TKR DogLady: Reinvented.

[nysparkle]

Woo Hoo glad to hear your progress! I know it's hard work but it sounds lie you are up to the challenge.

 

[1ELISEA]

Dog Lady Maggie-Lee
I am so sorry! How in the world did I miss your return to the board on the post op side! Your cute Charlie Pete will be glad to see you when you return home.

If you are walking independently and have a 95 degree flexion, I say a gold star for you! That is fantastic! Oh, I know about the pain, wow, that is something isn’t it! After surgery, I could walk ok, but going from a sitting to a standing position was the worst for me. Thank goodness for pain medication.

 

[DogLady]

Hi everyone
I've been slow to update. I'm just shy of two week post. I was in hospital for a full week, then on discharge came to stay with some friends in the country. My house is currently being repaired from earthquake damage so I have no place to go. My dogs are still kenneled...I miss them terribly.
I'm doing okay. I've discontinued my codiene. It just has too many side effects. I'm still on tramadol and panadol. I treid to pull those back over the weekend and wound up pretty miserable. So it's too early for that. My walking is pretty good wtih crutches. I almost think I could manage with one crutch but I'm a little chicken to try. My range of motion was pretty good but after the weekend I seem to have backslid. I see my surgeon on Wed to have staples removed and I'm sure he will lecture me about this. No physio was recommended for discharge so I have been going alone with exercise. But I've made an appt for Wed afternoon with a private physio to try to move things forward. I'm sleeping reasonably well. Wake up every few hours and need to reposition. Then after about 5-6 hours I just need to get up and sit in a chair....need a more major position change.

All in all I'm okay. I'm prepared to be patient with my physical state. I didnt expect it to go quickly. But I am frustrated with my mental state. I need to get back to work. I can work at home....just need a computer. But my mind is just a bit too fuzzy or I'm just too distracted to focus. So I'm just not able to get anything done. And it seems I'm not ready to come off pain meds. This could all be quite do-able if I could get my work done. Do other people still have this thick-head after 2 weeks?

 

[Morning Glory]

Good to hear that you're doing so well. ROM will go up and down for awhile, I wouldn't worry about that now. The fuzzy head will clear up too, just give it a little time.
I'm sorry your home was damaged in the earthquakes! Hope you're able to get home soon and bring your puppies home. That will make you feel better for sure! If I lived nearby I'd be taking care of Charlie for you, can't get enough of that face!

 

[DogLady]

Thanks Morning Glory. Makes me smile that you love my boys sweet face. I miss both of them but they can't come home until I get home and am very stable on my leg. He is a handful!!

 

[Lori-M]

So glad to hear from you! And overall you're sounding very positive. I hope you can get home soon and lose that fuzziness. Work is often a good distraction so I can understand you wanting to be able to do some, just be sure not to overdo (now I sound like a mother; which is okay cause I am one!). I'd miss my doggies too; I hope you're reunited soon!

 

[kneeper]

2 weeks is early. I know what you mean about not being able to focus. Don't worry about it--as you come off the meds and get some rest things will come back to normal. I think it must be your body's/mind's way of getting you to take it easy.

 

[DogLady]

Thanks for the good thoughts everyone. I'm less annoyed and frustrated today. I took Tramadol last night right before bed and managed to sleep ALL NIGHT LONG....woke up at 4:00 which is my usual waking time. So I made it all night without pain and repositioning getting me up. Yahooo!

I also walked with one crutch this morning. Think I might could manage with none, but wont try that just yet. My knee goes from feeling pretty good with reasonable ROM, to stiff and swollen and with poor ROM. All part of the process you will all tell me. I accept that. But I can see some good changes so I'm encouraged. De-stapling and physio tomorrow. Onward through the fog!!!

 

[Lori-M]

Thanks for the good thoughts everyone. I'm less annoyed and frustrated today. I took Tramadol last night right before bed and managed to sleep ALL NIGHT LONG....woke up at 4:00 which is my usual waking time. So I made it all night without pain and repositioning getting me up. Yahooo!

 

[Morning Glory]

A good nights sleep works wonders! I'm gald you're feeling better. Little improvements sneak up on you when you least expect them. Getting the staples out made me feel better. They were so annoying, the bandage was always falling down around my ankle and then catching on the staples when I pulled it up.
I surprised myself today, I was leaving my daughters house and got to the door and realized I had forgotten my cane!
Not long ago I couldn't have gotten to the door without 2 of them.
What kind of dog is your other puppy? Our last dog was a Westie. He had a huge personality in a little package, not a day went by he didn't make me laugh.

 

[Lori-M]

I surprised myself today, I was leaving my daughters house and got to the door and realized I had forgotten my cane!

How exciting! Congratulations Morning Glory!

 

[grabbit97]

Thanks for the good thoughts everyone. I'm less annoyed and frustrated today. I took Tramadol last night right before bed and managed to sleep ALL NIGHT LONG....woke up at 4:00 which is my usual waking time. So I made it all night without pain and repositioning getting me up. Yahooo!

I also walked with one crutch this morning. Think I might could manage with none, but wont try that just yet. My knee goes from feeling pretty good with reasonable ROM, to stiff and swollen and with poor ROM. All part of the process you will all tell me. I accept that. But I can see some good changes so I'm encouraged. De-stapling and physio tomorrow. Onward through the fog!!!

WOW, sounds like you are doing well, and Charlie Pete happy to see you?
My papillon's name is ZOEY as you can see her picture on the left.
She too was so happy to see me when I got home from the hospital/rehab which was 13 days in all...
Hubby brought her to the hospital every day, and rehab to see me and others (she is a therapy dog) so she is used to seeing other people.
We were in New Zealand last year, and know that there was alot of damage from the earthquake, esp. around Christchurch!
Glad to hear you up and around... ice, elevate and rest.. good rules to follow, let your KNEE tell you what to do.

 

[Leisa]

Hi Maggie-Lee, I have been reading your recovery. Looks like a couple bumps in the road at first but you are moving along well it seems. Love the dog babies. We have a wonderful little bundle of fun someone just threw out of their car and sped away. He was yelping and chasing them, it was so sad. Hiis name is Opie now and he is a great little dog about a year old. Goes with us step-by-step on trail rides w/the horses. He just loves it and apparently has some herding genes because he knows how to act around the horses.
Best wishes for continued progress!

 

[1ELISEA]

Hi everyone I've been slow to update. I'm just shy of two week post.

Checking in to see how you are doing?

 

[DogLady]

Hi everyone....need advice. I've not logged on in quite a while....sorry.
Things have been going okay. Great progress in first two weeks that seems to have slowed a bit. I'm good on one crutch, can walk without any with full weight bearing but am not doing that much yet. Had cut down pain meds to just a few tramadol before bed. If I stay upright more than about 5 hours it gets stiff and swollen and sore but otherwise pretty okay. I was thinking about starting 1/2 days at the office.

BUT last night was probably the worst night I have had since my surgery. Horrible pain...a bit at the surgical site, but also on the outer part of lower leg. I was concerned about DVT, but no redness or swelling that I could tell. Slept only about an hour. Pain meds did not seem to help much and I almost took myself to emergency room. Miserable. This morning its quite a bit better. For the rest of you....it this common to have such a severe episode of pain so late in the game? I'm one month post-op. Should I be worried?

 

[DogLady]

Oh....and hello to all you other dog people. Thanks for your messages. You just gotta love a wet nose. I'm still not able to return home....house is STILL taken over by earthquake repair workers. So the pups are still at the kennel....breaking my heart! I miss them.

 

[Lori-M]

Hi everyone....need advice. I've not logged on in quite a while....sorry.
Things have been going okay. Great progress in first two weeks that seems to have slowed a bit. I'm good on one crutch, can walk without any with full weight bearing but am not doing that much yet. Had cut down pain meds to just a few tramadol before bed. If I stay upright more than about 5 hours it gets stiff and swollen and sore but otherwise pretty okay. I was thinking about starting 1/2 days at the office.

BUT last night was probably the worst night I have had since my surgery. Horrible pain...a bit at the surgical site, but also on the outer part of lower leg. I was concerned about DVT, but no redness or swelling that I could tell. Slept only about an hour. Pain meds did not seem to help much and I almost took myself to emergency room. Miserable. This morning its quite a bit better. For the rest of you....it this common to have such a severe episode of pain so late in the game? I'm one month post-op. Should I be worried?

So sorry to hear about your bad night. I don't have an answer for you (I'm still on the pre-op side) but I know someone will be along with some feedback. I hope you don't have a recurrence of that sort of pain. I'm impressed that you're already considering going back to work! I plan to use every one of the six weeks I've got coming to me. I commute over an hour each way by train and bus which makes it difficult to do part days. I want to be absolutely certain that it's worth the trip!

Feel better soon!

 

[DogLady]

Thanks Lori....great looking pup you have there. I probably would alreday be doing half days and just taking a cab in and out of work....it's close so no trains, planes or dramas. But the friends I'm staying with are in the country and I'm not quite up to doing full days at work so can't go in and out with them.

good luck wiht your surgery coming up. That llast week of waiting was really frustrating. I just wanted to get it over with. Go buy yourself flowers! Flowers and a dog make everything better.

 

[Lori-M]

Flowers and a dog make everything better.

AMEN!

 

[kneeper]

Hi everyone....need advice. I've not logged on in quite a while....sorry.
Things have been going okay. Great progress in first two weeks that seems to have slowed a bit. I'm good on one crutch, can walk without any with full weight bearing but am not doing that much yet. Had cut down pain meds to just a few tramadol before bed. If I stay upright more than about 5 hours it gets stiff and swollen and sore but otherwise pretty okay. I was thinking about starting 1/2 days at the office.

BUT last night was probably the worst night I have had since my surgery. Horrible pain...a bit at the surgical site, but also on the outer part of lower leg. I was concerned about DVT, but no redness or swelling that I could tell. Slept only about an hour. Pain meds did not seem to help much and I almost took myself to emergency room. Miserable. This morning its quite a bit better. For the rest of you....it this common to have such a severe episode of pain so late in the game? I'm one month post-op. Should I be worried?

It sounds like you should be upright fewer than 5 hours and maybe still take a tramadol or tylenol or something during the day. Are you still doing some icing and elevating after activity at least?
You might be having some muscle or other soft tissue pain from the different motions you're doing now that you're on one crutch.