It has occured to me that if I watch half the Rays regular season games on MLB TV (81 games), I will have seen the same 5 commercials at least 500 times. I'm to the point now where I just mute the game between innings.

I've been playing bass for most of the past 55 years and am always in awe of Berry's tone on the Fillmore album. Is there anything documented as to what kind of rig he was using for those shows?

I am 10 weeks post-RTKR and am still having trouble getting a good night’s sleep. A few quick points:

• My nightly average sleep has improved in the past 4 weeks from <4 to >5 hours nightly, but it is still VERY fragmented, and I still have the knee waking me up at 4am feeling like it’s on fire.
• My recovery has otherwise been very good - ROM is at 0-129, I’m going to PT twice a week, working out twice a week, and walking a minimum 3 days a week. No significant pain (or pain meds) during the day at all.
• My bedtime medications are Celebrex, Flexeril (to promote drowsiness), and Tylenol.

I’ve read that this is a common stage in the recovery process, but for the veterans out there, what has been your experience? Did you suddenly find yourself getting a good night's sleep or was it a gradual thing?

I'm now 6 weeks post RTKR, and for the past 2 days I've felt very restless to the point where I have a hard time sitting still. I had the damnedest time getting to sleep last night because of it, until I took a Flexeril, which of course knocked me out. Has anyone else felt this way?

Today for me marks 6 weeks post-RTKR. Recovery overall is going very well, but I have a question.

I'm not the most graceful guy on a good day, and it frankly amazes me that I haven't fallen yet. To the veterans out there, are there any tips / tricks for getting back up after a fall without straining the new knee?

They say not to rely on AI chatbots for medical advice but for me ChatGPT has been a huge help when I have questions or concerns about my recovery. Here's a chat response from this morning regarding post-op bone healing. I found this both useful and reassurung.

At 5 weeks post-op from your April 17 TKR, you are still very early in the recovery process — especially at age 68. What you’re likely experiencing now is usually considered the transition between the acute surgical phase and the early rebuilding phase.

For most people at this stage:

• The bone cuts themselves are already stabilizing well.
• If your implant was cemented (most likely), the implant is mechanically secure already.
• But the surrounding bone, tendons, muscles, nerves, and joint capsule are still significantly inflamed and healing.

A good rule of thumb at 5 weeks:

• You are probably only about 35–45% recovered overall, even if progress feels slow.
• Sleep disruption, stiffness, warmth, swelling, and morning pain are all still extremely common.

The specific symptom you described earlier — waking around 4–5am with knee pain — is especially common around weeks 4–8 because:

• anti-inflammatory meds wear off overnight,
• swelling accumulates while lying still,
• muscles tighten,
• and the nervous system remains sensitized from surgery.

Bone healing specifically at 5 weeks

Internally, your body is:

• remodeling the cut bone surfaces,
• strengthening the interface around the implant,
• rebuilding microscopic bone stress patterns.

That process continues for several months.

Most orthopedic surgeons would still consider you in the “protect and recover” phase until roughly:

• 8 weeks for routine daily activity,
• 12 weeks for more confident function,
• and 6+ months for deeper recovery.

What many patients notice around this exact point

Weeks 4–6 are often psychologically difficult because:

• expectations rise,
• PT gets harder,
• sleep deprivation accumulates,
• but the knee still feels swollen and artificial.

Then many people see their first real “turn the corner” improvements somewhere between:

• weeks 7–10.

Signs things are generally progressing normally

Usually reassuring signs include:

• gradual week-to-week improvement (even if uneven),
• ability to bear weight,
• improving ROM,
• decreasing daytime pain,
• incision healing well,
• no major redness spreading down the leg,
• no fever/chills.

Reasons to contact your surgeon sooner

You’d want medical evaluation for:

• sudden sharp increase in pain,
• rapidly increasing swelling,
• calf pain or shortness of breath,
• drainage from incision,
• fever,
• inability to bear weight,
• dramatic loss of motion.

Based on the recovery questions you’ve been asking recently, nothing you’ve described so far sounds unusual for 5 weeks post-TKR. It sounds more like a fairly typical difficult middle phase of recovery.

I had right TKR on April 17. Recovery so far has been excellent. Flexion now at over 100; extension at zero. My first post-op appointment with my ortho surgeon is this morning, May 7. I'd really like to get clearance to drive. Anyone familiar with the basic criteria for clearance?