No pain no gain

I think I have to accept that old saw when it comes to the knee therapy. Again and again nurses and others say one has to keep pain meds in the system so that therapy will not be very painful and therefore make progress. I used to want the pain to be blocked altogether and would be impatient when it did not happen. Of course, in a perfect world, I would get that. I have personally observed four people who have had knee or hip replacements and all of them have had trouble finding pain meds that worked for them. The first days are usually the worst but in my own case I struggled nearly until I went off the meds altogether. I am trying to take more deep breaths and reduce my expectations in this department. Today the therapist - Ron this time - had me do some tiny leg lifts, then ankle bends and the pulley lift, and finally he struggled to get all the cables put aside soi could get up with the walker and walk down the hall and back. It got easier and much better than yesterday. Yesterday my knee buckled whe I tried to stand straight up. I stopped at the bathroom on the way back, to my great relief. My one attempt to use a bedpan this morning was not encouraging. Little by little I am regaining independence. Perhaps it is a good thing that I am so impatient.