Yup, I'm a newbie

[birdie1410]

Hi all,

LTKR on 5-11-11. ROM WAS at 109 until the other night, stiffness, pain and swelling set in ( posted about the leg jump). Doing better today.
I just cannot tell you how grateful I am to have found this site while doing a web search! This-THIS-is what I needed.
I am grandmother to 3 with 2 more on the way this year! I want to be able to be the fun grandma-I have almost never been able to just play with the kids and not worry about pain.
For the first 3 weeks after surgery, I vowed to never go through that again, no matter what, even though the right knee is almost as bad! AWFUL, awful pain and swelling! I am getting better but in the beginning, I had so much conflicting advice that all I could do was cry -my poor husband has been awesome!
Anyway, just wanted to get my own thread going. Josephine, I am looking forward to those links! I'm tired of being tied to a bed or recliner and tired of pain, stiffness and swelling. lol I always have a lot of questions and yes, I always post a long post. :th_heehee:

 

[Tykey]

Long posts? We love 'em!!

Where did you get that conflicting advice?

 

[referee54]

Welcome to the Forum! You are a month today from your TKR! This is a great site for you and it has a great deal of information and a tremendous number of passionate and compassionate people with wisdom and experience.

You are riding the roller coaster ride that we call recovery---some good days, some great days,, and some days that you would like to forget about. They are all there. Josephine has given you some great links to read and we have a wealth of information in our forum library.

No post is too long for us---ask questions, vent, or read what other people have to say---we will be here for you throughout your recovery and beyond.

Just keep icing and elevating and resting and keep the knee happy! I have no doubt that you will recapture the life that arthritis stole from you---and that you will be able to totally enjoy your grandkids pain-free!

 

[sashayinglady]

Welcome! Bonesmart is our "Lifesaver", is Sweet & keeps us Afloat!! Hang in there... We all had good & bad days during recovery. Rom 109, Wonderful!
You take care! 

 

[Jamie]

Hi, Birdie....so glad you have started your own thread so we can learn more about you.

You know....4 weeks out is really just the beginning. So tell me what you're doing for pain management and in terms of activity each day. I think we can help you be more comfortable in the coming weeks and months as your body heals.

Do tell us EVERYTHING!!! Spare no details! Bring on the long posts (just use paragraph dividers and we'll be more than happy to read, read, read!!)

 

[birdie1410]

The conflicting advice came from my friend who is a certified MacKenzie PT and my own PT. I finally asked the OS which exercises to follow and he said, "why not do both?" lol

 

[birdie1410]

Jamie-my pain management consists of pain meds (of course!), exercises, ICE, elevation, did I mention ICE? resting as much as I can get away with, walking sometimes helps and oh yeah, ICE! I also use a tens unit my PT friend let me borrow. This has been most definitely a roller coaster-I dealt with losing our house to a hurricane better than I have dealt with this. lol

I am SO loving this group and I thank God I found you all! I have been told I must exercise hard to keep away scar tissue (break it up), I have been told not to push it, told not to lay around too much, not to get up too often, well, you can see where I am going with this. You have been such a help when I read that I am actually doing quite well when I thought I was lagging behind. My husband has had the privilege of saying "I told you so".

Thanks for being here for us newbies!

 

[Jamie]

Well, I guess I owe your sweet hubby a hug....:th_heehee:....sounds like he is a wise man.

No wonder you're confused if you're getting all this conflicting information. But here is the real deal. You ARE doing too much for this soon in recovery. Your comment about resting "as much as you can get away with" tells volumes, hon. I'm betting you feel you NEED to be doing things around the house, or errands, or exercises and walking every day.

The truth is that you should be doing some gentle stretches and maybe some squats for your quads each day. If you have an exercise bike, it's great to ride that for maybe a maximum of 5 minutes a couple of times a day. The only walking you should be doing is from room to room and maybe some short trips out into the yard and back. No housework. No meal preps. No laundry. No errands. No home remodeling. You get the idea, right?

Also, I need to know what pain meds you're taking and how often. It may be that you are undermedicating yourself also. But, the really GREAT news is that you are icing properly - LOTS!!! Just be sure to elevate your leg (toes above the nose) at the same time you're enjoying your ice.

Even when doing all the right stuff, a person can expect somewhat of a roller coaster. That's just the way it is. On those days that you are a bit "wonked" by tiredness or pain, that's your body saying it needs you to rest a bit more. So don't hesitate to do just that.

 

[Creation]

Hi and welcome!
I am a proud 6 weeks ,done, post op and have found this forum life saving! :amen1: I would have gone crazy without it, alone with pain and no one who gets it, Ya! I found everyone understands here because you can only if you have gone through it.
I found over the last week that I have become more "independant" I do longer standing, longer walking and I do not need to rest, elevate and ice as often (maybe 6 times a day now). I got my car keeys back and WOW that was just a wonderfull feeling of liberty. I am just not going to venture too far yet, 6 weeks and already a bit rusted!
As time will go by, things will get better!

 

[goodasnew]

Welcome to our exciting journey Birdie, and yes it is exciting when you start to discover all those little things that caused you pain and no longer do - keep looking forward to the good times to come - they will be there!

Take care of yourself !

 

[Jaycey]

Hi Birdie, I'm so glad you found us! Just want to chime in and welcome you. I hope you will keep the questions coming. Feel free to post anything - including moaning. That's what we are here for!

 

[referee54]

Do you have or have access to a stationary bike? That can be a big help in loosening the knee joint and slowly gaining ROM. I had my stationary bike actually set up in the living room, and I would sit on it and slowly pedal it back and forth while I watched Bonanza or Gunsmoke (TVLAnd during recovery!:biggrin It can be helpful to you for your recovery/PT.

Don't push anything yet---including the panic button. Just be PATIENT. You are on your journey to recovery, but the trip can take a while---we will be here helping you throughout the journey.

 

[referee54]

The only walking you should be doing is from room to room and maybe some short trips out into the yard and back. No housework. No meal preps. No laundry. No errands. No home remodeling. You get the idea, right? .

This is right on. You need to let somebody else take care of this stuff for a while. You need to rest and recover---let your knee heal. This was also difficult for me, as I wanted to help out around the house---we are all used to being active and sharing housework---but this is mandatory time-off. Your body needs to rest and to recover...the more yo do, the slower the recovery gets!

 

[Bighank]

Welcome and keep working, also be patient. We all heal at different rates.