I am now firmly planted in my recliner, in proximity to two very happy dogs, typing away on my laptop while I try to catch up on the universe for the past two weeks. Tomorrow I see my surgeon for follow up. I already know that he is going to be ecstatic about my recovery so far--I certainly am.
The plan going forward will be to start back to outpatient physical therapy, probably 3 times a week, until I have balanced functional muscle strength and can transition to a regular exercise program. I am also in process of transitioning from the heavier pain meds to Motrin or Tylenol, except for therapy sessions or if I need it to sleep. I'm looking foward to being a little less numb.
What a trip that has been! I'm not hurting much. And words cannot express how wonderful it feel to walk without my joints sliding all over the place.
3 years ago
2 comments:
Hello,
My name is Carrie. I am 43 years old and planning on a staged bilateral knee replacement this summer. I take it from your blog that you had simultaneous bilateral arthoplasty. I just happened upon your blog today. I have been trying to put off surgery for as long as possible. Because of my age (and my weight), doctors have not recommended it.
I also did the collagen injections twice a year for about 7 years now. The injections no longer do me any good. These past two years, I went back to grad school--law school--and my life has become so sedentary that my knees have just really deteriorated. I have always been overweight but I have also always been an "active fat". I biked, hiked, exercised, etc. I live in Phoenix, Arizona so it is year round activity. Today, I can barely shop at Costco. The store has become too big. Standing in lines at stores has become too much for me.
So, I made the difficult decision to go ahead with the surgeries this summer. Of course, once you make this decision you begin to hear all the "stories" from well meaning people. "I have a friend who had that surgery and she . . ." Some of the stories are positive and others leave me wondering if I am really making the right decision.
I know that I am compliant and motivated when I get behind something like this. I am willing to do all that they ask of me. I don't mind having the surgery if it will make my life better. I have lost so much of the quality and experiences of my life that I enjoyed.
I guess my fear is that I don't want to go through all of this only to realize that I made a mistake and that it is worse than before.
My other fear is that science/medicine will come out with some less invasive form of treatment 2-5 years from now--only it will be too late for me because I already made the drastic decision to have the surgeries.
Anyway, thank you for sharing your experience like this. I apologize for dumping all this on you. I am just having one of those "bad days".
I send you healing thoughts for your continued recovery.
thanks again,
Namaste,
Carrie
Carrie--email me at violet_elder@yahoo.com and let's talk--the reason I've gone public with this site is to be able to share info. Also, if you have not checked out the message boards on KneeGeeks.com (see link on the right of this page) please do. For me, the top two determinants of my outcome are that I went with the very best surgeon. His bedside manner is TERRIBLE, but he does hundreds of these replacements a year with very good outcomes. The second thing is the ranking of the facility where you have the surgery.
Following the surgery, the #1 outcome predictor is attitude, so I would focus on that and not your physical shape. I have more info to share when you email.
You can do this.
Post a Comment