Bilateral TKR The Historian - recovery diary

[TheHistorian]

First bike event of 2012 for me is Saturday. I'll be helping with registration at the Quad County Metric at Green Lane County Park. A friend from Suburban Cyclists Unlimited asked me to help out. My requirement is that they either have chairs I can get out of or someone available to help me get up. If I have energy left over I'll try to ride the nearby Perkiomen Trail.

 

[bottomshollow]

HAVE FUN & ENJOY YOURSELF!

(but try not to overdo)

 

[TheHistorian]

Friday I spent the afternoon with my nieces, age six and four. By the time I left I was the one needing a nap.

Saturday morning I helped with registration at the Quad County Metric:



Lack of sleep and the early hour combined with walking on unlevel ground and getting up and down from a picnic table left me very tired, and I spent the afternoon napping.

Another cyclist at the registration table had both knees replaced two weeks before me, and he shared a cautionary tale. He began riding at 7 weeks, and tackled too much too soon - ten miles one day, intense PT the next, another ten miles.... and developed tendonitis in the quad tendon. I think my taking it easy is the better approach.

 

[Pleinair5]

Historian ~~dismounting still scares me. I was scrolling back but did not see-----have you done a road ride yet ? ----saw you got the bike serviced. My PT asked me to wait and work on balance issues but gave me "permission" Friday to try a road ride. As of yet I am still on the stationary bike, but my bike is ready. I have a short relatively flat river route to try out. I need to play a bit with the stopping/dismounting since my original knee injury was a bike injury, hit sand and skidded and twisted the knee as I came to a stop and put the left foot down to catch it. So, I am sure I will be fine but have some nerves about it. Still----I can't wait. That and going in the ocean waves (without the knee dislocating!) are the things I am most looking forward to.

Good luck with your upcoming rides. You have some wonderful lofty goals!

 

[TheHistorian]

I cancelled PT today because of stomach problems. Which leads me to a bigger question... I'm thinking of stopping PT. I'm not sure but I think I can manage well enough on my own from here. The biggest problem is my quads not working, which I think only time and effort can bring back. My balance is good and getting better, and ROM is better than before surgery.

Thoughts, friends?

 

[bottomshollow]

Almost anything you're doing at the PT center, you can do at home on your own. The main thing is----will you do it? And you're right some things will just take time and effort on your part on a regular basis. But I don't doubt for a minute that if you set your mind to it you will get'er done! And if you've got co-payments, you can spend that money on something a whole lot more fun.

 

[Roy Gardiner]

Biggest problem will be maintaining balance when dismounting. Still very wobbly when doing it.

Historian ~~dismounting still scares me.

Yes, I had (and still have) a bit of an issue with this. I have evolved the following method on stopping.

- Look for a wall, lamp post, telegraph pole, anything that can be leant against.
- Unclick the foot (left in my case)
- Draw up right next to the chosen support, also on my left
- Left foot firmly down so that if I overbalance the support will catch me.
- Pause
- Unclick right foot and lift so that my right thigh is resting on the saddle, leg bent at right angle so pointing downwards, not sticking right out! Rest for a few seconds
- Swing the right leg over the back wheel to the ground

I find the two-stage dismount eliminates balance issues. Having a support (a wall is of course best) to my left gives added confidence.

HTH

 

[Roy Gardiner]

I'm thinking of stopping PT. I'm not sure but I think I can manage well enough on my own from here. The biggest problem is my quads not working, which I think only time and effort can bring back. My balance is good and getting better, and ROM is better than before surgery.

Thoughts, friends?

My quads work better now than before, because they work through operational knees. But then I never, that I noticed, had the problem of them not working. Were they cut?

I am certain that a smart man like yourself can set up a stretching/balance/strength programme without the need for PT people, assuming you don't need any special treatment and that you know what you need to do.

 

[Jamie]

Only you can say. Of course you can do the exercises yourself, but you need to be sure this fits your comfort zone. If it does, give it a try. You can always go back to therapy if needed.

 

[zjrog]

I have no doubt you will only move forward if you stop formal PT. Check to make sure you won't lose insurance coverage though.

 

[TheHistorian]

I had to make a painful decision about the "other forum." After I posted about my considering ending outpatient PT I was on the receiving end of a number of rude posts. This included the usual suspects who think my medical care is something that should be crowdsourced. In particular one poster who spent five months on morphine and other pain pills for a single knee has been bugging me. Rather than get involved with squabbles or asking moderators to get involved I asked management to lock the "Good Thoughts for Neil_B" thread.

I'm done with Bike Forums. Over the past six months I've been accused of hating the disabled, hating fat people, intentionally giving bad information to new riders, "waving my e-p*nis around", and had a forum member I assisted financially turn on me behind my back. This last experience with a few folks thinking that my recovery was a Wikipedia article anyone could edit was the final straw. I'm done.

I realize this is off-topic, but I've been an active member of the Bike Forums community for five years and over 15K posts. And it was Bike Forums poster zjrog who brought me here. So this bothers me more than perhaps it should.
​

 

[TheHistorian]

I have no doubt you will only move forward if you stop formal PT. Check to make sure you won't lose insurance coverage though.

I'm sure my surgeon will be agreeable to whatever I suggest. He'll have a report from the therapist, but I doubt he'll read it in depth.

That said, I

had a brutal day in PT. Bike, treadmill, walking without cane, mat exercises, and manual stretching. The troublesome left hamstring got down to an extension of 4 today. But I'm physically drained.

Based on the PT today I'm rethinking ending it. I don't think I can maintain this level of intensity without a therapist.
​

 

[TheHistorian]

I have to drive 3.5 hours to West Virginia tomorrow for a bike ride Saturday. I'm going to attempt the 25 mile "Offroad" route on the CASA River Century. It uses the C & O Canal Towpath, and features two aid stations. If I conk out early, I can always get a lift back from the aid station. I'll be sharing a hotel room with a friend Friday night and then staying at the Hostel across the river from Harpers Ferry Saturday night. I'll drive home Sunday.

For the drive down and back I'll stop at least once an hour to walk a little, do some knee bends, etc, to break up any clots that might start to form. I'll bring a camera so I have additional reasons to stop. I can always find something to photograph.

Here is a link to the stretch of towpath I'll be riding. Keep in mind I was once able to ride up to the Antietam Battlefield from the towpath. I can't do it now.

broken link removed: https://bikewashington.org/canal/canal_g.php

 

[Janet2012]

These things go in and out of our lives for different reasons, people speak in ways they never would in person and in manners that are hard to read online. Regardless, you have a place here as long it feels right to you!

 

[zjrog]

I'm glad you returned here, and stay. BF may become something you want or need again someday. But might not be healthy for you for a bit. I didn't realize HOW extensive your PT was! That makes ME tired!

You have to do whats right for you. I hope you make the full ride Brother!!!!

 

[Jamie]

Sorry you had a bad time of it on your bike forum. It happens sometimes. I think you did the right thing by just stepping away for a while. I agree that you'll always have a place here. Fortunately we have that group of bikers who I believe will continue to chat as long as you want to!

 

[TheHistorian]

I'm glad you returned here, and stay. BF may become something you want or need again someday. But might not be healthy for you for a bit. I didn't realize HOW extensive your PT was! That makes ME tired!

You have to do whats right for you. I hope you make the full ride Brother!!!!

90 minutes twice a week.

 

[TheHistorian]

Sorry you had a bad time of it on your bike forum. It happens sometimes. I think you did the right thing by just stepping away for a while. I agree that you'll always have a place here. Fortunately we have that group of bikers who I believe will continue to chat as long as you want to!

I shouldn't have vented as I did. But I took the saying "pay it forward" literally, and I've given advice and support to novice riders, and riders with special needs, for years - providing encouragement, setting up rides for them, helping them with gear at times if they were hard up... not to mention all the people who claimed to have been "inspired" by a middle aged, disfigured guy who taught himself to ride a bike and ride it hard. It seems I'm only "inspiring" when I'm on top; when I'm out of action as I am now, I'm allegedly not even capable of making my own decisions about my health care.

 

[zjrog]

I currently have co-worker in a meltdown phase, regularly aggravates and alienates those that might help him. I have enough on my plate that I let my guard down last week and he got under my skin. I reacted badly, yet those around were quite surprised I handled the situation so well. Three trips through anger management worked, and in the end, I do not have to suffer fools and idiots. But I no longer physically harm them anymore either...

 

[TheHistorian]

I currently have co-worker in a meltdown phase, regularly aggravates and alienates those that might help him. I have enough on my plate that I let my guard down last week and he got under my skin. I reacted badly, yet those around were quite surprised I handled the situation so well. Three trips through anger management worked, and in the end, I do not have to suffer fools and idiots. But I no longer physically harm them anymore either...

Remind me never to p*ss you off.