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TKR Josephine's knee story

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Oh bless you all! The trots appeared to be a one off and unconnected with the medication, thank God!
The neuropathy is settling down very well, leg is almost a normal colour and nearly all the heat has gone. Next question is - how long do I have to keep taking them and will the neuropathy come back when I do.

Yesterday I managed a walk around Sainsburys but when I went to Asda I used a martkart which then went out of charge as I left the check-out to take it back! After this my leg was quite tired so I left the rest of my plans and came home. Hence my absence from the forum on Monday.

But I have to report that I am walking about quite normally now, no limps or anything, and doing stairs normally. No aches or pains most of the time except occasionally at night when I might have to take a couple of paracetamol (Tylenol) but that's not every night. I have told my manager I am available for telephone clinics if the need should arise and can return to work in the beginning of April. Yippee!
 
Good to hear your slowly on the mend Josephine and itching to get back to some kind of normality.
 
@Josephine, I'll reply on your thread. If you look on the social forum, I started a thread about the ROH on the 10 February. I've just checked iPlayer and it is still available. I can't post a link as I'm on my tablet.
 
Amazing, talking about returning to work! How many hours a week will you do?
 
Well, had a teensy bit of a scare last night. Knee got a bit swollen, painful, red and hot. Couldn't tell if it was the neuropathy, something else or both! Went to see the GP and she said yes it was hot, swollen and red and though she wasn't convinced there was any infection she wasn't prepared to say it for definite. So she wanted me to be seen by my surgeon. She was about to send me to A&E but I wasn't prepared to go on that particular merrygoround and said I'd phone the man direct. She was curious why I hadn't already done so and I explained that I didn't like to take advantage of contacts like that! She said she felt after all the years I'd give to the NHS, I'd earned a few 'strings' to pull and packed me off home to try my luck.

Rang a few places and discovered he was on leave as was his secretary but I spoke to his colleague's secretary, told her my woes and she said she'd have a word with him and see if he'd see me in that afternoon's clinic. She said she'd ring me around lunch time. I thought 'yeah, year, that's the last I'll hear of that!' but at 1320 she did ring and asked me if I could get to the hospital by 2pm.

I made that and actually got seen by Shaun's Fellow who examined my knee closely and declared that it was just about the same as any other TKR at 7 weeks! But he did order some bloods, just to be on the safe side! Good man!

He was also in admiration of my 123/0 ROM whereupon I confessed to him that I had done zero exercises. He looked aghast and wanted to know how I'd got that ROM if so and was I going to declare this at the clinic at the end of March when the physio and others would be there. I told him, I can't wait!

So I'm home and relatively happy. Next appointment is with the boss on 31st March.
 
Oh, how frightening @Josephine, you must have been very worried. But, how fantastic that you were seen so quickly, I agree with your GP, you deserve some perks after all your years with the NHS. I hope the swelling soon disappears and you get back to normal as soon as possible. I'd love to be a fly on the wall at you appointment in March, their faces will be pictures!
 
Hi Josephine!
I'm glad your knee scare turned out not to be so bad. :) You were very wise to seek advice, though, and good that you were seen quickly. I hope the blood results come back to show that there is no infection, and then you can completely stop worrying about it.

How's the nerve pain now?

Shaun's Fellow sounds like a good backup for him. Good that he saw you can get great ROM without exercising madly, too.
My OS doesn't believe in a lot of PT - he says none for the first 4 weeks anyway - but he too was surprised when I told him I'd done no PT, just heel slides and walking. My ROM is good, too.
 
Yes, back on the Tramadol in small amounts which appears to be helping thus far. Tomorrow I shall be taking the gabapentin thrice daily instead of twice. I shall be sleeping for the Olympics! :zzz:
 
Wow, that would have put me in total panic mode! I am glad you've been able to pull those strings, and Olympic sleeping sounds like something I could get behind!
Sleeping=healing, as a wise woman has emphasized :)


My phone sent this using BoneSmart Forum, clever phone!
 
Very sorry for the continuation of ups and downs, Josephine, and hope things start to look up more consistently for you. Thank you for posting the good and the bad, as that is very helpful to all of us. It's amazing you continue to post and help others here while going through your own trials.
 
Oh Josephine, I do hope your blood results come back showing no sign of infection. I can fully empathise with how scared you must have felt - been there, done that, got the scars to prove it!

Hope your recovery now continues to go smoothly. Your ROM is amazing, but then so are you. Linda x
 
Hi @Josephine we could all take a page out of your book (Best Practices for Great Knee Recoveries)
Thanks
Diane
 
I would be most surprised if the blood tests show anything! But I have noticed a pattern in these bad days. Each one that has happened seems to have preceded an overall improvement in my condition. So today is much better than it was before these things boiled up! Go figure! Now all I need to do is remember that next time I have a bad day! :heehee:
 
Hello to everyone....I've been missing from the forum for quite some time, but think of all the goodness here so very often. I'm so very happy to finally be catching up. @Josephine I've thought of you so frequently and finally found your recovery thread. I'm eagerly reading it all and got past the graphic photos, which are good to share with others, as it can heighten their awareness of the invasive surgery. Hope you are improving more each day. Anxious to get back to your thread but my new 10 week old Dobermann puppy requires a lot of time; I love every moment of it too! Cheers
 
Josephine, you are doing great and you had setbacks at the beginning. It's not been 8 weeks yet!!
 
It has indeed! 8 weeks tomorrow. I've finally conceded the need to go back on some pain meds and am taking 1,000mg paracetamol and 50mg Tramadol at night and 1,000mg paracetamol in the morning. That sees to make things more comfortable.

Latest report:
ROM: 125/-5
Stairs: doing them normally most of the time
Walking stick: only used outside 'just in case'
neuropathy: appears to be under control with the gabapentin
sleeping: soundly!
appetite: okay most of them time!

Anything I've missed?
 
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