'm glad that I have all of you to travel this road with me.

@Pheebs52 It certainly was a lot of excitement, especially the dog bath. I almost couldn't believe I was doing it. Just goes to show what we can do when pushed :gaah:. My family came home late last night and I am so glad to have them back. My daughter, SIL, and granddaughter all went to work this morning, but the little kids are here. Next week school starts, so everybody will be gone all day. At least they will be home at night :tada:

@kmak81230 I know you are right, we will all be very glad when recovery is finished and we NEVER HAVE TO DO THIS AGAIN! That will be a happy day :egypdance:
 
@sandi4213 Wow what a time you had when left "Home Alone!" I think you even surprised yourself!
I'm sure you are happy to have your family back home even though things are always a bit more chaotic when everyone is around.
It sounds like you are doing really well in your staged recovery. Good for you!
I am enjoying people from all over the world and from all walks of life on this forum. It helps reinforce that we are all the same even if we are different!
 
Sandi, I am so in awe of you for your bravery in your staged TKRs and for staying home alone! I worked with 4-H in GA and appreciate the young people who learn so much from the programs. I did not work with livestock, but observed those that did and saw the growth it brought to the kids and the closeness of the families. Thank you for supporting them by being willing to stay home while they all experienced it. Next year, you'll be right there in the thick of it!!
 
I am in awe of those who do staged knees. Bilateral is rough initially, yes, but at least we get it all over with in one fell swoop. To do it all again--the pain, the fatigue, the PT--just when things are starting to feel good sounds daunting. But you folks do it and with such great spirit. Thank goodness it's all worth it in the end!
 
Thanks for all the support for us "stagers" everyone. I will admit that I wasn't expecting the fatigue to be as much as it is. I literally took a 2 hour nap after taking a shower today. Ugh!

So, I've had a bump in the road. Yesterday morning I inadvertently twisted my leg a little and strained a muscle (one of the hamstrings, But I can't remember what the pt called it). It hurt a lot when I did it and still hurts when I make certain movements. PT put heat on it, massaged it, and then had me do some gentle stretches before icing it. It did help quite a bit and will be what I will be doing the next few days. It is so frustrating to feel like I am going backwards. I'm so glad I had pt today, he really helped. Hopefully I'll be back to where I was soon.

That advice to not compare knees was spot on. This recovery is not at all like the last one.
 
I always think of knees like children. They all walked, talked, etc. in their own time. Our knees are very similar. Your new one will make that progress, just in its own good time. :yes:
 
I think that the massage yesterday really did something good. So far this morning I haven't felt the awful pain in the muscle I had the last couple of days. Just the normal 3 week aches and pains :nah:I hope this lasts through the day.
 
Sandi, sorry to hear you hurt the hamstring, but hopefully this is just a minor setback. I know the feeling from having inadvertently pivoted on my knee during Week 4; ugh! I recovered in a day or two with the RICE method, minus the C....hope you will as well!
 
Oh geez, I know how that is. I had pulled a muscle on day 8 ( trying to get out of bed the wrong way= without holding on) and it set me back a week.
Hope your PT can help you. Mine just said: rest, ice, elevate and pretend you just got home from hospital for next 4 days. It did get better after a week. But it was such an unnecessary set back.
sending healing vibes again: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
My muscle is so much better. I followed the PT's suggestion - twice a day, heat 20 min., a couple of stretches, then ice (I usually do about an hour). Other than that, lots of rest, elevation, additional ice. I am finding myself nervous that I might hurt myself when I move, so I find myself being very deliberate. I hope that goes away soon.

The fatigue this time is absolutely the worst! My feet and legs feel heavy, a trip to the kitchen for water and a snack or ice will wear me out. I feel like I need to move more to build up my stamina, but I don't have the energy. Ugh!!!! Somebody please remind me that this too shall pass.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Active Antimicrobial Hydrogel

Members online

No members online now.
Total: 755 (members: 0, guests: 755)

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom