3 weeks in!

Hi this op takes a good bit of time dont rush it take the pain meds these will help when you exercise the knee dont push yourself to much in the early stages

You are very normal!!! I'm week 7 with bi-lateral TKR. Walking around with a bit of a limp as one knee is weaker than the other. My bend is good in both knees but they are always stiff first thing in the morning and after sitting for 1/2 hour or so. My surgeon has told me its more important to get the bend than focusing on how far and often you go walking. My swelling isn't bad at all and I didn't have any bruising but as for the tears...........I've been crying buckets, my doctor told me it was the Targin I was taking but even when I stopped that I was still weepy and still are to some degree.  We are all different and our bodies have been through quite an ordeal. Everyone says, don't be hard on yourself but we are who we are.  You must do your exercises and get the bend happening. Good luck.

Hi Kathryn

I think what you are experiencing sounds about 100% normal ! You are doing well to be up and about and well.....I cried buckets too  

I would emphasise though that you need to keep working on that knee bend. Rest, ice and elevate between exercise sessions, and keep at it. Don't worry if the bend isn't much, the main thing is to improve it soon. You are aiming for 90 degrees minimum, and well over 110 for preference.

Oh, and did I mention sleep? Get as much as you can.

Well done and don't give up x

Encouraging thank you! I have been exercising but walking more so perhaps I'll up it a bit! In physio a week ago I got 75 degrees. I can get more I think now but not routinely. I think I'm probably being hard on myself!

Hey you will.find that if you ice and elevate stop walking around and just rest the swelling will go down and your bend will improve due to less swelling just do exercises and avoid walking to. Much ...seriously....regards Rick

Hi Kathryn

I too was like you at first. Wanted to do too much too soon. I went for a walk around the block after 5 days

However this was a wrong move and I suffered for it

I have been working on getting the swelling down and doing my exercises especially getting a good bend and yes also I had an awful lot of bruising

I am 2 weeks post op now and I think the swelling is certainly going down

Like the others say try to do exercises a short while after taking painkillers and icing when the knee should be less swollen

Regards Gill

You're doing very well, it sure takes it out of you a knee replacement. I cried every day for 3 weeks!! I wished I hadn't had it done. I felt I had made myself disabled. But one day you'll just think, oh I did that OK, or oh that bends better. I would concentrate on doing some physio

Have you been given exercises to do? I found putting a carrier bag on the floor where I was sat and ran my foot forward and backwards really helped with the Rom. And put your bad foot on your bottom stair, and lean into it, to bend back and forth. Rest, elevate and ice. That's your new mantra!!! Good luck!

"Bursting into Tears"...  Google "post-operative depression" and you will be amazed.  I got it after my hip replacement so I was prepared for it when the TKR was done.  Very common and very much overlooked by doctors.  

After the hip replacement, hospital and rehab facility, I got home and started crying for two days...non-stop.  Called my cousin, MD for decades.  He told me what it was.  Seems that there is a psychological reaction to the LOSS of an original piece of your anatomy.  Results in unexplained, sadness, crying, depression.

Once he told me what it was, I kicked its butt to the curb.  Done.  You can do the same.  Get out of the house into the sunshine.  Go to PT (2-3x/week) and the gym (every day).  Once you're 6 weeks post-op, get into a therapy pool or even a regular one.  Focus your mind on fitness, recovery and health.  You won't have time to cry...

You came to the right place with your concerns. As you can see, you are normal...for now. It won't be like this forever. I'm 21 months post op and proof that it does get better. It's a really long process, so take the small improvements and celebrate them when they come. At roughly 3 weeks I was noticing a slight improvement - at 2 weeks I was still so miserable with the pain that I doubted my decision to have a bilateral TKR. Yes both knees were replaced at the same time. But when I went to my 1 month check-up with only a cane for stability, the surgeon was pleased and I felt like I was making strides. It's work. I had my knees buckle and I was fearful of falling, but the safety of your home is a great place to start moving around without depending on much. I took slow deliberate steps. I had to recondition myself to walk in a more normal way, it didn't feel natural because I hadn't walked normal for a very long time. I also found some stairs to start tackling, albeit with tears in my eyes. I was determined to look like a normal person as I went up and down. And today, I can tackle them straigth on, no sideway stepping for me. But the biggest obsticle was my own thinking. Swelling can last for a year or more. I just iced it whenever this happened. The bruising will eventually go too. By  6 weeks I was able to sit and drive my 110 cc moped around town. I was forced to bend more and move quickly to bring my feet in and out for stopping and going, but what a great motivator freedom can be. You've got this Kathryn, I believe in you!

-Mo

Thank you so much everyone! Your comments all make me feel so much better ! I've just removed the dressings too so look more normal too - just the stockings to go now!