TKR Thatlldo's recovery thread

[DEL2019Aug-6]

This week marks 6 months for the new right total knee and 18 months for the new left partial knee. Practiced running some courses with 2 of my dogs after work today. Not a lot of yardage but Im in shock at how easily I was running. Big strong strides. It was just a couple of months ago I tried some baby steps jogging on the soccer field at my gym. It wasn't pretty. Heck it was just a few weeks ago I still couldn't really do much more than walk fast. I thought I would never really be able to run agility competitively again. But Im stubborn and I keep setting small goals. I keep working out. Today it felt so natural and good, it felt really good! Im just starting to grasp how much pain affected everything in my life before my knees were replaced. I feel like Im getting my personality back. I spent years clenching my teeth just to put one foot in front of another. Cant wait to see where my new knees take me in another 6 months.

 

[Pecanpie]

Your thread is so inspirational and a great reminder that the short term difficulties can be behind you!

The memory of that foot by foot pain on walking is worth hanging onto. My friends have all said how much that chronic pain affected me. It takes over your life everything becomes about how you can do things taking account of the 'bad knee' and noone else feels your pain, but they see its impact.

Congratulations on the agility comp and definitely keep smiling

 

[winemama]

@Pecanpie you are so right about pain taking over your life. Honestly feel lighter inside now that knee pain is gone. I have the humor of a 14 year old boy, and today was the first time in months my wife told me I was making her crazy. It felt so good

 

[DEL2019Aug-6]

My movement is so different now my feet were getting tired from the change in foot strike and I had to buy all new shoes! Crazy.
One of my students asked me about the compression brace I was wearing on my knees. I said Im not wearing any braces? She said oh but it looks like your legs are kind of bulging above and below the knee (I was wearing leggings)...Im like-- girl those are muscles. Im gonna take it as a compliment?

 

[DEL2019Aug-6]

6 1/2 month mark for the new right knee. We had our first major agility competition this past weekend. One of my favorite events The UKI West Coast Cup.
5 courses a day in blazing heat. Crazy hard but fun twisty fast courses. We won everything we were clean in except the games classes were we came in 2nd and 3rd. Got on the podium 4 times. Came in 2nd over all for the entire event. Won byes for semi and finals for the UKI US Open in nov. Super proud of my dog who does all of the real work for our team.
My surgeon told me I would be ready to run the courses for this event and he was right.
Ran ok, both knees feel amazing and are easy to run with, Im just a little chubby still and it was HOT. Time to get serious at the gym Ive got just 2 1/2 months left to get ready for the big show. USDAA Western Regionals coming up at the end of this month and a couple of smaller events

 

[Jockette]

You are doing amazingly wel!!