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TKR 10 weeks on other side and no longer lurking

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Texan, the meds to mess with our system making sleep a fleeting dream! When I was having trouble, I took some Alieve PM or Tylenol PM. You just have to make sure that with whatever else you are taking during the day you don't get too much acetemetphine (sp?). There is an article in the library here about what the daily limits are. I found that was just enough to calm me, reduce the pain, and allow me to get 5 or 6 hours uninterrupted.
 
@Junebug2, Mine doesn't look like it is getting lighter at all. It is still kind of purple and I am 3 months out. Hopefully the silicone gel sheets will help. I'll try them tomorrow. I hope it improves soon.
 
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Mercy, I would love to have 6 hours straight. I will get thel tylenol pm tomorrow. I think I have every otc meds but PM meds. I am so sleepy right now but I'm tryiny to wait till 1:30 after the news before I retire if I go to bed now I will wake at 10 and be up all nite. Crazy, I know
 
Yes, mine is purply pink..lol. looks like long fat squilly worm...
 
@NightQuilter , I'm not taking any narcotics anymore. The first month after surgery, I slept really well with all the drugs, but since I quit taking pain meds, I have a hard time going to sleep. Once I go to sleep, I do o.k. It is getting to sleep that is the problem. No pain and I'm not uncomfortable, just can't go to sleep.
 
How frustrating Texan. There is an acupuncture and acupressure relaxation point inside the front of your upper ear - you know the "ledge" - right on the top of the ledge at the very front behind the fold. If you've ever done acupuncture, they always put a needle there on both sides. My version - my fingernail for 30 seconds. May not work well the first 2-3 nights, but then my body got used to it and I would sleep like a baby (I went for several years waking up at 3:33 am every single morning! - This changed that). Also, if you don't want to go the route of the mild Advil PM or stronger sleeping meds, there are a number of homeopathic ones out there. I hope you find relief!!

Also, my left scar did stay purple-ish for several months (my right one never did) - I think it took about a year to lose that tinge. Talk to your OS if it seems too odd.
 
@NightQuilter, I asked if the scar would fade, the pain in the back of my knee when I bend my knee would go away, and if the feeling would come back on the top of my knee. He told me if he knew the answers to those questions, he would buy lottery tickets. How did you do having your knees done within 6 or 7 weeks of each other?
 
I really did quite well Texan - I never regretted doing both that soon, although it wasn't easy. Of course, getting one done isn't easy either, is it!? I won't buy any lottery tickets with, but I can report that the sensation on top of the knees is coming back gradually - I don't know if it will ever be 100%, but I am fine with what I have. It is weird though trying to shave our knees when we had no feeling there! I suspect that will be something else we will laugh about in the future! I never had the pain in the back of my knees - we all heal so differently. And while my scars have definitely faded and pretty much match the rest of me, I suspect I will always be able to see them. But I am fine with that ... I wear them with pride because I worked pretty hard to earn them! Never expected I would be a knee model anyway! :rotfl:

@Junebug2 - oh my, I hope you don't think Texan and I have hijacked your thread!:tada:Sorry. I have had so many people "meet" and share on mine as well!
 
No problem on the hijacking:) altho I dont consider it hijacking, I enjoy the read.
I went to sleep about 11 and woke at 1;( now I'm wide awake. I am grateful for the 3 hrs. I can manage this better than the nights I cant fall asleep till 4 or 5 in the morning for just 3 hours.
The feeling in my knee has started to return. I am still shaving very carefully..The feeling is very weird. Whats funny is having an itch below the surface and scratching and not feeling it.
When I had my mastectomy, my surgeon told me that any feelings that didnt return in 6 months would be permanent. He was right.
 
@NightQuilter, Do you remember how long it took for your scar to fade? I agree about the shaving of the knee. There are numb spots that feel really weird when the razor runs over them!

@Junebug2, I bought the silicone gel strips today. Walgreen's didn't have their brand so I bought the ScarAway brand. The strips are 1.5"x7" and come 6 to a box. I cut them in half lengthwise since they were too wide. That way I can use them on the other knee too, once I have surgery on it. It was $30 for the box. My scar isn't 7 " long either but it wouldn't help me to cut any off the end. It was $30 for the box. Instructions say you can use one strip for about a week and they recommend that you wear it 12-24 hours a day. It is flesh color and kind of looks like a bandaid.
 
Hope they work for you..I went to Walmart earlier today. Wish I had thought to look for them. I measured my scar and its 5 inches long. My sister's scar is about 8 inches .
 
I had carpal tunnel surgery on both hands (3 months apart) last year. Scar tissue is a big deal on your hands, apparently... I used the scar gel --I just strapped it on at night. It did seem to help--the OT that recommended it to me said that she doesn't know why it works, just that it does. I also was instructed to massage along the scar line with a little bit of lotion -tiny circling motions counterclockwise an then the other way. The OT had a small massager -she would warm my hands, then use that along the scar line. You have to really look to see the scars now. I have begun to do the massage along my scar line and can tell that the scar tissue is beginning to loosen and get smaller. Good luck -hope some of these suggestions can be helpful.
 
My PT massaged my scar with a cream several times. I do the same each day. Sometimes I use the Eucerin cream or vaseline with sheas butter. I think I like the vaseline best. I am so sleepy.....wouldnt it be nice if we both got a good 7-8 hour sleep.
 
@Junebug2, I slept 7 hours last night so I think it would be too much to ask to have sleep two nights in a row! I took a Lunesta last night. Don't like to take them very often but after so many nights of not sleeping, I needed relief. Hope you sleep tonight.
 
How long was your carpel tunnel recovery....you seem to have had your share of surgeries..
 
Good ideas all. Plus the gentle massaging of your incision (being sure to hold sides together) is something my PT suggested to help minimize adhesions. Texan, my right knee scar seemed to fade out within three months; on my left knee however, it has just been in that last 2 months (over a year) that the darker edges have faded. Different strokes for different knees, I guess! The good news is with patience, all things get better.

When discussing with my OS prior to the surgeries about the incision, he had said that depending on how the OS cut, the nerves could take as long as 18-24 months to regenerate and start working right again. There is some cut which causes delays down into the front of the shin for that long. Mine uses the "half-moon" which he feels regenerates a bit sooner, but like I said above, there are still a couple little spots that, while I have full sensation, still feel a little different.

Have you found the really neat thread where folks post there scar photos? https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads...of-honor-here-images-only-please.12293/page-6. Mine are on page 6, if anyone cares!!
 
7 hours!!! Good for you!!! I have not had 7 straight hours of sleep since right after surgery. Tonight I went to sleep about 10:30 and woke at 1am. Its becoming a pattern. I will read bonesmart , play words, walk around the house then read till I become drowsy again. Hopefully I will be asleep by 4 or 5. I never sleep past 7or 8. I would like to establish bettr sleep pattern soon. We are going to Mobile, Ala for Mothers day weekend. Then the following week we are going to Gulfport, Ms for 5 days . Looking forward to both trips...both are 5 1/2 hour drives, but because we stop a lot it usually takes us close to 7. Goodness, I'm just rattling along.
 
Lynn, my PT showed me how to massage my incision too :) Only thing I do differently is , I dont apply as much pressure...lol...she is such a tiny thing but with a lot of strength.. The only time she hurt me during my time with her was the massage..The last time she did the massage I moved my leg away from her. Glad she is a friend:) it made going to therapy interesting and fun.
 
Went to Lowes today to buy plants. Didnt ice or elevate, paying for it now. Icing and elevating as I read through the blogs. My right knee is really beginning to bother me. Im not a happy camper.
 
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