The Year of the Knees

I am calling 2022 "The Year of the Knees", as it was the year I had two TKR's, or Total Knee Replacement surgeries.  I have osteoarthritis and was bone-on-bone in both knees for the past couple of years, with the inside of the joints collapsing and causing me to be a little bow-legged. Pain was constant and my lifestyle was impacted as I had to decline activities that involved much standing or walking.  Other mitigations such as knee braces and steroid injections didn't help. Although I probably should have had surgery in 2020, there was no way I was going anywhere near a hospital during covid, or until some normalcy had returned.   When I finally went to my orthopedic doctor and we decided that surgery was my best option and could be done when I was ready, I decided to get both knees done in 2022, and was happy to learn that out-patient surgery was a good option for me, meaning that I would not be staying overnight in a hospital. I was fortunate to have friends who had undergone the same or similar surgery and had advice for me. I gathered items they and my doctor recommended -  a recliner to sleep in for a while, a walker with wheels on the front, a cane, a raised toilet seat with hand rails, a shower bench, a grabber tool, a Polar cold therapy ice machine and extra ice packs, a lap tray. I started going to a water fitness class in the pool at the local Y, to strengthen my legs.  I got the meds that I would need.  My church women's group set up a meal train.

Surgery #1 was my right knee, on July 25, 2022.  My husband was still working 100% from home, so he would be with me to help during my recovery.   The surgery was at 7:30am and I was home by 2:30pm.  The first week was seriously awful, with lots of bruising and nerve pain and constipation. I also experienced anxiety during the dark and quiet hours of the night, and relied on worship music on my phone, measured breathing, and prayer to get through that time when sleep was elusive. The second week was better, I started going to physical therapy 3x a week, and I was able to get into the shower with my husband's help. I kept a journal so that I would remember the milestones and difficulties for the 2nd time around.  There was pain, there was frustration, there was difficulty, but I kept my eyes on the goal of walking without pain and resuming an active lifestyle that would allow me to keep up with my little grandsons and enjoy life! There were significant milestones at 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 8 weeks.  I only took the heavy pain meds for 2 days, and then switched to Advil except for when I went to my Physical Therapy sessions.  I wasn't allowed to drive until I was no longer taking those meds and also had a 90% bend back in my knee, which took about 6 weeks.

My surgeon, nurses, and physical therapists all said, "Give recovery a year.  There will be swelling, stiffness, numbness, etc for up to a whole year.  So keep moving, keep working at it.  Don't get discouraged.  Give it a year."  

Surgery #2  on my left knee was on November 5, 2022.   My surgeon was comfortable with a 3-month wait between surgeries so I had a chance to recover somewhat, get through physical therapy and get mobile before starting the process over again. Although I thought the second time around would be easier because I knew what to expect, I was wrong.   My surgeon was waiting with my husband at my bedside when I woke up from the anesthesia, and he informed my that my femur had fractured during the procedure - a possible but very rare occurrence during this type of surgery.  Two screws were put in to hold the bone together and otherwise the surgery was successful.  But I would have to keep the leg in a brace and bear as little weight as possible for 6-8 weeks, while the bone healed. That meant that physical therapy would be delayed until the bone was healed as well.  So while the recovery period was extended, there was actually less pain overall the second time around because I wasn't up and moving the joint! I did have a lot of pain the first week and taking the bandage off at the doctor's office at my follow-up appointment was excruciating.  But as long as I kept relatively still, I was fine. There was worry that scar tissue would form that would make it more difficult to get my bend and extension back once I started PT, but that turned out to be a non-issue for me. I have to say, my physical therapists were wonderful and I actually enjoyed going to those appointments.  They helped me tremendously, even though sometimes they made me cry!

Although my husband's workplace returned to part-time in-office in 2023, he was able to defer going back in until I was done with PT and could drive again, which wasn't until the end of February, almost 4 months after my surgery. 

Almost 2 years after my first surgery, I still have a good deal of numbness around both knees, but the constant pain in those joints is gone.  Walking without knee pain still surprises and delights me.  I am glad that I went through it.  However, I am now looking at 2024 as being "The Year of the Hip".  

More to come.