PKR Hopefully half a hopper now!

[puffin]

Hope they manage to get your pain meds sorted out so you are less green
Take care and hope you get some sleep

 

[Fernie]

Hello, so pleased to hear you are doing Ok.

I had terrible At first but got through it. You'll need proper meds at ths stage.

Good luck, get Lots of rest. Fernie

 

[My way]

Hi hopper, I hope your day went well all things considered. Hoping to hear from you soon.

 

[Hopper]

We are now in our hotel - not the best place to be but the distance has deemed it necessary. Having awful nausea. Taking 4 dilaudid every three to four hours and an anti nausea every eight hours. Feeling awful.
Is this normal / expected? Think I need some serious support or ideas.

 

[Hopper]

Should I feel like this?

 

[puffin]

I think you should call your doctor to see if they can adjust your meds - but nausea is pretty common

Make sure you follow the rest, ice and elevate mantra and try to take it easy - understand about the hotel not being the ideal place for post-op. Do you think you will be OK with the travelling?

I'll tag Josephine to see if she has some ideas

Take it as easy as possible

 

[Hopper]

Seen the doc for my final check and had a look at X-rays of my new knee. Apparently it was pretty arthritic in there and it's not now!!! Yippee.
They've changed my pain meds to something called narko. I'm hoping that will help alongside a more regular dose of anti nauseous pills. Advice was that the train tilts and may make me more nauseous so we are going to travel back by car now. Got to be better than me turning green on everyone around us on a train!
The knee is ok - I learnt my lesson after that first night - if the staff forget your meds then jolly well remind them and do keep ahead of the pain. Just as Josephine and the others tell us!
I'm walking better today and more confidently with the walker.
I'm icing lots. Will take the Precept premium cold packs they gave me as i left the hospital in the car - they are so simple to use, stay cold and sit easily on and around the knee. There is an ice machine in the hotel so we just scoop it in the bags.

 

[puffin]

Glad that you have decided to go by car rather than on the train - if you are feeling queasy it is horrible to be on a tilting train as well as the risk of being accidently bumped by other passengers - not to mention the problems of using a train WC .......

At least going by car you can recline and stop where and when you feel like it

When are you travelling

 

[Hopper]

Hoping to escape NY tomorrow mid morning. We are just trying to sort out a low car with the leg room. I'm going to try to get a couple of cheap pillows and pile them on my portable toilet seat box!
Hubby pleased he's not got to lug that through Penn station as well as me!
At least I feel we are moving forward now - yesterday was a bad woosey day but today is brighter!

 

[My way]

Hi, I'm so glad your feeling better. The car sounds so much better than the train.

 

[puffin]

My 2½ years of knee injury have taught me that higher cars are easier than lower ones - basically I am fine with a mini-van that has plenty of room to swing the leg into and where I can slide out straight onto my feet - but I cannot get out of lower cars that require the knee to push up from less than 90 degrees at all

 

[Fernie]

Good luck with your journey home. Glad the Is improving, think its the anaesthetic, Lack of food and awful strong meds that just wipe people out straight after op as bodies turned upside down

take care, Fernie

 

[new knee in June]

Hello Hopper,
I hope you are feeling better ! When I had to take pain meds I had to force myself to
eat a little something ( I wasn't hungry ) but, forced myself to eat a bit of toast. It did help. Try some
toast or graham crackers. I hope you are home soon !
Take Care
Diana

 

[Hopper]

Thank you - your help is all invaluable to me! So is your simple support!

 

[Hopper]

It's not just simple support - wonderful support!

 

[My way]

Hopper This may help you on your trip home or anytime I guess. Salty, plain potato chips always worked wonders for me when I was nauseated. Just a few seemed to settle my stomach. It might be an idea to take a bag or two in the car. Just a thought.
Hope to hear from you tomorrow and if not we'll understand! take care.

 

[puffin]

I remember a 5 hour road trip to Stockholm 2 weeks after my accident for a specialist MRI (I refused to go with the booked ambulance after my first trip home from the hospital in an ambulance was like something out of "dumb and dumber")- my advice is to take plenty of pain meds and do not be afraid to pull of the road to keep to your schedule timings. The salty idea from My way is good - I also found that boiled sweets/candies helped.

I don't know if this exists where you are but my husband found a website that listed all of the places with disabled-accessible bathrooms etc which was very useful

 

[Hopper]

I'm going to try everything suggested! Just packing up and sorting out my med timings.
I forgot to say I saw my new knee X-rays yesterday - and my leg is straight! What a difference! I know that means my body will be realigned and not have to cope with that collapsed side of my knee. It's got to be so much better for my hip and foot - I was starting to get uncomfortable niggles in both places.
Unfortunately I don't suppose I will get the true benefits until I get the other knee sorted later in the year.
I think the new knee leg is slightly longer? Am I imagining it?
Everyday so far as been better than the one before - its really worth remembering that if you are about to have your op.

 

[new knee in June]

Good Morning Hopper,
So glad you are feeling better & a straight leg too boot, awesome I don't know if your leg is longer. Maybe someone will answer you soon. I am thrilled you are feeling better everyday
Please remember to eat a little something before your meds., it really does help.
You sound like you have a busy day ahead of you,
Take Care,
Diana

 

[Hopper]

You are absolutely right about eating a little something before taking pain meds. It really does help - and for me getting the anti nauseous pills timed correctly has made a big difference.
The nausea was awful.
The narko doesn't seem to be quite as strong as the dilaudid but it still works ok. I'm comfortable and that's what counts. I've made sure no pain breaks through and I'm icing continually with these great Precept cold packs the hospital gave me.
I bought the cyro cuff - I don't need it. Daft thing to do.
I'm just doing my small ankle flexes, straightenings, gentle slides, glute squeezes etc alongside using the walker gently and for short distances. Nothing much.
I've a prescription for PT to be arranged when I get home alongside a three page week by week protocol sheet from my OS for the PT to work with.
They did measure my rom in hospital and it was only at 70 - but hey, I had a big fat, newly cut and repaired knee. I'm cosseting it just for now. I will listen to my body.
I do keep dreaming about getting back on my bike, walking, hiking, tennis.......