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TKR Time


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Viewing 13 posts - 1 through 13 (of 13 total)
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  • #3513613
    George F
    BPL Member

    @gfraizer13

    Locale: Wasatch

    Pause

    #3513614
    George F
    BPL Member

    @gfraizer13

    Locale: Wasatch

    Tomorrow is the day I go in for knee replacement, the right one first and then the left in four weeks. This is going to make for a lot of down time in one chunk but then they are done. I am apprehensive as I get ready to head to the hospital. While I know this is going to hurt and the recovery will take time and effort on my part it is really the inactivity that has me worried. I work as a utility locator (the paint stripes on the ground showing where lines are buried), a job where I am not only outside moving all day but hustling to get through my work. 8 weeks or so of hanging around the house, reading, doing PT and working on short walks is going to get old very quickly. And when I do go back to work it will be in the office, training and helping with other tasks, another big transition after working outside for 18 years. And honestly I am worried about weight gain. I’ve always been active enough that I didn’t have to watch my diet/snacking too closely, that is going to change as well.

    I will try to do some posts as I go through milestones in recovery but I’ve no intention into turning this into a blog. There is no question of whether it is worth it, they need to be done, but I would like to hear from anybody who has had TKR. What was your recovery timeline like? Where are you at now? What side issues did you go through? Thanks.

    #3513616
    Matthew / BPL
    Moderator

    @matthewkphx

    A good friend of mine had a TKR and then hiked to Havasupai about 10 weeks later. His pace was slower on that trip but he did great. We go to the same PT and he was in there working hard 3x/week.

    Good luck and heal fast. Have fun at the torture sessions (PT) afterwords.

    #3513617
    BlackHatGuy
    Spectator

    @sleeping

    Locale: The Cascades

    Much success with the surgery and recovery George.

    #3513618
    W I S N E R !
    Spectator

    @xnomanx

    Yeah, good luck.  Here’s to biting the bullet now to reap big dividends later.

    #3513638
    Ken Thompson
    BPL Member

    @here

    Locale: Right there

    You’ll be back at it in no time George.

    #3513656
    Greg Mihalik
    Spectator

    @greg23

    Locale: Colorado

    Best of luck George.

    I’m looking forward to your next Trip Report.

    #3513833
    Mike B
    BPL Member

    @highwarlok

    Locale: Colorado

    Best of luck. Mind set is everything as you transition. It is a transition and I am glad you are aware of the risk of the weight gain along with the change that you will have to make mentally in missing being outdoors. I made the transition many years ago from the roof to the office when I fell through a roof and broke a couple of ribs on a truss on the way through. I was bored to death at home and I made it only a few days before I called and asked to come in to the office and answer phones or something. I would have done just about anything not to have to watch another episode of the day time soap operas of the day. I do miss not being outside all the time but I do not miss the wear and tear that job caused on my body.

    I recently went through a knee repair procedure and I spent 6 weeks with zero weight bearing and then another 8 weeks of PT, luckily I have an office job now and I was able to work from the couch and not lose the income or go crazy while I waited to heal. The time will go by faster then you know.

    Heres to your complete and quick recovery.

    Mike

    #3513835
    BlackHatGuy
    Spectator

    @sleeping

    Locale: The Cascades

    And just think of all the gear spreadsheets you’ll have time to make! Why, you can have a spreadsheet for each and every piece of gear you own! I’m jealous…. :-)

    #3513838
    George F
    BPL Member

    @gfraizer13

    Locale: Wasatch

    Thanks for the replies guys. The cutting, sawing, hammering and stiching were done by noon on the first one and it is time to start healing. Fortunately with TKR they are load bearing right away, I’ve already been up twice with a walker and won’t be couch bound, just house and then neighborhood bound. I never was much of one for spreadsheets but can easily spend days with my maps planning new routes. And I am more likely to get on them now.

    #3513843
    Greg Mihalik
    Spectator

    @greg23

    Locale: Colorado

    “… I’ve already been up twice with a walker…”

    Amazing!  Good luck with moving ahead.

     

    #3513998
    JAMES H
    BPL Member

    @jrhayes9

    Had TKR on my right 13 months ago. Surgery was not too bad and I was up right away but the swelling inhibited proper range of motion for 6 or 7 months afterwords. Although I got out in the woods to hike and cross country ski at about 3 months, I had a fair  amount of pain and plenty of swelling after vigorous activity until about the 9 month point. I am still working on regaining my strength in that leg, I figure I’m about 75% after physical therapy and weight training for over a year. Everyone is different and I think it depends on age and how bad the knee was before the surgery. I’m 63 years old and the TKR was the 7th surgery on the knee. You have a lot of work cut out for you.  I wish you the best of luck.

     

    #3514089
    Ethan A.
    BPL Member

    @mountainwalker

    Locale: SF Bay Area & New England

    George wishing you a speedy full recovery! You have a good mindset going in and the pull of the outdoors is going to be a great motivator. They say planning and anticipating a trip greatly extends the fun of any trip, so hopefully some of your recovery will just feel like the start of some trips to come later. Here’s to you being back on the trail very soon.

    There are some adjustments beyond diet that you can make to help avoid weight gain, including limiting yourself to eating within a narrower window of the day (say within 8, 9 or 10 hours of a day, – example – 8 hours from 9 to 5PM, and no calories before or after).

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