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TKR Staying Positive

It’s a fine line between doing too much and not enough.
Yes! So true.

If you experience increased swelling or pain after activity, or your knee feels stiffer, you are likely overdoing it.
You want to remain comfortably mobile and overdoing it during the day can lead to nighttime discomfort and a sleepless night.

On the other hand, if you're not active enough your muscles may remain weak, rather than strengthen, and you will tire more easily if not "slowly" working on endurance. Slowly increase intensity and duration, a little discomfort is okay, but not pain. Rest is important, balanced with activity.
Consistent gradual progress will get you there, Oldped! :thumb:
 
@ Layla, good to know. Luckily I don’t have much pain, night or day, maybe some slight aches here or there. Knee is always stiff/ not much bend so hard to use that as an activity guide. I am managing to be up and about house, doing dishes, laundry, etc. I shoveled off deck this AM , just a few inches of powdery snow, fresh air and warmer. I will try to move every 1/2 hr/hr or so , see how it goes.
 
Think I just joined the ODIC again!! When will I learn?? I did dishes, made breakfast, took sheets off bed into wash, walked a bit around house. Warmer today-21F-a heatwave! So I decided to shovel deck, walk outside . Reached down with broom and tweaked back!! Now on the couch, took Tylenol and heating pad on back, knee not bad but sore back. Good thing I just downloaded new books on kindle. I feel like I can’t win, I guess I’ll just have to take it easy.
 
I feel your pain, @Oldped! Crossing that line between okay and "oh-oh!" happened to me so many times. It's hard to find the right balance as we reach the 3-4 month mark and really start to feel better.

Enjoy your reading time!
:flwrysmile:
 
So sorry you've landed in the ODIC, I hope you're able to fly the coop soon.
Wishing you comfort and some restorative rest overnight.
@Oldped
 
Hi

Just to chime in keep doing what you're doing and don't worry about a number just strive for function
Keep doing the slides and chair slides
And try flexing on stair
Keep the knee mobile
It will come !
 
@Layla you gave me a laugh, Sunday is the day the big paper comes! You can tell we’re older, younger people have no clue what a newspaper is! I still get one delivered, love to read the news on paper rather than online
 
Small victory for me today- drove car to Walmart( only 10 min away, shopped for about 20 min, drove home. The hardest part was driving with stiff right knee. I’m now on the couch with ice. It did feel good to get out, we’ll see how I am tomorrow. I hope @westiemom gets out on her shopping trip this week too!
 
Wonderful news, Oldped! Getting out and feeling a part of the world again does make a difference.
Glad you're icing and hope you don't feel any worse for wear tomorrow! :fingersx:
@Oldped
 
Managed to shovel the steps, 2 loads of laundry, wash dishes, load and unload the dishwasher, shower, change sheets, walk to the mailbox( about 1/4 block) through the snow, and I’m only semi exhausted. Unfortunately I’m starting to cough, likely I didn’t escape hubby and son’s colds. My bend is still poor but I’m trying to convince myself to be patient and live as best I can, who knows what 9 more months can bring? Also managed to go watch a kids basketball game - visited with my good friend and grandkids, got some nice hugs (even from the 13 year old basketball player!) I’ve probably joined the ODIC club for the next several days. Trying to stay positive, we’re getting a bunch more snow tonight, someone else will have to shovel. Could somebody pls change my title to “staying positive” thanks
 
@Oldped
Today has been gorgeous here in the south. 75 degrees and sunny. I will be having my afternoon coffee outside on the patio today.
I worked on bookkeeping today, keeping my leg straight down for several hours. I bathed, got something ready for dinner, got a load of laundry ready and am now icing and elevating. That sitting down with my leg on the floor straight just kills me.
Hope you're not in the ODIC for very long. The time you spend there is usually a depressing time cause you feel like you've gone backwards. I'm not happy with my bend either. It just feels like a one-piece thing in there that doesn't want to bend. I'm hoping time and patience will help me too.
 
@westiemom , sounds like a productive day. My ability to sit with my leg down has improved over time, sometimes I sit but prop leg up on another chair. We got about 6 inches of snow last nite, about 25 degrees but sunny. I am coughing and feel semi rotten, hope this passes soon!! The couch for me today.
 
@westiemom pleased you have sunshine and coffee. Since my surgery I just cannot face coffee, hopefully will change soon. The leg down is not good but it is still early days, as for the bend!!! It's hiding there, somewhere. Do you massage your knee? I gently massage around scar and knee drawing upwards towards thigh. Measured knee this morning, 1 inch difference to good knee , circumference, but feels so much more. Wish you and all of us a happy day x
 
@Oldped
My cold lasted exactly 7 days. I had my GP wellness checkup today and of course, today was Day #7. She did prescribe something for me to try to sleep so I will try 1/2 the pill tonite. I have to be very careful with drugs and my heart problem.
We did the doctor appointment today, which is a long walk to get to her office in the clinic and back, then lunch then a small grocery store. I actually used my walker and glad I did. Elevating now and icing. I felt so good yesterday with the sun out and almost over my cold I was a little too ambitious and today paid the price. Tomorrow is icing, elevating, and reading. I think we will have leftovers for dinner tonite so hubby can just heat that up in the microwave and no standing cooking on the stove.
Today has been miserably grey and feels so much colder than the thermometer says it is. We have a fire in the fireplace and I have a cardigan and two afghans and a heating pad on me to keep warm. We are not going to have nice weather like yesterday for at least another 2 weeks. So glad we had our coffee outside yesterday. Going up and down the stairs to get to the patio is also good exercise!
I hope your cold doesn't last as long as mine did and that every day you feel better. Winter is miserable enough without adding in our TKR pains.
 
@Andypandy
I couldn't face coffee right after surgery either, but have been such a coffee-aholic for most of my life that I am so addicted to it. I usually only turn it down when my stomach is yucky. There have been several days since surgery when I haven't had any.
Today at lunch out, I kept my foot down the entire time. It wasn't a long drawn out lunch, but still, for 30 minutes or so it was totally down and not propped up. First time ever!!
I haven't massaged my leg at all. It feels so weird cause I can't feel anything on the outside of my knee and just some on the inside. It actually feels like I'm touching someone else's knee. Can't feel a thing on the outside.
Hubby watched me walk to the doctor's office and said I was walking good. And he's truthful to a fault so I must be improving even if I don't feel like it.
Hopefully today is a good day and tomorrow even better for all of us!:flwrysmile:
 
@westiemom , cold here and we got lots of snow yesterday. I feel rotten, tired and coughing. I took some cold medicine last night and felt restless and weird, don’t know if it was meds or just being sick. Strangely my knee doesn’t feel too bad, and hubby says my walk looks good too. I’m waiting to feel better and for spring to come! Chicken/ lemon/ orzo soup tonight, maybe it will help.
 
Ugh...the creeping crud. So sorry you're feeling under the weather, Oldped.
It seems like so many are ill right now, but tis the season. :mcoffee:
I hope you feel better soon. The soup sounds good!
@Oldped
 
@Oldped looks like you’re having what is normal for all of us, reading between the lines, that we experience days that are so positive and you feel like, yes it’s happening and 24hrs later feeling, no it really isn’t

I’ve likened my recovery (which feels always like 2 steps forward and 1 back), to an incoming tide. It comes in and goes back, comes in then back, but each time it goes back it never goes back quite so far,until eventually it will be high tide.

Hang on in there, hope todays a better day.
 
@beralc , thanks for the encouragement. Feeling a bit better today, not so tired. Planning another day mainly on the couch, maybe a little walking and bending. Hope the tide keeps coming in!!
 
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