Updates from Suzie Andrade

If you’re here because it’s the middle of the night and sleep feels impossible after your knee replacement, you’re not doing anything wrong. This is one of the most common and frustrating parts of recovery, and it’s rarely talked about in a way that actually helps.Why You Can’t Sleep After Knee Replacement SurgeryBy far the biggest complaint outside of pain that I hear after a knee replacement is the inability to sleep. I had this myself for the first six weeks after my first knee replacement. The only way it seemed that I would sleep is directly after taking my pain dosage.I would also find myself dozing throughout the day, and I often wondered if that’s what kept me from sleeping at night. But it didn’t really matter because at some point either the nerve zinging or the deep ache would get me to get out of bed for my first knee replacement.

Let me take you back to 2020 for a minute.I’m not here to reopen that whole chapter of history. I’m just giving you context, because at that point in my life I had one knee that was about eight months old and a hip that was barely two months post-op.So yes, I was very aware of my body.Anytime you go through joint replacement, you’re told about a couple of risks right out of the gate. Infections and blood clots. Those two tend to stick in your mind. And when the world started talking nonstop about illness, I found myself doing what a lot of people do when they’re unsure. I started searching online.

One of the biggest surprises for me after my knee replacement was the fatigue.Sure, there was pain.Yes, there was stiffness.But the fatigue? That one caught me completely off guard.I don’t know why I wasn’t prepared for it, but that bone-deep tiredness that hits after doing something that feels like nothing was not on my radar at all. Taking a shower was the first wake-up call. I’d wash my hair, dry it, and immediately want to sit down. 

As you are sitting there healing from your knee replacement, think about this…What if I told you that everything was going to work out and you will be at 100% in a future that you are so close to?It is. It’s not a lie; I am not kidding.Now that path may not be what you thought it would. Maybe you needed an MUA, maybe you got an infection or maybe you required another revision because the first didn’t take.

I was talking to a client today, and she asked how long it took me to get to 120 degrees after my knee replacement. She’s sitting at 115 right now, feeling like she hit a wall, and I could hear that mix of frustration and fear in her voice.It reminded me exactly what this part of recovery feels like.So, I told her the same thing I want you to hear:You’re not stuck.You’re in a phase. I call it the learning phase.

Have you ever caught yourself saying, “I’ll never get better,” or “I’m always in pain”?Yeah, I used to say that too—without realizing how much weight those words carried.Here’s the truth: your words aren’t just sounds. They’re signals. And they’re either signaling healing or frustration. When you’re recovering from something as big as a knee replacement, every bit of your energy matters. What you say to yourself—out loud or in your head—sets the tone for how your body responds.So today, I want to help you swap those “always” and “never” statements for words that actually move your healing forward.

I am not kidding you when I say movement helps with swelling, improves circulation and keeps your muscles from tightening up.  I know that sounds exactly like something. Your physical therapist would say, but after three joint replacements, I found this to be true. When you’re between one to two months post-op, these small, simple actions can make a big difference. Remember: this is about progress, 

Have you ever felt amazing one day after PT… and then totally paid for it the next?Yeah, me too.It’s like you finally start to feel like yourself again—you get up, do a few loads of laundry, run some errands, maybe even make dinner—and then bam. The next day your knee’s angry, your body’s wiped out, and you’re sitting there wondering what you did wrong.Here’s the truth: you didn’t mess up. You’re healing.And those moments that make you stop? They’re not punishments. They’re pivots.

Back when I was still walking around on my bone-on-bone knee, I noticed something strange. Every time someone at work would ask, “How’s your knee?” and I answered, “It hurts,”… it got worse.I know that sounds weird. I’m not saying I made it up or was pretending. The pain was real. But the moment I gave it voice? It almost felt like it doubled.Eventually, I stopped saying “it hurts.”Instead, I’d say, “I’m actually really looking forward to having it replaced.”

You know that panicky, can’t-think-straight feeling that creeps in before surgery?Or when you’re in recovery and your brain just won’t quit spinning?That’s not weakness. That’s your body trying to protect you.Before my first knee replacement, I don’t think I slept more than a couple hours at a time. My brain was in overdrive running through the same questions on repeat: Do I have everything ready? Am I missing something? Did I plan the meals? Will the house still run without me?I was the Jill-of-all-trades in our home—planning, cooking, cleaning, remembering every little detail—so handing over control for a while was brutal.