Frustrated and emotionally challenging

Exercise and then elevate and ice several times a day. I too had complications after surgery, bleeding ulcer and less exercise which caused my progress to go backwards. Google knee replacement exercises and/or have your dr recommend physical therapy. Leg lifting will come back in a few months. Numbness lasted for a couple of years for me. massage after healing can restore feelinu by elminating scar tissue underneath the skin.

Hi, I am 46 and had left TKR on 19/2/2021. Like you I reacted badly to the spinal and anesthetic , vomitting low blood pressure and high heart rate for 2/3 day post op. I came home on Monday 22nd and cried too. I think thats natural your body has gone through a major op. I am the same my pain is worse at night especially on my shin and calf. I started my exercises but they are going really slow and I cannot lift my leg at all. Heel slides etc are tough i need a band to pull my leg in. I am on crutches and I am also struggling to put weight through. I think the first 4 weeks are tough so dont give up. If your release is to cry thats ok stress relieves itself in many ways.

Just keep going no matter how small your effort everything will add up, its about consistency and habit no matter how little you feel it is. x

I feel for you. For all us going through this. I had double knee replacement 5 weeks ago. I am 69 and was used to being very active. There are three parts to recovery that I have identified. 1. Pain and stiffness. 2. Surgery fatigue. 3. Emotions. Each is challenging, and taken together...gawd. I stopped narcotic pain meds after three weeks. They were very helpful, but I didn't want to add a drug recovery to this recovery. But I do debate this; they would enable me to do more, but yeah, addicting as hell and tiring. Surprisingly, my pain is pretty manageable, but that's when I'm resting. Amazing what the body can do if you let it. I am walking, slowly, without aid, but man, is it tiring and painful.

Surgery fatigue is just downright awful. I feel almost sick a good deal of the time, like I am at the tail end of the flu. I would say I am seeing gradual improvement there. And improvement with sleep.

Emotions. Wow! I don't run depressed or anxious normally, or at least for long periods of time. But with this? My wife and I have the code down now. Honey, I need to take a drive. I waddle out, jump in the car, and drive for as long as I need to. Literally racking sobs, p****d off in frustration. Grateful for nothing. And it goes like that for awhile. I don't stop it. I have had four of these drives so far, and there are times when I lie down at night where I am sensitive about everything. I am committed to working this as much as I need to. Zero shortcuts with this area because this one is entirely up to me.

But really, my point in responding wasn't to go on a rant or make this about me, really. I keep reaching out, and everyone says what we're going through is actually very normal. I can attest to the fact that things are definitely better, but of course I wish it were about two months from now. So, I'll share what I have distilled from what people told me: you're fine. You're exactly where you should be. At the end of each day, tuck the day away in your purse/wallet and be thankful it's one day of recovery done, and the next day may not be measurably better, but it will be better. God bless. We're in it now; let's finish it.