knee replacement mindset

So you think you should be further along… maybe you’re not even six weeks out, or you’ve just hit that two-month mark, and you’re wondering why you still don’t feel “normal.”Let me tell you something: you are not back to normal—or anywhere close to it—in six weeks.And I say that as someone who’s been through not one, but two knee replacements and with all the love I can muster. When my surgeon told me, “I’ll see you in a year,” I swear it felt like the floor had been pulled out from under me. A year? I was thinking maybe three months tops.But that’s the thing about recovery—it humbles you. It teaches you patience in ways you didn’t realize you were signing up for.

I know what it’s like in the middle of knee replacement recovery when you’re wondering if your body is ever going to feel normal again. I’ve been there—and I’d love to help you with this.When I was early on in my recovery, maybe 3 weeks out, I went to physical therapy with my walker. I remember watching a man walk to the back completely unassisted. Turns out, he was one week after surgery 😱. 

We’ve spent all week talking about how knee replacement recovery is a lot like taking a vacation.On Monday, I laid the groundwork for that whole idea — how seeing recovery through a different lens can make the process feel less foreign and a little more familiar. It literally changes your perspective and for me it was the little boost to take the heaviness out of the surgery that week leading up to my replacement. Check out the Introduction to this blog series here.Tuesday, we talked about traveling solo, and how this is ultimately a one-person job. This was an important concept to me because there comes a point in your recovery where it's your strength that's gonna push you through on your range of motion and extension.

I just want to get back to normal!How many times have you said that since your knee replacement? I know I did. Then I had a huge perspective shift.What if my knee replacement was an actual level up? What if all this was happening so I had the chance to reinvent myself? That thought got me wondering how many other shifts I could make if I stopped trying to "get back to normal"The fact is nothing is normal post knee replacement. Not your bathroom visits, showers (or bath), or even the way you get yourself ready each day. Who knows, maybe you aren't getting yourself ready each day. God knows there were days when I didn't have PT that I didn't do much more than use the restroom and do my heel slides.