TKR gr82cu2 Hello new knee, it's great to see you!

[madinana]

@gr82cu2 I would definitely follow up on that Darrell needs to be put in his place I mean if he was rude to you can ya imagine how he is with other people. the sucky part is you have another surgery for your other knee and probably will have to deal with him again. As we pay big bucks to the hospital and doctors and needed to be treated with respect. When I was in the hospital first time up they help me to portapotty and said ring bell when done which I did and 45 minutes later I somehow got my self up and back in bed, When they finally came in (night Shift) they ask what I needed then told them what I did and then they said no no should have to done that and I said well my butt was hurting and forty five minutes was enough, They choose to be doctors and nurses so don't make the patient life miserable
I hope you have a wonderful day and pain free. Keep the positive attitude and stay on top of meds and icing. The elevation really helped my swelling sometimes I just elevated as was not in pain

 

[gr82cu2]

Oh, quick kitty update Tucker was happy to see me. Well, they both were. Tucker jumped right up in his chair and wanted his special mommy belly rubs. Kent managed to get most of his medicine in him the 2 nights I was gone. He does seem a little perkier and brighter eyed than a week ago. He's resting now on his pillow, in the sun, in our bedroom window. Mini was happy too and came to visit me on the couch several times. His constipation seems to have resolved itself with the change back to his old food.

@madinana that's horrible! They should have never left you sitting there that long. I can't imagine how uncomfortable that must have been for you. That's one thing I can't complain about. I had wonderful nursing care. I have fresh ice on and elevating now. Thinking about taking a nap

 

[Texan]

@gr82cu2, Glad you are at home now where you have a little more control. I am so impressed with your ROM. Awesome! I agree with you about taking the day off from p/t. Let the knee rest and calm down a little before starting up again.

I had my first TKR on Jan. 29th and second on June 11th. I wanted both done the same year so the second one wouldn't cost me anything since I met my out of pocket deductible with the first.

You will have good days and bad days with this recovery. It helps to remember that when you have a bad one. Just know that another good one is just around the corner.

Cindy

 

[kneeper]

Wow @madinana that's terrible that they left you there that long. :( My first time in the hospital I thought it was bad when they left me there about 15 minutes & I got myself up. Luckily the hospital has made major improvements since then.

@gr82cu2 , I'm so glad you're home and getting settled in with good pain meds. That PA sounds like a I was appalled when I first read they were only going to give you vicodin. I find that quite mild. Heck, I'm taking 2 at a time *now*, not the day after surgery. And you're so right, the day after is the worst.

How sweet that Tucker greeted you and wanted a tummy rub. Sending hugs to you both.

 

[gr82cu2]

@kneeper I just finished emailing a long descriptive letter to my OS regarding my treatment by his PA. I hated to be a snitch or tattle tail but he deserves to know how his PA is treating his patients. Hopefully he won't be like that in the future to others. I told my OS that I would like to remain in his care but I don't want his PA involved in MY care. I gave him all my reasons why. I had called earlier to ask for my post op appointment to be moved from the PA to my OS and they said they had to have permission from my OS to do that so I figured I'd better get online and give him a head's up as to why.

I tempered the complaints with lots of glowing remarks for his nursing staff and PT at the hospital. It was all true, they were wonderful and he deserved to know that too.

I was shocked too by only Vicodin and just 5 mg at that! I was also surprised that they sent the Rx in before I had even had my surgery because they stressed at joint class how important it was to let them know our pain levels so we could be sent home with the right prescriptions to keep us reasonably comfortable. But, my surgeon had reassured me that they had developed protocols that had their patients taking 2/3's fewer narcotics. I think the protocols he was talking about were the Celebrex/Lyrica combo, elevation and some sort of pain ball to be removed at home, all of which his PA told me were "old protocol" and they longer do that. They did give me ice but not the machine I was promised. And they wouldn't let me elevate high enough, only giving me 2 thin bed pillows under my ankle only that squished down. My knee could have never been above my heart, that's for sure even though their sheet full of "old protocols" specifically said to elevate the knee above the heart.

Anyway, in the end I got what I needed so that's all ok now, I guess.

My eyes are closing involuntarily so I think I'll take a little nap maybe.

xox

 

[lorl]

Thanks everyone who gave me advice re the use of @ facility.

So sorry to hear of yr battles with Darrel, but I think you are wise not to make yr full complaints known till you have the other surgery. Discretion is the better part of valour as they say. If he is a nasty as you say he would find many little devious ways to make yr life miserable next time.

Hope all the med issues are sorted and each day is better than the last. Thanks for sharing so fully. Love n prayers Lorl

​

 

[gr82cu2]

@Texan , thanks! I doubt I'd get anywhere near 90 degrees today on my ROM. My leg is hugely swollen and I can't seem to get it down much. I slept with it elevated all night and cooled. And today iced again most of the day with elevation. I've been up very little other than potty breaks and I took 2 very short walks around the house just to get it moving. It's hurting really bad today despite keeping up with my pain meds.

I feel like the majority of the pain though is coming from the swelling and bruising and some from the tendons. My shin hurts like shin splints and burns like heck when I stand for a few minutes.

The good news is my incision still looks good. It's red and bruised around it, of course but it looks pretty darn good all things considered.

I've had a horrible time staying awake today. I think I'm awake and then the next moment my eyes are closing. I had a nice 90 minute nap this morning and dozed off and on this morning. I slept well last night so I guess it must be the meds doing this to me.

Other than icing and elevating what can I do to encourage this swelling to go down? I feel really held back today and like I've gone way backwards. I only did my exercises once and those are not pushy exercises. I do them with my e-stem and they are basically just muscle flexing exercises. Nothing on my feet or forceful at all.

 

[tiredwife]

@gr82cu2 I have been trying off and on all day to get on your thread, either the site or my computer is glitching and it would dump me off the internet. I haven't forgotten you, really! I lucked out and son in law got off early and picked up the grandson, so now I can go to bed at a decent time! Don't have to babysit again until the week after hubby's surgery.
Glad Tucker seems to be doing better. Has his appetite increased any? They will probably be really cautious around your leg, til you get them to sit in your lap once. Hubby uses ours as weights on his leg while he raises his leg to help with extension.

 

[gr82cu2]

Here's my knee today. 3 days later.

 

[gr82cu2]

@tiredwife Please, don't be hard on yourself. My goodness, you have a life to live and a little time to get out and enjoy things with your hubby before he goes down again for awhile. Tucker hasn't eaten much at all today.

Did you see my knee? What do you think? It's painfully swollen today and I don't know what to do other than what I've been doing. Icing and elevating.

 

[tiredwife]

@gr82cu2 while your leg is elevated have your husband do a gentle massage starting at the foot and working toward the thigh. Don't touch the incision site. That will help a little with the swelling.

 

[tiredwife]

@gr82cu2 Your leg looks good, but what is the white stuff, antibiotic cream? The indentation below the incision looks like you had a roll in the ted hose, that can cause swelling because it acts like a tourniquet, so keep an eye on things like that.
Maybe Tucker is just too excited to see you to eat.
Hubby has been funny today practicing walking with a cane for his soon to be new knee! He said he just came down the stairs like a 2 year old practicing for the new knee. His right knee has been paining him alot today because he has to be off his declofenac for the surgery.
Hope you have a good sleep tonight.

 

[gr82cu2]

@tiredwife, the white stuff is glue. I don't have anything on the incision. No ointments, lotions, oils, nothing. I've been trying to keep my hose pulled up and straight. For the first couple of days they stayed up well but now that my thigh is so swollen and they are stretching out they are wanting to work their way down. They were supposed to give me a spare pair to wear when these get washed but they forgot. I talked to them today and they are going to have a pair at the front desk tomorrow for Kent to pick up for me. I'm scared to have him rub my leg

 

[ConnieJOS]

Hi Janet! I've been reading a lot of your posts, but I haven't posted much for some reason. Just been lurking. . Sounds like you are doing really well. Today was our 4th day! Woo hoo! I'm doing well too. Different surgeons sure seem to give different treatments! I saw your incision and it looks like it's healing great. I haven't seen mine because they put some kind of silver pad on it that prevents infection. It will come off Tuesday and it has the dura bond under it. I had PT in the hospital, but they couldn't get me worked in for outpatient PT until Tuesday. Then I will go three times a week for six weeks. I've had moderate swelling, more at some times than others. I got to 120 on the "bend" during my hospital PT but I was 9 on the straightening part. They did push it and it hurt and I just let them. They think it's the right thing and I felt strange telling them how to do their job. I wouldn't want to go to them if I couldn't trust their judgment, but I do understand the benefits of an easier more gentle way as is discussed here. The pushing did cause some swelling but it went back down. No one ever suggested compression stockings for me. I have been groggy from the meds. I have been taking 10

 

[ConnieJOS]

I have been taking 10/325 on the hydro every 4 hours by the clock since surgery. It seems like a lot, but it has kept the pain level very tolerable. Anyway, just wanted to touch base. I'll keep watching your posts and hope you continue the great progress! Take care!

 

[tiredwife]

@gr82cu2 he won't have to rub hard, just lightly to move the swelling, foot, ankle, calf, thigh. But if you're nervous don't do it, just elevate higher for longer. White glue, they didn't use Elmer's Glue did they?

 

[gr82cu2]

Hi @ConnieJOS it sounds like you are doing great! I'm so happy for you I'm going to out patient PT on Tuesday also. They told me it would just be more of an evaluation/assessment type thing though so they can see where I'm at and figure out a game plan for me.
I've had a really bad day with swelling today. Just about an hour ago I had a light bulb moment and realized I don't have any anti-inflammatories in me. I don't know if you read about my problem with my surgeon's PA or not. But, he sure put a monkey wrench in the deal and now I'm paying for it. There was some (a lot) of confusion over Celebrex but long story short, it finally got ready at the pharmacy so I just had Kent go pick it up. Hopefully it will help. I have swelling issues with inflammation at the best of times, let alone following surgery. I've written an email to my OS to tell him all about how his PA has been the only monkey wrench in my ordeal.

 

[gr82cu2]

@tiredwife I'm pretty sure it was Elmer's wood glue I had Kent go about an hour ago to get the Celebrex. It occurred to me I have no anti-inflammatories in me! Thanks to the PA, grrrr! I was on it in the hospital but now haven't had any since Thursday morning. Hopefully, it that's the problem it will begin to resolve. I swell from inflammation under the best of circumstances. Thanks! Kent just tucked me in for the night No massage! We'll see tomorrow. What I need is my younger daughter in law to come. She's got a very gentle touch. My other daughter in law is a PA so she might know what to do also.

 

[gr82cu2]

Friday, August 1, 2014 daily roundup! Day 4 of my recovery.

Woke up with a hugely swollen leg from ankle to upper thigh. Pain shoots past a 10 any time I stand up. It's a burning tight pain. Remember Indian rubs? Did any of you have a rotten older brother? LOL!! My brother used to give me Indian (before the word Indian was considered racist?? My apologies if it is but that's what we called them when we were kids) rubs on my wrists where you grab the person's wrist and twist the skin in opposite directions and it gets so tight and burns. It's like that! And it feels like I have the worst shin splints in the history of man when I stand. I'm having much more difficulty rising to my feet because I've lost so much bend in my knee, and the pain when doing so. Several times I tried to stand, got part way up and just fell back down.

I spent 99% of the day on the couch with legs elevated, ice on and just resting and napping off and on, hoping the swelling will go down. I did my e-stem exercises only once instead of twice like I'm supposed to.

At around 9:30 last night Kent and I were talking and trying to figure out what was different or had changed to cause the swelling to get so bad since Thursday. Then I had a thought! I'm not on any anti-inflammatory meds! My OS won't let me take Aleve or Ibuprofen because of the blood thinning issues. And that's why he wanted me to have the Celebrex instead but I haven't had any since Thursday morning at the hospital because of my OS's PA and him being a complete (*@&(%#. The Celebrex was sitting at the pharmacy and I had emailed my OS and told him until it was told to me by him personally I wasn't going to go get it. But last night I was hurting and swollen so badly that I had Kent go get it. I popped one and woke up this morning feeling 25% better and the swelling is better! Kent noticed right off that it had gone down even through my jammie pants, pad on my knee and the whole bit. The first thing I did when I opened my eyes today, before sitting up or standing, I took another Celebrex. I can take one 2 times a day. It hadn't been quite 12 hours since the last dose but I'm not worried about it.

I emailed OS again last night to let him know we went ahead and got the Celebrex and why. I hope he realizes that I suffered and had a setback yesterday because of his PA. I also hope he doesn't do the doctors protect other doctors at all costs thing and denies anything Darrell did or didn't do affected me because it has and it did. I didn't word my email to him as though I'm looking for any apologies or admission of guilt. I'm not a person to sue someone or anything. I just wanted him to know what Darrell had done and said so it doesn't happen to anyone else in the future.

Otherwise yesterday (day 4 counting surgery day) was spent just resting, taking meds and getting fluids down. I was alternating Oxycodone, Tramadol and Vicodin through the day. I can take the Vicodin through the day, just not at night because it keeps me awake.

I slept reasonably well. Kent was ready and wanting to go to bed at 11:30 so I had him get me all tethered up to my cooling machine and settled in myself. I laid here about an hour, dozing off and on but never getting fully asleep. I opened my eyes to see both our kitties sitting by the sofa staring at me, LOL. I patted my lap and Tucker jumped up and stayed with me for an hour or more. As I was petting him I got more and more relaxed and finally fell sound asleep around 1:00. I woke again at 2 on my own when it was time for more meds, took them, got up to potty and went right back to sleep till 7 this morning. Not too bad of a night's sleep especially considering I did basically nothing yesterday to tire myself.

(((hugs)))

 

[tiredwife]

@gr82cu2 Glad you got some sleep! Hope all that wood glue doesn't take the hide off when you finally get to wash it. Hope the swelling continues to go down! You are tired because your body is taking all it's energy to heal. Everyone goes through it. You will do a little and get exhausted. Have a great day!