Guest viewing is limited

TKR JackiFL's Recovery Thread

Status
Not open for further replies.
@JackiFL I appreciate your thoughts and well wishes!! Just took a nice hot bath, hubby is still helping me in and out (HOW DO YOU DO IT BY YOURSELF?????!!!!!!). I'm relaxing, elevating, having a cup of tea now and firmly getting my mind wrapped around being back in the hospital tomorrow. We'll be getting up at five thirty, it's going to be rough because I can't take any of my meds - once I get there, though, I'm asking them to hook me up pronto!! I have my granddaughter and soon-to-arrive pseudo grandson to crochet all kinds of stuff for! I have two huge bags of yarn, patterns, needles ready and waiting - IF I'm able to focus on them! <sigh...> I'll just be glad to get this over with instead of worrying and wondering what it'll be like afterwards.

You're doing SO great!! Keep it up, and - I know exactly how you feel about a little alone time ;)
 
Hey, Jacki, how are you doing today?? Still enjoying a bit of alone time? My hubby is gone until tomorrow night, but I have step daughter with me. She's been a doll and made chocolate chip cookies (gluten free) for a snack tonight. I'm living on my CPM machine following the BMUA's, and so far am totally impressed with the results.
 
Oh she sounds like a fun person! Not even sure if I can tell you how happy I am that you're doing so much better! Never even met you and yet I started to cry when you posted after your MUA. Thank goodness you've had it done and the whole tone of your posts has changed! :D

Having a rougher day today. Yesterday I was a house ablaze.... so today I believe I'm a victim of me, myself and I. Darn ODIC! And I thought that I'd renounced my membership... add this lovely chest cold into the mix and I'm a pajama-clad wreck!

So, this afternoon, I'm elevating and icing while watching non-stop Criminal Minds and Law & Order. My daughter stopped by to visit so I wouldn't go (too) bonkers. I Skyped with my sister last night; always fun but the laughing wore me out due to the coughing fits it brought on. Doing some cleanup on my laptop; will try and watch some of my (back logged) training videos later on.

More later, time for snack.
Jacki

(Edited to add - I wrote the "house ablaze" comment before I read about your PT building on fire yesterday lol)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Keep up the great work Jacki. I cant wait till im 6 weeks out. Im moving along faster than I could of ever imagined. Wow ! The whole ablaze reference was freaky. Im so happy for Blue. You two have really bonded and thats great. Thats what this forum is all about. Best of luck !! iceman
 
ooooh, @JackiFL guess what I did last night?? I actually got out of the bathtub all by myself! Hubby helped me in, but I needed no assist on the exit - felt GREAT! How are YOU doing?? Are you kicking the chest cold ok?
 
The change in you, Blue, is wonderful! I'm so glad that you're doing so well!

I've been up and down. Today (Tuesday) was down. Knew I was doing too much yesterday (Monday) and still didn't slow down much. Paid for it today. As Lee reminds me, the good days outnumber the "bad", so there's that in the way of good news. This chest congestion is really lingering... Unreal amount of coughing... and as a woman "of a certain age", all I can say is thank goodness for Poise! :-)

I'm at seven weeks yesterday (Tuesday) and at PT on Monday, my knees measured 107 (left) and 118 (right). I will see my OS on Friday morning. PT seems to think he'll be pleased with where I am.

So that rumored 6 week "ditch" was a reality for me. Man, I just had a hard time staying positive and just didn't want to even think at all about what was going on. I avoided logging on here (silly, I know) and just tried to work thru it all in my head.
I felt like I've been thru so much and done my best and worked and cried and tried to make good healthy decisions but just came up against the wall when I thought about ONLY being six (now 7) weeks out of a year long healing arc.
Seems like some days that all I do is ice, elevate and crab about it.


So here is my checklist:
Knees at 107 and 118.
Usually just using Aleve during daylight hours. Hydrocodone at night/early mornings.
Driving now but moving seat wayyy back to get in and out of seat.
Still using electric cart at the grocery store.
No more walker or toilet seat thingy with bars.
Still using shower chair.
Using cane, mostly to remind myself and others to be careful.
Went out to dinner on Monday night - sat in booth and didn't fidget much.
Sleeping on stomach for at least part of the night. (Well, when I sleep! That was an issue pre-surgery.)
No more PT appts; discharged to my own activities.

Sorry to gripe. There's those who have it a lot worse so I guess I feel like I shouldn't complain.

So consider the above post "informative" and that'll be my new catchphrase for complaining!

Jacki :-)
 
I'm going to tattoo @Josephine 's mantra reminder to my forehead:

"if your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again"

It's the one that I find hardest to keep!
 
Hello @JackiFL

I am 9'weeks. Rom is 110/+4.like you no more PT. I am still going through ups and downs. Yes this does not hurt anywhere near like it did after surgery and in some respects the days are getting a bit better. I'm still not driving. This is more to do with still being on morphine which I've had to up again. I stupidly tried to walk upstairs normally as I forgot and at the point of no return with all my weight on it the pain ripped thru my muscles and ouch!!! Back to rest elevation etc.

I have moved the car in the garage space, reversed it so my husband can get his van out. My car is manual not automatic. I do wash up, tidy round and vacuum. I sometimes cook but I find standing still upsets my knee too! I can now manage short walks eg corner shop with one stick. My biggest bugbear is the tiredness, gosh it doesn't take much.

I'm In awe of some peoples recovery, they are so lucky but I do find it variates from person to person, I do not begrudge anyone being lucky, I just think good for them, I wish it was me.

The thing is you are so brave to have btkr! I admire how far you've come and you are doing well Jacki but at your own individual rate.

You are not complaining either Jacki but saying how you feel! There is nothing wrong with that. I truly do think you are doing fine but like me you got to be patient and that is hard. I burst into tears last night telling my husband how fed up I am at having to be so reliant on him still. I've never been needy before, always a hardworking, positive, live wire with two jobs!!

So hang on in there Jacki your doing good....honestly x x x x

Love Nana moon 27 (Ann) xox (big hug for you)
 
Ann, you're such a sweetie to make me feel so good about my complaining. It's two am here and my eyes are filling up because the support I find here is making a difference. Already I feel better just having posted... and now read your reply.

My Lee has never had anything wrong with him, physically, that didn't heal within a week or ten days. Not that I'd wish him any ill, I just wish he could understand what I'm going through right now.

I've been cooking my meals since he went on his ski trip (02/22/14) and driving since then too. No housecleaning other than dishes and laundry. Oh, and listing things on eBay lol!

More later. The tears made mud on my phone screen. Apparently I didn't clean my phone well after my grandson used it lol

Jacki :-)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hi @JackiFL that's what we are all here on this forum for. We all need encouragement and someone to tell us we doing ok. It is 7.03 over here. I've woken up in pain. Just took paracetamol x2, (Tylenol US). I can take my morphine until 9.30 as it has to be twelve hours apart. I'm hoping it kicks I. Enough so I can get downstairs for a drink and breakfast. I won't wake my husband. He is supportive but I think he's getting a bit huffy now he does his best.

My eyes are puffy too through crying in the night, feeling sorry for myself and playing games on my iPad until my eyes hurt. I'm so tired as well. Im hungry, so I have to tackle Mount Everest in a minute (the stairs).

On a lighter note, I will have my granddaughters staying this weekend while their mom and dad are away and I'm sooo looking forward to it. They are 13 & 7 yrs old. The lad on my profile pic is my 18 year old grandson. Him and my other grandson (17 yr old brother to the girls) are going to take me to a posh Chinese restaurant for a meal when I feel up to it, for my bravery as they call it!!! They think my recovery is awesome. Bless them!

Anyway enough of my rambling on. Try and get some sleep Jacki and I look forward to hearing from you soon. Please find my link to my page. Read through it at yr leisure it is very honest especially the earlier stuff when I was at my lowest.

https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/woohoo-im-starting-to-feel-better.22950/page-51#post-57909
There you go that's the link just click on it x x good cure for insomnia too!!!!
 
Oops, I'm sorry - I don't see signatures when I'm reading on my iphone app!

I'll look now for a way to change that.... Thanks for the heads up.

And I don't see an option to view sigs under settings. Grrrrrrr
 
Hi @JackiFL the way to stop tagging Josephine is to simply not put @ in front of her name. I have done exactly the same thing in the past not thinking about how many tags she gets which distract her from dealing with urgent cases.

Anyway are you any better today. You were so low yesterday I was worried about you tbh x x
 
Thx. I understand about not tagging her now. How do I find the button to click, slide, cajole the app into letting me see other members signatures?

I'm doing better today. Yesterday and last night/early this morning, I was a victim of MYSELF! Once I realized my pain level and dosed myself, I began to feel better. Reminder to self (no need to tattoo this one lol) that pain is also soreness, swelling, aching, throbbing...

Per Josephine: Remember pain also includes soreness, burning, stabbing, throbbing, aching, swelling and stiffness and these need to be medicated too.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Oh @JackiFL I've had to do the same. Up my pain meds but it's helping me x x x I can't help you with the app I, afraid. It might pay you to put a shout to see if anyone else could help you x x x I did some gardening today and planted a lovely window trough. There is a pic on my thread of it. As soon as I finished I went upstairs and did the mantra x x.
 
JackiFl
Don't be so hard on yourself, it sounds like you are really doing well. It does get tiring especially right about the 8 to 9 wk. point because I think we are just getting tired of doing the same thing. It does get better.
Try and relax more and don't do too much. I wish you the best.
 
I am subscribing to the retired persons mantra of "only one thing each day".

Today I had my final outpatient PT appt with discharge paperwork. Came home after and did a few small things but mostly rested, iced & elevated. The appt was an hour long with a 20 min ride each way.

Tomorrow I'll be going to the grocery. Only two miles away and they have a lovely electric scooter. :D
Friday is for ortho surgeon appt (an hour away - groan!) and lunch out with my daughter at Friendly's Restaurant. Yes, that's two things but unless the OS makes me do wind sprints in the hallway, I think I'll be okay.

Saturday might be a little rougher day. My granddaughter's first birthday and the birthday cookout is here at our house (since we live only ten minutes from Cocoa Beach. Her other grandparents are flying in from NY and want to spend the day on the beach).

I'm going to dole out chores, cooking and such so it won't all fall on me. And we are keeping the menu summery and simple. Burgers & dogs on the grill, salads (potato, garden, fruit) with chips and corn on the cob. Cupcakes and a Friendly's Wattamelon Roll for dessert.
Oh, and all disposable paper goods - the environment will have to take the hit this one day :D

My final PT discharge appt good news - my right knee was at 120 and my left at 112! Woohoo!

Jacki
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Oh @JackiFL you hVe done so incredibly well. Fantastic rom, excellent. Good luck with your OS. You are doing the exact right thing for Saturday. At least this way you will be able to enjoy the day too. How lovely to live where you are it's like a dream to me. The food sounds lovely my tummy rumbled at the very thought yummy.

It's so good to hear you so positive xxxxxx
 
JackiFL said:
My final PT discharge appt good news - my right knee was at 120 and my left at 112! Woohoo!
Click to expand...
Just read your thread and you are doing awesome! Thanks for checking on me...it means a lot!
Don't over do it on the cook out but have lots of fun!!!! :):)
I miss Florida....Lived in Clearwater for many years!
 
The cookout was great! I let others help and stayed off my feet, for the most part. :D

Jacki
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Active Antimicrobial Hydrogel

Staff online

Members online

Total: 821 (members: 2, guests: 819)

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom