Revision TKR Sondrals’ Revision

Your weather is quite similar to ours here in Central Oregon...right next to the mountains, so we also get feet of snow, freezing rain and 90 + degrees in the summer. Each year is very unpredictable! Good luck with your shoes, and additional surgery!?

I'll have to read back through the thread...I missed the second surgery! :what: :rotfl:
 
@Macknit im scheduled to have my right knee replaced December 10th. I had my left done August 22nd.

My kneecap on my left was sitting on the outside of my knee, I went into this thinking I was going to have a Fulkerson procedure. Come to find out I do not have a groove for my kneecap to sit in so it was live with it or replace it. I was using a walker full time to get around and couldn’t stand so I chose replace.

Fast forward to my 2 month follow up my big complaint was my right knee was killing me, a couple xrays later and we discover not only does it have the same issue but it’s in even worse shape! So I’m hopefully having it replaced too but then I got a blood clot so everything is kinda up in the air, I have an ultrasound next week then they will decide for certain
 
Oh my goodness, then a blood clot on top of that? How far out was the blood clot after your Aug 22nd surgery?? I've read they can come up to 3 months? Not sure how common that is, but my husband ended up with a pulmonary embolism when he was 48...from a leg DVT! So I definitely freak out about blood clots! Best of luck with the ultrasound results and I'll keep up with your posting to see when your next surgery is!

Blessings :praying:
 
It was 2 months out, I thought I was past the window of risk of having one, was back up walking and pretty active. They said it’s weird I got one that far out. So I guess I’m special! it scared me very badly because the only symptom I had was swelling, I could have easily brushed it off as having done too much that day. Something just didn’t feel right so I went to the ER, thankful I did
 
@sondrals I've been thinking about you and even though I do not post much, I am closely following your recovery. I worry for you every time you mention spikes, canes, snow, ice and freezing temperatures!

I love Alaska, I do. It is one of the most beautiful places I've ever visited. In many ways, Alaska reminds me of parts of the Upper Peninsula Michigan, as well as New England (where I grew up...inland parts of New England more so, not coastal).

Here in Southern Michigan, we had a bit of a freak early November snowfall and bitter Arctic Cold...just a few days after I had surgery on October 30th...about 10 days later. We had about 7 inches of snow & ice here, some of which is slowly melting away but no not really. The cold and ice are here to stay. I know how treacherous walking in ice and snow is...it's frightening.

May sound weird but every time my husband and I contemplate moving to Florida, I think about how much I would miss the peace, calm & serenity that each snowfall brings. I love the solitude of the winter, I really do.

Winter is one of my favorite seasons. I like the calmness.

PLEASE be careful and do whatever you must to avoid a slip, or fall.

You are doing great given all you've been through. Keep up the good work.
 
@tlfiore Aw, thanks so much! I'm doing ok given all the weather has thrown at us this week. I am, and probably always will be, a worry wart. Most days I start work between 6-7am, so I get to our building early enough to get a handicapped spot, but two days a week I go home at lunch and let our dog out so I lose those spots. So I'm not guaranteed a spot when I get back. But... it's two days a week. And the other days my bf is home so I don't leave until I'm off.

Fortunately having bad knees my entire life has prepared me a little bit for this. I have just about every possible tool to help me traverse the parking lots and ice and snow as safe as possible. I am a little paranoid because I've fallen several times in my work parking lot due to their poor maintenance. The last one I spent 6 months in rehab to be able to walk again on my right knee.

Mostly I get annoyed that I can't be "normal." I see people just trucking across parking lots with zero worries and to be honest I'm jealous. I've never once had that (even as a kid I worried) and even once both knees are replaced, I probably still won't have that. I think I deluded myself into thinking I'd be completely recovered by now and one of those people without a care in the world. I get down on myself sometimes when I realize despite all this my life isn't really going to change all that much.
 
In other news, I am absolutely freeeeeeeeeeeezing to death!

I even have a little space heater for under my desk at work. Most days I'd like to shove it up my shirt just to keep warm but I figure the boss might frown on that.

At home I wear my hooded sweatshirt so that keeps me warmer, but I'm about to buy a cardigan to wear at work.
 
In other news, I am absolutely freeeeeeeeeeeezing to death!
I am never cold, but this year I'm freezing all the time. I've worn my sweaters more this year than in the last 10, and it isn't even really winter yet! Might I suggest a cute wool hat you can wear all the time?
 
Might I suggest a cute wool hat you can wear all the time?

I have a severe hat aversion, anything on my head and it immediately itches and I can't stop scratching it. Maybe it's because I have short short hair? But hats drive me nuts.
 
Went in for pre-op blood work today, spent a half hour in there sobbing because I'm afraid I'm never going to be able to walk again unaided.

I've actually considered requesting being put into rehab after surgery this time. My mom isn't able to help (refuses to, not sure what to call it, but is apparently all my fault) and my bf.. well about every other night he loses it.

I'm terrified I'm going to lose my job because of all this, if I don't recover and get back to work fast enough.

All I want to do is cry and cancel my surgery. I don't understand why at 41 my body is such a mess. I've actually wondered if I should just disappear and stop being such a burden to everyone.
 
:console2: I’m so sorry you are in such a difficult situation. Please keep hanging out here with us, we all care so much about you.

We know how difficult this recovery is and we are here for you. “Post Op Blues” are probably still planning a part in your emotions. The other stresses add to it.

You have good reason right now to need a walking aid. The first knee is not healed yet and the second one needs to be done. You’ve had knee problems for years, they need time after each surgery to heal and adjust. You live in an icy/snowy location.

All these factors are reasons to use your cane. I’ve seen some pretty ones on Amazon, maybe a pretty one would be more accepting.

With two new knees, once they are healed you will do much better.

A rehab place might be a good idea. Just be careful with the PT you get there, don’t let them work you hard. Working harder on exercises does not mean a faster recovery, but could very well mean a slower one, if your knees can’t handle it. Check some rehab places out in advance to find one you like, as they are not all the same. @Jamie can offer some better advice on rehab places.

Whenever you are feeling down, post here, we are here for you.:console2:
 
I did something I didn't think I could do this morning. I went up a flight of stairs leg over leg. Yes, I used my cane, yes, I used the handrail, but I did it. I am terrified of stairs and for some reason even the one step up into our house seems daunting to me (probably because there is no rail). But I decided this morning at work to try it, the worst that could have happened is I couldn't do it and took the elevator. But... I made it. I don't think I'm quite ready for down yet though.

I have my ultrasound this morning. It's ridiculously icy out, we got just barely an inch of snow yesterday but for some reason it packed down into super slick ice on the roads.

I find out Wednesday if my surgery is moving forward or not. I hope so, I'm ready to just get it over with and be on the road to healing.
 
Awesome milestone on the stairs! I still definitely need a handrail, no shame in that!
 
Mostly I get annoyed that I can't be "normal." I see people just trucking across parking lots with zero worries and to be honest I'm jealous. I've never once had that (even as a kid I worried) and even once both knees are replaced, I probably still won't have that. I think I deluded myself into thinking I'd be completely recovered by now and one of those people without a care in the world.
It's only 3 months since your surgery, which means you're only a quarter of the way through this 12-month recovery. Your knee is still a work in progress, not the finished article. Both you and your knee still have a lot of healing to do. Try not to think that where you are now is where you're going to end up - because it isn't.
good things take time.jpg
Give yourself and your knee that time.

I don't understand why at 41 my body is such a mess.
Unfortunately, recovery from a knee replacement takes the same amount of time whether you're 18 or 80.
I expect you'd thought that being relatively young would give you a faster recovery , but it doesn't happen like that. You and your knee have been through major surgery that caused a lot of trauma - and you can't bounce back quickly from that. You will get better than you are now, I'm sure of it.
Went in for pre-op blood work today, spent a half hour in there sobbing because I'm afraid I'm never going to be able to walk again unaided.
It may be that you're going to need a walking aid for several more months, but there's every chance that you won't need it for ever.

Instead of thinking of always needing a stick, try to think of yourself enjoying life with two knees that no longer have that awful pre-op pain. That's going to happen, but it's going to take a little while.
 
I expect you'd thought that being relatively young would give you a faster recovery , but it doesn't happen like that.

Yep. And was in fact... told that I would "bounce back quicker." Lies all lies.

It may be that you're going to need a walking aid for several more months, but there's every chance that you won't need it for ever.

Probably, and even if I didn't need it per say, I'd probably use it anyway with the ice we've had. I guess it's not the worst thing in the world,but it is frustrating and inconvenient.
 
Probably, and even if I didn't need it per say, I'd probably use it anyway with the ice we've had. I guess it's not the worst thing in the world,but it is frustrating and inconvenient.
Yes, I agree, but it's much better than having a fall.

Even though my latest TKR is 5 years old now, I keep a cane in my car and I use it when the ground is slippery underfoot.
 
Even though my latest TKR is 5 years old now, I keep a cane in my car and I use it when the ground is slippery underfoot.

In a way I don't mind the cane, it's kind of an accumulation of things that's ends up overwhelming me. Having to use a cane, having to wear grippy shoes, still not feeling stable, fighting with a limp, worry over the blood clot issue, worry about if I'm going to have my other knee replaced or not, worry that I'm never going to walk right again. It all kind of builds up and I find myself totally panicking.
 
That’s a lot to think about. One day at a time. :console2:
 
I just keep reminding myself that I’m fixing parts that need to be repaired or replaced. It just is what it is. And the recovery will take as long as it takes. I take deep breaths. I stay focused.
You have a beautiful Nurse Dog. Is she/he a hugger, as in, the calming power of “the laying on of the paws”?
 

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