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TKR Canadian Girl's Journey

Love you guys with all of your jokes.

I heard this one at the dinner table tonight.
Youngest son to oldest son: "You were born on the highway"
Oldest son: "Why do you say that"
Youngest son: "Cus that's where most accidents happen"
Oldest son: MOMMMM!
Love my life :heehee:

I just posted the following on someone else's thread:

I am pleased with the mobility I have on this TKR compared to the first one at the same stage. The increase in pain could be contributed to a few things:

1. The scar is smaller but the bruising of the knee is a lot more than I had to deal with on the first surgery. Maybe because they had less space to move around in. :)
2. The knee I had done most recently, was in worse shape than the other one with regards to the bone on bone aspect. I have no idea if that is the reason this one is hurting more. :shrug:
3. I am more of a wimp this time around:boohoo:
4. My boys may have replaced my meds with sugar pills and are selling the real stuff at street value :snork:

Either way, I am not able to manage between the 4 hours allowed before I can have more meds. I really do not want to take anything stronger (I am currently on 2 Percocets every 4 hours) and I don't think my OS or GP would allow it. I am icing and elevating and using the TENS. I truthfully don't understand the pain this time.
 
@71Beetle Sorry you are having a difficult time. I think there is often more pain if they have to work harder to straighten the leg. It means that the tendons and muscles get bruised more. I think the length of time that the tourniquet is on may play a part to, and so many nerves to get nicked. Way too many variables to know for sure. Then again.......sugar pills does make a lot of sense.:wink:
 
Good Morning (Ottawa time) All!

Hope everyone is doing well. So I had a few good hours of sleep last night that I am thankful for. For the past couple of days I have set a timer to be sure that I take my meds on time (to get the pain levels back under control). I usually wake up before they are required due to the need for them. Last night the timer woke me up once. I consider this a good thing. Will keep up with the timed doses again today and see if it get things under control.

We have a massage chair that my hubby had bought me for my 40th birthday. I have napped in it before but on the last TKR when I tried to sleep in it, it was too uncomfortable. Well considering I have had a heck of a time getting comfortable these past few nights, I thought I would try it again. It reclines beautifully and elevates my legs well (with an added pillow) and allowed for a much more comfortable sleep. And when my low back hurts, I just turn on the massager. I am a happy woman today! Funny how last time it was painful to sit in it.

So with the chair and the timed meds, I may be a new person in the next couple of days!

Not much planned today. My parents will come by for a visit. We are getting some rain today so I will stay inside. We are due for a few days of HOT and MUGGY next week. Sure wish I was able to swim. I don't mind hot but muggy drives me nuts. It's bad for my hair and my joints too.

Hope everyone has a fantastic Sunday! Hubby is making bacon and eggs for the family and the two guests that the boys had over for the night.
:flwrysmile:
 
@71Beetle oh the ever elusive sleep. The thing everyone wants and seldom get. Glad you were able to get some. My hubby's lack of sleep is rubbing off a little on me. Maybe it is simpathy sleeplessness! BACON - YUM enough said! Have a great day!
 
Glad you're feeling better @71Beetle ! I was always jealous of those with the foresight/luck to have a recliner before their surgery. I had so many back issues and a complete inability to get comfortable thanks to being in bed all the time that I think having a recliner would have helped immensely. Glad it's providing relief for you this time around!

As for the meds, I think you're doing great on your 2 sugar pills every 4 hours. ;-) You're only 3 weeks out. I was on oxy every 4 hours for more than 6 weeks before I was able to start spacing them out more. It was more than 2 months I think that I was able to step down to Tramadol. Do you have those? They're excellent for TKR pain when paired with Tylenol. You can also take them while taking your percocet, just FYI.

Geez, I never knew so much about drugs before all of this..... I could have a 2nd career as a dealer (if my mother's eyes didn't light up so much whenever she hears of my stockpile - she's hoping her birthday and hannukah gifts are in the form of little white pills in prescription bottles) ...

Have a great day!
 
@DogLoverx3, Thanks for stopping by Ellen.

Yes, I am loving the massage chair. We also have a Lazy Boy but I could not get comfortable in it. I spent most of the time on the couch on my last TKR so this is a nice change. I have a nice bed upstairs but I cannot get comfortable in it and end up painfully tossing and turning which keeps both me and and my hubby up. Plus he snores so I am enjoying the peace a bit. Love the man dearly but the snoring is enough to drive me bonkers!

During my first TKR, I was using Tramadol and Tylenol during the day and Percocet at night at week 4. Right now the Tramadol and Tylenol is not enough so I am on Percocet full time. I am sure I will be able to step down as well soon enough. To be honest, I am not going to rush it. I want to remain comfortable enough that I can do my exercises and rehab as painlessly as possible. I don't plan on doing it again so if it means being on narcotics a little while longer than anticipated, I am cool with that.

How are things going with you?
 
Lisa, I know how you feel about the snoring! We bought an adjustable bed a couple of years ago and I hoped it could lessen the snoring problem. Unfortunately my husband rarely adjusts it! The bed was perfect for post-op; it's easy to get into a comfortable position. I also have a La-Z-Boy which is quite comfortable too.
 
I think I will have to check sleep apnea out. A lot of it is weight. We have both gained a lot of weight over the years. Unfortunately, I am more concerned about losing mine than he is. Once I am comfortable in the bed, he will be the one sleeping in another room. :)
 
@71Beetle he didn't use to snore, weight gain leads to apnea. It is very dangerous, can lead to heart problems, and the lack of oxygen to the brain at night plays havoc. Have him get a sleep test done.
 
Hey Lisa, sorry to hear the pain isn't playing nice. How about adding Tylenol?

Had a big scare yesterday. My husband got his foot stuck between our host trailer and suburban, he couldn't get free, I had to jump in across the passenger seat and start the truck and drive forward to get him free...thought for sure I would see a mangled leg! Thankfully nothing was broke. Me and my knee performed well!


4/1/2014 TKR
 
@tiredwife, thanks for the tip. I will have him talk to the doctor about it. He does not get a good nights sleep that's for sure. I have wondered about the snoring because sometimes he seems to almost catch his breath before he snorts. :sigh:

Wow @Tamsmom that was quite the "Bionic Woman" feat you performed yesterday! Your must have been so scared as your husband must have been. However did that happen?? Thank God he is okay. Hopefully your knee withstood the heroics.

Regarding the Tylenol, it is already in the Percocet. 375mg of Tylenol along with 5 mg of Oxycodone per pill is what makes up this dosage of Percocet. I am getting it under control with the timed doses and a lot of elevating and icing. I know it is temporary and that helps the emotional healing.

Joke for today: What do you call a dead bee that comes back to life? A zomBEE! :loll:
 
?@71Beetle Yep, that is sleep apnea. Look it up, it causes all sorts of health problems, please have him get it checked! He is actually stopping breathing.

What do you call a bee born in May? a maybee
 
Hi Lisa,

Absolutely take your time in stepping down the pain meds. I made the mistake of trying to cut back several times when it was way too soon for me. As I'm apparently on the extended recovery plan, everything seems to take longer for me.

Thanks for asking how I am. You know how this recovery is a 2 steps forward, 1 step back kinda thing? I'm in a back-stepping phase apparently. I've got some new and uber annoying pains and not sure what to do about them. I'm also getting tired of having to explain to people that YES, I AM still recovering from TKR that I had almost 8 months ago.

I don't always post, but I do try to keep tabs on you and pop in to check out the latest funny (and not so funny) jokes. ;-)

xoxo, E
 
Hi Lisa, @71Beetle
I'm back from my little holiday and it's good to see that you are doing well. Maybe a bit more pain, but you are getting it under control. (Perhaps the first knee still recovering means that it isn't doing as much to help the second knee as an un-operated knee could have done?)

All your friends here have been giving you some excellent advice and support! What a great group of buddies!

Best wishes! :flwrysmile:
 
Hi @71Beetle and @tiredwife - tell me about the snoring and the sleep apnoea! Husband got a repulsive cold and cough a couple of weeks before my TKR so I shoved him in another bedroom. Ha ha - he's still there, 6 months on, and I really should let him back in, but I have never slept better. He snores like an old wart hog and despite constant warnings, worryings and threats he will do nothing about the sleep apnoea. His younger brother has it and has the machine at night, but hubby just will not listen. Before the TKR I have slowly counted to 10 while he hasn't breathed and then he takes one of those huge gulps of air. He has been surreptitiously trying to lose weight though and has been quite successful - especially as he is a lot more active in the summer and has been sailing a lot. When we go down to the other house we share the bed (with a bolster in the middle so he doesn't throw his legs about and kick my knee which he has made quite a habit of in the past) and the snoring/breathing seems to be improving. Its worrying, but I just hope that he realises the dangers, I have told him enough times. It would seem that much more attention is paid to it in US than here - I have read of lots of people with cpap machines on this site.
But you are absolutely right, the quality of sleep he gets is poor and he is always sneaking a quick nap. There is not much more I can do - for a clever person he can be so stupid at times.

XX
 
Hi Lisa! Hope the pain is manageable. I too share the stories about snoring; mine. It's inevitable I think. With knee problems, we gain weight due to an enforced sedentary lifestyle and part of that weight gain send to be down our throats!
My wife did kick me out of the bedroom and pleaded with me to get a sleep study. I resisted for years. When I finally did have it done, they said I was their record holder for not breathing for 3 minutes at one point! Enter the CPAP 3 years ago and peaceful nights again. I hope now to be rid of it by New years as my weight loss relieves the issue. So ladies, get your husbands tested! They're killing themselves and don't know it. Snoring is just a symptom.
 
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