About shoes--the important thing to look at is the wear pattern on your outsoles and whether the shoe itself leans in or out relative to the sole. This will tell you about your gait prior to the TKR. If there is any such wear (most commonly seen in running shoes of people who pronate excessively), you should discard them unless there is enough outsole remaining to be resurfaced. I wear backless slides (Alegria, 1830) all the time. And the past couple of days I've been wearing Fit Flops to match my dresses. But in the house I go barefoot--something I never did before the surgery.
I was at 4 wks yesterday. Yesterday was my last Opana ER (long-acting oxymorphone). No withdrawal symptoms I can see thus far. Still on Neurontin till Monday, and Norco 10 up to 6 per day. (Been averaging 4-5 per day, needing to double up at bedtime; for PT, instead of doubling up, I add a couple of Tylenol). You are way ahead of me when it comes to pain. My OS says to be off all opioid or narcotic pain meds except at bedtime before trying to drive, even if you won't be using your surgical leg. If you have a fender-bender or get stopped for a traffic ticket, if the officer suspects you are under the influence and your blood test shows opioids in the blood, you could be in some very hot water.
My OS will not transition me from Norco to Tramadol, as the latter is also a narcotic (though not an opioid). He just wants me to refill one more 'scrip and begin weaning. Last year, I was off all but a bedtime dose by 5 weeks; but I had that swollen ankle and foot problem for months. Don't have it now. Maybe because of the low sodium diet I was on in rehab. My appetite is meager, so I can eat anything I want and haven't had for months. Once it comes back, though, I'll have to resume my low-carb lifestyle. But the fatigue is profound--when I nap I nap as if I were sedated. Energy drain is a problem for a long time--don't bite off more than you can chew,
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