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Revision TKR Sondrals’ Revision

We do but he refuses to sleep in there lol. So kinda on him as well.

major plus today, I made it to 105 bend at PT on my own. They want me to ditch the walker but I told them no I’m not ready yet.
 
Something weird happened tonight, I was able to easily get to 120 degrees on the cpm, my knee felt considerably looser and the back less swelled. Previously I was maxing out at about 100 due to a painful pulling sensation on the inside of my knee. I have no idea why and I’m praying it was not a fluke. I even had to run out and pick up a new cable modem as ours quit today, so a little standing in line plus I did laundry today and worked from home for almost 5 hours. I’m icing again now and I know it’ll be stiff in the morning but I am genuinely baffled as to why all the sudden it was loose. Maybe it likes the -6 degree weather we’re having?? :rotfl:
 
Great news! I've found on colder days my knee aches from the cold, but the swelling is far less...might be part of your improvement!? :heehee:

I'm wondering what I'll see this summer!
 
After a seemingly ok day I’m really down tonight. My boyfriend said he’s just going to start preparing the house for wheelchair access because I’m not ever going to be able to trust my new knees we paid so much for. So whatever wind I had in my sails is now gone and I just want to lay in bed and cry. I don’t know why I feel like I can’t trust them but I am terrified of falling
 
I’m sorry things seem so discouraging right now. Many of us feel this recovery is endless, in the early weeks. But while long, recovery is temporary. As you heal you will see your knees get stronger and you will come to trust them.

Of course you are afraid of falling. All of us were. It’s also winter and you live in a snowy/icy area. Navigating “at night” no matter what time of day it is, is scary any time of year, but especially on slippery surfaces.

Where you are now in recovery is not where you are going to end up. You are going to heal and get better and get more confident. :console2:
 
I think I’m just flat out hurt that he thinks I won’t ever get better. Part of it is I’m having a hard time trusting my new knees. My August one sometimes feels like it wants to hyperextend. My December one is pretty new and stiff a lot. I sometimes feel like I don’t know where my feet are and lose my balance easily. They straightened my legs quite a bit when they replaced my knees.

I guess MY fear is that he’s right, this will be as good as it gets. Or that there’s something wrong with my August one that I’ve never fully trusted it.
 
Your August knee is still only a preteen, just halfway healed. You will continue to heal and get stronger. When you had your December knee replaced all the 'work' was thrown on your August knee, whether it was ready or not. You now have two knees healing!

Send your BF to Bonesmart to read other threads and get a feel for what you are going through. Also, go to youtube and bring up a real-time total knee replacement. Sit him down in front of the computer and let him watch it. I did this when I was impatient at about 2 months out. Once watching that, I didn't complain about not being healed yet anymore! It definitely takes time.
 
@sondrals, are you seeing the pattern that other Bonesmarties have mentioned? You aren't even 4 weeks out on the new one, and the August one is basically just a bit over 1/3 of the way in a year long recovery. I'm about 10 days after you with September knee and it periodically does the hyper-extend movement too. You are having to learn to walk again on these new knees and that takes time!

I understand being hurt with BF...I have those moments too. We all have high expectations in our relationships, so discouragement is normal whether you are dealing with recovery from surgery or raising teenagers :)hairpulling:!) Life is tough and it's easy to be hurt when our significant others don't get what our issue may perhaps be.

I do like @sistersinhim 's advice, have BF read on BS or watch a video to be reminded that you are still recovering from 2 major, major surgeries! You are not going to be like this forever...and besides, you live in a place that's tough to get outside and get sunshine and fresh air!

Hang in there, and August 2020 will be here before you know it, you will start seeing more improvement, but at a slower pace because of the other surgery.
 
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OMG @sondrals...I was just reading bits 'n pieces about your recovery to my husband and he said, "Wow...for someone who just had surgery in mid-December, this person is doing so well."

It's amazing how different people view things from such varying perspectives.

I was sorta shocked to read about wheelchair and wheelchair ramps. Seems way to premature to be talking about that stuff. Please be kind to yourself and do not get discouraged. It's not even been a month since you had TKR surgery.
 
Sometimes the people who love us simply can’t figure out how to help us without coming up with some concrete project like a ramp. And, of course, they are impatient with suffering they don’t know how to fix

Maybe your BF needs to know, for himself, that he’s doing what he can. The rest has to be left in the hands of your knees . . . I like that image.

It also seems fair for you tell him that there will be time, and maybe better weather, to address any mobility needs you have later. And that it undermines your confidence when he jumps to a conclusion that you won’t get better. What you need from him is sympathy not pessimism.

oooh. That feels a little intrusive on my part, but it’s meant to be helpful.
 
I like how you said that. It takes time for this prosthetic to grow up and become part of us. And it may stay foreign in some ways (the clunking and clicking I am noting). But I am hoping for a place of peace and stability, this year onward.

sistersinhim said:
Your August knee is still only a preteen, just halfway healed...
Click to expand...
 
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With good or bad knees anyone can fall and especially in the icy /snowy conditions that you live in. I can relate this last 2 weeks whilst away in my home in the mountains I wasn't brave enought to tackle even the lighter walks out of fear of falling and I only had 1 TKR so having two done so closely it's totally normal to have fear. But just remember how well you have done so far and improvements will continue in the coming months. May be your BF is trying to be helpful, give him a few posts on BoneSmart to read so he can better understand what you are experiencing.
Keep reminding yourself how well you have done - in my opinion your are mighty impressive xx
 
Ask your bf to read your entire recovery thread. All the answers to his questions are all right here in what we have told you, since the beginning. He needs support as much as you do. I’m sure this is a difficult time for him also, being concerned for you as he is.

When he reads the advice and support that we’ve written to you, I think it will encourage him that you are having a normal recovery.

Maybe he would like to post here, also, if he has questions and concerns not answered here already. We are here for him, also.
 
Thanks everyone for your support and input. He won’t read anything and says it’s my anxiety causing the problems and basically said he thinks I’ll never get off the walker. Or I’ll alway be disabled.

So, I started using my cane around the house again. I can’t for the life of me figure out how to use it left handed. Well I can put it in that hand but then I just end up carrying it along with me which results in a limp. I still feel pretty wobbly and will most certainly use my walker outside until there’s no ice or snow. Or at least until I feel more stable. I’ve fallen so many times because of ice and snow already that I’d not like to do it again

@Macknit it’s good to know that hyperextending feeling is somewhat normal. It’s still disconcerting when it happens I get all panicky.

@tlfiore your husband sounds sweet! Tell him thank you! He’s way nicer than my jerk of a boyfriend. (Fine he’s not a jerk but I’m kinda ticked off at him right now, though I understand his frustration as well)

The rental company came and got the CPM and the ice machine today. I had physical therapy yesterday but had a different physical therapist as mine is on vacation. She was perfectly fine and I was able to pedal backwards on the bike this time. She estimated I have a bend of 110 so some improvement. I can almost sit comfortably with my knees up in the recliner.

My bf is going to clean off my car and tomorrow I’m going to attempt a drive around the neighborhood. The bad news is I got told I have to go back to work next week. The plus side is it’s a mile away and I can work part days. Things are just getting too far behind for me to be totally out I guess. I’m going to have to see if I can get in the car, then fold my walker down and drag it in behind me. Should be interesting. I have an extra cane so I’ll leave it in the office to use there.

I do wonder if it’s normal for my August knee to feel so weird. At what point should I worry something is wrong? This week is swelling a bit more, I assume because of going back to Pt. I can’t even articulate what seems wrong other than I don’t seem to want to put full weight on it. Are my muscles just weak still? Is it just my anxiety?
 
It's a shame you have to go back to work so soon, but at least it's close and you have to work only part time. Having a cane left there is a very smart idea.

Starting back up your PT is causing increased swelling. Are you still able to ice even though the ice machine is gone? Ice packs will certainly help.

Your August knee is not even halfway through its year of healing, so it's normal to have strange feelings in it, especially since it has taken on most of the work now.
 
I know that things are really hard right now, and you are not getting the support you need from those close to you. But, you are going to come through this fine. You are going to heal and have 2 good knees. In time you will trust those 2 good knees because there won’t be a reason not to. :console2:
 
I have two extra large gel ice packs I alternate with. So I’m still able to ice, while I love the ice machine it’s kind of expensive and this time it seemed to error every hour at night. So kind of glad to be rid of it.
 
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