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Am I failing

Posted , 10 users are following.

helen90430
helen90430

I'm 4 weeks post op. I can straighten my leg well but the bend is still poor.

I am very worried that I'm not doing as well as I should be

I do my excerise regular and start my excerise class tomorrow. My knee is just so tight. I try to bend it to the point that I'm I'm so much pain but it's so tight and stiff.

I use ice all the time.

I am on one crutch now. I can Potter in the kitchen to make dinner and am able to walk up the stairs with the operated leg but I drag it up before I stand on it. I am unable to bend it to the next step.

Is this normal? It's really getting me down and upset as I think that I'm failing and I don't fail!

0 likes, 33 replies

33 Replies

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  • yasmin66402
    yasmin66402 helen90430

    Posted

    Helen ! You're only 4 weeks ! I'm still on two crutches because I regressed my leg! Being on one's own with the amount of stress I've had . Physical and emotional stress. .means I'm having to work through awful tightness and pain..this takes time to settle down ! And your biggest enemy will be swelling ..the knee swells , the quads cut out . Take it easy but diligently as it sounds that you are x

    • helen90430
      helen90430 yasmin66402

      Posted

      Thanks Yasmin

      I'm sorry you have had a rough time of it and wish you well.

      Yes my worst is the swelling which makes it so tight which in turn prevents me from bending it more than I want it to.

      Good luck with your recovery

      Helen

    • yasmin66402
      yasmin66402 helen90430

      Posted

      Helen HI

      Thanks for your get well wishes ..I was so quick in my feet post op..but being out in the real world can take its toll

      You've got months to get fitter and better and you're doing your exercises diligently , which counts for much more than walking around ..etc..so keep at it and eventually you'll see the good results ! Physio said no more 2 crutches ..but I can gad about faster than on one! One is very slow ! What aid are you using ?

      Best wishes Yasmin

  • cynthia89958
    cynthia89958 helen90430

    Posted

    Take heart in all the great replies here, Helen. Most of us TKR folk have been there at some point and doubted our progress often to the point of despairing!

    ?I am an example of a scar tissue maker and I have other lymphatic problems and health issues going on, so I have always been slower than peer group with my recovery. And still am! I have had an MUA at 10 weeks and it helped my very poor bend a lot. Now I am working hard to keep it and not let the scar tissue get ahead again, as it does try. When I wake up in the morning, I can feel the tight bands and when I walk about, my knee inflates like a balloon!!

    ?But the MUA is just an enhancement of the physio you get to force the knee to bend, only the advantage is your being asleep and therefore not resisting due to pain and the surgeon does it rather than a physiotherapist as there is extra skill needed.

    ?So don't worry should you need one, it may be sore after but I found it was not as bad as I feared- and I was very scared before!

    ?I know the surgeons tend to not want to have to do MUA, but some of us cannot get the bend without. I felt bad as it kept being suggested maybe I had not done the exercise and was pain avoidant. My family know I tried so hard with the exercise at home. I have had several surgeries and not used strong pain meds after and birthed my children naturally, so I know I'm not a total wimp. Knee surgery is no walk in the park!

    ?You are still at early stage, so have time for things to change and most likely your flexion will come without further ado, it does for the majority as chico said. But even if you do end up with MUA, you will still be OK, it will just be a longer journey.

    • helen90430
      helen90430 cynthia89958

      Posted

      Thanks for your help and advice Cytnthia

      I've been getting great advice from the forum which does push me along.

      I do sometimes forget that I've had major surgery and I'm only 4 weeks post op!

      Helen

    • barry39595
      barry39595 helen90430

      Posted

      I think I'm doing well walking after 4 weeks but I know there's a long way to go I've had to slow down a bit as was trying to do to much.

      This site has helped so much and as someone pointed out there's always someone awake all times of the day if you need a chat. Mainly as we don't sleep much lol

  • liz00723
    liz00723 helen90430

    Posted

    To everyone who is about to have a TKR, just had it or still at the early stages, this forum is your lifeline.  I got really weepy in the middle of the night when I couldn't sleep, I also was not at home, I found this forum and it really truly saved me.  I was struggling.  Oldfatboy was my saviour, there are many more now.  They have been there and know how we feel.i was told by my surgeon 9 months to 18 months for recovery.  I was definitely nearer the 18.  I do really good exercises at Aqua and they have definitely helped my bend, but I didn't get a good bend really till at least a year.  

    We we are all different and recover at different stages.  Some people lie to you, I'm not talking here.  I never felt anyone on here said anything other than the truth, but people I met would tell me they had it done and were back playing tennis at 6 weeks.  I don't think so.  Maybe some people are very lucky and they don't need this forum.  All of us on here either need it or have needed it.

    take heart, things will get better, it will just take a long time.  I regretted getting it done for a long time.  Now no regrets whatsoever.

    good luck to everyone.

    liz

    • jenny80029
      jenny80029 liz00723

      Posted

      It is really great you have posted your long term perspective, thank you so much for doing this! I think it really helps balance the forum with the long term gain as well as the initial struggles and challenges of the initial stages!😊

    • CHICO_MARX
      CHICO_MARX jenny80029

      Posted

      When the only image in your mind is pain, your life BECOMES that pain.  Change the image in your mind.  Not easy but doable.  Read a great book, play bridge with your friends, do a complex puzzle, play sudoku, kill zombies on X-Box.  I play bass guitar and sing lead vocals...so I go to my home office, close the door and turn up the volume.  You can't think of pain with that much going on at the same time.  Meds help but using the power of your mind is better than any drug.

      Know that the mind can only hold one thought at a time...multitasking is just the extremely fast shuffling of different thoughts in and out.  So alter the thoughts and the physical pain recedes into the background.  Concentrate on the pain and writhe around in agony.

      And it's only temporary...what's a few months of pain worth against the rest of your life walking without it?  Think about THAT when you feel that you're in pain.  It's a tradeoff...and you get to make the choice how you handle your very own, personalized, individual pain.  Think about more than the fleeting "now"...

      And yes...I was trained well by the philosopher Jesuits at Fordham University.  My 50th college class reunion is in two years.  Crap...I really am that old...

    • jenny80029
      jenny80029 CHICO_MARX

      Posted

      I have been thinking myself in the last few days how pain is felt and experienced and how it relates to our mindset...so it is interesting you have posted these thoughts. I think a key factor for my own experience is I made a conscious choice view the pain as a healing positive pain rather than the degenerative pain pre op. Well, I had the liberty of doing that because my pain was very well managed indeed. Even at the worst, I always knew it was just a couple of hours until the next dose of pain relief, and TENS worked for me, as did ice. So I appreciate I never drowned deeply in unmanaged pain which can happen sometimes. Your words are very true indeed...and because the benefits of knee replacement surgery do need to be waited for, it is so easy for fear to get inside us and then anxiety, which carries a large pain magnifying glass wherever it goes!Interesting about your Jesuit training! I discovered the Jesuits and started doing the Examen a couple of years ago, as part of a general drift into leading a more contemplative way of life. Wow! That reunion will be interesting!😊

    • CHICO_MARX
      CHICO_MARX jenny80029

      Posted

      "Anatomy of an Illness: As Perceived by the Patient" - Norman Cousins

    • jenny80029
      jenny80029 CHICO_MARX

      Posted

      Just read the blurb....Anatomy of an Illness was the first book by a patient that spoke to our current interest in taking charge of our own health. It started the revolution in patients working with their doctors and using humor to boost their bodies' capacity for healing. When Norman Cousins was diagnosed with a crippling and irreversible disease, he forged an unusual collaboration with his physician, and together they were able to beat the odds. The doctor's genius was in helping his patient to use his own powers: laughter, courage, and tenacity. The patient's talent was in mobilizing his body's own natural resources, proving what an effective healing tool the mind can be. This remarkable story of the triumph of the human spirit is truly inspirational reading.

      BUT WILL GET THE BOOK,😀😁😂😃😄😅

    • CHICO_MARX
      CHICO_MARX jenny80029

      Posted

      He locked himself in a hotel room and played Marx Brothers movies for hours and hours.  Very famous case...great book.
    • jenny80029
      jenny80029 CHICO_MARX

      Posted

      So for all those TKRers who cannot jog because of their knees...as Norman said...

      "Hearty laughter is a good way to jog internally without having to go outdoors."😊😀😁

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