Just wanted to post an update at 5 months post replacement.

In brief it took me until about 12 weeks to finally start feeling somewhat normal. For more weeks than I can count I went through a stage of not being able to sleep more than an hour at a time. My physical therapist said I had swelling that lasted longer than usual and after therapy my knee swelled more than usual. I mentioned this because I believe it was directly tied to my inability to sleep. At about eight weeks I finally started sleeping 2 to 4 hours at a time. At about 10 weeks I was finally sleeping most of the night. I have always heard and read that sleep is the best anti-inflammatory there is and it is no coincidence that my swelling went down and my knee function rapidly improved in direct proportion to the amount of sleep I got.

It was at this point that I started feeling somewhat human. The thought I had made a horrible mistake having the surgery started to go away as I gained good mobility, was able to chip and putt at a golf course again and was also able to start bicycling. Pain had given way to General soreness and a feeling that things might return to normal was a huge mental boost. Even now at 5 months I still have swelling and a sense of soreness and occasional tightness. But I have returned to golfing riding in a cart and I’m bicycling daily as well as taking plenty of walks with the dog. The only meds I take are Aleve before and after golfing or heavy exercise.

I have my six month check up with the surgeon in a few weeks and I’ll be interested to hear his opinion. My knee seems to work well, is not Loose and I still need to work on strengthening all the muscles in the leg. I have had fairly regular massages which help greatly and I also highly recommend when you get tired or start to feel sore get off your feet. For me just standing or sitting for too long causes soreness or tightening but is easily fixed by taking breaks. One more thing… If you need to, now is the time to lose weight. It will make everything go much more smoothly.

Best wishes to all of you in recovery or considering the surgery. While it is not easy the first few weeks there is a light at the end of the tunnel especially if you follow all the doctor and therapists orders.

Jump to this post