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TKR Donna' s Recovery

Finally! I have been fighting with my short term disability company for almost 2 months. They have used every delay tactic in the book to stall paying me. I filed a complaint with the state dept of insurance and boom they have decided to approve it. They are mailing a check for all of the back pay they owe me. This has been such a source of stress but finally it has come through. Sometime we just have to keep on plugging even when it seems impossible.
 
This has been the best day since my surgery! I have been fairly active but made sure not to over do it as I know what that gets me, and I have been virtually pain free most of the day! I know it is very early and I have many challenges ahead but I really needed this kind of day to lift my spirits. It's been wonderful and I am hoping to get a few hours sleep tonight.
 
I’m so happy for you!! Yay! Hopefully today is a foreshadowing of your future :)

I had a good day too - mellow, and I got my hair colored thank goodness. It was a bit painful sitting in the chair for 1.5 hours, but TOTALLY worth it.

Onward and upward!
 
So good to hear of your improvements! Maybe you’re sleep will get better the more active you are.
:walking::sleep:
 
I've been welded to my husband's recliner, it has helped enormously with sleeping!
 
@Dolly Girl and I have lived on our enormous sofa! I am So grateful for that thing! The only sleep I have gotten has been on that wonderful sofa that I hated and thought was way too big but my fiance wanted and I am so glad he did! I slept maybe 4 hours or so tonight. Hoping to get sleepy enough to get little more shortly but grateful for what I did get. My bed is missed but it's just not an option as no matter what I can't get comfortable.
 
Hi @donnag1108
Is your sleep improving any, or are we still fellow Zombies. I was stuck with between 2 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours every night. I would lay there totally exhausted, but wide awake, and there was no such thing as a “comfortable” position. I finally got so desperate I decided to try my Morphine pain pills again. I found that if I take one 15 minutes before going to bed, and another one around midnight, or whenever I wake up, I do much better. I only take them every other or third night. I want to know if my normal sleep pattern is coming back to life yet. So far, apparently not.
 
@Denny39 well I'm afraid me and the zombies are still rather good friends, especially this week for some reason. I have had sleep issues for many years and have medication for it but I don't like to take that and pain meds as well but I was sleeping fairly well before surgery. I was getting very frustrated with it but once I let it go and accepted it's part of this recovery and out of my control the frustration of it left me. Getting to a comfortable position has gotten easier as I know the rest of this will for us as well. I have so many blessings in my life so I try to focus on that when I'm in the low spots. I hope this finds you doing well today. Keep on keeping on!!!
 
@Denny39 at 15 weeks I’m back on the Tramadol! Otherwise the pain keeps me awake.What a good idea to take your pills every other night.
 
Question on swelling. I haven't had what I would consider excessive swelling and very little in the foot and ankle on the operated leg but since last night there has been noticeable swelling foot and ankle but no new aches and pains. Any thoughts about this?
 
My foot and ankle swelled, too. The really strange thing was that both of my feet peeled! It was gross! My right foot I could understand, but why my left one? No one knew.
 
Hi @donnag1108
You had your TKR 6 days before I did, so we’re not too far apart in our journey. My initial swelling after surgery was about 3 inches above the knee, and about 1 3/4 around the Calf. That subsided considerably within about a week (I think something like that; I was really in a fog most of that first week). After that, with elevating and ice, it remained pretty stable. But I have noticed that now, since I have started walking on it more, and going up and down stairs (making it work again), my calf and ankle are always somewhat swollen in the evening, and the pain is slightly elevated. I usually ice before going to bed, and the swelling is back down by morning. Hopefully your newly noticed swelling is just a part of the totally unpredictable and wierd things prone to occur during this process. I also have had many blessings in my life. Focusing on those, and on the “little victories” we see in this journey is a big help in maintaining a positive attitude and keeping our eye on the goal.

A day or two after my surgery, I remember asking, “Whose idea was this anyway???”. Now, I think I’m right on the brink of starting to think that maybe I wasn’t crazy after all. Maybe this really was a good idea. BUT . . . Am I willing to do it again? Jury’s still out on that one.

@sistersinhim mentioned peeling feet. My feet have not peeled, although the left one has been through a kaliedoscope of colors. But my leg has intermittently peeled in various locations from down near the ankle to just above the knee. Makes my leg look something like a worn-out patch quilt.
 
This is a long and painful deal, I think you're doing really well. You are certainly entitled to all your feelings, it will get better, bit seems like it takes a looong time!
 
Hi @Newboots
Tylenol seems to manage my pain OK. The frustrating part for me is that it is not usually pain that keeps me awake. I can yawn like crazy and be totally exhausted; then lay there wide awak. There still is no such thing as a stable “comfortable” position, so the result is a night of rather wild thrashing.

I found that the pills do help me sleep, possibly because they tame that restlessness in the leg that keeps it from staying in one place very long. For me, sleep became the most important goal. I was totally drained. My doctor approved, and gave me another prescription. I only take two of them every other night, so hopefully before these run out sleep will once again become normal. I’ve always been s sound sleeper.

It is amazing how, although there are many problems and difficulties common to all of us, each of us seems to at least in some way at the same time be unique. It really is a blessing to be able to share and compare notes. I can’t imagine going through this without having any idea what is really happening.
 
I switched PT facilities and wow is all I can say. I liked my home PT but the outpatient was becoming more and more painful and aggressive. The new one is just amazing! He really gets it! I actually left feeling great and looking forward to the next session next week. My doctor is a big advocate for PT but NOT pain so while he wanted me to continue he did not want it to be like that so he totally encouraged me to find the right place for me. So far it's been a great day and tonight is date night too!! Resting and icing now so as not to overdo things!
 
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