Patient, Heal Thyself!!!

Another great post and appreciate your honesty.  I think age is the biggest barrier to bouncing back - just like most of us who used to, can't go out on a wild night and get up the next day and feel fine.  But how nice to hear your knee is good.  Those quads just do not come back very fast.   

I read your post and have to laugh. I myself have had many crying and screaming fits where the words "I just want to be normal", I'm tired of this", It's not fair", to name a few. When all along, I know what my surgeon said about recovery time. What they don't mention is most of the setbacks that can and will happen along the way. I'm so happy to hear your knee is treating you well. I am getting there, just started hitting the gym again and getting back in the pool. Good luck to you, keep us posted.

Michelle

Dear Chico,

?Like all your other posts, you touch our hearts and inform, inspire, and encourage us to stay strong and forge ahead armed with knowledge and comforted by the legions of other knee sufferers who pour out their pain here on the forum. Although I have not had the ultimate TKR yet, I have had to cope with years of knee joint disease balancing daily life and a host of appliances that support me when needed. It is true that it is up to us to do what we can to recover or cope with our infirmities, but at some point we reach the understanding that as we age, those opportunities to excell at any physical task will drain us and drag us down fighting. I so admire that at your age, you attempt to get out there in the job market and fit right in and keep up with the young folk. But seriously, your best bet is to be self-employed and work at your own speed between the gym and rest periods, etc. Your complete knowledge of computers and how they work from the tiniest little part on up, is a gold mine waiting to be explored. There are tons of people out there sitting in their home offices struggling with all the equipment that they don't know how to use. And with your writing skills (I've read all that your put on your links), I am sure there is a book out there waiting to be written for the average patient who needs to get a new knee or hip or whatever. With all the metal, etc. that you have in your body, you sure can relate to all that they need to know. Just put a different picture frame around your desire to get back into the job market.

Read easy for now.  You know that you have to back away from that job reluctantly, because even if your latest replacement part is doing swell, you are a bionic man with many older injuries and bionic replacements. You are still a winner. For reasons other than your new knee, you still may not be able to carry weights and put in long days on your feet. I've seen my spinal Xrays in color and know that i will never be made new again. Nevermind whatever I do with my knees. 

?OK. unsolicited advice from a very old lady.  I wish you and your glutes and quads a healthy future, and hope that you take it easy.  You earned it by living a full life.

I feel for you.truly. Standing is my nemesis and if I do it too long my knee screams at me to stop and sit. Being self employed I can stop at start at will usually and it has helped. My days of standing behind a retail counter are well gone and I gave up playing the bass because I has issues lugging the amp around lol. Anyway I am sure you will find a way through this eventually. I sympathise as my knee is doing really well apart from not straightening past the 3-5 mark and bending is around the 110 mark. It is enough to function reasonably well and I am now able to go for walks and do the shopping etc. I have issues with my hip being painfull and major issues with my feet as the hurt like mad when I stand up from being off them. I am trying accupuncture to see if it will ease this. I guess the rest of our bodies bear the strain of the recovery... Anyway there are worse things going on in the world and at home. We just had a major earthquake and my son has lost his home. Perspective. Be kind to yourself - please.

Yes this does take a year, be patient and persistent with exercises.

Sarah

 

First off-thank you, Chico, for inspiration and information. Your is sort of our go-to place for all things knees -especially the "newbies". We all know we get into this with very little recovery information. 

I admit I have gotten away from the structured muscle building workouts and am paying for it. Knees are doing quite well but , oh those quads!

Just a thought...do you Geek Squads in your area. I have had these computer gurus in a couple times and they have always been above and beyond....and they sit...

Good luck!

So you're not superman after all.  I'm disappointed.  Your posts are always right on, and your knowledge is incredibly helpful.  But now I see that you're human like the rest of us.  The world contiues to disappoint.

Had my TKR on Aug. 2, and was feeling well on my way to recovery's end. So I, too, stopped exercising because I thought that just moving around--walking, climbing stairs, lifting, etc.--would be enough to get me back to normalcy.  Now I have a sore knee that is crunchy and somewhat swollen.  Don't know what my ROM is (was -1 and 134), but I'm assuming it's less than what it was.  I'm going to restart my exercises today.  It used to be that I would feel so much better after exercising.  I stopped because, well, it's exercise.

Thanks, as always, for your post.  It's inspired me to get back to work.