I am writing this nearly 5 months post knee replacement surgery of my right knee.
I have come a long way from initially not feeling my right foot, which was quite surprising. My brain was disconnected from my body. I had to relearn how to walk. It all felt very scary. For most of those days, I felt like life was no longer worth living. I felt hopeless, exhausted, and drained. Some days, I even wished for my leg to be amputated completely.
Today, I can walk.
It’s not perfect. It hurts after a short while. However, I am celebrating this win.
I am no longer in the intense kind of pain in my right knee that made me think that life was no longer worth living. I celebrate that I can walk without a walker or a cane. I can get out of bed and walk downstairs without any support.
These improvements have not come lightly. Physiotherapy 2-3 times a week, plus chiropractics, acupuncture, osteopathy… I had several consultations with different professional opinions, a lot of trial and error with various therapies, and I have had to be diligent, consistent, and accountable with my exercise every day at home to get back to “normal”.
Some learning lessons here are:
- Celebrate your wins, even if they are small ones so that you really experience the progress.
- If a movement is not working, explore with your therapists until someone can help other parts of the body that need to be enlisted to support function.
- Recovery is not easy. Be very gentle with yourself while putting in the work.
Congratulations Heather! You’ve earned it! Wishing you continued strength and success on your journey.
Thanks SO much Portia! Your acupuncture skills were a great part of my recovery journey.
Hi Heather
So glad you are feeling better and stronger than every. Congratulations for taking charge and not giving up. Everything takes time, patience with determination.
Marion
You are so right Marion. Time, patience, and determination are some of the most important ingredients for recovering.
I share your joy for this tremendous achievement. You’ve worked hard and the reward is sweet.
Maria Lorenzoni
Thank you so much Maria!
Heather, you are amazing!
Rehab is a hard, full time job and you are so diligent. I saw some of your tough days but you never gave up. You absolutely have a lot to celebrate.
Thank you Anne. I know that you have had your own experiences with rehab of your parts and movement. It is hard. There are sometimes setbacks. I keep trying to learn from the setbacks too.