Reflecting after both of my knee replacements, I can say that I was not the same person with number two that I was with number one. And because of that, my result was very different.
My first one took the full six weeks to get my range of motion back. My second time, I had it back in a couple of weeks. Same body, same surgeon skill, so different outcomes. It took me a while to actually sit with why that was, and what I landed on was that it came down to what I did before I ever walked into the operating room.
I get into all of it in this week's video — the three things I did the same both times, what I changed the second time, and the one thing I got wrong that I'd love for you to skip learning the hard way.
I Got Clear on Where I Was Headed
I came to understand that you don't get in a car without knowing your destination and realized that recovery is really no different. Going into my first surgery, I wasn't all that interested in the “gory” details. I was much more interested in picturing life on the other side. My husband actually proposed three weeks before that surgery, so I had this very specific picture in my head of who I wanted to be when I got there — heels, a wedding, all of it. Having something to walk toward, something real to picture, changed how I moved through recovery.
I Watched What Words Came Out of My Mouth
This one's sneaky because it started in my head, long before it ever came out of my mouth. At some point I noticed I'd stopped saying "it hurts" and started saying "I'm healing" instead. Friends would ask how I was doing, I'd say I'm healing, and they'd push back — doesn't it hurt though? And yeah, it did. But it was a different kind of pain than what I'd had before surgery. This was a “healing” pain. I actually started practicing that language before I even had the surgery, because I had a feeling, I'd need it the moment I woke up.
I Looked at My Life and Prepped for What Was Coming
I was the one who did the cooking in my house, so I knew that part of life was going to look different for a while. I filled the freezer with meals my husband could just thaw and heat up. By the time I got to my second surgery, he'd actually gotten pretty good in the kitchen, good enough that I was making sheet pan meals he could handle without me at all. That's part of why I ended up building a whole fuel-your-body section inside the Hub — freezer meals, crockpot meals, sheet pan meals, so the "who's cooking" question doesn't have to be one more thing you're worrying about.
There were surprises too, things nobody really tells me going in. Needing to sit down for stuff I used to just do standing up. Oozing, zingers running down your leg. Turns out those are normal. There's a lot more that's normal than not.
The One Thing I Got Wrong
Something that was really important to me was my comfort, because I knew how much sleep mattered for healing. So, I propped pillows behind my knee, just to make things comfortable enough that I could actually sleep. It worked, I slept better. But it also cost me. It took a full 12 weeks to get my extension back. Strength training before my second surgery is what kept me from making that same mistake twice, and it's a big reason that recovery went so much faster overall.
Watch the Full Story
If any of this is landing for you, if you're staring down a knee replacement and trying to figure out what actually matters going in, watch the full video here. I also have a free pre-op e-book that goes deeper into building your vision, your language, and your prep plan before surgery.
And if you want more than a video and an e-book, if you want the freezer meal lists and the daily guidance and the whole system, that's what you'll find inside The Knee Replacement Hub.
I'm Suzie Andrade. I help you make sense of knee replacement recovery with simple, practical steps so you can recover with calm confidence.
AFFILIATE DISCLAIMER:
I’m a proud affiliate for some of these tools and products that are suggested on this page and throughout my website. Meaning if you click on a product and make a purchase, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you. My recommendations are based on knowledge and experience and I recommend them because they are genuinely useful and helpful, not because of the small commission that I may receive.
0 Comments