Mental emotion starting to take place due to lack of progress.

I went down the less bend less pain route, but struggled in the end with getting legs straight.  My second TKR was last Sept, and I had an MUA in March which didn't make an awful lot of difference this time...it just made it more painful again!

It is very difficult when you live on your own...my Dad had to help me and I had to rely on friends to take me to the hospital and back, or a taxi (which costs over £50 each way).

my first TKR finally came good a year after its MUA, but I have had a lot more problems with the latest one and still cannot walk comfortably.  Thank God that I can drive.

I've never really got emotional or cried, as I know some others have, I'm just resigned to the fact that a lot of my normal life has had to be put on hold.  It is hard though and people who haven't had it done (including some doctors) don't realise the full impact on the person).

All we can do is keep at it and try and keep our spirits up.

We will get there in the end.

Patsy

To answer your question...I'd say more bend and (initially) more pain, because that pain doesn't last forever whereas a stiff leg will.

I asked my Ortho Onc Cons about sleeping tablets and he said that the body wakes itself up every couple of hours to stop it seizing up, and I can see what he means; the time I did sleep for 5 hours solidly (meds washed down with a large gin) I couldn't move the following morning and was back to square one. 

If you don't do it already, consider hydrotherapy which allows you to bend and push yourself a little bit further while feeling supported and is great for the hamstrings (which also sounds as if they could do with a good deep massage)

On my own here too, with two kids and no family. It can be very isolating. I'm only 10 weeks post op but the progress made in the last 3 weeks both physically and emotionally has been tremendous and I think the water has had an awful lot to do with that.

Keep with it!

I had TKR 3 years ago so thinking back to what it was like.

I like you had trouble with the bend.

I saw consultant at 6 weeks and he wanted me to be at 90 by then. I just made it but it ws an only just.

I only made it because physio rang my GP and said I needed to be on stronger pain killers, my physio was not the kind of woman you want to mess aout with, what she says goes!!

So I was then on more bend and more pain.

Personally that was OK for me.

It does get better I promise.

Now 3 years down the line it is like having my life back.

Hope you get on OK and that the second TKR works for you

Regarding sleeping that was a huge problem for me to begin with. It came as a big shock because I have always been a good sleeper.

Even now 3 years on I still wake up in the night (though not in pain anymore) which i never used to do, it seems to have altered my whole sleeping pattern.

I do not know how you are back at work if you are not sleeping.

Take care and keep in touch

Praying for you

Love Sarah xx

1) are you getting proper pain relief? If not ask the Dr to review. Are you taking meds in a reg basis as prescribed or hit and miss when the pain gets worse. It is impossible to excercise properly when you are in pain. Get pain under control. SLOW DOWN the excercise routine and make sure every step is done correctly. Poor routine is almost as bad as not doing them at all.

2) hydration. Are you drinking plenty of WATER every day. Dried out system will not stretch and the pain is always much worse in a dehydrated body. Just keep a bottle or pitcher handy and sip along all day. Limit caffine and carbonation. Along with this, eat healthy.....fruit and veggies. Stay away from sweet and overly salty foods.

3) Rest. You have gone through a traumatic surgery and generally speaking, without much advice from the medical profession. Most surgeons whack and run, leaving you in the dark about the rest of the vprogram. A tired body won't heal. Like it or not, you may have to back off your work schedule. The absolute #1 thing is to get healed from this surgery so you can get your strength back. You can't be worrying about the other knee When this one is still bringing you down. Talk to your Dr and employer. Be candid about your situation and see what, as a team, can be done to resolve your problems.

3) Excercise. Back off and start all over. Get the routine reassessed by the therapist. Again, make sure every motion is slow, smooth and not putting you into a "I'm going to either scream or cry" mode. Up to, but not into pain.

Try this for a couple of weeks and see if strength and healing aren't improving the bend and straight.

Good luck and I'm sure others on here will be very supportive to your issues. Wish I would of had this sort of forum when I started my journey over 12 years ago.

Your Doctor wouldn't know what to do with me then as I still have a lot of pain at 12 weeks post op. I have 80 degrees of bend and -30 degrees on the extension. Apparently it's unusual to struggle so much with both & at 36 years old I have lost count of how many times prior to surgery I was told 'that is the worst knee I've ever seen'....I still don't understand why a radiologist or various specialists think that's a good thing to say to someone.

I was given 3 more weeks to try to improve the extension (that's more of a concern to them for me) before they considered surgery. I went to physio yesterday (saw a different one as mine on holiday) and was told there was nothing else they could do for me as I clearly needed not only an operation to straighten but also a manipulation. He all but told me I was wasting his time....I can cry at the drop of a hat at the moment so that's how I spent yesterday afternoon.

I see my consultant next week so will know the plan then. They think I have muscle adhesions preventing the extension (I was told that previously so was expecting it but my normal physio has been so positive that any improvement is good, I was so shocked for this other one to tell me that it couldn't be improved). I've found if I work on the bend, this just worsens but my bend definitely has more give in it.

I totally understand what you are going through though. I'm living with my mum as for the past year I couldn't cope on my own (a whole new chat site would be needed for my disastrous love life Lol). The loss of independence is the worst part for me. Luckily I have the most understanding bosses so prior to surgery I was able to work the odd day from home when I couldn't make it in (I live 45 mins drive away) so I've been working from home since week 6. It's been a good chance for me to get caught up on things I've been avoiding for years but I'm desperate to get back to the office.

However, it still looks like that could be a while off for me yet as I need the other operation. At least I know it can't be as bad as the TKR.

Even with all my additional pain though, I would take even more if it meant I could have a 'normal' leg. I think the mental battle is harder to cope with. I even had a panic attack for the first time in my life the other week when trying to get on a busy train.

If only I'd known this would all happen back when I had my drunken fall at 18, I might of drank less....who am I kidding!! 😂

I know I'll get there in the end....it just feels quite far away some days x