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TKR 8/11/2014 4 weeks out and weak as a cat!

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Thank you! Bone Smart is teaching me how to do that. I have to trust God to take care of my business which is hard to do with this fuzzy head and low energy. Being a lady of leisure in very hard. The curse of the Protestant Work Ethic. But this joint replacement is for good for the long term. Walking around with a cane is not an option.
 
@WaterWalker Getting back to work is another of those individual things. I had my surgery so as to have a 12 week recovery window before I went back. I sort of wish I had had 16 weeks. I am not in pain, but some discomfort that has made my first two weeks back a bit more of a challenge than I hoped for. I work on my feet and from my seat, and need some strength/flexibility to be at my best form. I am doing fine, but. . . The longer recovery/rest would have been great.

But, based on what you'll find by reading the forum, many folks have needed less time - and some needed more time to be work ready. Some have the luxury of time they can take and others don't or can't get the time. Depending on your situation, try to be SURE that you are maximizing your rest and healing time, even if you are a bit bored. That is my opinion, of course, but as you've heard over and over, your knee is the boss. Listen to it, obey it. :-)


Ollie. LTKR June 10, 2014
 
Thank you! Bone Smart is teaching me how to do that. I have to trust God to take care of my business which is hard to do with this fuzzy head and low energy. Being a lady of leisure in very hard. The curse of the Protestant Work Ethic. But this joint replacement is for good for the long term. Walking around with a cane is not an option.

See, this is where you need to take a page from the Catholic book and offer your impatience up to God! Trust me, the fuzzy head and low energy WILL improve, but not until you put enough rest and recovery time in the bank. Right now you are overdrawn.
 
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I am coming to terms with my energy limitations. it is strange to spend a morning doing just normal stuff and being wiped out in the afternoon. I am off the narcotics.... but still take aspirin twice a day for blood thinning plus an occasional tylenol. I am having dry mouth issues. Is this from the aspirin and Tylenol? I knew the narcotics could give me dry mouth but this is strange.
 
@WaterWalker It is odd. Hubby said for you to eat a dill pickle.
I think the low energy is something that bothers everyone with TKR.
 
There is so much concern about infectious diseases and also concern about over use of antibiotics. Getting the idea that perhaps that taking antibiotic prior to having my teeth cleaned twice a year is over kill. What to do?

Having a new knee, what special measures do I take to prevent the major event of an infection due to having a knee replacement? I want to be proactive and yet do not want to become a hysterical germ phobe.
 
Lots of controversy on this'un. Like all medical practice, there will be doctors and dentists that cling stubbornly to old ways. If its any comfort to you, the dose of antibiotics before teeth cleaning isn't as likely to foster resistance as the full course of antibiotics a dr might prescribe for a cold or other viral illness, which I'm afraid some still do to get the patient to shut up, nor that same patient taking half the full course that he actually needs because he started to feel better. As I understand it, the rationale for a dose of antibiotic drugs before a procedure (including what we were all given when we had surgery) is to reduce the number of circulating bacteria with a quick blow while there's increased vulnerability (open surgical wound) or when there's an anticipated surge of bacteria (getting all that nasty gunk off your teeth and into your bloodstream via your bleeding gums.) In a perfect world aseptic technique in OR would be flawless, and we'd all floss our teeth every day and have gentle dental hygienists and that would be enough risk reduction.

And, having said that, dental work probably doesn't cause many or any infected implants anyway, nor do the prophylactic antibiotics prevent them. You will probably do fine if you take good care of your immune system and eat your fruits and vegetables. Stay out of hospitals and doctor's offices. They are full of sick people. Wash your hands. Boring stuff like that is plenty proactive.
 
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There is so much concern about infectious diseases and also concern about over use of antibiotics. Getting the idea that perhaps that taking antibiotic prior to having my teeth cleaned twice a year is over kill. What to do?
Lots of controversy on this'un.
There's no controversy. The AAOS, ASD, RCS and RCDS have all agreed that prophylactic antibiotics are unnecessary for the simple reason that thus far there is no evidence that peri-prosthetic infections arise from any infection of bacterial load within the body. At worst it contributes to the global antibiotic resistant bateria.

Dental antibiotics: Evidence insufficient to recommend prophylactic antibiotics for dental procedures
 
Yes....I am taking other medications. Doc has taken me off them for two weeks to see how I respond. He thinks that the impact of the surgery has changed the way my brain responds to stimulant drugs for ADHD. We shall see. I have not had this reaction prior to surgery. I do have symptoms that resemble anorexia and I have strong food aversions. Time will tell. I was looking for a simple one size fits all but apparently that is not happening.
 
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