Bilateral TKR SusieShoes' New Knees
- Thread starter SusieShoes
- Start date
United States
striding!
That's super.
I'm feeling pretty lazy, in comparison. 3 weeks behind you, with only one operated knee and can't quite make a mile. (Ok let's say 4 weeks behind because pulled muscle did set me back a week to 10 days.) Going to have to start a new habit, me thinks and just walk for the sake of walking.
Have avoided it wherever possible last 2 years due to pain and turned into a Slough.
You are an inspiration to so many of us!
I'm feeling pretty lazy, in comparison. 3 weeks behind you, with only one operated knee and can't quite make a mile. (Ok let's say 4 weeks behind because pulled muscle did set me back a week to 10 days.) Going to have to start a new habit, me thinks and just walk for the sake of walking.
Have avoided it wherever possible last 2 years due to pain and turned into a Slough.
You are an inspiration to so many of us!
Pheebs52
big-cheese
I think perhaps you can now say, "Things are a LOT better, Susie" They really are, especially when it was only a couple of weeks ago that Lefty was branded a laggard.
I'm amazed at all the walking you can do...shocked in fact, but in a good way.
I don't have a FitBit or any other such device to measure my steps but perhaps there's an App for it on the iPhone. I'll hafta check, but I suspect I haven't 'cuz I know my walking just isn't that much as yet, lol.
I'm not yet jumping up from the sofa to answer the phone, but it's good to know it's in the future! Granted, it may be in the distant future, but it's there...waiting...kinda like my ROM.
Standing at the kitchen counter and stove for 40 minutes is a HUGE milestone; brava!
LOL at "wearing a wide variety of shoes and HEEL HEIGHTS! You really are the Shoe Queen!
I'm amazed at all the walking you can do...shocked in fact, but in a good way.
I don't have a FitBit or any other such device to measure my steps but perhaps there's an App for it on the iPhone. I'll hafta check, but I suspect I haven't 'cuz I know my walking just isn't that much as yet, lol.I'm not yet jumping up from the sofa to answer the phone, but it's good to know it's in the future! Granted, it may be in the distant future, but it's there...waiting...kinda like my ROM.
Standing at the kitchen counter and stove for 40 minutes is a HUGE milestone; brava!
LOL at "wearing a wide variety of shoes and HEEL HEIGHTS! You really are the Shoe Queen!
And remember, Susie is the Poster-Child for BTKR, lol.
OP
OP
SusieShoes
Former BoneSmart staff member
Keep in mind I LIKE walking, so walking is 1) my go-to exercise at home, and 2) a way I measure my progress post-BTKR. First it was driveways/steps; now it's blocks/miles. I don't even know my ROM. All I know is it's good enough to go up and down stairs, step over bathtub rims, and paint my toenails!
OP
OP
SusieShoes
Former BoneSmart staff member
Rocknroll
new member
Looking forward to leaving "the numbers" behind too regarding ROM. Happy to hear you are doing well, hugs!
Pheebs52
big-cheese
Susie, thanks for the app info on steps! I won't bother counting them when I'm home, but I will count them now on real-world walks!
Arrtie, lol. No, there won't be any texting by me while walking since it takes all of my gray matter and concentration just to walk properly, lol. Besides, in my state, it's probably illegal; hah!
Arrtie, lol. No, there won't be any texting by me while walking since it takes all of my gray matter and concentration just to walk properly, lol. Besides, in my state, it's probably illegal; hah!
OP
OP
SusieShoes
Former BoneSmart staff member
I wouldn't be surprised if the app deducts steps for texting while walking. These phones are entirely too bossy!
That's why I stick to my Fitbit Zip that I can hang off my pants leg. That way every step I take is counted. When I wore one on my wrist, only about 1/4 of my steps were counted because I seldom swing my arms.
liam2015
post-grad
wonderful post SusieShoes. i'm just wondering, when you say pain-free, do you mean pain-free while walking, standing, sitting etc., basically all the time? do you have any pain when your legs are twisted or sitting too long with your legs down? i'm pretty much pain-free except for twisting in bed trying to sleep on my side or driving too long, sitting at a restaurant or theatre with legs down (i guess that's not really pain-free is it?)
i'm not really sure where i'm going with this lol, just comparing notes. glad you're doing so well; very encouraging.
i'm not really sure where i'm going with this lol, just comparing notes. glad you're doing so well; very encouraging.
OP
OP
SusieShoes
Former BoneSmart staff member
@liam2015, you make a good point. What does pain-free mean?
RIght after surgery, when pain was a constant, I compared my surgical pain to my pre-surgery pain. For me, the comparison was pretty stark, and I called my knees "pain-free" even when they really weren't. A pain level of 1 or 2 was so close to pain-free I lumped the two together. It was just such a blessed relief.
Now at 10 weeks, though, I no longer recall that pre-surgery pain as well. It's fading. So I only compare my knees to each other. Righty... is pain-free. My right knee doesn't hurt when I roll over in bed. I use it to leverage my body into position. I can wiggle it into a shoe on the floor without even a twinge of pain. Getting into and out of the car bothers it not at all. Now, am I dismissing the slight stiffness that still webs the joint? Is that pain? It doesn't hurt, really. I merely notice it. It doesn't impede me in any way. So I'm not counting that as pain.
Lefty, though, does have pain much of the time. It isn't constant. It comes and goes, and seems to occur with certain movements. Lefty does NOT like to leverage my body in bed, nor is he happy with my side-sleeping about 70% of the time. Occasionally, Lefty is pain-free for long enough for me to get into position on my side and sleep for a couple of hours. But then I move the leg and Lefty says "Ouch." Lefty gets a twinge of pain when I maneuver my foot into a shoe on the floor. Lefty gets that same twinge of pain when I move it under the table while sitting sometimes. Lefty is not fond of getting into and out of the car. Other times, though, without rhyme or reason... no pain.
A few weeks ago, Lefty would yelp with pain with every bend. Now, that's not the case. Lefty does not hurt when walking, not even when bending, though generally I can tell Lefty is not as far along as Righty. It's not quite pain, but there is a sensation there I can't quite describe. It's not even discomfort. Something less than that. Righty has NO pain when walking. Neither knee hurts when standing. Not at all. They do, however, get tired and slightly achy after 30-40 minutes have passed. Neither knee hurts when sitting quietly. Lefty might hurt a little when bending to move.
If I have been sitting for a long time--an hour or more--with my legs on the floor, or when riding a long time in a car, my knees will be very stiff when I get up. I would say that does hurt, but a few steps of walking dispels that stiffness pain. Any time I get up out of a chair, or off a toilet, I feel the new knees--but that feeling is not pain. Just awareness. Same with going up and down the stairs foot over foot: I feel the newness of my knees and a slight awkwardness... but not pain.
So am I truly completely pain-free? No. I am amazingly free of arthritis pain. The post-surgical pain, what remains, is exceedingly mild. It is also increasingly intermittent. Like at the grocery store the other day, when I noticed Lefty was pain-free. I walked without a trace of pain. But when I went to get into the car for the ride home, Lefty said "Ouch."
What I hope, and believe, is that one day I won't make pain judgements at all.
RIght after surgery, when pain was a constant, I compared my surgical pain to my pre-surgery pain. For me, the comparison was pretty stark, and I called my knees "pain-free" even when they really weren't. A pain level of 1 or 2 was so close to pain-free I lumped the two together. It was just such a blessed relief.
Now at 10 weeks, though, I no longer recall that pre-surgery pain as well. It's fading. So I only compare my knees to each other. Righty... is pain-free. My right knee doesn't hurt when I roll over in bed. I use it to leverage my body into position. I can wiggle it into a shoe on the floor without even a twinge of pain. Getting into and out of the car bothers it not at all. Now, am I dismissing the slight stiffness that still webs the joint? Is that pain? It doesn't hurt, really. I merely notice it. It doesn't impede me in any way. So I'm not counting that as pain.
Lefty, though, does have pain much of the time. It isn't constant. It comes and goes, and seems to occur with certain movements. Lefty does NOT like to leverage my body in bed, nor is he happy with my side-sleeping about 70% of the time. Occasionally, Lefty is pain-free for long enough for me to get into position on my side and sleep for a couple of hours. But then I move the leg and Lefty says "Ouch." Lefty gets a twinge of pain when I maneuver my foot into a shoe on the floor. Lefty gets that same twinge of pain when I move it under the table while sitting sometimes. Lefty is not fond of getting into and out of the car. Other times, though, without rhyme or reason... no pain.
A few weeks ago, Lefty would yelp with pain with every bend. Now, that's not the case. Lefty does not hurt when walking, not even when bending, though generally I can tell Lefty is not as far along as Righty. It's not quite pain, but there is a sensation there I can't quite describe. It's not even discomfort. Something less than that. Righty has NO pain when walking. Neither knee hurts when standing. Not at all. They do, however, get tired and slightly achy after 30-40 minutes have passed. Neither knee hurts when sitting quietly. Lefty might hurt a little when bending to move.
If I have been sitting for a long time--an hour or more--with my legs on the floor, or when riding a long time in a car, my knees will be very stiff when I get up. I would say that does hurt, but a few steps of walking dispels that stiffness pain. Any time I get up out of a chair, or off a toilet, I feel the new knees--but that feeling is not pain. Just awareness. Same with going up and down the stairs foot over foot: I feel the newness of my knees and a slight awkwardness... but not pain.
So am I truly completely pain-free? No. I am amazingly free of arthritis pain. The post-surgical pain, what remains, is exceedingly mild. It is also increasingly intermittent. Like at the grocery store the other day, when I noticed Lefty was pain-free. I walked without a trace of pain. But when I went to get into the car for the ride home, Lefty said "Ouch."
What I hope, and believe, is that one day I won't make pain judgements at all.
liam2015
post-grad
haha @Pheebs52 ~ i'm glad it made you laugh. i'm laughing now too at the absurdity of my question. i'm not sure if SusieShoes or anyone will know what i'm getting at. just wondering if she is pain-free all the time regarding her knees (except for the time she mentioned that lefty was acting up) or just when her legs are in a certain position! oh dear, i can't explain what i'm trying to say. do you get what i mean, Pheebs? i think i must have lost a few brains cells from those narcotics and/or the surgery...hehe. 
liam2015
post-grad
thank you for explaining SusieShoes. that makes perfect sense. it is really hard to define pain-free. i guess i was a little taken aback that you could be completely pain-free at all times under all circumstances and wondering what was wrong with me. i also have the surgical pain, but not the arthritic pain and my knee feels very strong and solid but i do have the bending pain if i bend more than around 90 to 95 degrees. my walking is great ~ i don't think anyone could tell i had surgery, except going up and down stairs, or getting in or out of the car. i'm glad i have your kind of pain-free to look forward to. that really is amazing, isn't it?
Pheebs52
big-cheese
Liam and Susie, here's what mostly resonates with me:
"It's not quite pain, but there is a sensation there I can't quite describe. It's not even discomfort. Something less than that."
I think of it as having a *negative awareness* which is certainly a darn sight better than it was pre-surgically or immediately post-surgically, but....it's not quite good enough. Not up to snuff, if you will. It's.....creepy, oogie and odd. As I say this, I'm also thinking that my knee (Lefty as well) can easily transition between this state, discomfort, or pain if put into certain positions that typically occur in bed at night. When I'm still, it's pain-free. Other than that, not so much. My day will come, lol.
"It's not quite pain, but there is a sensation there I can't quite describe. It's not even discomfort. Something less than that."
I think of it as having a *negative awareness* which is certainly a darn sight better than it was pre-surgically or immediately post-surgically, but....it's not quite good enough. Not up to snuff, if you will. It's.....creepy, oogie and odd. As I say this, I'm also thinking that my knee (Lefty as well) can easily transition between this state, discomfort, or pain if put into certain positions that typically occur in bed at night. When I'm still, it's pain-free. Other than that, not so much. My day will come, lol.
