Bilateral TKR SusieShoes' New Knees

Wonderful update on the knee's. So sad about your companion, they really are our companions. I'm sure your hearts are broken, its tough. I've been there.
 
@SusieShoes - I was just wondering this morning how long it might be before I could go an entire day without thinking about my knees or having them remind me that they aren't original parts. Mine are 9.5 months and 6 months old so I guess I have a ways to go. I don't have any pain when walking, but when I get up from my desk chair, I always get a reminder that I have new knees. Still, it's much better than the reminders I used to get from my original knees when I walked short distances. I did notice today in the gym that I was doing 50 reps of my current weights on the various machines with little effort. Based on what I learned at physical therapy, that means it's time for me to slightly increase my weights and drop back to 30 reps. But....today this rule-following lady decided to coast for a week or so at my current weights and not feel the soreness of working muscles. It's so nice to feel soreness that's just a sign of muscles getting stronger. So sorry to hear about your sweet dog. Dogs give us a special kind of love.
 
@SusieShoes such a wonderful report. As you are aware yours was one of the very first stories I read here and it gave me hope. I also leaned on(translation bothered) you a LOT during Lefty as I tried to find my way. It is great to hear that I may get to a point where I don’t even think about my new knees. Very sorry to hear about your companion. My dogs are my recovery companions as well. Ringer will even come over if I have been sitting for more than an hour to remind me to get up and move. Pets are amazing in their capacity to love.
 
Mine are 9.5 months and 6 months old so I guess I have a ways to go. I don't have any pain when walking, but when I get up from my desk chair, I always get a reminder that I have new knees

I'd have days where'd I'd forget for most of the day, if not the whole day, at around nine months. Those days became more frequent as time went on, and now they're the norm and I'm only occasionally reminded I have new knees. Getting out of the car using just one leg was one of the last situations to become "normal." It was habit to shift both legs out of the car and stand up that way. Now I do the single leg out and stand up thing without thinking, but that was well after the year mark.

At a certain point, it's just settling into normal life. Movements become natural again and the legs get stronger according to how we use them in life. I've recently been squatting more again, just in doing things, and my knees are getting better at that. You do that at the gym, probably, so maybe it's quite normal for you, but I'm quite pleased by the improvement!

So glad to hear you're doing so well. You are having a stellar recovery. It doesn't always feel that way, but the results speak for themselves. :friends:
 
Hi @Larryhg3 and thanks for letting me know I was of help. You have the greatest attitude and I see you are helping others now. This recovery can be a beast, and even people having a good recovery can wonder if its supposed to be this long and grinding.

Yes, our dogs are our confidants and friends. I really miss my girl. :dogwalk:
 
I really miss my Booboo kitty. I had her for 21 years, almost 22.
 
Nineteen Months: New Puppy! (Do not do this if you are immediately post-op!)

As I talked about in my last major post, we lost our 15 year old Standard Poodle Cate, basically to old age. She was my stalwart friend, and Mr. Shoes' one true doggie love. He was emotionally worse off than me, and I've been sighing and sad a lot, so we talked about not getting another dog.

So what happened? We have another dog. :puppysmooze: A lovely red standard poodle 3 month old puppy. It was serendipity (more later for any who care about such things).

First things first: Puppies and TKRs.
  • People with a brand new TKR should NOT get a young pup. They are constantly in motion, and you will be too.
  • Housebreaking a puppy is NOT a light activity. It is a strenuous activity for a new TKR. My knees are 19 months old and fully healed. Good thing!
  • Puppies are forever underfoot until they learn to know better. Mobile tripping hazards! I almost stumbled over my pup several times already. My knees and leg muscles are up to a hop or two. New TKRs are not.
  • Yesterday I spent a total of 12,000 steps outside standing/walking a puppy trying to get it to do its business in the yard and not my living room. She's starting to get the hang of it. This morning it only took her a half hour. I could not have done this on brand new knees. (Neither could I have done it on my pre-op knees!)
  • New puppies are bad for resting and icing. They have to be "walked" or cleaned up after every few hours. Worse, you will have to get up out of your nest to go and get them to stop chewing things. They WILL go after your ice packs or tubes or machine cords. They have sharp little teeth.
  • If the puppy is not small, a person with a TKR could -- make that WILL -- have trouble carrying it if it refuses to go where you want it to go.
Final word on new puppies and TKRs: If you are contemplating a puppy, get one BEFORE your TKR and housebreak it, etc. first. You will be happy you did. Otherwise, wait at least six months and, I would suggest, a year for that fully healed knee. Better for the puppy -- more consistent training because you won't be cutting corners to spare yourself pain or inconvenience -- and better for your knee's healing.

Now the serendipity (and a picture). Mr. Shoes' sister lost her two dogs this year and we lost our girl. They'd all kind of come into the family at the same time and got old together. Sister-in-law was as wrecked as Mr. Shoes and, well, it was clear at least one of them had to get a dog, and soon. The Big Italian Family does everything together, remember? So. "I can't get a dog. It would make you sad." "I'm already sad." "I'm sad, too. I wish I could get a dog." "Tell you what, I'll see about getting a dog too, so you will."

And that's how SIL adopted a rescue boy, and Mr. Shoes and I took up an offer from a breeder I had contacted about a puppy perhaps late next year. She had just decided to let go of a girl she had been thinking to hold back for herself. Would we be interested? Sometimes the right thing just falls into your lap. We already love her to pieces. Me? I'm training her to walk nicely on a leash for those long daily walks. :dogwalk:

IMG_0868.jpg Here's a picture of Mr. Shoes and our girl, Penny Noelle.

Wishing everyone a most happy holiday! :tree lights:
 
PUPPY!!!!! Puppy breath and puppy belly. Always smiling and lovable.
Congratulations!!
I'm so happy for you! All of our dogs found us. We didn't find them. Cate sent you Miss Penny Noelle. Love the name...she's the color of a penny and Noelle for Christmas.
I see she already has the clean face and paws.
I know you will love her to pieces. Standard Poodles are so intelligent. She will be trained before you know it.
Christmas came early to you!
 
Love the name!!

I also love how you emphasized, don’t do this early in recovery.

Merry Early Christmas to all of you!
 
Congratulations @SusieShoes , she’s a doll. And just in time for Christmas, I bet she already has lots of presents under the tree!:tree lights:
Animals are so pure of soul, I believe they bring a special energy into our homes. Merry Christmas!:santa sleigh:
 
@SusieShoes, so glad you got another dog/puppy!!! :reindeerlights::box:We lost our precious dog after 14 years and getting a 1 1/2 yr old rescue has helped heal our broken hearts! She is now 3 years old and still has potty training issues (or maybe it is us that has the potty training issues?) :loll:
 
Yay, Susie! What a wonderful Christmas present for the two of you!
 
oh @SusieShoes - i'm just reading now that you lost your precious Cate and i am so sorry. and then i read you have a new puppy - congratulations - they sure do keep us moving. sorry to hear you had to have hernia surgery and glad it was a success but continue to be cautious with the lifting. i no longer think about my knee especially since i had surgery a week ago for a broken right dominant elbow. going to rehab in negril on jan. 5 for 8 days. liam going for a tune-up at the trainer. hope you're healed by the holidays and enjoy your pup.:kittychris:
 
I have read through your whole thread, it did take quite a while. Thank you so much for all the detail, very very educational.
 
@SusieShoes, congratulations on joining the New Puppy Club! Your puppy is beautiful. I can't agree with you more. Puppies and new knees do not go together. Our puppy is eight months old now. It had been years since we had a new puppy and I forgot all the energy it took to train one. No way could I have done it either before surgery or a few months after. It sure is nice to come home now to a wagging tail. And my husband is absolutely wrapped around his finger (paw).
 
After this surgery, the fewer things underfoot, the better!
 
Puppy Pics

At a certain point, puppies are good for new knees. I'm walking again with a companion. That's fun! I've been training her and playing games like fetch, though often I'm the one fetching at this point. Still, she's getting the hang of it. The knees have never complained, no matter what I've done, including short stints of running to catch her!

Here are a couple of pics. Penny Snow.jpg Penny Snow 2.jpg
 

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