Who Knew? Gonna Brag a Bit...

I'm in my 7th week since I realized I had developed a problem that needed attending.  That's 7 weeks of rest, ice, stretching, ultrasound, stimulation, The Stick, pressure on trigger points, lying every day for 20 minutes with my legs tied together below the knees, slowly increasing rpms and time on the stationary bicycle, and so on.  In the past week, the stiffness in my left knee is so incredibly much better.  Over the weekend, I did my yoga routine for the first time in years the way it is supposed to be done.  I had had to adapt it to my needs, so I would do all the positions on the floor before standing up to do the standing ones.  If I were doing the routine in the correct order, I would be up and down off the floor, but that just did not fly with me.  Today, I amazed myself at how quickly I moved around on the floor compared to just a couple of weeks ago.  When I do this position

with my left leg in front, it was comfortable and the legs really looked tight like this.  When I changed legs and put the left leg in the back (like this picture), there was an uncomfortable stretch and my legs were awkwardly loose.  I decided I would show my physical therapist this position today and see if he had any suggestions.


After the physical therapist had done his magic on me today, he had me turn to one side to stretch my leg backwards to stretch the quads.  He was working with my right leg and had temporarily forgotten that I had a replacement in that knee.  He was amazed at how far back he could bend my leg and stated that he had never seen a knee replacement that could bend that much!  I reminded him that my right knee has never been much of a problem.  So then I changed sides, and again he was surprised.  His exact words were, "it's abnormal!"  Keep in mind I was more limber than usual after his treatment, but nonetheless, I was delightfully "abnormal."


Next I showed him my yoga position, and he assured me that it would improve as I continued my stretching.  Then he told me to resume that position and left the room.  He brought back another physical therapist to show her that what I was doing was "abnormal" for knee replacements.  Which leads me to think, are most patients just grateful that the knee pain is gone and they can sleep at night and that's all?  Granted, those are very big gains, but maybe we could all achieve more if we only knew it.  If I don't gain any more ground, I will still be incredibly thankful and glad that I had surgery, but what if I can get back to digging in my yard?


I will have to admit that I have more time to devote to this than most.  One of the great frustrations for me during the last 6 months is that I don't seem to make any progress in my house.  Over the past several years, my house has suffered from benign neglect and consequent clutter.  First it was from pain prior to surgery, then intense pain and rehab, then from my own rehab program.  Recently when I was bemoaning the fact that even though I was so much more active and feeling better, I did not seem to be able to anything more that laundry every week. My husband then suggested that I add up the time I spend every day, including travel time, doing stretches, going to the gym and/or riding my bike, and more recently icing, physical therapy, doctor appointment, and so on.  It turns out that I have a part time job of about 30 hours/week just attending to my rehab!!  And I just thought I was a slouch.

A Bump in the Road (16 months)

Picture from http://www.realbodywork.com/learn/knee/vastlat.htm

Well, I was right.  I have iliotibial (IT) band tendinitis in both legs. (The white band going from the hip to the knee in the picture is the IT band.) We are going to try physical therapy first, and if that alone doesn't work, I'll need some cortisone.  I have been in physical therapy for 8 days, and I can already see significant progress. As sad as I am about this step backwards, I'm pretty sure that I am going to be better off when it is resolved.  The stiffness I have had all along in my left knee is WAY better.  It has improved so much just from using The Stick (see previous post) that I feel encouraged that I may actually return to working in my yard again some day or getting up and down off the floor with future grandkids. 

Leg extension

In discussing this with my doctor, this IT band problem should not be a recurring problem, but one that I will be proactive with with stretching to prevent it from happening.  Looking back on it, because this problem developed so insidiously, it has probably been going on for months and I just thought my healing process was slow.  Guess I'll never know if that's true, but I really do think I will come out better on the other side.  When asking my doctor about the machines I do for strength, he said he didn't think anyone should do the leg extension. So I've scratched it off my list.

I'm back on the stationary bicycle, but building up has been slow.  I rode for 6 minutes the first day, and every minute hurt.  Tried 10 minutes next, and the first 6 minutes hurt.  Slowly built up to 30 minutes and I hurt the rest of the evening, so 30 minutes at one time was too much.  Two sets of 15 minutes was tolerable, and so it goes. I am currently at 25 minutes and the RPMs are steadily increasing to my former ability.  It is frustrating to know how much strength and endurance I am losing, but I am trying to stay positive. It grosses me out to think that by the time I get back on my bike, it will be hot and humid and I will require huge motivation to get going! As I have titled this post, I am optimistic that this is just another bump in the road.

If it's not one thing, it's another.... (15 months)

Catch 22.  Idiomatic usage meaning a no win or double bind situation.


That's how I have felt the past week.  I have been riding my bicycle since last September and bragging about my increased muscle strength and my serious excitement over my increased ability to walk.  Being the cautious person that I am, I have slowly built up my time and distance to be rewarded with increased strength, endurance, range of motion, and looseness of joints.  I have had a perverse enjoyment of listening to my heavy breathing while pumping away with reckless abandon. (I have also been able to eat Girl Scout cookies and still lose weight, but I probably shouldn't admit to that.)


Then... after 6 to 8 weeks of noticing that my left knee (the one I have given 6 more months to fully heal) has been whispering to me that there is some stiffness and soreness and now, actual discomfort with flexion and extension, I begin to pay attention.  When the right knee is also a little stiff, I'm thinking seriously that maybe something isn't right.  Then last week, I was "bicycling" in the pool, and it  actually hurt for probably 7 to 8  minutes.  I'm thinking,  "the pool, REALLY?  I am hurting in the POOL?"  I hardly hurt in the pool right after surgery.  Now I know something is amiss, and it is time to make an appointment with my doctor.


It will be 2 weeks before I can see him.  I get on the internet and start studying the anatomy of the knee to see if I can figure out where the problem is.  I localize the spots, and start looking for information for problems in that area and come up with the iliotibial (IT) band.  Runners and cyclists tend to have problems with the IT band.  Great.  After watching a video for diagnosing it, I perform the maneuver on myself, and as far as I am concerned, it is positive.  There is another diagnostic maneuver that I cannot do on myself, so I will have to wait on the doctor.  So after reading about treatments for said condition, I with great regret, lay off all activity related to my lower extremities, ice my knees frequently, and take NSAIDS.  Physical therapy will have to wait until I see the doctor.  The suggested time for complete rest was 5 days. This is really making me nervous.  I have worked so hard, and now it looks like I have caused this malady to myself.  That is not fair.  How am I supposed to know what is too much when I have been so careful to slowly build up? To have the one thing that has exponentially boosted my rehab to now be a problem is aggravating.  To say I am frustrated is an understatement.  


So I call my physical therapist to ask him what I can be doing before my appointment with my doctor in now 10 days.  I love my physical therapist.  He's going to see me today unofficially because he says I am probably 90% correct in my diagnosis, and we really need to get those quads relaxed.  He also told me that the treatment is very painful. Joy. If he's telling that to someone who rehabbed two knees at the same time, it must be REALLY bad.

2 hours later-- it was pretty painful, but not anything I can't handle.  It is the IT band.  The simple explanation is that this band goes all the way from the hip area to the knee over the quads.  As my quads have gotten bigger, this band has been irritated and pulled tightly over my muscle.  The muscle is all lumpy and thus very tender, and it must be stretched.  So I had to go buy a rolling pin to roll up and down over the IT band until I get this from Amazon.

I also ordered one of those dense foam rollers to use for my stretches.  And then there is this low tech exercise, where I could in no way grab my foot, but would rest the shin on top of a chair seat.

According to my physical therapist, I can still ride, but I need to stretch before and after my ride.  He also said that if I'm not much improved when I see the doctor, a little cortisone may be in my future. 

It won't be long before I will be well equipped to open my own PT gym!

A Word to the Wise... (almost 15 months)

I bought my bicycle last September. At that time the salesman told me I should bring it back in a month for an adjustment, but he and I both knew I wouldn't get that much mileage on it in a month.  So, he gave me 6 months.  Today I took it in for said adjustment, and WOW!  The gears were adjusted, the brakes, too, a cable was stretched so it was tightened, blah, blah, blah. I just got back from my first ride, and I absolutely cannot believe the difference.  The hardest part of my ride is getting to the Greenline and getting back home once I get off.  I could not believe the ease with which I climbed the first incline that almost always brings me to a standstill!  Once I was on the Greenline, I was pumping away like the guys with the fancy gears.  Most of the inclines on the Greenline were barely noticeable today.  For Memphians, the fartherest I have been before today is a little past Highland and the  Chickasaw Country Club.  A couple of nights ago my husband and I went to a restaurant that is off the Tillman exit.  I mentioned that it was still so far from Highland, and I looked forward to getting that far some day.  However, today I rode all the way to Tillman before I knew it!!

Getting home was still hard, but I was not hating every minute like I usually do.  Amazing what a fine tuned instrument can do.

Those Small Bits of Progress are Adding Up! ( 14 months)

Yesterday I noticed that I am finally walking faster -- not up to normal speed, but faster than I've walked in the past few years. I was beginning to think that I would never walk fast again.


Today I carried in some significant weight in groceries-- 2- 1 gallon containers of milk, a bag of oranges, 3 lbs. of rice, and more.  I carried all of this in at once, and it did not hurt my knees in the least.

I get more encouraged every day.

It's Time for a New Ribbon! (almost 14 months)

Today I ran various errands for 4 hours which necessitated getting in and out of the car and walking into establishments.  For the first time since my surgery, I got out of the car and just started walking.  Usually I have to stand there for 20 seconds or so, or if I take off walking sooner, I look like someone who has had knee surgery or is in dire need of it!!  I cannot tell you how BIG this is.  I have not walked like this in almost 4 years!


To what do I attribute this great advance?  Diligence. Diligence in my rehab, and more recently, spending more time on my outdoor bike even when I don't want to do so. Riding outdoors is much more difficult than a stationary bicycle, and even though my sister laughs when I talk about the hills I have to climb (she is from East Tennessee), those little inclines are very difficult for me.  I know I am hysterical to watch because I almost come to a standstill trying to get up those little slopes in a seated position.  That, or I am veering back and forth like a child learning to ride a bike and keep his balance.


To all in the throes of rehab, DILIGENCE.

What I have learned

I cannot go long without doing my exercises.  Two days prior to leaving for our trip, I did not go to the gym for various reasons.  Add to that 7 days of not riding a bike, and I came back home with very stiff knees, in spite of the fact that I was doing stretching exercises every day.  Granted, when I came back I was hurting, but it took me a full 10 days to get over that trip.  The first day on the bike, my left knee was so tight that it took a full eight minutes of revolutions before my knee quit hurting.  It was 10 days before I did not have to do some warm ups of going around halfway on the pedals to work out the kinks before going all the way around the first time.  I also had to scale back on my time and intensity level on the bike and scale back on weights and repetitions on the leg machines.  Just short of a month of my return, I am just now regaining my previous level of strength.


I don't think this will always be my life, but it is right now, and I am more determined to stick with my rehab for the near future.  A man at the gym where I go had 2 knee replacements 4 years ago, and he told me that he has to exercise 3 days/week.  I could live with that--I could give up these 3 extra days!

Disney World 1, New Knees 0

Been home several days recuperating from a one week trip to Disney World.  It was a very fun trip where we made many memories, but it was very hard on the ol' body, particularly my left knee.  That is the knee that is still healing, the one I am giving 6 more months to complete its healing.  On the first day, I was amazed at how great my knees were.  The main problem was my right foot was hurting.  So, I guess whatever I did to favor my right foot aggravated my left knee because it began to talk to me the next day.  LOUDLY.  By the end of the second day, I had no idea how I was going to endure four more days.  I woke up the next morning and decided I was going to follow the advice of my blogger friend (newkneenewme.blogspot.com) and rent a scooter or as Disney called them, Electric Convenience Vehicles.  That sounds nicer than an motorized wheelchair, doesn't it?!  Smartest thing I've done in a long time.  Made the rest of the trip fun and bearable.  I told my husband that with the fattening and aging of America, the day was coming when there would be more ECVs in line at Disney than parents with young children!


So if you are planning a grueling outing in a theme park following knee surgery, renting an ECV is the way  go!! (I also took one of my walking sticks--it was a total lifesaver.  Traipsing around WDW would have been impossible without it.)


I was also surprised to find out that I could go through airport security without setting off alarms.  I knew someone else who told me to wear pants that I could pull up easily over my knees because he had to show his scars when the alarms sounded.  Some doctors give you wallet cards to carry to show to airport personnel, but he was told that anyone could get those cards; they wanted to see his scars!

Happy Anniversary, New Knees!

 www.artie.com



It is hard to believe that it has been 12 months since my knee replacements.   When I consider where I was 12 months ago, the past year has been amazing.  To be able to walk without my knees hurting is fantastic.  Yes, my muscles around my knees do not always feel pain free, but the actual mechanics of walking produces no pain.  Sleeping all night without knee pain certainly makes for a much better day.  No longer sleeping with an assortment of pillows in the bed is freeing.  To get in and out of my car without effort is a delight.  To have the option of going somewhere without having to figure out where the parking is, how far to the entrance, whether the seating will be high enough or firm enough, whether there will be steps to navigate has freed up tons of psychic energy.


 In spite of everything I read in preparing for knee replacement surgery, in spite of everything my doctor told me prior to surgery, I still fantasized in my head about how things were going to be.  I would have my surgery-- yes, recovery would be hard and painful, but in the end, by 6 months or so, I would be behaving like someone with the knees of a 35 year old.  I would not need any assistance, my knees would bend easily, I would be able to get up and down easily off the floor, I would be walking with the best of them around the neighborhood, I would be dancing-- basically there would be no limits to what I could do.


There has been some benefit to my fantasies being dashed.  How could I help someone else if my recovery had been totally smooth and up to my expectations?  I know of others who have had smooth sailing, and I know some who have had wretched times and would consider my course smooth sailing.  In addition, if I could behave like a 35 year old, I would certainly be less compassionate towards my husband and some of his aches and pains!


I have spent the past 4 or 5 weeks being gracious to myself, and reconciling myself to the fact that I will not be meeting my 12 month goals.  I was told in the beginning that recovery could take 12-18 months.  So I am now allowing myself the full 18 months to recover.  It hasn't been easy accepting this, but I have come to terms with it, and I am looking forward to more small accomplishments.  I have experienced several lately, and I am certain that there are more to come before I reach total recovery. Plus, I am not ready to declare that where I am right now is the best I will be. While I was waiting for my mother at physical therapy,  I met a guy who had had two knee replacements also.  He was told by his therapist that his functioning was 80%; he got a personal trainer and can now do absolutely anything he wants that will not cause possible damage to his replacements.  A personal trainer may be in my future.


 I am so thankful that I live at a time when knee replacements are possible.  I'm glad I did it; I would recommend it to anyone who is willing to work very hard afterwards.

Walking in Memphis, Part II

Still not loving my walking program, but here are some hints I have learned that I will share.

1.  Stretch Out Strap 


I used this strap in physical therapy, so I had been taught some specific exercises to do.  Using this strap is much better than using a yoga strap.  I bought mine from Amazon with a booklet of stretches for less than $13.  I have learned that if I will stretch before and after my walk, my muscles get less tight and hurty. (just made that up)


I have been using this strap for the past 6 weeks and the unevenness of extension of my knees is much less noticeable. I am very impressed with the progress I have made.  Worth every dollar!


2.  Walk practically out in the middle of the street.  That way you don't have those barely perceptible slopes on both sides with which to contend.  To use those almost imperceptible slopes to my advantage, I walk with my left knee on the curb side since it has less extension.  Then my right knee is a little higher which helps evens things out.


3.  Since I still have a little balance problem where I want to lean to the right, I have pulled out one of my old walking sticks.  Using the stick allows me to walk a little faster, plus not use so much effort keeping myself from tilting to the right.

Walking in Memphis (11 months)

I am at the 11 months mark now.  Not much to post, but I will mention the walking plan that I referred to a few posts ago.


Walking around my house is easy, getting from my car to a store and walking around is fine, small little jaunts are no big deal.  However, it is ridiculous how hard it is for me to do "endurance" walking.  By endurance, I mean a nonstop 5 minute walk.  Very stupid how hard that was for me!  Then I increased to 10 minutes, and I am now up to a whopping 15 minute walk.  You would think I was running a marathon.  My legs ache, my back aches, the longer I go, the more embarrassing it gets because I slow down even more than the tortoise pace with which I began.  Then afterwards, I might as well have spent a rigorous hour at physical therapy because my muscles are tight and hurt for hours!  Last week I walked 15 minutes 4 days per week, and I am dreading increasing that to 5 days this week. (Plus this is taking me away from my bike which I love, but I cannot do both on the same day.)  Actually I guess I am in marathon training in preparation for my Disney World trip in 43 days.


Nonetheless, as much as I dislike it, I can tell that I am getting stronger, a tad bit faster, and I can go farther before I start wishing it was all over.  I was told that rehab would be really hard, and that is no lie.

I think I can, I think I can....(10 1/2 months)

www.artie.com


Woohoo!  Today I made it up a hill in my neighborhood on my bicycle. This same hill has turned me around on every other occasion.  Part of the reason I was able to do it is that I did not have to come to a complete stop at the intersection, so I had more momentum to attack.  I rode to Graham which has been a mini goal for me.  By then I was pretty tired and knew I still had the return trip to make.  But being the naturally sluggardly person that I am, I knew that since the old railroad beds that make up the Greenline would be straight and flat, I returned on a short section of the Greenline! (Graham to Waring)  It was exhilarating!!  It reminded me so much of riding bike paths in Germany with my son where we would see in backyards along the path.  (Only in Germany, those backyards were fully exposed and you could watch families cooking out and playing, etc. ) I thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of being out in a forest, yet hearing the sounds of the city.


I am not counting this as meeting my 12 month goal.  Doing a significant portion of the Greenline is my ultimate goal.

A Does Not Equal B (10 months)

Took my bicycle out today for its maiden voyage.  I'm here to tell you that 30 minutes on a recumbent bike is not even close to 10 minutes on a regular bike!  Five minutes into the ride, I knew that 10 minutes would be max today.  My left knee was awkward (it is stiffer), and it felt weird to pump the pedals. Came straight in and iced my left knee, just in case.  So far, so good.  I am encouraged to go out and do it again tomorrow.

I am also beginning this walking plan today from Arthritis Today--I think it will be totally doable.  http://www.arthritistoday.org/fitness/walking/tips-and-strategies/walking-plan.php?WT.mc_id=921walk 

(While writing this, I got a phone call that required that I go to the phone.  I could hardly walk; my muscles were so tight!  It reminds me of the early physical therapy days.)

"On the road again, just can't wait to get on the road again...."

I am approaching 10 months post surgery.  I have not fully recovered from that last setback following physical therapy, but progress is being made, and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

When I began this journey, I made of list of goals to reach after surgery.  I met the 2 and 4 months goals easily, and I now I am looking at my 12 month goal which was to be walking 5 miles/week in my neighborhood and to be riding a bike on the Greenline.  http://greatermemphisgreenline.org/    We live just a few blocks from an entrance to the Greenline, so I look longingly down it as I drive by daily.  I get excited just thinking about getting on it and exploring, especially in the upcoming fall weather.  Well, today I got a little closer.  Check out my new wheels!  This is an awesome bike with flat foot technology.  That means I can be sitting on my bike, and my feet are flat on the ground.  The angle of the design has me sitting a little straighter and the handlebars are higher so that I am not bending over, and therefore my visual field is greater.  I rode this in the store parking lot, and I felt like a kid!  It handled like a sports car bike would--haha, does that make sense?  Anyway, after I conquer my neighborhood streets, it's on to the Greenline for me.


I am trying to walk more, but I keep forgetting.   Maybe once I fully recover from my recent insult, I'll be more attentive.  In the meantime, I am expecting stronger legs, and that can only help with my walking.

Am I crazy?

Since my last post I have been dealing with my setback which so far has lasted 2 weeks.  The foot pain slowly subsided over 9 or so days while the calf pain increased incrementally.  It, too, very, very slowly waned, but I was driven back to physical therapy.  It was decided that because I had a vertebra in my back that was hypermobile, that the stretching probably aggravated an unknown preexisting problem that was exhibited by an irritated nerve that caused a cascade of symptoms.  I have had 3 super duper calf massages that have helped tremendously along with electrical stimulation and heat treatments.  I was told to eliminate all physical therapy type activities except one core strengthening exercise until yesterday.  I went back to my deep water aerobics class that made me feel fantastic, and today I walked in the pool.  My therapist even stretched me a bit today, and so far I have had no repercussions from that. I am sad that I got waylaid, but I am thrilled that things are going so much better now.  As bad as I was, I figured I might be down for the count.  I have lost a bunch of quad strength, but I can tell an improvement just from yesterday, so at least I am not starting back at square one.

Now to the crazy part.  I have put down money on a trip to Disney World in December!  Anyone who has ever been to Disney World knows that it can be grueling, even if you are fit!  Unfortunately for my family, I am one of those driven tourists that has to do everything, and do it well.  When my husband and I planned this trip, we agreed ahead of time that we might not do very much, and that would be ok.  We are even going for 7 days to increase our chances of doing more.  I just love the happiest place on earth, and once I got on the web site and saw all the things that are new since our last time there, plus there is a whole new park we haven't visited, I started filling up our days even though we were purposely not doing many things we have done or seen before. Each day during this setback I was wondering what in the world was I thinking when I signed up for Disney World.  So here's to the next 3 months of hopefully injury free time where I can continue to heal, continue to get strong, and increase by leaps and bounds the distances I can walk!!!

9 months

According to the large handout my doctor gave me when I began my knee replacement journey, at 9 months I should be 90% healed.  Based on my experience lately, I would say that is close to right.  It's hard to believe that it will take another 3 months to finish that last 10% of healing.  I have had a setback though which I hope is minor, but it is too early to know.  Last week I went to see my physical therapist for a "tune up" and stretching.  My left knee has 6 degrees less flexion than my right knee, and I don't know how much less extension, but to me it is noticeable.  I have made several visits since I graduated from PT just to get my muscles stretched.  This last time I was really impressed by how flat I could get my left leg when I straightened it out, and more importantly, the next morning after sleeping, it was still that way.  When I did my usual extension exercises, I was so wowed at how straight and pain free my efforts were.  THEN, slowly over 7 days, the bottom of my left foot hurt when I stood for long.  Then the backs of my calf hurt.  Then the back of my knee.  Somehow I'm thinking we must have stretched a nerve too much, and it is not happy. The past 3 days I have not been very happy either.  I did my water aerobics one day last week even though I really did not feel like it, and it turns out that that was the only time that day I did not hurt.  For the past 4 days, I decided to forego all exercise in the hope that some rest will help my nerve to settle down.  That, of course, really concerns me.  I don't want all my hard work to go by the wayside.  I know from experience that your muscles can go to pot in 2 weeks. Yesterday I went to see a doctor just to make sure that I was not dealing with a clot.  He thought it was a muscle strain.  I don't think he was listening.  This does not hurt like a muscle.  Even so, I am taking a muscle relaxant at night and rubbing very expensive NSAID gel on my muscles.  Quite frankly, I'm bummed because I've got a feeling that this is going to be a TIME issue, and my gut says it's going to be a long time.  As far as activity, my doctor said I could do whatever I felt like doing.  Well, that's nothing! (Did I mention that I am back on my cane?  This thing really hurts!)


I came away from PT with 2 new exercises, one for helping with stairs, and one for really stretching those knees.  I guess it's possible that the new stretching exercise could be the culprit.  I complained to my therapist that stairs were still a problem, and she was not concerned.  Said that just takes a long time.  To which I replied that if she was not concerned, then I wouldn't be either.  It's so hard to be patient with oneself.

When did this happen?

Lately I have become aware of how normal I am becoming.  I'm doing lateral movements without thinking, pivoting movements, and stepping backwards automatically.  It makes me so happy to think that I no longer move with Tim Conway old man movements! In conjunction with this progress report, I am re-posting a previous post with some updates.

Things I Ponder--Part II


I'm always wondering if it's normal to not be able to do something or to feel something, so I will jot down some of these in case there is someone else wondering the same things.


1.  I wonder if my knees should still be this stiff?  It's a different kind of stiffness than I had before surgery, but I sure would like to come out of this with none. (I am doing some serious flexion and extension stretching exercises.  I have to do them every day, but I tend to have tight muscles anyway, so time will tell if I will just end up with my normal muscle tone that's a bit tight . I have minimal complaints about my right knee, but the left one still requires a good deal of work.)





2.  I wonder if there will always be some movements that will cause me pain.  There are times when I move around in bed that I am very aware of my knees. ( These painful movements are fewer and certainly less noticeable than the first time I asked this.  I have noticed that I no longer require a pillow between my knees to cushion those sore knees.  All in all, things are looking up!)


3.  Will I be able to kneel?  Will I be able to squat?  Am I expecting too much? (I am amazed at the progress I have made with my yoga routine as far as getting on my hands and knees.  When I first started, I had to put pillows under my knees and it was very uncomfortable.  Now, I only use the yoga mat on the hard floor.  I can't say that it is total comfort, but it is certainly manageable. Kneeling and squatting will come much later, if at all.)


4.  When will I be able to descend stairs without pain?  Going up isn't always a lot of fun, but going down is definitely not without pain in one knee. (Definite progress in this area, but I am still mindful of steps, and the left knee still hurts some.  Probably cannot do steps without a rail to hold.)


5.  When will I be able to walk without listing to one side?  I really want to have a normal kind of walk. (7 1/2 months, but I'm thinking much of that was due to the problem I was having with my feet.)


6.  My left knee does not extend as well.  Will this always be the case or can I expect both knees to be more similar? (8 months--I notice that when standing this is much less noticeable to me.)


7.  Are most of my knee problems going to resolve with increased strength? ( This seems implausible, but before getting the injection in my foot, I wondered about why I bothered to get new knees if walking first thing in the morning was still really difficult.  Once my feet were not hurting, I could really feel the benefits of having knee replacements.)


8.  When will I have more stamina and be able to walk more than 6 laps on the track without paying for it later? (7 1/2 months--again the problem was more related to my feet)


9.  When will I be able to get up out of a chair and immediately start walking without having to wait for my joints to lubricate first? (8 months--the feet had much to do with this)


As you can see, my impatience is rearing its ugly head again. Afterall, it has only been 4 1/2 months since my surgery.  I plan to answer each question when I have an answer and repost this if and when I have the answers. 

Better living through chemistry--8 months

About 10 days ago, I got a steroid injection in my left foot.  It has made all the difference in the world.  I have thrown my cane aside.  Of course, right after the injection, for a couple of days I was a completely new person.  I went to Costco without a cane, never once hurt, was amazed when I got home and I felt nothing from the excursion. "I'm healed!!" (Say it with a voice of one who has seen a faith healer.)  Then as the days have worn on and the cortisone has worn off, my 60 year old body has returned.  The normal aches and pains are back (isn't it a shame we can't live on steroids?), but I am doing so much better than before the injection.  I thought my feet were hindering me, and this proves it to me.  I have been SO much more active these past 10 days.


When my feet were being the problem, I couldn't understand why my knees weren't stronger.  Why weren't all the exercises I was doing to increase my quad strength not enough?  I kept thinking that those muscles must have gone completely to pot over the 1 1/2 years prior to surgery.  I was going to Curves at the time, and my orthopod basically eliminated all the leg exercises after seeing pictures of the machines.  I got a physical therapist to help me with exercises in the meantime, but it was seeming like that must not have been enough either.  Then the podiatrist tells me that the best thing for my feet is to get my quads strong. I was really befuddled-- why was what I was doing not enough?  Then, enter a needle in the right spot with a wonder drug, and my knees are amazingly strong.  I have spent the past week marveling at their rock hard firmness.  It was the stupid feet not doing their job!


I have a confession to make.  Instead of losing weight, my weight has been creeping up.  I have had no motivation within me.  I continued to go to Weight Watchers and face the music when I stepped on those scales.  I refused to give up.  Possibly with the effects of feeling so good these past few days and being more active, my motivation has returned.  I also got back on the treadmill which I had given up because my feet hurt so blame much. Starting out slowly and slowly advancing has been without any problems thus far.  I made better choices in what I ate this week, and surprise, surprise, I was down a bit.  Actually it was a BIG surprise because I have been so bad the previous weeks.


Another side effect of being of steroids caught me off guard.  I seriously contemplated going to work!  I spent an inordinate amount of time filling out an application online at a local hospital.  This was sparked by an ad in the paper for Health Department jobs.  So I started rounding up everything I needed for that application process, too.  I never hit send on the job application because I was waiting until I went to the job fair at the Health Department.  On the last day of the fair, I just didn't have any peace about going to work, so I decided to give myself 6 months.  Later, I figured it was probably the feel good effects of steroids earlier in the week that got me so pumped up!  Then as they wore off, I became more rational.  Since on some days the only thing I accomplish well is going to the pool or gym, I got anxious about when would I do that if I were working.  So, in order to prevent increasing my angst levels, I will continue doing what I am doing and not complicate my life unnecessarily.

A bit of good and bad (7 1/2 months)

It's been  3 weeks since my fall.  Not totally recovered, but real close.  Just got back from taking my son to college to register, etc.  I was so disappointed in my abilities there.  I did a great deal of walking, and there was one building that had at least 20 steps that I climbed and descended numerous times before discovering a ground level entry. (I later found this picture of the building and it had WAY more than 20 steps!)  I really had to  keep telling myself that I was still recovering from a fall and that it was ok to be so dependent on my cane. I was disappointed in how fatigued I got compared to what I can do around my house.  I have a new knee friend in blogland whose motto I have adopted and adapted; I constantly reminded myself that I was 7 out of 12 months recovered. (and in reality, it could be as much as 18 months)  Then things did not seem so bad, and I was more gracious to myself.


I added a link to her blog to my blog, but lest it gets overlooked, I wanted to point it out.  She is about 6 months behind me in her recovery, and she started her blog because she could not find much info regarding expected recovery after the first 6 weeks.

www.newkneenewme.blogspot.com 


In spite of feeling like the past few days were so crummy, I had a good night at the gym.  The rpms on the recumbent bike were my highest thus far--56.  I did 1200 steps on the NuStep.  Back up to 2 minutes on the elliptical.  And a stretch I do that is very uncomfortable (lying on my back and bending my knee with my foot flat on the mat and pushed back as close to my bottom as I can stand) had a surprising finding tonight.  I'm usually lying there with my arm over my mouth to keep from moaning and groaning like I would do at home, intensely watching my timer for 2 minutes.  Prior to tonight, it was after 1 1/2 minutes before before the pain would subside.  Tonight it was closer to 1 minute.  That was very encouraging.  I did it again for 1 minute, and that did not hurt at all!

"Help, I've fallen, and I can't get up!" (7 months)

Well, the thing I dreaded most finally happened.  And it's true-- it does hurt more to fall on metal knees than those made of bone! The irony of it all was that the fall happened the same day I posted my progress that was so significant to me.  I am at a point that the progress is so subtle that I sometimes get discouraged that I am not at the place I imagined I would be. That is why I posted those things--to remind myself that I AM improving in subtle ways.  On the same day as that posting, I was walking through my living room and tripped on, of all things, my yoga mat that was rolled up, and I thought out of the way.  Prior to falling, I was so cocky thinking how great I was walking, and the next thing I knew, I was prone on the floor in significant pain.  I am so happy that this happened at home and not in public because I had to lie there for several minutes to wait for the pain to subside before attempting to put my weight on my throbbing knees to get up. That was not a pretty sight I am sure.  Fortunately, I had a sofa arm to use, and I pulled another chair close to help me get up. My son was close by and he helped by putting my shoe back on and getting me the yoga mat to put under my knees before getting up on them. This was one time where having both knees done at the same time was a distinct disadvantage!


I was headed to bed anyway, so I grabbed some cold bed buddies, took some Tylenol, and elevated my legs with pillows and went to sleep.  The next morning I thought I might be in big trouble; I could barely walk.  I called my doctor, and they could not see me that day because he was in surgery.  They told me to do the obvious--elevate, ice, and rest and come in the next day.  The following morning only my right knee hurt and walking was not fun although much easier.  Went to see my doctor, got X-rays and everything is ok. (bonewise)  I tried going to the gym, and the bicycle was like my first post-op days.  Every revolution hurt, and I could barely pedal. (25 rpm compared to the 50+ I am doing now) The other machines I do were ok with less weight.  Today I am even better, so it looks like it was a dip in the road to recovery.