So here's me, day18 post op, thinking I can't believe how lucky I've been. Healing fab no issues great physio great flex doing far far better than I ever could have hoped for and boom that virtual door gets slammed in my face!
We had been invited to a wedding and my partner was really keen to go. I didn't take any medication incase I wanted a drink! Took a taxi to venue drank Diet Coke and a sip of wine to toast, stayed 3 hours and took a taxi back. Feel like I've been run over by the taxi! Knee so swollen and painful, ache ache ache. Feel I've undone all the good I have done, and there's me was even considering going back to work!!!! Here's what thought did eh!
Not take meds my family laugh at me I won't leave the house without a bag full of em just in case I get delayed lol! Sorry it's caused so much pain and disappointment but having been 3 weeks in I'm beginning to relise as you this is a whole lot more of a haul than I imagined. I would like to be back at work or working from home at least for a one day in 6 weeks but I don't know if this is realistic even at this stage 😒
Thankss95545, I have stated working from home last week. Did 10-4 but did find it hard to stay focused. Helpers cos I could move around take breaks etc
Oh Freestork, you won't be the first and you won't be the last:-))))))) Just take it really easy today and ice and rest and elevate. I know - it is SO hard to realise we aren't Superwoman LOL! I'm laughing now because when I went back for my six week check to get signed off and the physio was amazed how well I'd done, I told him it was because I was Superwoman LOL!
I'm sure you'll be fine again soon though! I didn't take any proper painkiller meds past the first day, so only had Ibuprofen and paracetamol - they didn't send me home with anything else because I didn't need it, and I just took the paracetamol at night because the other knee gives me grief, but I've not pushed mine at all really. I think sitting in a car can cause a bit of swelling in those early days though, if it's a longish journey. I remember feeling the heat on the operated knee when I was stuck in the car for an hour each way somewhere.
You'll soon be 'up and running' again (well, maybe not running LOL!), just look after yourself:-))))
Thanks Chris think I needed this to kind of bring me back to reality lol. Glad it's happened though cos it's made me realise am not ready to go back to work just yet. Appreciate your advise and support
Enjoy the nice weather at home Freestork. But do look after yourself and keep it iced and elevated and I hope you'll be much better soon. You have done phenominally well:-))))
Far too early to think about returning to work , recovery takes time . Do lots of physio but dfon't over do it . Pain relief is important , control the pain don't put up with it . It was 6 months each time before I returned to work that was 19½ years ago for the first knee , and I have had no problems since .
Yes, I think we all remember a time (or MANY times!) that we overdid it, BUT there really is an upside to the experience. YOU DID IT! You had the courage to GET OUT THERE and DO IT! Props to you and to all of us who say to ourselves, " I am going to DO THIS!😁👍👍
Each time I overdid things (and it is STILL happening two years post-surgery only with different challenges!), I feel a VICTORY! I tried something, and I DID IT! Yes, pain came and a tinge of "Oops! I did it AGAIN!", but each challenge met and conquered DID make me stronger.
I believe these times PROVE to us that we WILL make it, that it is hard and painful but we WILL make it!
Congratulations to you on this first big VICTORY of persistence! You haven't undone ANYTHING! You will be fine!
You are right:-)))) Just got back from son's house round the corner and tried some of their stairs and I could DO it! But the best bit was that the operated knee was fine - and so different to the unoperated knee! Really brings it home what a huge difference it makes having a TKR!!!!!
Rest....you just made the same mistake manufacturing others make.....forgetting you got a 2-3 pounds of foreign substance inserted in a limb that was chopped into and put back together with nylon thread...not to mention the sawing, chisling, drilling, etc. You will get back where you were but it going to take time and patience.....and....it'll probably happen more than once.
Everyone on here has had their knee come back and bite them BIG TIME because our minds get into this delusional state where we think we're all done with this. WRONG!!!!!! It takes a year...nine months if you're lucky. And you're still less than 3 weeks. I know I did it and that was a big, depressing smackdown.
We had a guy on here a while back that went back to mountain climbing at 13 weeks...haven't heard from him ever again. We all wonder where they found the body...
With how you've progressed, you may just be on the left side of the bell curve and get past this fairly quickly but I wouldn't plan on it. If that happens then be very, very thankful. Until then...
"Give up all hope ye who enter here."
Level-set your expectations...in fact, get rid of all of them. Your knee will tell you when you're "normal" again. LISTEN TO YOUR KNEE. What's going through your head is irrelevant...only the knee counts.
I think your doing brilliant. At 18 days i couldnt even go out the door and i was in so much pain so you are doing brilliant. Im just over 5 weeks and still in a lot of pain but i have other issues as well but i can wake up feeling great one day and terrible the next and just as you think you cant get anymore pain and a pain comes from an entirely different part of your knee. Its a slow and painful process and things change on a daily basis just enjoy the good days and rest and ice your knee on the bad days and as i keep telling myself things will get better.
Thanks Lisa appreciate your comments. I did manage a small walk today and was fine. Am pushing on with exercises and have physio with Cybex machine tomorrow so that should help x