Bilateral TKR I made it! (Lisabon)

[MsHeidi]

Glad you didn't break your bum to go with your knees, Lisa! I've been very fearful of falling since I stood up with those femoral blocks in and felt like I had no bones in my legs! I just hit three weeks today and you are going to be shocked at how much you recover in just three weeks! I have miles to go, but I am not dependent on somebody else for everything. I can manage whatever I need, usually, during the day while my husband is at work. The pain is better, too, except for that pesky PT, which flares it all up again. Tomorrow will be a down day for me because PT was very stressful today. I'm amazed at what I'm able to do already, though.

I'm sure you are looking forward to going home and sleeping in your own bed. Just be prepared to not sleep as well as you hope. It seems to be a contagious disease that we catch with the TKRs. You'll be up getting rid of a lot of liquid for a while to come. Even so, it still feels sooooooo good to get into your own bed! Have fun with those stairs. You'll be able to do them, I'm sure.

 

[lisabon]

Having a rough morning today. Took my pain meds every 4 hrs including during the overnight hours. Slept alot, but woke up this morning feeling nauseous and light headed. I even threw up a little. I figured it was due to takng Percocet on empt stomach. The nurse gave me some maalox and tums and I ate some graham crackers since it was not yet breakfast time. Felt better for a while. Had breakfast, one slice of french toast and a banana. Was okay for maybe an hour or so have been sleeping on and off all morning. I'm just sooooo very tired. Now I'm up because I have OT in 1/2 hour and need to take my percocet so it'll kick in on time. It's just so hard juggling all these balls of meds, rest, therapy, icing, handling sied effects, etc.
Alll I really want to do today is sleep! Is that normal???

 

[ChefHuber]

You are fine. Your body has been through a lot.

Sorry to hear about the Percocet messing with your stomach. Fortunately I can take that without food but I know others really need something in their stomach. It really does help with the pain and attitude though. Really gives you hope that you can make it through.

Rest up. Your body knows best.

 

[lisabon]

Yes, the toilets are all raised with arm rests fortunately. The pain has been better today but at a cost. I threw up when I woke up this morning and just threw up again after my OT session. I drank some coffee and took a few bites of the yucky lunch they brought me (rubber chicken). The next thing I knew, it all came back up. Clearly I'm not tolerating hte Percocet so well. The nurse is checking now with the doc to see if I can be prescribed something for nausea. The tums and maalox ain't cutting it!
One of the docs told me we might try moving me to Vicodin since it has lest nausea side=effects. I don't care what they give me as long as it works and doesn't cause me to heave my guts out every time I try to eat something.

On the plus side, despite feeling nauseous, the OT therapist gave me a can of gingerale and still had me do some exercises. My flexibility has always been good. On a good day I can reach waaaay beyond my toes if I'm laying on the ground and reach out for them. Today when I was on the table waiting for my next intsructions, I tested my flexibility and wouldn't you know I can still grab the insoles of my feet. Some of the phys therapists there were quite impressed because even they can't do that! So despite the pain and no muscle strength, I can still stretch.

 

[Jamie]

Lisa....I am sorry you're having problems with the pain meds. They'll get it sorted out for you soon, though....either with anti-nausea meds or a different pain medication. Everything you're going through (including being tired) is very, very normal. We're all such individuals that it can take a little experimenting with meds to find just the right thing.

Congratulations on your range of motion. Here's hoping that's a sign of a fast and wonderful recovery for you.

 

[binkie]

Lisa, Hope they get your pain meds straightened out real soon! All the comments I've read on this site say to listen to your body. Your body needs you to sleep so it can work on healing.

 

[lisabon]

Well just one percocet before therapy didn't cut it. I was at a 10 on the pain scale when I got there. The poor therapist felt so bad for me cause she saw how much pain I was in. Rather than do regular therapy, she had may lay down and ice my knees both top and bottom and just do some ankle pumps and glute squeezes. She didn't want me to push through the pain.

The doc just came in and changed up my meds. So now we're going to try Vicodin (hydrocodone) and atarax for nausea. I stopped the iron pill a couple of days ago because it too causes nausea and constipation. Tomorrow we try a suppository. I didn't want to try it today because I'm in too much pain to deal with rushing to the bathroom and sitting there a long time.

Boy the things we talk about on these forums!

 

[Jazyb]

I hope you get the pain medication sorted out now, wishing you luck with that. It must be horrible to be experiencing that amount of pain. I hope you go to loo soon . I'm dreading that!!! I hope you will now be on the upward path for recovery, take care Lisa.

 

[KneedKnees]

Lisabon ~

It's very possible that the iron pills and the Percoset were causing your nausea. I found I could not take the iron - even though I'm anemic. My stomach was just in turmoil!

Sleep is essential, and your body needs it. I recall being in and out of sleep almost the entire time I was in the hospital! So don't worry about it, go ahead and sleep, because when you get home, you probably won't be able to sleep comfortably for awhile. Take advantage of the sleepiness now!

 

[MsHeidi]

I hope you feel better soon, Lisa! I'm not sure which would be worse, diarrhea like I had or long term constipation. Either way, we will survive::::::First I was afraid
I was petrified
Kept thinking I could never live
without you by my side
But I spent so many nights
thinking how you did me wrong
I grew strong
I learned how to carry on
and so you're back
from outer space
I just walked in to find you here
with that sad look upon your face
I should have changed my stupid lock
I should have made you leave your key
If I had known for just one second
you'd be back to bother me

Go on now go walk out the door
just turn around now
'cause you're not welcome anymore
weren't you the one who tried to hurt me with goodbye
you think I'd crumble
you think I'd lay down and die
Oh no, not I
I will survive
as long as i know how to love
I know I will stay alive
I've got all my life to live
I've got all my love to give
and I'll survive
I will survive

It took all the strength I had
not to fall apart
kept trying hard to mend
the pieces of my broken heart
and I spent oh so many nights
just feeling sorry for myself
I used to cry
Now I hold my head up high
and you see me
somebody new
I'm not that chained up little person
still in love with you
and so you felt like dropping in
and just expect me to be free
now I'm saving all my loving
for someone who's loving me:::::::::::
Sorry, my brain just does that sometimes. Did I mention that I was once a disco queen? ;)

 

[lisabon]

Heidi, you are AWESOME! That song was exactly what I needed to see to lift my spirits. I've been sad and mopey all day and feeling like I'll never be whole again and then I saw your post and it put such a smile on my face.

Thank you, Darlin. I don't even know you but you're the best!

 

[karmigirl]

Lisa,

Hang in there lady. The first week maybe two are the worst. Trying to get all the meds right, trying to GO. Once you get past the first hill of the roller coaster the ride calms down a bit. Just try and keep your spirits up and you'll do fine. We are all here for you just let it all out. (so to speak).

 

[lisabon]

Thank you Rose. I'm hangin. I think if I can just have one good day, I'll be so much more encouraged. Yesterdayl I had good ROM but I paid for it dearly with too much pain last night. It feels like one step (literally!) forward, two steps back. I know how much it will be worth it in the end. .. and that's what keeps me going. And this forum keeps me going as well. I don't know what I would've done if I hadn't found this site!

 

[karmigirl]

Lisa,

I think there are many of us that feel the same way. I am at almost 4 mos. out and still feel like I may not be where I should be, then I come and read others posts and it helps me know I am okay.

 

[Gillyflower]

Thank you Rose. I'm hangin. I think if I can just have one good day, I'll be so much more encouraged. Yesterdayl I had good ROM but I paid for it dearly with too much pain last night. It feels like one step (literally!) forward, two steps back. I know how much it will be worth it in the end. .. and that's what keeps me going. And this forum keeps me going as well. I don't know what I would've done if I hadn't found this site!

Lisa,

I totally agree with what Karmigirl wrote about feeling like I am not where I should be.

I firmly believe that it is worth the pain and discomfort of surgery to gain a pain free knee and a more active life.

I enjoy reading the posts. I find something motivational in many of the posts here. It is so nice that so many people can relate to our journey even the missteps.

Gilly

 

[kneeper]

I hope they get the meds situation sorted out for you soon, lisabon. Hang in there. :console:

 

[MsHeidi]

Heidi, you are AWESOME! That song was exactly what I needed to see to lift my spirits. I've been sad and mopey all day and feeling like I'll never be whole again and then I saw your post and it put such a smile on my face.

Thank you, Darlin. I don't even know you but you're the best!

I'm so glad you enjoyed my little reminder. It ended up posted twice, since it didn't seem to show up the first time and I did it again. I just managed to delete one of them.

We do have to remember, Lisa, that this is a big deal choice we made and we knew it wasn't going to be painless when we made the choice. You have brand new, functional knees! No feeling sad and mopey now! The worst part of it really is over. Everything from here on out is recovery. It's going to hurt, but we knew it was going to hurt, right? Try really hard to keep your eyes on the prize, Lisa. Imagine six months from now. Or, even better, a year. Christmas was already 9 months ago! Doesn't it seem like last month we were putting the ornaments and all that away? In that same space of time, you will be nearly completely healed! Riding bicycles, dancing, hiking or doing whatever it was that you dreamed about enough to make you choose this route.

That is the end of my pontificating for tonight. I pontificate to remind myself as much as to remind you, you know. And I feel much better. So, you need to feel much better, too.

 

[lisabon]

Pontificate all you want, Heidi. I need those reminders right now! Thank you!:cat-kittyandsmiley:

 

[K8 Orlando]

Recovery is a slow process and the first two weeks are the worst. That's the bad news but it's really the only bad news. Everything else is good. It took a long time for most of us to develop our knee problem and we dealt with the pain for a long time. We are strong and we know how to handle pain so we can work our way through it. But please take it slow and don't try to be wonderwoman! I'm sure you'll find meds that work for you and when you do, take them on time, use lots of ice, get lots of rest, sleep every minute you can, be gentle on yourself with the PT and exercise. Your body had a major trauma just a few days ago, so be kind to yourself and take it slow. It WILL get better.

 

[Mountain Kat]

Lisa, I hope they get your meds sorted out! I am following your progress and know you will get over this hump and on your way to recovery! Listen to your body and take the time you need to sleep and recover.