Anxiety-disordered person awaiting TLKR July 28

[Texan]

I cooked something for the freezer just about everyday for several weeks to keep me busy. I put about 25 meals, muffins, cakes, cookies, breakfast casseroles, pancakes, etc. in the freezer. It kept me busy and has helped my husband when he has a busy day and doesn't feel like cooking. I didn't cook for about 6 or 7 weeks after the first TKR. Keep busy!

 

[Daystar]

You guys are wonderful! I hope to get time to comment tomorrow.

Cindy

 

[Josephine]

I have a valgus deformity too. Plus I haven't been able to straighten either knee for maybe 10 years. That is another worry.

You shouldn't let it worry you at all. Most people have some degree of varus (bow legged) or valgus (knock-kneed) deformity which is corrected during TKR and generally it doesn't add any time or difficulty to the surgery or pain or difficulty to the recovery.

 

[Daystar]

@Josephine Okay, that sounds good for the sideways bend, but what about my inability to straighten the knee? I have read that the soft tissues around the knee shorten when that happens and are still shortened after a TKR.

 

[Daystar]

@Texan I hardly cook anymore anyway. I have no idea what we are going to do after my surgery. I guess I should think about cooking a few things ahead of time.

 

[Daystar]

@referee54 I guess I'll have one straight leg and one crooked one until I get the second one done.

@gr82cu2 I was prescribed Buspar a few years ago, but I read that one of the side effects is tinnitus. I already have screaming tinnitus that drives me nuts sometimes, and I didn't want to make it worse. I have GAD, and I have been having a lot of anxiety and depression for the last few months, even apart from the TKR. Hey, I would love to be recovery buddies!

@new knee in June I would like to do retail therapy to distract myself, but I don't think I can afford it! You seem to be a lot more active than I am. Were you able to take Ativan with your pain meds?

@54andfighting Thanks for your advice. I bought a visualization CD to listen to before surgery. I guess I should do that. I am seeing a therapist who uses ACT and mindfulness. I have only seen her three times, though.

Time to go to supper.

Cindy

 

[gr82cu2]

@Daystar I don't recall my tinnitus worsening when on the Buspar. I have it too but I believe mine is from taking NSAID's. The only side effect I had was dizziness but that was only occasionally and unpredictable. I just made sure to take the Buspar at least an hour before I needed to drive anywhere. The little dizzy spells only lasted a few seconds and then I was fine. I sing the praises of that medicine because I truly do believe it saved my life. I was in such a deep, deep, deep depression because of the constant panic attacks. Like I said, I don't know how much longer I could have coped. I was on Buspar for about 5 years before I got brave enough to try and go without. Everything went well for the next 10 years or so, with no panic attacks until I lost my dad and then my mom was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer less than 3 months later and she died 17 days after that. Panic attack time It was just too much so I went back on it but only for a couple of months and I've been ok since then. At least nothing I can't deal with.

Be really, really, really careful mixing benzodiazapenes with narcotics, ok?

Surgery recovery buddies? You bet!!

 

[Chihuahuan]

@Daystar I have had two TKR surgeries. I suffered from panic disorder and by chance when being treated for breast cancer (ten years ago) was prescribed Effexor for severe anti-estrogen issues. It was the first time that I felt normal in many years and totally stopped the panic attacks. I have been on it ever since. Please contact your doctor for advice as this procedure (before, during, and after) can be quite stressful --and lengthy.
Also have tinnitus but have never tracked down it's origin --just live with it! Certainly nothing compared to panic attacks that would send me to the ER.
I also have trouble with an irritated stomach with pain relievers. A nurse suggested a snack before I took the pain meds and that worked well --even in the middle of the night. One of the essentials for this surgery is to take pain meds on-time --and as others have said Tylenol is not enough -- you initially need a cocktail of opioids and slowly reduce over several weeks. Again something to talk about with your doctor but crackers or cookies worked well for me. I would always have some next to my meds.

 

[Jozilla]

You are getting great advice. I also have anxiety. It was very bad a few years ago but I always have a small amount of Valium on hand in case I need it. I haven't needed it since before my first tkr surgery last December. I also am bowlegged and have one straight leg. My other knee will be done in September so then I will have a matching set. The surgery was so worth it for me. A sense of peace came over me the week before surgery that I was going to have a better less painful life and I was being taken care of by experts. That us advice I learned here. All the best to you. It is a very caring group here!

 

[new knee in June]

@Daystar
Good Morning,
You are getting great replies You can tell all your concerns to your Aneistigiologist ( sp )
How dare you make me spell so early I was able to take my Ativan the day of Surgery, my
Surgery was at 1:55 in the afternoon I didn't get into surgery until 4:00. I just told them how
Many milligrams.
There are many things they can do for pain. I asked for femoral block, & Morphine pump, this
Worked very well for pain when I came to You may not be hungry for awhile, I agree with preparing
Some meals for your husband. I don't cook in the Summer any way, so my family just had burgers &
Hotdogs on the grill. We also ordered Pizza.
Keep asking Questions, we will help in any way we can
Your part of our family now & this is such a great place to be
Sincerely,
Diana

 

[Josephine]

@Josephine Okay, that sounds good for the sideways bend, but what about my inability to straighten the knee? I have read that the soft tissues around the knee shorten when that happens and are still shortened after a TKR.

Same thing. The surgeon will make a point of adjusting the tension of all the surrounding ligaments so this is allowed for. It's a normal part of the procedure because, as I said, most people have this problem to one degree or another.

 

[Daystar]

Thanks, @Josephine. I will now attempt to cross this worry off my list!

 

[Daystar]

The church thing I'm at is over. My husband, daughter, and I will be driving from northern Wisconsin to southeast Pennsylvania this weekend with an overnight in Cleveland tomorrow. I hope to be around here more once I get home.

Cindy

 

[Daystar]

I've been home for more than 24 hours. While we were gone, we had our bathroom renovated. The bathtub was removed and a walk-in shower installed. It has a regular shower head and also a hand-held spray. I still have to get a stool or chair for the shower.

@gr82cu2 Maybe I didn't take Buspar because dizziness was a side effect rather than tinnitus! I also gave chronic dizziness which is the result of a vestibular problem. This is another thing I worry about. I'm already off balance, and then I read in Total Knee Replacement and Rehabilitation that TKR causes balance problems. Great! Maybe I'll talk to my psychiatrist about Buspar when I see him in October. I saw him today after many months of not seeing him. I wanted to ask him about taking Klonopin with opioids. He said it would be okay. I am so relieved!!

Oh, that reminds me. I go to something called a medically adapted gym three times a week to help get ready for my TKR. It is owned by a local physical therapy group and is in a large room with patients having rehab. Today when I was there, a man who was using a cane and obviously was having PT for a RTKR was trying to get on a stationary bike and fell flat on the floor. The PT assistant had left him for a moment. The man said his knee had given way. Kind of scary! He was able to get up after a couple minutes, which I would not be able to do. The PT decided to skip the bike.

 

[Daystar]

@Chihuahuan Thanks for your suggestions. Oh, wow, I tried Effexor a few years ago, and it made me sweat like I was standing under a shower! It was awful. Took me a while to realize what was happening. It was very uncomfortable getting off of, too, even though I tapered down slowly. Brain zaps and general malaise with every step-down. I have also tried Lexapro and been on Zoloft a couple times for many months. None of the SSRI/SNRIs have any effect on my anxiety or depression.

I have been living with the tinnitus for at least 20 years. I don't know when or why it started. When I notice it, I remind myself that much of the time I am not aware of it. It is really getting loud, though!

I don't see my OS until 6 days before my surgery. I told him before my last shoulder surgery that I have a problem with pain meds, so he sent me home with something new that isn't supposed to be as hard on the stomach, but was. I took one of them at night, with food, and then woke up a few hours later to find the nerve block had worn off and I had a very upset stomach. That was not a fun night! I like the idea of taking snacks to the hospital. Totally going to do that.

 

[Daystar]

@Jozilla and @new knee in June Thank you so much for your comments. I really have to get going on my preparations. I have this week, and then I'll be gone again next week. The following week will be the last one before the surgery on Monday the 28th. There is supposed to be a class at the hospital, but the assistant of my OS didn't know when it is. I'm afraid it is going to be next week when I'm gone. I also have not heard anything about pre-surgery testing yet.

 

[Jozilla]

It is good to be busy! Less time to worry or at least that's how my mind works. You can call your doctor about preop testing. If I remember right mine was within a couple weeks of surgery. Talk to you soon!

 

[Texan]

@Daystar, Now that you saw the man fall on the floor trying to get on the bike, you will know to wait for the therapist and not try that on your own. Sometimes we think we can do more than we can!

My surgeon wanted my pre-surgery testing done 10 days before surgery. You might want to call the hospital and schedule yours so that is taken care of before you go out of town again.

We have a walk-in shower and my husband installed a hand held shower head before my first TKR. I don't know how I would have showered if he hadn't done that. We bought a shower chair, too. You will really appreciate the renovation to your bathroom after surgery!

 

[new knee in June]

@Daystar
One day ( 14 yrs. ago ) after a cold, I found myself Dizzy. The dizziness started Anxiety
Attacks. To this day, I find myself off-Balance & the Anxiety starts. My G.P made me go to a
Physiatrist because the only med that would help was Ativan.
She asked me if I was ever abused & I said "No, I'm Dizzy Serzone also helped, but it was
Taken off the market
I am now on B.P meds & the side-effects are, DIZZINESS, I can't win.
I wouldn't wish dizziness & off-balance on my worst enemy. Your new bathroom sounds wonderful.
You sound busy right up until Surgery.
Don't forget to do nice, fun things....Out to eat, a movie, time with friends & family
Sincerely,
Diana

 

[Daystar]

@new knee in June My experience with dizziness is similar to yours, except I didn't have a cold, I had room-spinning vertigo for a day. I lay still and it got better, but a few weeks later I got the dizziness I still have 16 years later. I don't usually have vertigo, just an indescribable feeling of wooziness, plus I'm off balance. I too had a major anxiety episode as a result. It went on for many months. Sometimes the dizziness is worse than others. When it gets bad, I have anxiety flare-ups. So, yeah, I can relate to your experience.