Bilateral TKR SusieShoes' New Knees
- Thread starter SusieShoes
- Start date
United States
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SusieShoes
Former BoneSmart staff member
OP
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SusieShoes
Former BoneSmart staff member
Eight Months: New Knees, New Me(s)
It's been a while, but now it's time for... the eight month update.
Eight months ago, on May 10th, I had both knees replaced. It's about two months since I tossed confetti and proclaimed miracles, and things have only gotten better from there. This period of recovery --not early at all and not yet completely over-- is mostly about becoming completely comfortable and at home in my new body.
At eight months post-BTKR, I am:
* Completely happy with my knees, except on the days when I'm not (see below).
* Sleeping through the night, on my side as I prefer.
* Able to say I have no knee stiffness in the morning. What I have is the occasional stiff back from the pillowy new mattress topper Mr. Shoes loves because it treats his hip well. But the knees are great.
* Able to walk for... forever. I have no walking limits, or if I do, I am nowhere near finding them yet. I am looking forward to this years Manayunk Arts Festival and taking part in my town's 5K walking event.
* Able to bike the boardwalk in Ocean City, NJ. It's at least a few miles, stop and go, and I had no soreness at all after.
* Rebuilding my shoe collection. In fact, a great many shoes and boots made the transition and I can wear any style I like, even heels. I bought three new pairs of shoes for taking walks, one pair of which is waterproof and good for winter.
* Shoveling snow. Very carefully... and only when Mr. Shoes is not looking. He still thinks my new knees need bodyguards. I do avoid walking on ice.
* Traveling without a second thought. Airports are no longer a problem, no matter how long the concourses or waits. I've made day long driving trips without problem other than a little stiffness on exiting the car, and the stiffness goes away in a few steps. We're now planning a cruise.
* Playing with my grandchildren, chasing them around the house and yard, getting down on the floor (though getting up again is not my favorite set of motions, not painful but slightly awkward), and going to playgrounds. Being able to interact with the kids was a major goal for me, so it's very satisfying to do this completely pain-free.
* Swimming laps again, taking yoga classes , and working with a personal trainer to get everything working well together. I don't go to the gym every day, just a couple times a week. I'm not a fitness buff, but consider it part of my social life: I have a couple of friends I go with and we do lunch after. If not for the lunch, I would exercise less.
* Walking up and down stairs several times a day, not thinking twice about doing so. Stairs are easy now. At first they were laborious, maybe a little uncomfortable, but always doable. Now they don't cause a moment of hesitation and I occasionally "run" down them. Running up will come eventually.
* Able to do anything I want to do. Bear in mind I do not want to skydive, climb Mt. Everest, or run marathons. I would consider skiing, but probably be really, really careful.
Are my knees 100% yet? No. Lefty still, maybe once every week or so, finds a reason to be unhappy. Unhappy means a little achy. Pain level 1 achy, or a twinge when extending in bed achy. It's nearly nothing, but it's there, and it's easily fixed. I slap an ice pack on Lefty, who then settles down to pain-free again. And that's it, the extent of my pain and disability. If I never mentioned it, no one would ever guess. I said something to Mr. Shoes the other day about Lefty complaining, and he immediately went into Concerned Husband mode. "Should we call the doctor?"
Um. No. This is why we still keep an ice pack in the freezer.
Getting two new knees has made it possible for me to really be myself, not that overweight woman sitting on the couch who never wanted to stand up or go anywhere or do something new. Standing up hurt. New things would probably hurt. Lots of life can pass by a person when avoiding pain.
Author me is still a sedentary soul. I sit a lot. I type a lot. I have the world's fittest fingers. My knees, and my weight and overall fitness, have benefitted from my new focus on exercise. Yes. Exercise!
The BoneSmart philosophy of healing sometimes gets knocked for emphasizing less exercise... during early recovery. That's so sane it's hard to explain, but it works. What happens later, though, as the knees heal and we re-discover how wonderful it is to move pain-free, is that many of us exercise more. I fell back in love with walking (I'd actually never stopped loving it, I'd just stopped doing it) and swimming. I can now exercise as a social activity, which means getting out more and having more fun... and exercising more.
So there's sitting/writing me. And exercising me. And going-out-on-the-town more me. And... I'm just more me. The person happiest about this may well be Mr. Shoes. And the Big Italian Family is happy also. And so are the kids and grandkids.
It was quite a year, with lots of ups and downs, but it sure has had a happy ending.
It's been a while, but now it's time for... the eight month update.
Eight months ago, on May 10th, I had both knees replaced. It's about two months since I tossed confetti and proclaimed miracles, and things have only gotten better from there. This period of recovery --not early at all and not yet completely over-- is mostly about becoming completely comfortable and at home in my new body.
At eight months post-BTKR, I am:
* Completely happy with my knees, except on the days when I'm not (see below).
* Sleeping through the night, on my side as I prefer.
* Able to say I have no knee stiffness in the morning. What I have is the occasional stiff back from the pillowy new mattress topper Mr. Shoes loves because it treats his hip well. But the knees are great.
* Able to walk for... forever. I have no walking limits, or if I do, I am nowhere near finding them yet. I am looking forward to this years Manayunk Arts Festival and taking part in my town's 5K walking event.
* Able to bike the boardwalk in Ocean City, NJ. It's at least a few miles, stop and go, and I had no soreness at all after.
* Rebuilding my shoe collection. In fact, a great many shoes and boots made the transition and I can wear any style I like, even heels. I bought three new pairs of shoes for taking walks, one pair of which is waterproof and good for winter.
* Shoveling snow. Very carefully... and only when Mr. Shoes is not looking. He still thinks my new knees need bodyguards. I do avoid walking on ice.
* Traveling without a second thought. Airports are no longer a problem, no matter how long the concourses or waits. I've made day long driving trips without problem other than a little stiffness on exiting the car, and the stiffness goes away in a few steps. We're now planning a cruise.
* Playing with my grandchildren, chasing them around the house and yard, getting down on the floor (though getting up again is not my favorite set of motions, not painful but slightly awkward), and going to playgrounds. Being able to interact with the kids was a major goal for me, so it's very satisfying to do this completely pain-free.
* Swimming laps again, taking yoga classes , and working with a personal trainer to get everything working well together. I don't go to the gym every day, just a couple times a week. I'm not a fitness buff, but consider it part of my social life: I have a couple of friends I go with and we do lunch after. If not for the lunch, I would exercise less.
* Walking up and down stairs several times a day, not thinking twice about doing so. Stairs are easy now. At first they were laborious, maybe a little uncomfortable, but always doable. Now they don't cause a moment of hesitation and I occasionally "run" down them. Running up will come eventually.
* Able to do anything I want to do. Bear in mind I do not want to skydive, climb Mt. Everest, or run marathons. I would consider skiing, but probably be really, really careful.
Are my knees 100% yet? No. Lefty still, maybe once every week or so, finds a reason to be unhappy. Unhappy means a little achy. Pain level 1 achy, or a twinge when extending in bed achy. It's nearly nothing, but it's there, and it's easily fixed. I slap an ice pack on Lefty, who then settles down to pain-free again. And that's it, the extent of my pain and disability. If I never mentioned it, no one would ever guess. I said something to Mr. Shoes the other day about Lefty complaining, and he immediately went into Concerned Husband mode. "Should we call the doctor?"
Um. No. This is why we still keep an ice pack in the freezer.
Getting two new knees has made it possible for me to really be myself, not that overweight woman sitting on the couch who never wanted to stand up or go anywhere or do something new. Standing up hurt. New things would probably hurt. Lots of life can pass by a person when avoiding pain.
Author me is still a sedentary soul. I sit a lot. I type a lot. I have the world's fittest fingers. My knees, and my weight and overall fitness, have benefitted from my new focus on exercise. Yes. Exercise!
The BoneSmart philosophy of healing sometimes gets knocked for emphasizing less exercise... during early recovery. That's so sane it's hard to explain, but it works. What happens later, though, as the knees heal and we re-discover how wonderful it is to move pain-free, is that many of us exercise more. I fell back in love with walking (I'd actually never stopped loving it, I'd just stopped doing it) and swimming. I can now exercise as a social activity, which means getting out more and having more fun... and exercising more.
So there's sitting/writing me. And exercising me. And going-out-on-the-town more me. And... I'm just more me. The person happiest about this may well be Mr. Shoes. And the Big Italian Family is happy also. And so are the kids and grandkids.
It was quite a year, with lots of ups and downs, but it sure has had a happy ending.
Last edited:
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OP
SusieShoes
Former BoneSmart staff member
How sweet of you to ask, Arttie. He's doing well in the nursing home. His first roommate was not a good match, it turned out, but he has another now with whom he gets along much better. He no longer remembers anyone very well, can no longer read, and won't eat food he doesn't recognize, so taking him out to the diner is always interesting. He does love flirting with the nurses and aides, though! 
jaschembra
post-grad
What a wonderful 8 month report!!! Yippee!!!
jboles
graduate
What a great 8 month report, you give me hope. I can so relate to what you said about the overweight woman who sat on the couch and life passes by because it's too difficult to stand, or play with grandchildren, and so many other things. I don't want to be that woman anymore. My left knee is so much better, not quite where you are, but better. But my right knee is so bad. Hopefully 6 months from now I will be close to where you are in recovery, one can only hope...
OP
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SusieShoes
Former BoneSmart staff member
Leaving that woman behind has made me much more youthful, to be sure. I’ll never be young again, but I didn’t want to be that “old.” Every day I thank my lucky stars I was born into this era, and not a hundred years ago. Of course, a hundred years ago I probably would have died before my knees got this bad, but still... we live in an age of miracles.
I’ve had a “good” recovery, and consider myself blessed. Others might recover less easily, but they’ll get to the same place. In the long view, what are a few extra weeks or months? For the freedom from pain, and the ability to move again, however long recovery takes is completely worth it. A family member had an infection in her knee and had to go through quite an ordeal with revision and all, so her recovery took well over a year. Today she’s a new woman and very happy with her TKR (though not in a hurry, exactly, to do her second knee).
I hope after your next surgery your right knee is an angel for you, @jboles.
Sometimes they are.
I’ve had a “good” recovery, and consider myself blessed. Others might recover less easily, but they’ll get to the same place. In the long view, what are a few extra weeks or months? For the freedom from pain, and the ability to move again, however long recovery takes is completely worth it. A family member had an infection in her knee and had to go through quite an ordeal with revision and all, so her recovery took well over a year. Today she’s a new woman and very happy with her TKR (though not in a hurry, exactly, to do her second knee).
I hope after your next surgery your right knee is an angel for you, @jboles.
Sometimes they are.
Chattalyn
junior member
What a wonderful update! I too relate to
Hopefully in a few months I'll be where you are.
SpaceGirl
senior
Yay great update! I am glad to hear your FIL is doing as well as he can be. I bet it's a hoot to see him flirting with the nurses LOL
Great update, Susie! 
Woohoo, Susie, you're still our super star!
hempsteadjb
junior member
Loved the update! I can't wait to see how my bend is at 8 months!!! I just joined a gym today and will go slow and steady to help me get in better shape.
liam2015
post-grad
wonderful report Susie. my recovery has been a lot slower than yours, but like you said, what does a few more weeks or months matter when the end game is so rewarding. i feel so blessed to have found Bone Smart, otherwise, i don't know what would have happened with me.
Hood1980
senior
Awesome Susie! I love your writing style and wish I could document my recovery as eloquently as you. [emoji4] I just hope my recovery goes as well as yours! Thank you for sharing all the details.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
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SusieShoes
Former BoneSmart staff member
One reason I've written so extensively about my recovery is because I found OTHER members' recovery threads so useful to my recovery! Because I read their threads, I had a plan in place for how I wanted to do my recovery: rest, elevation, icing, only gentle PT, and --especially-- to be chill about it all. Don't sweat the small stuff. Reading other recovery threads helped me recognize what was small stuff and took away a lot of the stress. 
Stress is bad for everything!
Stress is bad for everything!
