when do you give up and surrender?

[skigirl]

I just signed up for the May start of healthy eating from Prevention Magazine. I have drifted into eating frozen food which just tastes terrible. When my kids were little, I made everything---bread, pasta at home. I cooked every night---then, when they went off to college, I began eating frozen dinners!!! Terrible, I know. And the food really is bad. I have gained 10 lbs in the last six years and decided that it had to stop now!!

May 8 is my 71st birthday, so a good time to bring some change into my life. Restaurants are really a lot of work!!!

 

[foodiex2]

@skigirl you look beautiful! And definitely are a beautiful person! The time you take to help so many of us on here! I can share quick simple recipes that are healthy if you would like. ;)

 

[skigirl]

I would love that. I used to enjoy cooking--when the kids left home, I decided i was free---I guess that I thought I was an air plant!! At any rate, I have just finished my 16th year as a ski instructor and am now a full time artist. I just got into my first "internationally juried" show and am quite excited.!! You can see the piece at the bottom.

 

[Cat Lady]

I had torn my knee and had it repaired by arthroscopy too but it did not much good and within a year I was told I had bone rubbing on bone and needed a full knee replacement. I had the knee replacement done 4 weeks ago and have very little knee pain (but have had back issues) and a good ROM (124 degrees of bend and 0 degrees of straightening). I read a study on line that said in some cases arthroscopy is completely useless. I believe that it did nothing in my case but maybe it was worth the try. I just think that I should not have had to hobbled around in pain for 2.5 years before getting the surgery I needed all along. That said, you need to decide for yourself what to do. Good luck!

 

[Kansas Teacher]

I had an arthroscopy done in February 2014. It not only didn't help, it made things worse. As a matter of fact, the current OS I have said it definitely made things worse by removing more of the cartilage I had when I was already in short supply. My TKR is scheduled for May 1. Worse, all the hobbling around I have done for the past year and a half or so is affecting the other knee and the cartilage is thinning there as well; I'll need another TKR probably sooner rather than later. My advice would be to do it sooner rather than later if possible. And, I'd love those healthy recipes too!

Roxie

 

[Clipless]

I have an unrepaired torn meniscus in my right (non-surgical) knee. It was very bad at first but settled/healed on its own. It is not quite time to replace, but I'm watching for signs. I know more now and I won't wait so long!

 

[foodiex2]

Ok girls where do you want these recipes. ... on here or in your private messages.

 

[foodiex2]

@skigirl. ..love your work! Super cool! Sounds like you are liven the dream! Good job friend!!

 

[Kansas Teacher]

I would be fine with either way but it might save you more time to do it here. I'm sure others will come along and want them too and it would save you having to send them out over and over.

 

[Celle]

Or you could start a thread in the Social Room, and call it something like " Easy, healthy recipes".

 

[Kansas Teacher]

Well that's a cool idea too! I didn't know we had a social room. I'm new to Bonesmart so that sounds like a great idea!

 

[foodiex2]

Ok...catered the wedding. It went great! Ice,advil and bio freeze helped a lot! . Restaurant week in July and then on to my next chapter...I live in constant pain and I know it is time...it is just so damn scary.

 

[Kansas Teacher]

I would absolutely be lying if I said I wasn't scared last Friday when I went in for my ltkr. But, now that it's four days behind me, I can honestly tell you that anything my imagination conjured up was far worse than the reality. The pain for me was substantially less than expected!

 

[treypops]

@foodiex2

Hi there. I'm just catching up with your thread. You've received a lot of good advice in this thread. I just wanted to share my story. I'm 44 and have always been athletic and active. Like you, I had the scopes and the gel shots. Cortisone was my friend for a long time. After a while, you even get to the point where the shots don't hurt anymore. Unfortunately, they were rapidly losing effectiveness. I knew that a TKR was in my future, but my OS felt I was way too young to get it done. My thought was this: Do I worry about what may happen 20 years from now because I'm young now, or do I fix the problem and claim my life back?

I am about 4 1/2 months post op. Like my friend @lunula said earlier in this thread, it is not easy. There are still days that I struggle. My early recovery went very well, but it can be discouraging 4 months out to still have pain, swelling, and stiffness. The popping is annoying. But at the end of the day, I don't have the arthritic pain anymore, and that's a big win. I know it's only going to get better. I know when I look at the big picture that I absolutely did the right thing!

Best of luck to you, and we will be here throughout your process.

 

[treypops]

@Kansas Teacher

Congrats on your new knee. It's all downhill from here!

 

[foodiex2]

Hi everyone! Well summer has been busy at the restaurant and I made it through with injections...but even with that, the pain some days is unbearable. I finally scheduled. October 26th is tkr day! I'm super scared but looking forward to being active again and hopefully pain free at some point. At least I'll be able to enjoy holidays with family! Usually I'm so busy at work I don't have much time during the Holidays. Looking forward to that. My surgeon is gone and booked before that...or I would be doing it right away. Pre -op appt. and physical scheduled as well as class. Does anyone have any advice....

 

[PolarBear60]

Hey! Good to see you again. I was wondering how you were doing. I'm so glad you made it through this busy season and are booked for your replacement.

 

[foodiex2]

@PolarBear60 it has been super busy and I just tried to focus on work and getting things in order so I can have a good amount of time off after surgery. How long did it take you to feel back to normal? What is a fair expectation? It seems different for everyone...I am pretty nervous. Had to get some anti anxiety meds from dr.

 

[PolarBear60]

I posted at about Week 14 that I was feeling "almost normal." I've been doing most things for much longer than that. The key is to really take the first six weeks very easy. You'll be tired. Your brain won't want to think about complex things (reading doesn't hold interest for many people). So follow the Bonesmart way of resting, icing, elevating, doing gentle movements. Begin adding normal activities in slowly, and take advantage of tools to make life easier. Shower stools, electric carts in stores when you are first venturing out, and prepare some meals in advance or have very simple meals planned. Prepare your recovery "nest." And have everything you need or might need nearby. I moved into my dining room which has a full bath off of it (moved all dining room stuff out, moved a recliner, TV, DVD player, clothing, etc in). This meant I didn't have to move to do basic things. I didn't have to climb stairs for the first month. Think of ways to keep it simple and prepare as much as possible in advance. You'll miss something. No big deal.

You'll experience the blues intermittently for the first three months. By 12 weeks, most people (but not all) are feeling reasonably good. Six to eight weeks tends to be tough time for many people. They're feeling better, but not great, and they're frustrated at how darn long it takes. When you get to that point, things will slowly start getting better. Patience is essential. If you don't have it, your knee will teach you. Grin.

Normal is different from everyone. The horrible bone on bone pain you're feeling now is gone nearly immediately. I noticed it the first time I stood up the same day of surgery. I've been elated ever since because of that, but I do have some ups and downs. Mostly, it's been good for me, and I've never for an instant regretting doing it.

Keep asking your questions. I'm sure others will chime in with their experiences about when they found "normal."

 

[Gigi32]

I'm at 9 weeks on my 2nd one, and I'm just now feeling like I'm going to be normal again. The 1st one it seems I felt that way a little sooner, but my recovery seemed to take longer. I know that sounds weird, but this one has been more painful than the first one, but now that the pain has subsided I'm much further ahead. Just don't try and rush back into your life too soon. Your knee will dictate how quickly you'll feel normal again. There's nothing you can do to rush it, but you can count on the fact you won't have that bone on bone pain anymore.