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Bilateral TKR What Can You Do After Your TKR or BTKR?

I'm thinking about being able to.get out of the bathtub down the road. Dreaming of a hot bath. I usually used a pillow or one of my dogs beds to kneel on previous surgery when I had to. I realized I had tried not to kneel at all before the surgeries and wonder how soon people even try. Guess I'll ask my Dr when I see him for follow up in January. Thanks for responses!

left knee 9/21/15
right knee 11/30/15
 
When I saw my OS at 7 weeks post-op he said that it was now okay to kneel. Shortly after, I tried it when I got down on the carpeted floor to do some exercises. It wasn't comfortable, but it also wasn't painful. BUT - there was a bonus! I had some puckering at the bottom of my incision that the PT and I had been massaging. The first time I knelt I heard a bunch of little "pops" (no pain at all) and since then my scar has been completely flat. My weight must have popped some scar tissue in there. :yes!:
 
Yeah! This is great to hear. I too.will try once my new knee heals up

left knee 9/21/15
right knee 11/30/15
 
theresav said:
Are you kneeling on the replaced knee?
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I was not allowed to kneel on my knees for about six months after my BTKR, but I can kneel now.

I have to be honest---while I can kneel, it does feel weird and I try to avoid it unless I have some padding.
 
Even though I'm early in recovery here are some things I've been able to do after my knee replacement.

At three weeks out I was able to pull a large double door refrigerator out from the wall and push it back in place when I was done working on it.

A couple days after that I cut down a tree near the house and dragged some of the branches into the backyard fire pit.

Today at 5 weeks out. I attended an agility class with my dog and was able to direct him pretty well considering I could only walk between obstacles. My dog and I are only at novice level so sending him to obstacles far away from me is still a work in progress. My dog was a little confused as to why I was moving so slowly but he did well in spite of it.

Nothing compared to what I could do prior to TKR but hopefully I'm slowly getting there.
 
smarttoys said:
Even though I'm early in recovery here are some things I've been able to do after my knee replacement.

At three weeks out I was able to pull a large double door refrigerator out from the wall and push it back in place when I was done working on it.

A couple days after that I cut down a tree near the house and dragged some of the branches into the backyard fire pit.

Today at 5 weeks out. I attended an agility class with my dog and was able to direct him pretty well considering I could only walk between obstacles. My dog and I are only at novice level so sending him to obstacles far away from me is still a work in progress. My dog was a little confused as to why I was moving so slowly but he did well in spite of it.

Nothing compared to what I could do prior to TKR but hopefully I'm slowly getting there.
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That is a lot for 3 weeks.

left knee 9/21/15
right knee 11/30/15
 
Thanks @referee54 for getting this thread going. It is really good to read about everyone's accomplishments. Sometimes I think people, including myself, don't want to post how well they are doing out of fear of sounding like they are bragging. I really like to hear about people's successes!!!!!!!
 
Wanttobebiking said:
It is really good to read about everyone's accomplishments. Sometimes I think people, including myself, don't want to post how well they are doing out of fear of sounding like they are bragging. I really like to hear about people's successes!!!!!!!
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I was also hesitant to post here and in my own thread but sometimes I'm just really happy about some small achievement and just really want to share it with people that hopefully understand.
 
Actually, I would like for people to brag a little---there are quite q few people who are awaiting a TKR or a BTKR, or are contemplating having one, and are worried about their future activities. They need to see, honestly, what the future holds for them---and that there is hope for them, too!
 
Both of my knees were replaced at this time of year, so the last two Christmas's haven't been much fun. This year I have spent literally days in the kitchen baking to get ready for the festivities. I can now stand all day if I need to, with slight stiffness after a while, but that disappears after a short sit down. This year we will eat home made cake, pudding, mince pies, Yule log etc....what a difference a year makes.
@theresav I also love my bath, and missed it terribly for the first few weeks. Then I worked out if I put a small plastic stool (like children use to reach the basin in the bathroom) into the bath when I needed to get in or out, I could just sit backwards onto it and then stand from there, without having to kneel. Now it's easy to kneel so baths are no problem.
 
I agree with Tim and Roy - while I was going through the toughest part of my recovery, some inkling of what I had to look forward to might have helped me race through those blue days. I am constantly amazed at how far I have come and hope that my story is helpful to others. I also love reading the progress of my fellow Kneesies.
 
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Ellejay said:
Both of my knees were replaced at this time of year, so the last two Christmas's haven't been much fun. This year I have spent literally days in the kitchen baking to get ready for the festivities. I can now stand all day if I need to, with slight stiffness after a while, but that disappears after a short sit down. This year we will eat home made cake, pudding, mince pies, Yule log etc....what a difference a year makes.
@theresav I also love my bath, and missed it terribly for the first few weeks. Then I worked out if I put a small plastic stool (like children use to reach the basin in the bathroom) into the bath when I needed to get in or out, I could just sit backwards onto it and then stand from there, without having to kneel. Now it's easy to kneel so baths are no problem.
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Love hearing this!

left knee 9/21/15
right knee 11/30/15
 
I went to a holiday party tonight, and when I left, the steps, sidewalks, and streets were really icy. We had rain, then snow today. I was able to navigate all of it--both leaving my friend's house and climbing the 14 steps to get into my house. The walkway to my front door is on a bit of an incline and I started to slide back toward the stairs, but I calmed down and stepped off the walkway and onto the snow covered grass where I could get better traction. I was alone. Hubby stayed home so I did this without any emotional or physical support. Now I know I can handle the worst of conditions!
 
I can run again. I run about 1-2 times per week and only on a soft track in high cushioned shoes (max of 5.5 miles, but usually a little under or over 4m) or short uphill repeats. However, I'm taking a break from the 4-5 mile runs for awhile at this time and just doing uphill repeats on the treadmill. Trails are snowy or muddy. I did not run until 2+ years past my 2nd TKR and the majority of my exercise is low or no impact. I'm slow. But, after a 15+ year hiatus from running, this ex-ultrarunner is enjoying his old favorite activity in limited moderation. Hiking is really my favorite thing now, but it does feel great to do a little real running.




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