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TKR I think I'll call her Tahwanda!

Tiger lily...you sound like you are doing great....everything is coming along. Please keep us up to date! We're pulling for YOU!!!
 
Tahwanda is from the movie Fried Green Tomatoes, great movie. So, Home Health came yesterday, to do intake evaluation, gave me a number of useful pointers eg. using rolled up towels for short arc quads, rolled up wash cloth behind knee for proprioception when doing quad sets. I do some exercises just not huge amounts.
My ROM measured everyday since surgery90-68-70-75-85, extension consistent at -10, I.m OK with that Getting better at giving my self shots of the Lovenox, had to have my friend come read the small print, even with glasses with pain med on board I could not focus enough to read the instructions. No appetite, husband getting concerned. Drinking lots of fluids and eating fruit, supplementing with warmed prune juice seems to be working, no bowel issues.
 
I lost my appetite with the narcotics when I was taking them around the clock the first few weeks. I did make sure I was eating healthy nutritious foods for healing.

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So, yesterday was 1 week postop! I started to write on my thread yesterday but I fell asleep! So, new PT came for the first time yesterday and she was wonderful, doesn't believe in pain either! My ROM was 92 and my extension was -8. I'm happy with that, not quite as good as livesfam5 but she is a few days ahead of me. I am not in a rush to get back to work, gonna really take my time. My wonderful husband is retired thank goodness but he did admit to being exhausted yesterday and the day before. I cannot believe how many things I have had to ask for help with and he just always happily helps, such a nice energy. I'm eating good stuff just very small portions, he's cooking and doing good there too although that is def not his thing regularly. I crave fluids of all sorts. The bruising is really ugly, even taking arnica its ugly. PT is coming tomorrow and is going to take my occlusive dressing off, no staples, just glue and ster strips, but I don't really want to see it (the incision). I am really getting tired of giving myself twice daily injections, I'm a nurse and it is still making me squeamish. The constipation is an interesting new problem, I thought warm prune juice would be enough but have had to add Miralax (per suggestions here.)
 
Well, tomorrow I will be 2 weeks!! I get around the house mostly without any assistive device. I walk up the block 1-2 times per day and use my hubby and walking stick. Bowels have sorted themselves out. About 5 more injections and I'm done with that. Finally getting to be able to slightly do heel slides on that side.
 
Yeah -I did a happy dance when that last injection was done. :happydance:
 
Sounds like you're doing great. :thumb:
Keep in mind that using a cane or other assistive device isn't necessarily because you *can't* walk without it, but to provide a little support for stability and so you don't overwork the knee.
 
I think I missed something - are we naming our newborn knees? Is that what Tahwanda is?
 
Some people name their new knees. In this case, Tahwanda is a knee name.
 
So are Lucy and Ethel knee names as well?
 
So tomorrow will be 3 weeks. I've been really weepy this week, feel like I should be able to get something done and can't seem to accomplish anything. Tired of feeling like this, tired of being house bound, I mean I do go out for little jaunts with my hubby but if I go very far the knee swells up and I spend 2 days getting it iced down so I can move around again. Need minimal pain meds thank goodness because everything seems to make me nauseous.
 
You made me laugh!:heehee: I never thought of naming it. Hope you are feeling better. They are right. Don't do to much to soon, and stay on top those pain meds.
 
I'm sorry Tigerlily. I'm at three weeks too. I'm hyper and ocd. This definitely can be a depressing time. Chin up. Take care of yourself.
 
Three weeks seem to be when the blues hit the hardest. It's normal, nearly everyone experiences it, but that doesn't make it much easier. You know what the good news is? FOUR weeks will come, the blues will fade, and something new awaits...gotta love the TKR recovery journey. Hang in there.
 
Today is 5 weeks and 2 days. I am still so tired! I sleep OK at night but still need 1-2 naps a day in addition.
My range of motion is 120 but my extension is still -8 despite my best efforts and I do not like that bridge position much, its uncomfortable. I had them measure my good knee and my new knee, circumference around the midpoint just to gauge how swollen I still am and there is 4 cm difference. I don't know if that is a lot at this point but it just shows me I have a ways to go. I am getting a little freaked out about work. They gave me 3 months off to start. I have plenty of "extended illness bank" which is a use it or lose it proposition and if I retire in a few years I want to have used it up. And my job is physically strenuous, for the whole 8 hours I am there generally I am generally on my feet. I can't sit and put my leg up and ice or take a nap. I feel like the rehab is afull time job if I did everything all the time that I'm supposed to, ice, elevate, excercises, stationary bike, rest, how do you add work to that?
 
Getting the stamina back seems to take forever.

As for your return to work, since you have so much extended illness bank, consider using what you need of that. Since your job and you can't phase back in, consider building a phased return to "work" into your recovery time. At the 12 week point (assuming you extend your time off beyond the initial three months), begin increasing your activity to simulate work an hour or two at a time. Or "work" an hour, rest an hour until you can build your stamina to your full 8 hour "work" day. At that point, you'll be more comfortable "hitting the ground running" when you go back.

Oh, and as you add "work," you reduce rehab, because work is an exercise.
 
Tigerlily said:
Today is 5 weeks and 2 days. I am still so tired! I sleep OK at night but still need 1-2 naps a day in addition. I am getting a little freaked out about work. They gave me 3 months off to start. I have plenty of "extended illness bank" which is a use it or lose it proposition and if I retire in a few years I want to have used it up. And my job is physically strenuous, for the whole 8 hours I am there generally I am generally on my feet. I can't sit and put my leg up and ice or take a nap. I feel like the rehab is afull time job if I did everything all the time that I'm supposed to, ice, elevate, excercises, stationary bike, rest, how do you add work to that?
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Had my LTKR same day as you and initially (before the surgery) thought I'd be ready to go back to work at 5 weeks - boy, did I underestimate how much this would take out of me!! I got a two week extension, which means I'm hitting the skies again on Sept. 7. My company wasn't happy me adding the 2 more weeks, but I don't think I had a choice. My strength and stamina is getting better now that I'm doing both land and water PT exercises, and I think the water works my knee harder as well as helps with my overall deconditioning that's been going on since before surgery. My plan at this point for the first few trips is to use all of the airport assistance I can - I have no problem with hopping onto a golf cart in the bigger airports, or getting a wheelchair assistance if there's no carts available. In the meantime, I have to work more on walking and getting stronger at that.
 
@Tigerlily
I just saw your question. I'm doing good. Hiking two - three miles once a week. Knee still swells and aches, but it's getting there.
 
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