TKR Hopefaith's Ups and Downs of Recovery

[Caloparker]

@ Just Jeff
Yep, that screaming intense pain is a 10. That sounds miserable to have gone through. : (
It is terrific that your recovery has gone so well. I am sure you poured your best effort into it. Attitude is certainly part of this. You can draw strength from being positive, while negativity just sabotages any honest effort.
I think I've just been weary. A little discouraged at times. My OS told me three months +. I heard 3 weeks. The lack of sleep has done me in. My OS and PTs are happy with my progress. So am I. I am thinking too much about the next round.....coming in Mid July. Perhaps I should spend time enjoying and being thankful for the successes I have now. July will take care of itself.



Sent from my iPhone using BoneSmart Forum caloparker4/21/14

 

[Phil75070]

I broke my arm just above the left wrist as a kid, my left knee cap running into the wall playing squash (funny story there), a compression fracture of my right forearm when I tried to break a fall going down a slope on a golf course, and a broken right leg just above the ankle when I backed up and stepped into a poorly maintained drain on the golf course (who says golf is not a contact sport?).

None of the pain in any of those instances compared to the pain I felt when I woke up in the recovery room after my RTKR. I literally screamed! They could not give me a spinal nor an epidural due to arthritis in the L5 area. The knee felt fine with the femoral block and the local injections given around the knee itself. It was the calfa nd hamstring that had me climbing the walls!

Speaking of pain. They often try to have us men understand the pain of childbirth by comparing it to a man getting kicked in the testicles. However, a year or so later a woman is often heard to say she would like another child. You never here a man say he would like to be kicked in the testicles again.

 

[hopefaith]

@Caloparker I really get the emotional part. It is SO emotionally draining as @Tamsmom has described. Remember what you have gone through and I don't know about you, but I thought I would be up doing a lot by two three months. Ha ha ha!!!!
By the way all, I have really good moments. I am honest about the hard ones. I am meeting my son this a.m. For coffee/tea. He is the one getting married Monday. Can't wait to give some last min advice on women.
He already is light years ahead of a lot of people. He has a lot of emotional intelligence. He always makes me laugh at the most unexpected moments.....sarcastic, colorful humor. Im so proud of hIm. Can you tell? He is a paramedic and a very good one.
I hope your day is less pain and less discomfort.
~~hopefaith

 

[hopefaith]

@Phil75070 I can't imagine what that was like. My pain crisis was the second night and if I hadn't had the block and spinal I can't even fathom that!
I am so sorry you went through that. I never thought I would say this but childbirth doesn't hold a candle to what my pain was the second night. And yours sounds 100 notches above that.
And you still have your sense of humor after all of that! Yea you.
~~hopefaith

 

[IrishMike]

@JustJeff

I agree with you about not having a sense of your own progress until I found Bonesmart. I have a loving and supporting family and friends but they do not fully understand the aches, pains, sleepless nights, exhaustion etc. (they are now only starting to appreciate how much pain I was in before the op).

Thank god for the thoughts and stories on here - I may not always contribute but I am grateful for this forum.

I shall be here for quite a few months yet...

 

[sleenie]

Why not bling? I love it. Plus it will make you feel better. Hang in there. It does get better. But there are many up and downs as you know. Just when you think you've turned a corner you take a couple of steps backwards. It definitely keeps you on your toes.

 

[Phil75070]

@hopefaith Once they got the pain under control and were able to move me up to my room, my pain was pretty well controlled, never getting above a 4-5 as time approached for a new round of painkillers. Mostly I was in the 2-3 range.

 

[71Beetle]

One of my colleagues asked me what the hardest part of child birth was. I said "Raising Them".

 

[hopefaith]

@sleenie I did get some bling! I found sandals for my son's wedding that are comfortable and have rows of blingy down each narrow strap. I wish I could post them. I never thought I could find pretty shoes at this stage of my recovery. I may figure out how to do that today. (The post part)
~~hopefaith

 

[hopefaith]

@Caloparker
I think discouraged is part of this recovery. We all feel it at times.....so normal. I hope I am learning a lot within this waiting. In my life I always strive to learn in the midst of really hard stuff. I kick and scream a lot too. (Not literally on the kicking part.).

 

[busylizzie]

@hopefaith, sorry for hijacking your thread the other day. Thank you for your support. I'm in a better place now and have stopped the constant tears. I keep thinking of Bruce Springsteen lyrics 'We shall overcome' and it is helping me to stay more positive. I can't falter at every hurdle, I must keep going the end is possibly in sight.

 

[hopefaith]

@busylizzie Hijack away! I don't mind at ALL!! Especially you!
h.f.

 

[busylizzie]

Thank you

 

[sleenie]

@sleenie I did get some bling! I found sandals for my son's wedding that are comfortable and have rows of blingy down each narrow strap. I wish I could post them. I never thought I could find pretty shoes at this stage of my recovery. I may figure out how to do that today. (The post part)
~~hopefaith

Please post, would love to see them. I'm going sandal shopping this week and treating myself to a pedicure.

 

[jbucks]

@hopefaith they sound perfect. Hoepfully the day will be beautiful, your knee will not act up and you will feel like yourself again, even just for the day

 

[71Beetle]

Your sandals sound amazing @hopefaith - please do post a picture. You must be busy with all of the events leading up to the big day. Hope the weather is nice for them and the day is wonderful.

Rest up before and take care of yourself.

 

[hopefaith]

@71Beetle Not really busy. It is just family. (not even extended). I ODIC yesterday so I am hangin' on ice today.
I meet my son's fiancé's Mom tomorrow.
I am planning my ice chest for the road. Planning life around this knee is very strange. (but it is what it is.)
My very good friend is driving me to it. (It is about 60 miles from me) SOoooo glad I do not have to drive. That would be way too stressful. My knee can go for about a 10 min. drive my itself.

 

[hopefaith]

@JustJeff and @Phil75070 I was waiting for you two to weigh in on blingy sandals.

 

[Phil75070]

@hopefaith That is Jeff's bailiwick. But, for the record, unless they have spikes on the bottom of them shoes of any kind don't have much interest for me.

 

[Quasi]

Hi! Glad you found something to cheer you up! Hope you.have a good visit with your soon to be daughter-in-law's mom!

I can just se the two boys, Jeff and Phil in bling ! You know they will come up with something funny. I hope so, it would do my heart good. Did you get my text?

Have a good day! I resting and icing after my four half days of work! Take care of yourself!