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TKR Walking without an aid?<

Hi again.......just a short update here. Last Thursday was my first time getting groceries since surgery. Hubby has been doing it and God love him for trying. His idea of groceries is entirely different than my idea of groceries. I was at the store for almost 1 1/2 hrs. Going in my hands actually started to sweat????? Nervous as all get out. I grabbed that cart like it was a life saver. As time went on I calmed down and actually felt as if I had never been away from this task. Thank heavens my Grandson carried in all of those bags.....I put it all away.

Last couple of days the knee has been restless. I expected that from the get go. Twinges, pinches, zaps, etc. Iced and elevated and it's coming around. My current problem is sciatica.......holy moly!!!! I'm thinking maybe it's from all the walking I did. I had bouts of it before surgery but it seemed to go away after surgery until just now. Any ideas?? Probably need to see my family Dr. on this one. Thanks in advance!
 
I hope the sciatica settles down soon. It could be related to your activity level.
 
It's probably your activity level, so maybe it will settle down with rest. If not, then yes, call the doctor. Hope your pain goes away soon!
 
crissyP said:
Thursday was my first time getting groceries since surgery. Hubby has been doing it and God love him for trying. His idea of groceries is entirely different than my idea of groceries. I was at the store for almost 1 1/2 hrs
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Good to hear of your success with the grocery shopping. So sorry about the sciatica. I know nothing about sciatica - but am writing because I am just about two weeks behind you - my surgery was Feb. 28 - and I think we are in about the same place in our recoveries. I have been grocery shopping twice on my own this month. Each time it took an hour and a half and I experienced some pain toward the end of that time. It has been so nice to be able to go myself, though, and not have to write down every single item I need for my long suffering husband who has been doing the shopping. Recovery from those trips (the last one was early last week) might take a day of rest (feels worth it!). :dancy: I think the fact that we are able to do a major shopping on our own is a huge milestone - Congratulations to you on that. I'm sure it will get easier each time as long as you don't overdo. I don't have all that much experience, but so far I have noticed that if I do what I can do with moderate effort and not more, my days are easier and I continue to gain strength. Hope the sciatica resolves itself and your healing continues.
 
I found that if after a day of one activity I had a day of rest, my knee did well. As time went on I could increase my activities, but always needed that day of rest. The best thing to do is to listen to your knee. It is a great teacher!
 
The twinges and zaps happen to most of us. Lots of us call them "zingers." I used to get a firestorm of them which would go away as suddenly as they came.
 
you're so right kneeper......they come and then they go. Why is it I know this yet I think every single time that something is wrong?? Some days I get plenty of them........others not so many. I've yet to have a day without though. Thank heavens for this forum.....I'd not be in a good place without it that's for sure. Thanks again everyone !!!!
 
Hi Everyone........I am now 4 months out from right knee replacement. I am kind of at a stand still right now but am so glad I am not where I was 4 months ago. I still use a walker in the mornings.....not for my new knee but for a herniated disk in my back. I am so stiff in the mornings it's miserable. My knee still swells after a day of housework and what not. Elevate and ice......yes I do. I shop for groceries using the cart otherwise I use a cane out in public situations. At home I'm brave and use nothing to assist my walking. I go slow but figure every step is progress. I'm hoping to improve a lot more in the coming months. For someone who thought she would never walk again I think I'm doing just fine. Everyone said patience....it will get better. They were so right. Have a great evening !!!!!
 
You are doing wonderfully! There's plenty of time for improvement, too.
 
Thank you Celle.......you have been a blessing. Your advice and patience is wonderful. Sometimes we forget to say "Thank You".
 
That's really nice of you, Crissy. You've made my day! :SUNsmile:
 
Just remember that at 4 months you're only 1/3 of the way in your recovery.
 
Thank you sistersinhim. We all want to rush, rush, rush. Learning to relax along the way with this recovery is hard. I honestly thought at 6 weeks I would be back to my jolly self........No......not even close. Be patient with yourself. After all, we're the ones going to be using this new knee and shouldn't we want the best outcome we could ask for?? Have a great day everyone !!
 
Oh boy, do I know about that impatience. One way to look at it is that our arthritis didn't come on in a few months, so why should we expect our knee replacement to be healed in a few months!
 
Your attitude is wonderful! It says a lot that you seem to be at a standstill and yet remain glad for your progress. That kind of thinking will surely lead to even more improvement. It sounds like you are able to do quite a bit around the house and are out doing errands. I agree with sistersinhim that since our arthritis came on slowly, we can expect the improvement to come that way too. Wish I'd thought that way this week at my 3-1/2 month check. Reading your post helped me refocus on being more patient about recovery. Thanks!
 
Oh phrog.......so glad I could help even a little !! This site is just a life saver for people who need to know things are going in the right direction. I was so grateful to find these wonderful people who will never know how scared I was and how it was just like someone putting an arm on my shoulder saying it was going to be ok and just take a deep breath. Most Drs. are so busy they just don't (or won't) take the time to fully explain what's ahead. Here we can ask and always get an answer. My left knee needs to be replaced in the future (I'm just not ready yet) and at least I'll know what lies ahead of me this time. Have a wonderful night!!!!
 
Today is a day of admission for me. When I first went to see my OS I was told that both my right and left knee were bone on bone.....ugh. Had my right knee taken care of and swore I was not going to have the left one done. I had some problems from the get go plus the pain was something else. Looking back the OS and his associates could have handled my pain a whole lot better than they did. I was the one who had surgery Not them. But that was then.

Ok today my left knee is begging to have the surgery over and done with. Problem is I'm not ready to face it just yet. Anyone else go through this denial????? I hate getting up and thinking about this everyday. My right knee is doing well but I feel the left knee is probably holding some of my recovery back at this time. Also having back pain which I'm wondering if it is also associated with the left knee not feeling so good. Someday this will have to be dealt with....just not yet. Have a good night everyone!
 
@crissyP I'm a fortnight ahead of you in the recovery process, had a RTKR on 30th Jan. My left knee is also bone on bone and needing replaced also. At my six week check up my OS asked when I wanted it done and I said 'give me a year' as up to then it hadn't really bothered me as much as the right one did , however since I started walking without a cane my gait is all over the place, sciatica comes and goes and I have a permanently sore back! I believe my whole body is out of kilter at the moment and until the other knee is replaced nothing much will change. So although I found th first couple of months post op hard going I can't wait to get the other one done- roll on next February!!
 
Lilli you are so just where I am right now. My OS said my left knee would be chasing me right back into surgery and I said No!. Today is a different situation altogether. Just like you I'm hoping to get a year under my belt before I tackle another replacement. I was so hoping this wasn't going to have to be the case. We'll have to keep in touch with each other and see how it all goes for us. Good Luck my friend !!
 
I had my right revision done in March. Had originally had a PKR done on it 6 years ago and then arthroscopic 1.5 years after that. I was in denial that I actually needed the revision but there I was.

My right was always my worst one and now my left, which I knew was bone on bone as well has been acting up as my right one heals. I'm hoping it can last until next year because I don't want to deal with another surgery right now. Hoping to go back to work in September and want to work at least 5 or 6 months before I go through this again <sigh>
 
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