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TKR TKR completed this morning!

First of all…you all are the best! I appreciate all of the reply’s and the encouragement. Today is officially 2 weeks post-op. Feeling generally pretty good. I’m still wiped out, but I’ve been working a good deal on top of stretching and PT etc., so, I’m not surprised. I had both PT and a visit with the PA at the orthopedic. I guess I’m right where I’m supposed to be if not a little ahead. That was GREAT to hear. I got my first view of the new hardware thanks to x-rays today. So weird to look at. It’s amazing what can be done to get back to quality of life. I’m off the crutches which is also great. I’ll be super cautious for a while I think, but it feels great to have use of both hands again. Ah, the little things in life.
 
@pbfeet Maybe use a cane or just one crutch for stability while you transition off any walking aids?
 
Hello all! I thought I’d check in again. I’m one day shy of being three weeks post-op. Time sure flies when you’re…well maybe that’s really not the phrase I’m looking for. Things continue to go pretty well. ROM is increasing slowly, but steadily. My two big wins at PT earlier this week were getting complete pedal rotations on the bike and getting to 0-108 ROM. I’m pretty well off of the pain meds except for the Tylenol and I’m supposed to take a full 30 days of Mobic. Ice is still my good friend and I try to gently stretch often during the day. I almost forgot, another win for the week was a releasing or lessening of tightness in my thigh. My leg was so tight, it was getting in the way of a lot. It’s started to really get better which I think helped in other areas. The biggest challenges right now are my lack of stamina and just not feeling myself. I’m sure that this is very normal. The lack of stamina is mostly due to still struggling to get a good night’s sleep. As far as not feeling myself, well…I’m still recovering and life has been disrupted for now. I’m trying to stay positive and focus on the good stuff, but it’s not always easy. All in the name of progress!
 
pbfeet said:
The biggest challenges right now are my lack of stamina and just not feeling myself. I’m sure that this is very normal. The lack of stamina is mostly due to still struggling to get a good night’s sleep.
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This IS normal.
You are certainly not alone in experiencing the lack of stamina.
Our body's energy supply isn't limitless. So when we're in healing mode after major surgery our energy will be used for healing first, not leaving a great reserve for all the other activity of daily life. It is completely normal to feel tired for quite some time. How long....most likely relates to your body's rate of healing. Making our best effort to get adequate sleep and rest is beneficial. Our body does its best healing while we're sleeping. Three weeks post op is very early into the healing process and you seem to be doing well!

If sleep remains elusive, consider Magnesium.
Magnesium Glycinate supports the following:
Bone health
Healthy blood sugar
Cardiovascular health
Muscle relaxation and nerves
Promotes healthy sleep (falling asleep and staying asleep)
An article on Magnesium -
https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/magnesium-is-a-star.20301/
pbfeet said:
I’m still recovering and life has been disrupted for now. I’m trying to stay positive and focus on the good stuff, but it’s not always easy. All in the name of progress!
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Great attitude to take you through this process! You’re on track and doing well. Focus on your brighter future which will become more of a reality with each passing week. Thanks for sharing an update!
 
Hello all! Well, I’m still working on things. Surprise, surprise, right? My baby knee is definitely a work in progress. All in all I’m feeling pretty decent about things. I can get from 115 to -2 ROM and can even get to 0 if I provide some gentle persuasion. I’m still chasing a good night’s sleep and I still hit the wall later afternoon, but I think that’s still very much expected. I managed 15 min on the stationary bike this morning, which felt like a pretty good win for 4 weeks and one day post surgery. PT has been going great. I’ve been able to do the exercises including step-ups etc. I find that I have not developed a trust in the new knee at all. I worry about every twang of pain or odd movement. I hope that trust will build soon. I hope all are well!
 
You're doing great! Hopefully sleep comes easily for you soon.
pbfeet said:
I find that I have not developed a trust in the new knee at all. I worry about every twang of pain or odd movement. I hope that trust will build soon.
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It will. I believe many of us feel this way. It's an adjustment, but confidence comes with healing and time.
You'll get there. Happy Saturday!
 
It's a special day. :yes:
Happy One Month Anniversary!
I hope you had a nice weekend and I wish you a great week!
@pbfeet
 
Layla said:
It's a special day. :yes:
Happy One Month Anniversary!
I hope you had a nice weekend and I wish you a great week!
@pbfeet
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Thank you very much! I’ve been down in the dumps as they say, but I’m feeling much better today!
 
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Hello all! I am 8 weeks and one day today and feeling pretty great. I’m still pretty far from 100%, but I’ve really turned the corner over the last 1 weeks. I was away on vacation and found that increased walking and carefully navigating stairs actually helped me. I kept up with my ROM exercises as well as some time on the stationary bike. I can finally say that I’m sleeping quite well and can find comfort on either side now. Thank God! I have a few things to bring up toy surgeon next week though. I have a clicking in my hip and experience some aching pain there too. I’m wondering if it’s IT band related. Any thoughts? I find myself obsessing about the straightness of my leg and comparing it to the other. They don’t look exactly the same to me, but they might be. Huge win for tonight…a short walk with my wife and our dog with absolutely no pain. Yay! Thank you all for helping me get through recovery so far! It’s so reassuring to have such great folks on my side!
 
pbfeet said:
I find myself obsessing about the straightness of my leg
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Many find their extension comes in slower than their bend. Mine was slower. The way I help myself was to walk with a much longer stride, with a heel-to-toe gait. This helps to stretch out those large muscles and tendons in the back of the knee. If you try this, be sure to have something close to grab on to in case you lose your balance. It's easy to do when you walk with that long stride!
 
My surgery was at an outpatient facility and I went in at 10am and home by 3:30pm. Thank God for modern pharmaceuticals. Also, I will give my address for that Patience Fairy to come and sprinkle dust on my when I am sleeping. :heehee:

That was wonderful what you said about your wife - my husband was and is my rock through all of this and I remind him of that every day.
 
Happy Two Month Anniversary! :wave:
Great to read you feel like you‘ve turned a corner. Best Wishes for your visit with the surgeon.
Have a nice end of the week!
@pbfeet
 
Hello all! I’m 13 weeks into recovery as of yesterday. All in all, I’m feeling pretty great. The knee still gets stiff especially if I sit too long at my desk without moving it. I can live with that. Has anyone had hip pain and clicking after having a TKR? The pain feels like it could be possibly IT Band related as that hip to knee is still very tight. The clicking isn’t painful but rather weird and a bit concerning. I went to the chiropractor for the first time last week and he seemed to also think it could be normal settling after the realignment of my leg. Any thoughts or experiences?
 
pbfeet said:
The pain feels like it could be possibly IT Band related as that hip to knee is still very tight.
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I had these symptoms after one of my surgeries. I started foam rolling it several times a day and it went away after a few weeks. It never returned, even though I had stopped the foam rolling. Maybe worth a try? Foam rolling your IT band can be quite uncomfortable though.
 
Looks like your surgery was three months ago, to date, yesterday. Happy Three Month Anniversary!
I hope you found some reassurance through the article, sistersinhim, left for you.
Have a wonderful week!
@pbfeet
 
I found as my muscles strengthened, post op, my knee tightened up and connective tissues were not as much of an issue. That said, it was not until around the 5 month stage when I started noticing less joint clunking. At 19 months post op, I'm pretty sure it will never completely go away but we just learn to live with it. Found especially while sleeping knee still gets stiff from static positioning at virtually any position for too long but especially flexed.

Sounds like your journey is progressing pretty well. How is sleep going? Getting a solid 4 hours at a time yet?

Keep the reports coming, love to hear whats next :thumb:
 
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