my knee, version 2.0

[OakLeaf]

Woohoo!

I guess I missed your last post - my mom is an encouraging story for you. She had bilateral TKA in the late fall of I think it was '08. Her physical therapy was super painful for her, but she gritted her teeth and powered through it diligently.

By the next summer she was back to her avid birding ... including climbing trees to check nests and band chicks. I'm pretty sure that's against her ortho's advice, but she is fine doing it.

[sundial]

By the next summer she was back to her avid birding ... including climbing trees to check nests and band chicks.

What a powerful testimony of a TKA survivor! My OS would be pleased as punch with what your mother is doing.

[redrhodie]

Yay! That's huge! I hope it gets easier and easier!

[sundial]

I dusted off Frank and we headed outside for a little adventure. I rode 5 hilly miles--s l o w l y.

[OakLeaf]

Yayyyy!!!

[emily_in_nc]

Yippee! That is great news! So happy for you.

[sundial]

Thanks Oak and Em! I celebrated my 5 week anniversary with a 5 mile ride and I plan on doing 6 miles next week--weather permitting of course.

[redrhodie]

That's great! It must be a huge relief, to know you can ride again, and soon you'll be pain free.

[sundial]

It's been 3 months now since my surgery and I continue to make progress little by little.

I have been riding gravel alot lately--partly due to the flooded streets and partly due to the need to smooth out my pedal stroke and to take in the wildflowers that are now in bloom. I feel really comfortable on 10-15 mile rides and my speeds are not unlike that before the surgery. I feel like I am finishing the ride on a good note and when I ride the shorter miles I am ready for another one the next day as I feel I have had enough recovery time.

Just recently I cycled my first 30 miler. I finished strong and I felt pretty good but I was looking forward to resting with an ice pack afterwards. On Sunday I decided to test my legs on the hills and dusted off the road bike and did 11 miles with 912 feet of climbing. I was really impressed that I didn't have to walk any of them and didn't max out my low gears either. This new knee really rocks! It is getting stronger with each ride and it is s l o w l y flexing more with each passing month. I still have some swelling and I suspect I'll have it for at least a year--if not more. It doesn't bother me, though, considering that I am no longer experiencing debilitating pain. I don't have to limp anymore and my new knee is taking a load off my other knee.

If there's a downside to this new knee it is the feeling of fatigue that sets in after about 6 hours or so. I am usually stretched out on the couch by mid afternoon watching a few episodes of my favorite series on DVD. After that I'm good for a little while and then I'm ready for bed by 8:00. As much as I would like to, there is no rushing this recovery process. My OS has suggested that it will be 6 months at the earliest before I feel pretty good and 1 yr to 1 1/2 before I'm completely recovered. In the meantime, I like to dream about treating myself to a special something as a celebration for completing this fascinating journey.

For those of you who are thinking of having joint replacement, talk with your doctor, research it, talk with a PT and then do it! I can honestly say that I have never regretted the surgery and if it means sacrificing several months of activity for a better quality of life, it is well worth it.

[sundial]

I experienced my first shuffle type jog.

It's been 20 years since I last jogged regularly and I want to work towards being able to jog again. It's going to be a challenge because I don't have quite the extension of my new knee so my foot can't land the same way. I have to concentrate to land on my heel first but it's my entire foot that seems to be making contact instead. And my knee does not want to work as fast and I have to watch to not trip and fall. My OS said that I have a lot of scar tissue so I may never fully extend/flex the knee but that makes me even more determined to make it happen.

[OakLeaf]

Curious ... why do they want you to heel strike? It's so likely to cause injuries in people with previously healthy joints.

[sundial]

I think it's due to proper technique for a normal gait. Before I had my TKA the ball of my foot was striking the ground first but then I was shorter on that side because of lack of cartilege so I kind of had to improvise that way.

[sundial]

It's been 5+ months since my surgery and I'm now experiencing fewer days of fatigue and I'm riding my base mileage at least once a week. Although I don't have joint pain, I do have mild muscle pain when I am on my feet for extended periods of time or when I have been riding lots of hills. When it starts getting stiff and unhappy I put on my nifty frozen gel packed knee wrap, pop a couple of Tylenols, lay down and watch the tour, and I'm good to go in a couple of hours.

I've found that riding a mountain bike is the most comfortable and my knee agrees. I don't know if it's because I'm sitting more upright and there's less tension on the muscle groups or what but I am not nearly as sore after riding my mtb as I am when I ride my road bike. I am having to pedal slower for the time being as I don't have the flexibility of my old knee just yet and cannot ride at a higher cadence. So I'm happily mashing the miles away.

Riding with platforms is my only option at this point and I'm happy to do so. The first several dozen pedal strokes are awkward as I begin the ride with more of my heel on the pedal. Eventually as I warm up I am able to center the the arch over the pedal--but that's as far as it will go at this point. Some days I think about my Frogs and my carbon soled mtb shoes and wonder if I'll ever get to use them again. I know that losing some flexibility is nothing compared to what I could haven encountered post op--like a staph infection, or too small of a spacer in the joint, or failure of the replacement joint. I know that I am very, very fortunate to have had the surgery go without a hitch. So if this is as bad as it's going to get, it's pretty darned good.

The new knee is giving me back my life and I am taking it all in at a more relaxed pace. I have an appreciation for the little victories of the day and it serves to remind me just how far I've come. Gone are the days of limping when I walk, or popping ibuprofen like M&M's, or experiencing gout flare ups that would sideline me for several days. Those days are thankfully behind me now. I look forward to the fall season when I will be turning a new corner in my recovery and will hopefully enjoy longer periods in the saddle. But for now, it's a season of long, hot summer days filled with shorter rides on the lonely, dusty roads of the back country.

[bmccasland]

Sundial - I have a friend that had bilateral total knees done, in May I think. She's not ready to walk far at all, but is getting around the house better. There is light at the end of the tunnel, and it isn't the oncoming train.

I'm recovering from ACL repair, and am happy to hear that in a couple more months my knee will have forgiven me. Looking forward to life without a cane, soreness, and otherwise too gimpy or like you said "popping ibuprofen like M&M's."

[sundial]

Beth, your friend is brave for having both knees done at the same time. I would have waited at least 3 months between knees just so I have at least one that I could put more weight bearing on it. I remember my surgeon telling me it will be at least 6 months before I feel pretty good and at least 1 to 1 1/2 years before I'm fully recovered. I look at it as my personal Mt. Everest. I've learned that pushing the knee only slows my recovery process. In this instance it's no pain, more gain.

Are you doing well in your recovery? It takes those muscles at least 3 months to recover and it's hard waiting on new and improved knees to get there. Are people pretty accommodating to your needs at work?