8 weeks post op
Posted , 9 users are following.
I'm 65yr female, 8 was right tkr. I was song well and now everyday seems like a setback. I'm in physical therapy 2 days a week, one is aquatic. I'm exercising as best I can everyday. Still cannot balance, can't go up/ down stairs normally. Constant calf ache... I honestly can't find anything positive, except I'm walking with a bent leg and my hips hurt. I'm feeling like this is never going to be better. Doctor is happy with 117 bend but 10 straight needs to be worked on. Need someone who has gone through this to tell me things will improve. I see people are driving at 5 weeks, I tried and couldn't do it. Honestly, I'm about to throw in the towel. I cry everyday and depression pills just make me sleepy. This is no kind of life.
2 likes, 27 replies
jenny80029 Delarbar
Posted
chris00938 Delarbar
Posted
Delarbar, one thing I've learned from this is that everyone goes at their own pace, and even if you have two knees done - at the same time or separate times, they will differ in recovery. I'm not sure that anyone should be driving at 5 weeks - I was told 6, but if people are on painkillers still then they have to make sure they're covered on insurance. You WILL get through this, and actually 8 weeks is pretty early days still. Just make sure you elevate and ice a lot still and if you need to, then rest more! Don't compare your recovery with someone else's - everyone is different. BUT THINGS WILL IMPROVE! Be prepared for this to take a while yet - it does with most people. To get the bend leg straighter, one of the exercises in my book was to put the foot on a footstool with no support under the knee, and let it drop and stretch as much as you can. But chin up - you WILL get there:-))))
Delarbar
Posted
Thank you to everyone. I am so glad I found this forum. You are definitely right, each day is different. Today the swelling has really gone down. My doctor offers a social worker to talk to and I called her this morning. She reiterated everything that has been said on this forum. As you all know, we weren't prepared for what this entails. My doctor told me straight up, you are going to hate me for the first 2 months. I've always been on the move and that's what bothers me the most. I'm sure I'll have many more setbacks and I need to accept the fact that this is a process. I am getting back into 'sitting' hobbies to take my mind off the stiffness and pain. Extended family needs to start having babies ..lol. thank you again everyone.
chris00938 Delarbar
Posted
If my surgeon had walked into the room a week on or any time at all, I'd have hugged him LOL! The RELIEF of pain from the arthritis was so great! Most of my early weeks - probably the first four weeks and maybe even five weeks, was spent resting and icing and elevating. I did NOTHING for the first few weeks and I'd say up until about five weeks it was just 'me and my knee' that was thought about and for at least three weeks my husband did EVERYTHING. But by six weeks I was doing lots more and by the time I went to be signed off from the hospital at six weeks the operation seemed a long time ago. I was walking well, but still not quite confident outside - was wondering if my balance was bad or what, but between the six weeks and the almost nine that I am now, confidence has grown and the knee feels strong and reliable. Maybe partly due to exercise - maybe muscles are stronger, and maybe due to healing, and maybe due to mentally feeling stronger with the knee. But it's all good, that's for sure!
jenny80029 Delarbar
Posted
Don't compare yourself with others...it always leads to despair! Sounds like you are doing well. You will need to adjust your expectations. Things do improve,
But with this major surgery, things do take a lot of time.
suki51 Delarbar
Posted
Hiya I think your progress is awesome, I was told to exercise until it hurt and then stop and the most important part was to ice after, straight away this stops the build up of inflammation. I kept a dedicated bag of frozen peas for the top of my knee and a gel pack for the back of it, I always put a towel between me and the bags as this helped me to keep them there longer and I raised and rested my knee straight. Once I started to do this I noticed and improvement straight away. I also think pain meds are important when exercising. Don't despair we all progress in different ways and we who are in our 60's are bound to be slower at healing than the young Spring Chickens!!! Be kind to yourself too, it does sound like you are expecting a lot of your new knee, the damage and trauma to the muscle and sinews is huge plus the trauma of all the banging into the bone etc. YouTube has a good selection of exercised for KNR and do you have a physiotherapist, they know so much more about post op than the surgeons do and you get to meet other people who have had the operation. I am a year on and now feel grand, I still have pain when I rise up from a chair and using the stairs but the rest of the time it's grand and I forget I've have the op so keep doing what you are doing but being more gentle on yourself and keep the faith, you will get there......it just takes time....Good luck