TKR Eeek’s recovery thread.

[Eeek]

@KarriB - i have something called movicol....it‘s slow. Haven‘t seen miralax here.

 

[Eeek]

First knee was done 5 months ago. I remember being impressed with the lack of pain and the inherent stability. So this time, there is less pain, more stability, I walk better, sit on the bed and toilet easier and with less pain, for example.

But I’m so grumpy. It’s like the novelty of this has worn off. Not sure if I’m depressed, but I just feel blah. No appetite. Might be the awful heat, but I just feel a bit lost. It’s hard to describe. Could it be the energy drain? Maybe I just need to get my icing/elevating schedule back on track. I don’t know. Anyone have this experience?

 

[Jockette]

My guess is that a big part of it is the energy drain. Your first knee is only 5 months old, so still healing, and now another one. Two major surgeries in 5 months is bound to take a big toll.

There could also be some post op blues kicking in.

At 5 months post op you were feeling better and coming along and now you’re back to square one.

 

[KarriB]

I had the blues something awful after my TKR and infection. I felt as though everyone’s life was moving forward but mine. I was stuck in the house, unable to do much and was miserable. I think it’s a combination of surgery, meds, boredom and isolation. Once I was able to get out of the house a bit I felt better. Just going out to eat but still elevating my leg at the restaurant helped me feel a bit normal.

 

[Eeek]

I just read something @Roy Gardiner wrote in @hatingthis thread....how when you stand the actual pain in your knee is gone (I‘m paraphrasing, but anyway). And that‘s the thing....my knee feels so much better, even not quite a week out. What hurts are the muscles when I stand....and with icing, rest, meds.....this too will pass.

But it still sort of sucks getting there. Sometimes. I‘ve iced for about 2 hours already today. Now I need a nap. Might as well enjoy it.

 

[Spex10]

I found that strong coffee and oranges worked better than Movicol et al. Just a suggestion...

 

[Eeek]

Also popcorn and Diet Coke! Though things are moving well.

 

[Spex10]

What a relief!!

 

[Laurenkate]

It would be hard to have two knees done so close together. I felt like I was just getting back on my feet emotionally, physically, and mentally a year after my first tkr - and then my second knee decided to go kaflooey. The problem with this surgery too is that most people don't go into it 100% so that makes the recovery seem longer, don't you think? The emotional recovery is as hard as the physical recovery and that's the part people don't see so they don't understand it either.

The one good thing about all of it is that the handicapped sticker comes in handy during the holidays if you have to shop in places with very little parking or parking lots the size of a football stadium.

 

[Spex10]

No such thing here! It's possible to apply for a 'blue badge' but there are strict criteria to meet and a lot of admin. Chances are that knee is healed well before the official permit comes through - even if you are deemed eligible and you might not be!

 

[Eeek]

I‘m glad I did mine close together after all. Now they can recover together. Not sure I could have managed a bilateral, though.

I was in better shape this time than the last but still, it‘s easy to forget how cranky, tired you get and how painful it is. And this time, the heat is just awful.

No handicapped sticker here (Switzerland) either. Actually, I didn’t ask. In fact, when I was released from the hospital, I walked out with the help of my crutches. Both times.

The place with the farthest parking is the hospital, where I go for pt. Until I can drive again, my husband will take me and drop me off near the front door.

 

[Laurenkate]

Once again, it's so interesting how different areas handle the parking stickers. After my general doctor saw x-rays of my first bad knee, he just gave me the application and said I'd be happy he did so. When I told him I probably wouldn't use it much he said it would be better to have it and not need it than vice versa. He was right and I'm grateful he did so. In many situations, I didn't need to use it because of distance to the store, needed it because most parking spaces are so close together, it's almost impossible to open the door enough to get my foot out. Got my foot stuck in the door at a grocery store parking lot last spring and was almost in tears before the owner of the car next to me came out and moved it so I could get unstuck.

 

[Eeek]

My parents and elderly aunts had them in the US and they were a life saver. It’s the difference between a bit of very valuable mobility and being a shut in. If I had a long term issue, or parked far away, i would lobby for one here. We have loads of handicapped parking spaces all over the place.

 

[Jockette]

My surgeon’s office said I couldn’t have a temporary handicap parking card, so that was that.

I wonder if in Delaware, US, one must need it long term to qualify, and the “temporary “ recovery from knee replacement didn’t qualify. I don’t know. But I sure could have used it for a while!

 

[Laurenkate]

Y'all don't have the different types of stickers? That's weird. Most of the long term ones here are attached to the license plates; the placards can be for a year or five years (I think).

My daughter lives in a small town near NYC where parking is virtually non-existent; it's great to take my placard with us when in her car. It sounds like I really abuse the thing, doesn't it?

The two things I've noticed since have knee problems is how low to the ground toilets are in rest stops along the NJ turnpike (and elsewhere) and how most people can't seem to park their big old SUV's within the lines of very small parking spaces.

 

[lovetocookandsew]

I was given forms for temporary parking placards, that lasted 6 months, before every knee surgery, and my OS would give me a new one as needed. But, after my TKR was obviously not going to work, I happened to be seeing my PCP for something else and mentioned it to her to save me a trip or email to my OS for another temporary one. She read through my records, realized that not only was it getting more and more difficult for me to keep going in to the DMV to get one, even with appointments, it was also not going to get better any time soon, if ever, so she gave me a form for a permanent disabled parking license plate. Now I have a permanent disabled plate on my car, plus they automatically send me a placard to use in our other car, or rental cars, etc. I brought that one with me to Maine a couple of months ago and used it in my rental car. It was a lifesaver many times. But, I am hoping this surgery does the job, and I can once again park farther away from places and just walk all I want.

 

[KarriB]

My OS gave me the application before the surgery. I was having a hard time walking anywhere, but later used it because of the space it gave to open the car door wider when my knee wasn’t bending. I actually just got the renewal form yesterday.

 

[Eeek]

So i’ve been having a sore throat, hoarse voice and dry cough since last week. More than anything, except for the heat, this has made it difficult for me to get comfortable at night and I’ve had some awful sleep deprivation. So i’ve been super grumpy and cranky and even weepy.

This morning, I took my normal 2 panadol extend, decided to try a voltaren, and because of that, I took some omeprazole. Fell asleep, best sleep I’ve had since surgery and my voice, throat, etc were so much better when I awoke. So maybe some reflux in the mix. Will keep up with the omeprazole, but not so much the voltaren.

My incision looks much better than last time, and i’m having my staples removed in a week.

And here’s a med thing....i’ve been using panadol extend, a mix of extended release (2/3) and regular (1/3) panadol. You take 2 665 mg tabs every 8 hours. It’s so convenient for me. But it turns out that the governing board for patients meds in the EU has decided that the risk of overdose is too great with the modified release versions of paracetamol, so they’ve suspended their production.

In Switzerland, at least, some pharmacies have stockpiled these meds and if you have a prescription, you can get them as long as they are available. Many places here no longer sell panadol extend. Not sure about elsewhere in Europe. And of course in the US you can buy similarly formulated Tylenol over the counter. I guess it’s not a huge deal, but the delivery system of extended release Is just more convenient for me.

 

[Laurenkate]

We ARE in the same grumpy/cranky boat. A sore throat is the most annoying thing - glad yours sounds better.

Having the staples out will be great. There's something psychologically icky about knowing your skin is held together with staples.

 

[Eeek]

@Laurenkate - grumpyness rules. Not only that, but we’re having a dreadful heatwave where no one has a/c. Not even patient rooms in hospitals! That just adds insult to injury.

On the other hand......it encourages me to rest.