TKR Everything Comes to She Who Waits

[patient 99]

sprung new ouchies around the back that I've never had before.

I know this might sound silly, but several people have reported new aches and pains. They seemed to be of the opinion that it was nerves reconnecting and coming back to life. If so, a good thing rather than a bad. I don't like the sound of the swelling. Are you using your compression stockings?

My office chair is a great success, but I put it down to the foot rest as much as anything. The foot rest slopes and takes all the weight from my legs.

 

[Dabber]

Bionic woman2 go back to bed!

This is my third attempt at posting...
You know I won't manage the Cossack dance...please may I do the Cancan??

 

[Dabber]

I know this might sound silly, but several people have reported new aches and pains. They seemed to be of the opinion that it was nerves reconnecting and coming back to life. If so, a good thing rather than a bad. I don't like the sound of the swelling. Are you using your compression stockings?

No, I'm not, I even thought of getting my TED hose out! Desperation or what!! Dh thinks it's part and parcel of the gland swelling, I don't.

GP wouldn't give me prophylactic antibiotics without a note from consultant, although he specifically mentioned dental work, so I will have to ring the hospital, but he gave me Celebrex for a month as they were in the report from consultant. I may take them a week at a time and see if the swelling goes down. It no longer goes down with icing, elevating and resting or overnight. I'm doing so little the grass is growing around me, or the cobwebs.

Dabs.

 

[Nu nee]

Hi Pat 99. I have been gone for a while. How are things with you? Although I have been gone you have been on my mind wondering now you knee is.

I had my six month follow up last month and my MD said that everything is on target. Hmmm

All summer it seems that when I got home from work I would be too exhausted to move. Some days I just went straight to bed. The knee tightness has not gone away. It is mainly on the outside of my knee. No real pain, but I do get the clunking that others have talked about. And I have had some other health issues also. All in all I have decided that this has not been a good year. This week I actually found myself thinking that before my knee surgery I felt good most of the time and maybe I should have left well enough alone

I have exercised hoping that it would help with the stiffness. I can ride the stationary bike 40 minutes with not a problem, but, then I am really tight for the next 4-5 days.

Well I didn't mean to unload like that, but at least it is out. On a good note, next week is my last week of working before my retirement. So, that will be one less stress to deal with.

I liked your idea of changing knees with someone else for comparison sake, buy, you know why we are supposed to do about comparing ourselves to others.

So no major changes at the six month mark, maybe nine months will yield something. One can only hope.

Take care.

 

[Dabber]

Had to ring 111 going to see out of hours Dr tonight. Whole leg and foot very swollen indeed. It seems to be a lymph gland not a knee thing but it's the operated leg that's huge.
Sue

 

[turtle68]

Sue, glad you are going to see someone, and hope that you get a proper diagnosis and treatment right away. My thoughts are with you.

Big Hugs, Dorothy

 

[patient 99]

Hello Nu nee Really good to hear from you. You know it seems like a life time ago since we last messaged. You were my first contact on BS. I have shed a lot of tears since then. I remember well you're going back to work and being exhausted. I think you deserved a medal for managing to do that.

I still struggle on with my knee, but things are improving. One thing that has changed is that I don't ask as many questions these days. I've pretty well heard everything there is to hear on the subject of knees. You say you wonder if you should have had a TKR. I think that too sometimes. But I still live in hope of more improvement - had I not gone ahead things would just have got worse for sure. I have to think like this. My right knee is in a poor state and it will need to be done pretty soon. I am holding off until my left knee gets a lot better so that I have the strength I need to do it all again (heaven help me).

May be you've been reading messages so are up to date, but just in case you haven't I wanted to mention compression stockings. I have found them a big help. I don't get swelling any more so its not for that purpose, they just seem to give my knee and leg a lot of support - it helps.

From what you say it sounds like you expected to be a lot better by this stage. So did I. But I think that was the expectations of the naive. We are old hands now. Your MD said you were on target. Mine said the same. They both can't be wrong.

I've been keeping a diary. I hadn't written in it since July. If I'd been asked if there had been any improvement since then I would have said NO. But when I read the diary I realised there have been improvements. My knee doesn't swell any more. Instead of it closing down on me at 5.30 it now lasts until about 7.30 and last, but not least, I don't seem to get those really bad days anymore where I had to take to my bed. Its all so gradual you don't know its happening, BUT IT IS.

Its been good to catch up. Retirement is sure to make a big difference for you. Don't be a stranger. Carol

 

[patient 99]

Sue, what can I say? 111 I think I would have taken myself straight to A&E. But that's beside the point. Please let me know asap how you get on at the Doctors. I do feel for you. My biggest hug goes out to you. xx Carol

 

[patient 99]

Gained 10 more pounds since surgery.

I've got a dead cert way to keep the weight off. I am willing to share it with you cause you're my new friend. But don't go spreading it around, or if you do, charge. We can talk about my cut later. Here goes, you ready? Put the scales on the floor, carefully step on with your right foot and leave the left foot on the floor. It works every damned time. I am 98lbs.

There will come a time in the very near future when you will wonder how you ever managed without me. Tis true. Lots of people, who come to think of it, don't seem to message me any more, have said so. Carol

 

[Bionic woman2]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA You are crazy! Tis true, for it takes one, to know one. I thought I was bad stepping on the scale buck naked, first thing in the morning after relieving myself (of the extra weight.) I gingerly place one foot on, then the other making sure the toes hang slightly over the top/off to the side. Oh, but I like you way so much better.
Your secret is safe with me friend.

 

[patient 99]

@Dabb

 

[patient 99]

@MutleNot today

 

[patient 99]

@MutleNot today

 

[patient 99]

Sue, this is my 3rd attempt to post a message. Fingers crossed. How are you? What did the doctor have to say?

 

[patient 99]

Mutley

 

[patient 99]

Jaki Been for a sea walk yet, dogs settling in? Are you happy?

 

[Bionic woman2]

My family have been good, but I think they have got bored. I feel I am totally on my own. Struggling hard to keep positive between the tears. Very conscious that I might be being a wimp, but I am struggling I know, and as time goes on I feel more and more that I am losing the battle.

Hey Carol, I am just now starting to read your thread from the beginning. I do not know your plight, but the family thing sounds familiar. My oldest son has decided to group my latest recovery in with the other one, like a 2 for 1 type deal. This will never do, so me and my younger son have decided to ex-communicate him until he's back on board.

I want to read through your whole thread and as you can see, I am still on page one. It won't be today as I have been on this site longer than a days work! It's so addicting. I said I wasn't even going to log on today. Maybe I'll try that approach tomorrow. I do want read through and share in your road to recovery. I will say a simple break through for me was when my new P/T massage my tight band. It's not completely gone, but she loosened the tendon and the tightness is now only in my kneecap.

I won't ask you any redundant questions that you've probably already answered in your thread. I will have to wait and read through it like a good novel, and hopefully one day soon you'll get to your "Happy Ending!"

I sure hope so because we need you to do a SPLIT in our flash mob for grand finale! You know I couldn't stay serious for long. Oh, also I know you don't like the word mob, we'll try and come up with something more eloquent when the time comes. For now you just keep working on that split... Think Jean Claude Van Damme. (if I could)

Let me know if you need a visual, I have just the pic!

 

[Bionic woman2]

Hi Carol, I'm on page 3 of your thread. I could've sleep so I started reading. Unfortunately my Oxycodone is kicking in strong, so this will be a quick, senseless post.
My first instinct as I read your struggles is to jump through the screen and give you a "Huggie Wuggie." Got that expression from one of my preschool students years ago, it kinda stuck with me. My 2nd instinct is to solve your problem, since I can do neither I'll just relate.

"Now we dream of how far our knees bend <you got to laugh>" Hahahahahahahahaha, before I had knee surgery I use to dream about squatting down all the time. I would wake up believing this was possible for a split second, the the reality check set it. I've had one dream since surgery. My goal is to go back to work and walk through the school squatting down and tying every loose shoe I see. I may make an exception for the wet nasty ones. I joke that the day I can squat down, that's gonna be my NEW BIRTHDAY! Now it's a toss up with, the day I wake up and I don't have a tree trunk for a leg! tough decision I know. I am getting sleepy now, hopefully I can actually GET some sleep. At this point I'm bound to look like this in a few hours no matter how you slice it.

Hope you have a kneeeasy day

RaQia (Ra-key-yah)

 

[patient 99]

Hi Bionic, Mine is a long and up and down thread - sadly nothing like a good novel. I sometimes think since my op and finding BS that I have become a manic-depressive or bi-polar as I think its called today. May be it was always there, it just took the stresses of knee recovery to bring it to the fore.

The bottom line is that I don't really want to be all grown up and sensible about this thing - it blooming hurts and the stiff upper lip just isn't me. At the very least I want to shout at somebody, but mostly I want to put the OS up against the wall along with all his cronies and say `you've got 3 mins to make it better, or else. You hear what I'm saying you ... bleep, bleep, bleep...........'. If there is life after death I want to come back as a guerrilla fighter. Some days I'd be real nice, but other days I would bight the heads of cabbages just 'cause I am bad and I can. I'd strut my stuff and PTs and OSs would quiver ...............my tee shirt would read ` I'm Big and I'm Bad, Better Step Aside, A lot of Men Didn't a Lot of Men DIED' - there is a lot of room on my tee shirt 'cause its well known on BS that my bosoms are ample.

Anyways

"Now we dream of how far our knees bend <you got to laugh>"

Laugh, laugh. Its bleeding hilarious. What's next? No let's not go there. I was looking at some pictures on my friend's Iphone this morning. I was commenting on how this person looked terrible and how that one looked bad and didn't she look old. Then a picture of me appeared. I looked the worst of the lot. But I'm not worried - guerrilla fighters don't have to be pretty.

BTW what a lovely and unusual name you have. Talking to you as Bionic Woman put a picture in my head of a Cylon ( have you watched Battlestar Galactica?). They are 7ft tall, shiny metal and strong. Oh and they only have one eye which is red. But talking to you as RaQia changes everything. Now the picture is of someone soft, warm and friendly - and definitely with 2 eyes - brown eyes.

Take care my Brown Eyed Friend.. Carol

 

[turtle68]

Hi Carol, Do you get the series "Breaking Bad" in the U.K? Anyhow, I think we all need to do a little of that. It just get's tiring being "good" all the time, although I don't think we can go as far as Mr. White. Going to watch it this morning so I can read what everyone's saying about it. Like you, I'm tired of being all grown up and just want to have fun again doing my thing without thinking about my bloody knee.

Bionic woman2, I have read part of your thread, and it always perks me up. Love your sense of humor - have you ever done stand-up comedy? Or at least write it.

Happy day to you all.

Hugs, Dorothy