Eight months post surgery update

1 October 2016: 8 months post TKR surgery on right knee

Spring is in the air. The blossoms are out and the grass is growing and there is the promise of longer sunny days ahead.

I have been noticing in the last few weeks that my new right knee has been making some subtle, slow and steady progress.

I went along to a meeting last week that started with drinks and meeting/ greeting small talk. In the past this was a hellish scenario that would have been painful and embarrassing. Happily,I was able to stand and chat to people and have a drink for 15 minutes or more without having to rush to sit down. 

In my last post I mentioned my difficulties getting up from the floor and kneeling. So every day at the pool I get into the toddler's pool and practice kneeling. I have been getting a lot more confident with the moves and so on an evening last week I decided to try out the manoeuvre on land. So I said to Peter - "watch this" and I slithered out of my chair onto the floor and then hoisted myself (relatively easily) off the ground while leaning on the coffee table. He was quite surprised. He has been watching my ungainly attempts to launch myself from the floor over the last few months - so it was a surprise to see me get up in a fairly swift move without cursing or rolling about laughing.

The bruising around the scar on my right knee is also calming down and the swelling still reducing slowly but surely.

Now that my right knee is coming into its own, I have been focussing on the 5 weeks until I have the left knee replaced. 

I have been thinking a lot about what that will mean for me. I am expecting that the recovery might be easier as I know something about what to expect from the surgery.  I will have the advantage of a good strong right knee to get me mobilised. I have started stashing away  meals in the freezer.  My tomatoes and sunflowers are planted in my garden hoping that they will be ready to fruit and flower in December and I am picturing myself back on the Hawkes Bay cycles ways zipping from vineyard to vineyard. So I am thinking 2016 will be a year of reconstruction and stabilisation - so I will be ready to enjoy the opportunities the new year will bring.

Bring it on!

 

Seven month update on my right knee replacement

15 September 2016 - 7 1/2 months post surgery on my right knee

It is spring time here in NZ. The days are getting longer and the weather is improving.

My right knee is going well and is nice and strong. I am still making progress - but can't yet manage to get up from the floor elegantly. Apparently it takes at least a year for the tissue to heal and become less sensitive so that you are able to tolerate kneeling. I recently went along to an industrial safety wear shop and bought myself some industrial strength knee pads (only available in "noir"). And I have been practicing kneeling and standing up when I go to the pool in the mornings - in the kiddies swimming pool. 

Incredibly, the bruising around the scar remains but isn't sensitive or sore and the gruesome dark hairs seem to have receded.

In my last blog post, I reported that I was planning a visit to see the surgeon about my left knee because it collapsed when I go walking and is really painful.

The left knee doesn't give me the same degree of pain and discomfort as I had this time last year when I was in constant pain, more or less house bound and couldn't sleep. But it means that I have problems walking without a limp /waddle and this makes my hips and back really sore. I tend to use my walking sticks when going any distance to reduce the limp. I am still reliant on anti-inflammatories to manage the pain and the left knee is very swollen and puffy. My cycling at the gym has become very painful and I am now concentrating my exercise on pool based activities. So it really limits the progress I was making with my new right knee.

Peter, the surgeon, was pleased with my right knee - I now have full range of motion. He prodded my left knee - making it creak and grate - and viewed the X-rays. He said that the left knee is in the same condition as the right knee was prior to surgery although it is more flexible than the right knee was. After talking it through - I have booked in to have the left knee replaced on 4 November. 

So I will be fully bionic (and hopefully dynamic) by Christmas! And I look forward to getting back on my bike to enjoy some summer cycling.

Post script:

In the last month, the Oxford Centre for Evidence-based Medicine have released the video of a key note presentation I made at their Evidence Live conference in June 2016. In the presentation I talked about my experience of getting good reliable information to help me consider my options for managing the osteoarthritis in my knees. 

Here is a link http://youtu.be/62N9cFMmhJ4