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Bilateral TKR The Historian - recovery diary

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Its not uncommon for a man to get rid of clothes when he loses weight. Its not common for a man to get rid of clothes because he's gotten taller. While my inseam hasn't increased, my posture has improved, and some of the shirts I had in "regular" sizes no longer fit right. I now need tall sizes, since I am now 6' 2".

I also need to get rid of some shoes because they have old wear patterns on them. I've been lucky with most of my shoes, in that they had so little wear that a pattern didn't set in, but I had a bad time with the dress boots I wore yesterday.

Speaking of which, are boots considered OK for knee replacement patients? I had in mind boots like these:

https://www.zappos.com/product/8001214/color/5291#prdInfo

Not those particular ones..... they are a little out of my price range.
 
I can't see any reason TKRs would keep you from wearing those boots. They're quite nice looking BTW. They say flipflops are bad---but I wear mine all the time and have no problem.
 
bottomshollow said:
I can't see any reason TKRs would keep you from wearing those boots. They're quite nice looking BTW. They say flipflops are bad---but I wear mine all the time and have no problem.
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I've seen comments that the elevated heel drives force through the knee. I don't know if its true or not.
 
Speaking of feet, one side effect of the knee replacement is that the callouses and hard skin on the right foot have been flaking off as I've become more active with my new posture. Previously the extreme knock-kneed position meant I was applying most of the force when I walked through the right leg, with the left acting as a stabilizer. Now the force and weight is much more evenly distributed, and the hardened skin is flaking off for the past month or so.

I haven't been posting much about 'recovery', simply because there's little to write about. I still struggle with low chairs. I stopped taking Tylenol a week ago except as a "pre-load" before something like hiking. My stamina is down, but I attribute it to the weight gain and the Coumadin. (It's been a long time since I've been this fat, and I'd forgotten how draining carrying around this much weight is.) I have a soda addiction, unfortunately, but it helps with my upset stomach from the Courmadin. My work remains challenging, and I still tire at the end of a shift, which limits what I can do before work. I had off today, and I've done little but nap the day away.

Oh, and I hit six months this week. In some ways my life is better, and in some..... well, I hope for improvement. A year ago even with my defective knees I could ride 40 miles in a day. I even tried to ride across Pennsylvania (a trip abandoned because I put my back out after the first 45 miles in Ohio:

broken link removed: https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/752600-True-Grit-The-Stoutdog-Historian-Ohio-Bicycle-Adventure-Day-One

I hope to get back to the sort of riding I used to do, and perhaps improve on it, but at times I wonder if I can do so.
 
An elevated heel does drive force through your knee, but the question is, if it doesn't cause pain, does it matter? Does it put more wear force on the implant? I don't know if I'd live in them, but occasional wear must be harmless.
 
"I hope to get back to the sort of riding I used to do, and perhaps improve on it, but at times I wonder if I can do so."

No reason you shouldn't unless you chose not to. First comes healing, then comes stamina building. That said, added weight is tough, and it's tough, tough, tough to get back on the weight loss bandwagon. But until we are far enough along in the healing process, and off drugs that not only hinder but cause us to eat more to keep our stomachs protected and on an even keel, it's just tough! And that soda addiction is a killer! But I think you'll get the stamina back. In time. Me too.
 
As far as p
BJ Mac said:
That looks like slippery footing with all of those little stones and dirt... That would be scary. My friend lost her son when he slipped off a hiking trail, and died. He was a young (21yo) sure footed Marine. I would think twice about going out of bounds there.

I hope that you master the mountain! Have fun. If it were me, I would need to have some serious padded out bedding to sleep in a tent. (I did it in my 20's no problem) I would be able to get up and out, but I am not sure I would be able to sleep as sleep is one of my problems anyway.

Hay have fun, take lots of great pics and I wish you ease, or at least success in climbing out of your tent. :dancy:
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Thanks.

As far as "padding" goes, when I camp I have a sleeping bag, inflatable sleeping pad, and a blanket. Oh, and a travel pillow. If I am car camping I might have an additional sleep pad. I don't like sleeping on the ground much either, and prefer a softer surface.
 
Oh, btw, I also hope to get back to the level of bike riding that I was at. I would think nothing of riding 17-25 miles...(I had a couple of routes mapped out from my house) But at this point if I get on the bike and ride more than a mile I swell up and become uncomfortable... :boohoo:

So, I am with you that there are things that I am happy with so far and then reasons like the lack of ability to go out and play/ride that disappoint me. After all I taught snowboarding last winter on my 'bad' knee and boarded on any slope that I wanted. I seriously doubt at this point that I am going to be on the slopes, boarding or skiing. Go ahead knee and prove me wrong!!! I would be more than happy to be wrong and out there riding the slopes...
 
Janet2012 said:
An elevated heel does drive force through your knee, but the question is, if it doesn't cause pain, does it matter? Does it put more wear force on the implant? I don't know if I'd live in them, but occasional wear must be harmless.
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I'd hope to be wearing them, in alternation with other pairs, every work day. Saves me the trouble of matching socks to the rest of my attire. :)
 
[Bonesmart.org] The Historian - recovery diary
That's the first time I've ever heard that reason for wearing boots. Quite original--like you. BTW, the last pics you posted were fantastic as usual---and I enjoy your commentary on them.
 
bottomshollow said:
[Bonesmart.org] The Historian - recovery diary
That's the first time I've ever heard that reason for wearing boots. Quite original--like you. BTW, the last pics you posted were fantastic as usual---and I enjoy your commentary on them.
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Thank you. I was serious about the boots. I could wear wool hiking socks, which are thick and padded, instead of dress socks, which tend to be thin. Also, they do add to your height, and as nice as six two is, six three is better. :dancy:

Time for the six month recap. A year and a quarter ago:



Six months ago:



Last month:



Still a long way to go, but I am going there.....
 
Neil, take a look at Casey Jones' thread ALL ABOARD! for TKR Land x 2 and see what my hubby's knees and legs look like. I told him he'll certainly be taller when the OS is done with him. Not to mention be out of pain and be able to really walk.
 
bottomshollow said:
Neil, take a look at Casey Jones' thread ALL ABOARD! for TKR Land x 2 and see what my hubby's knees and legs look like. I told him he'll certainly be taller when the OS is done with him. Not to mention be out of pain and be able to really walk.
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Hmm, I'm jealous. He was more knocked than I was.
 
I was at a family reunion/barbeque yesterday. Aside from struggling out of lawn furniture I had a good time, at least until an uncle commented that my limp/gait made me look like I was drunk. By then I'd been there seven hours and was too tired to get annoyed. Then again, my gait deteriorates as I get tired......

One week until I head into the woods.... still have to master getting up from the ground. :thud:
 
More camping photos, taken in 2010, after treatment with Euflexa but before I even considered knee replacement....

Campsite in Forbes State Forest, atop Mount Davis, PA's highest peak. My tent is the smaller of the two. My companion does historical reenactment and uses the large tent as her "I'm a woman who wants to get away from all these middle aged guys playing soldier" space. I called the tent the Pleasure Dome, after the Coleridge poem. The owner got upset when I suggested she get a red light for the door.....



The actual high point of PA isn't impressive - Mount Davis is a knob on Negro Mountain, and so from the high point you don't see anything unless you climb the observation tower, in which case you see treetops. But nearby is an overlook at High Point Lake, and I had dinner here one night.....



Me at the high point:



The high point is drivable, and there's also a short trail from a nearby picnic area. However, I had the bright idea to lead us on the long way back, and hiked the Shelter Rock Trail and then on an unused forest road. Three miles and I was in pain. The trail was rocky and hadn't been used in a while, so we had a lot of bushwhacking to do....
 
Last outdoor activity before my surgery..... I was at a friend's wedding in Stroudsburg, but wasn't part of the wedding party. So I went up a couple of days beforehand to enjoy the area to the best of my ability. I limped around at some overlooks at the Delaware Water Gap, and walked from Portland to Columbia across the pedestrian bridge:





Short trail I hiked in Stroudsburg:
 
Allegheny River Trail tour, 2010 - five months after Euflexa treatment. Me at Franklin, heading down the trail a mile to the campsite. I spent the night alone, since my friends weren't joining me until the next day.



The next morning, almost packed up. Ladies, he's single! Better get him while you can.....



The trail itself turned into a disappointment for me. It looks like it was built and then left. There are no towns in a 20 mile stretch of trail. The only relief from the green highway effect are two tunnels - both unlit, and so disorienting I had to walk my bike through them - and the intersecting Sandy Creek Trail, which packs more scenery into its 14 miles than the ART does its 25.



The three of us camped in a picnic area south of the second tunnel, ten miles north of the southern end of the trail. We saw many canoeists heading south, and a pair of bald eagles flying across the river as the sun set. The drizzle set in, and we crawled into our tents and listened to the rain fall. The lady with us slept in a hammock, and had bilateral knee replacement a decade ago.



The next morning we split up. Troy went south and was going to ride the whole distance back in a day. The Iron Lady, her trike, and her knee replacements were going to ride back up the trail to her truck. I was going to ride down the trail and wait for Iron Lady's pickup. I left an hour behind Troy and headed south along the wet trail.



Oddly enough the nicest stretch of the ART was as I approached Emlenton. The trail runs through a pretty meadow with white fencing. The fencing prevents you from venturing into a Superfund site. There used to be an oil refinery here; a century ago the owner of the refinery began producing motor oil, and to emphasize that it used Pennsylvania drilled petroleum, called the product "Quaker State." But such thoughts were far from me as I headed into town - I wanted lunch!



So I rode into town, found a grocery store, bought lunch meat and rolls, and had lunch at the pavilion at the trailhead while I waited for my ride.
 
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