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TKR Spring in my step?

Thank you @Layla All is going well. Last week was excruciatingly hot here; our lovely house is brilliant at enabling us to keep cosy and warm in the winter, not so great at keeping cool in very hot weather. So we ere mostly hunkered down sipping our iced drinks, poor husband suffers with fluid retention because of his heart failure so was even more restricted needing to have his legs raised a lot. A lot of watering had to be done as most of our plants are only 4-16 months in the ground, and there are about 15 in pots waiting to be planted. This week pleasantly warm, so back to our gardening, meaning we've not been on our bikes or nor have we been walking very much. Part of me feels guilty for neglecting activities which would be helping my knee. But mostly I'm so desperate to finish preparing the bare border at the front of the house and get it planted up that I push aside the guilt.

So how is the knee? I mostly forget about it, except when coming down stairs. I can mange the stairs well - just that knee still feels like it's lacking full flexibility when I'm doing it. We did have a good 50 minute walk just before the fierce heat - a neighbour took us to some lakes just 2 miles from home - lots of geese and goslings, ducks and other water birds, and lots of song from small birds in the bushes and reeds. Paths a bit uneven in places, but I managed fine. The first lake is used by carp fishermen - odd seeing them with their tents, multiple rods set up, most just on their own for many hours. All to try and catch very big fish that have to be put back in the water.

There, I'm confident this last op has been a success and I am glad I had it; I suppose time will tell how "normal" this knee will feel. I can now sleep anyway I want in bed. I still avoid kneeling on it and I don't know if I could run with it, but day to day I really forget about it. I am hoping that my other knee stays well-behaved; I was told in 2007 that it is arthritic, but the physio I had then sorted out the bad flare of pain.
 
Many of us find that once the new knee gets better and starts taking on more of the responsibility, the old knee will get better. Mine did.

Some people eat carp. I did in my early first married days. We had little money and would take a can of corn to use as bait. What we caught, we ate. They are muddy tasting, but helps to fill that empty tummy.
 
I'm sorry for the oppressive heat you've dealt with and the adverse effects it caused your husband, Gwennie. Many areas of the US are struggling with the same. Big difference is AC which I've come to learn is not that common in the UK. I heard it is going to heat up in the UK again next week. I hope you and hubby find ways to remain comfortably cool. It sounds like you're making good progress and it's very encouraging that you feel the surgery was a success. Having the ability to sleep in bed in any way you find comfortable is a win! We know how important our sleep is.
I don't know that I'd worry too much about running unless you're feeling threatened by something and if that were the case you'd likely get a rush of adrenalin to push you along effortlessly. :wink:
I hope Righty holds out for a good long time. You're doing well, Gwennie! It was nice to read an update...thanks for stopping by! :)
 
@sistersinhim I think we were served carp or something similar in a restaurant in Warsaw 30 years ago - very bony! This lake is owned by the water company, people get licences to fish, but there are notices telling the people that they must not fish for food, that fish have to be returned to the lake. I can understand fishing for food, but it does seem to be an odd, expensive and solitary hobby where the reward is just photos - that is if you manage to catch anything. But each to their own! The fishermen probably thought we were odd for just walking and getting excited by birds and finding flowering marsh orchids.
 
Happy Five Month Anniversary, Gwennie! :wave:
Hoping you continue to do well. You're almost half way through the typical full year recovery after TKR.
We haven't heard how it's going for you in quite awhile and we'd love to read an update when you have time to share your progress. Hope to hear from you soon!
@Gwennie
 
Thank you @Layla Not a lot to report! We've had very hot weather with very little relief, so outdoor activities have been very limited. A walk 10 days ago when the temperature was reasonable in the morning down to our local river, alongside and then back in to town for an early lunch - about 3 1/2 miles. A bit hotter than we were expecting, and a footpath diversion involved climbing up some steep uneven steps to walk along the bed of an old railway track and then down again on slightly better steps. Knee coped well. Fly in the ointment was that the bus we were hoping to catch, to save 30 mins walk home, didn't run (a car on fire blocking a major junction it turned out) so after hanging around for 40 minutes, off we went in the hottest part of the day. We were shattered by the time we got home. Knee held up well for now 5 + mile hike. That bit was good to know, but best laid plans, etc.

I am finding my knee feels quite stiff first thing in the morning - noticeably coming downstairs, so I do try and go up and down frequently to improve it, but as my fingers are also very stiff first thing and if I wake in the night, I wonder if this very long spell of hot and sometime very humid weather is just not conducive to healthy joints.

We had a visitor from sister in law and husband last week which did involve taking them out on 2 very hot days - fun, but exhausting. My sil had injured her knee before coming, so that limited the amount of walking she could do, she ended up being the one with elevated leg and ice at every opportunity. Most days now I'm in the garden for 30-60 minutes after 8 in the evening for watering and deadheading, any housework usually morning for anything energetic. We shall be moaning come the colder months, but it would be nice if we could plan for a bike ride, visit to a garden all our normal summer activities now, instead of feeling oppressed by the heat! Today is a little fresher, so we may go for a 30-40 minute walk later. Then the heat is back again tomorrow! Now for finger/hand exercises!
 
Thanks for the update! It sounds like you're doing well at only five months post op.

Gwennie said:
I wonder if this very long spell of hot and sometime very humid weather is just not conducive to healthy joints.
Click to expand...
The high humidity can cause your blood vessels to dilate which can promote fluid retention. The soft tissues swell and make your joint feel stiffer. The heat may leave you feeling dehydrated and your muscles fatigued and achy. It sounds like you've been really active lately also which may make your still healing knee feel more sore lately.

Stay well hydrated and cool in this next heat wave. :ice: Take good care, Gwennie!
 
:hi: Hi Gwennie,
Stopping by to wish you a happy last week of August as you mark six months since your resurfacing procedure.

I hope its cooled down for you across the pond. I woke to a wonderfully cool 55F / 13C, flung open the windows for some fresh air and the sun is out also. I'm loving it! :SUNsmile: Wishing you a wonderful rest of the day and a lovely coming week!
Stay in touch.
@Gwennie
 
Thank you @Layla! All going well, although the dry hot weather has persisted - cooled very slightly, and although there has been some rain around, it largely seems to miss us. So watering the garden is still a major evening activity, and some plants are not looking so great. We've had a few day time excursions, but keep getting caught out by the heat. Knee seems to be doing OK, still a bit stiff, especially the first timeI come downstairs in the morning. That said, I had to hurry down to answer the door this morning, and I didn't register the stiffness - I'm wondering whether I should try harder not to think about it so much.

The heat has kept us off our bikes - we did have a short ride about 3 weeks ago when it seemed the morning would not heat up as fast as it had been doing. Unfortunately, when we had to stop to cross a road, hubby's foot slipped off the pedal which swung back and lifted a nice triangle of fragile skin on his shin. So we ended up with a shorter short ride- just about 5 miles, and a visit to Minor Injuries - luckily we have one in our town. That's healed up nicely, and when we get a day when it's not too windy we'll have another go. It would be good if we can get some regular rides in - I did get some discomfort, I'm hoping that will ease off if we can get out regularly.

Walking has been fine. We had a great walk along a stretch of old railway track - a good part is in a deep cutting through woods, delightfully cool. Then we got to the open stretch, and hubby's energy started to drain, and he was very apologetic about slowing up - but I think after an hour without a stop, I was ready to finish. Luckily, the first bakery/cafe we got to turned out to be a little gem - delicious focaccia sandwiches and coffee, and we were close to our bus for getting home. I have to get used to the idea that sometimes I need to slot in a bit more exercise on my own not to wear him out - adjusting his heart medications is still a work in progress as his blood pressure has been getting very low.

Onwards and upwards! Six months under the belt now.
 
What a great report @Gwennie you’re doing so well and sounds like you’re enjoying yourselves too, the little mishap notwithstanding, glad he’s ok. Some fun is just what’s needed on the long recovery road. Keep up the great work and please keep us posted as this encourages those who are also recovering or simply researching the process. :loveshwr:
 
We're pretty dry here too. It's unfortunate for sure. Cooler weather is on its way, at least the calendar points to that. It's good you had the experience with the stairs this morning and you were fine afterward. It's such a great reminder that your knee is capable or more than you may be giving it credit for. You've been appropriately cautious and maybe this proved to be a good opportunity to start trusting it a little more and not thinking about each movement quite as much. I do know that's easier said than done.

Sorry to read of hubby's minor injury while biking. Thankfully it's healing well! Your walk through the woods sounded like a refreshing escape from the heat and a perfect ending with your stop at the bakery / cafe.

You seem to be doing really well, Gwennie, and it was certainly nice to hear from you. Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by and leave an update.

Take good care!
@Gwennie
 
Sorry to hear about your husband's accident and the trip to minor injuries department.
Still it sounds as though overall things are going really well. Hopefully now the weather is cooling down a bit here and we are having some rain, it will make life easier.
 
Hi Gwennie,
Today marks seven months to date since the resurfacing. Happy Seven Month Anniversary!
I hope things continue to go well for you and hubby is thriving also. Given it's the first day of Autumn and the temps are finally more bearable, hopefully it's allowing you two to enjoy a more regular bike riding and walking schedule. :fingersx:
A great rest of the week to you! :)
@Gwennie
 
Thank you @Layla for thinking of me! You're right, temperatures have been much easier, and we've enjoyed some pleasant walks. We managed a three night break further east along the coast to visit my oldest niece and her younger son, lovely to catch up with them in the flesh. And strange to be driven in his car by this 6'3'' young man when it seems like no time since we were strapping him into a child seat when they visited every summer! We've been busy in the past few weeks gardening and making time for some little excursions with favourite walks along the local coast, especially knowing what was coming up this week ...
We're going to be rather restricted for exercise now as hubby had a cataract operation on Monday and today I had a skin lesion removed from my thigh - 7 stitches - so even my daily minimum 30 minute walk is a no-no for a few weeks. I've been told to avoid activity that might compromise my wound, stitches need to be in for a fortnight. Had to ask my brother-in-law to come and collect me from hospital and take hubby in for a blood test this afternoon - and tee up a neighbour for the blood test run in case hospital ran late. Both very happy to help, but sobering to realise we're at that stage in life where we can have these overlapping issues and need to call on others.
Hey ho, we seem to have had a year dominated by medical stuff! Hubby hopefully will have 2nd cataract dealt with in 6-8 weeks, assuming all is well at the 4 week review. Both his cataracts were found to be thick at the back, so needed to be referred from the local clinic to a more specialised centre.
Meanwhile my knee - still doing well, still aware of it, particularly coming down stairs. But walking has been fine, cycling OK - shame we've not done as much as we would normally do in summer as I think that would have been a great help. Just hope that I'm not going to regress in the next few weeks. Our hopes for an October Mediterranean break have now all but slipped away ...maybe the Canaries by December or January. Onwards and upwards!
 
Thank you for the update, @Gwennie. Glad to read that walking and cycling have been working for your recovery. Don't worry too much about regressing; recovery is always a "2 steps forward, 1 step backwards" dance.

Give yourself -- and your husband -- time to heal from your recent procedures so you can make that trip to the Canary Islands this winter.
 
Hi Gwennie,
Lovely to hear from you! Great that you were able to share some time with loved ones. Precious times indeed.
It's refreshing the way you and hubby spend time enjoying family and nature together. I hope your husband is doing okay after his cataract surgery and he's able to have his other eye done within a couple of months, putting that behind him. Hopefully you're doing well also after your procedure today and your wound heals up nicely.

I'm sure you'd be there in a pinch for those you called on for a favor. It is a blessing to have people to depend on in times of need. I'll bet you two will make up for what you missed this Summer...next Summer. I'm sorry the Mediterranean vacay isn't happening and hope your idea of a December - January getaway comes to fruition. Thanks so much for the update, Gwennie!
Happy Autumn!
@Gwennie
 
Having good friends and family members is such a blessing. You are blessed by them and they are blessed by being able to help you! That makes it a 2-way street and a double blessing!
 
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