Bilateral TKR Journey Continuing June 4th, 2012

[Janet2012]

I baked cookies yesterday and cleaned up the mess afterwards. The cookies are for a cookie exchange today at my daughter's. Significant is that the last couple of years I did not do any baking because I couldn't stand to be on my feet (knees) that long! Then we met my son et al for dinner at one end of the mall before going to a movie at the other end of the mall. Hubby drove the car around and re-parked, but I walked through the mall to the movie with the girls. In the past I would have taken the ride and had door to door drop off. It's so nice to be normal!

I have the cookie exchange from 2-4 and then holiday cocktails at someones house from 4-7, so a full day with Cookie and Elmo. Should be a piece of fruitcake!

I'm giving a try at giving up the Celebrex and cutting the Tylenol down by half. I think I feel the difference (for the worse), but I'll give it a couple of days and see how I do. My fear is that I'll feel all the other issues outside of the knees more acutely without the Celebrex and need to continue it. I'd like to see how my blood pressure is without it.

 

[Jacky48]

Great milestone with the cookie making and the mall walk! It's awesome to hear that you are doing so well! Have a great day of celebration at the cookie exchange and the holiday cocktail party. It should be a lot of fun without the knee pain! I hope Cookie and Elmo behave for you.

 

[Janet2012]

I've been off Celebrex for a few days and checking my blood pressure for a couple days. I'm much happier with the numbers although not ideal. Mid to high120s/80s, so I'm less worried about it than I was. I always seem to be on some medications when I go to the doctors and it's high. Of course, there is that white coat effect, they say. When I went to the ER a week or so ago, I was stressed, of course, and it was something like 167/95, which I thought was really high. Anyway, I'm feeling better about the BP, but my knees are feeling more swollen and achy. I have a big house tour tomorrow, lots of walking and stairs, so I think I'll take the celebrex today and tomorrow, see if that helps my knees tomorrow, take my BP, and hold off the celebrex if I'm not doing anything special. Although I think the celebrex takes a week to reach it's full effectiveness. (Seems I remember that from way back, but maybe I'm wrong).

 

[bottomshollow]

Gosh, Janet, if it ain't one thing. it's another. Trying to juggle medication, BP numbers, and swollen achey knees will keep you going in all directions. Hope the knees settle so you can enjoy your house tour.

 

[Debbie_joints]

Janet, my blood pressure always goes up when I see the doctor. Way to go for the mall walking and cookie baking and and fun times being normal....

 

[Mimi]

Janet, good to hear you are enjoying your new "normal" life. As for the celebrex, I have some experience with it. I have been on it since they took Viox off the market. I try to go off and turn to stone in like 3 to 4 days. So the other day I got a letter from my prescription drug insurance company and they will no longer pay for celebrex. I have tried it all and nothing worked. So I went out and got some aleve, I saw no difference on it than the celebrex I am going to try it and hope it works without any stomach problems. I got ulcers twice from the celebrex and was off it till my stomach healed. I have not had any problems lately.

 

[Janet2012]

Mimi, I've been thinking about your Celebrex experience. I have been on Advil for years, it seems, and Celebrex for the last year or so. I never thought Aleve did much, but I looked it up and it can have the same effect on blood pressure. I want to prove to my doctor that I don't have high blood pressure. I have been very stiff and achy this week, but I'm staying off for a bit and charting my blood pressure before I go back to the Dr. I'm icing, which got me thinking that sleeping on my stomach with my knees nestled into my heated mattress pad could be increasing the swelling maybe, so I'll leave it off and see if it helps. So just Acetaminophen for now. I'd hate to think I'd have to keep taking nsaids indefinitely for years to come.

 

[Mimi]

I understand your concerns. My blood pressure is about like yours between 120 to 130 over 75 to 80. That is not real high. I take metoprolol since the afib after my knee surgery and that regulates the heart beats and blood pressure. Now I have been off celebrex 5 days and on the aleve. Well yesterday my hands started to get very stiff and my wrists ake along with hip pain and it is very hard to pop up after sitting awhile. Going from sitting to standing is stiff and painful (reminds me of my TKR recovery). I too have been baking the past few days and running around and on my feet all day. My TKR is great but the osteoarthritis is not good without that drug. So I will take a celebrex today. I will try every other day and see. The feeling of turning to stone is not a nice one.

I will have to go off of the celebrex and aleve for five days in Jan. when I have my right hand carpel tunnel surgery. Not looking forward to being off the meds now. The surgery I am fine with. Just when I got back to sleeping normally, the hands kicked in and my nights are nightmarish!

 

[Janet2012]

Perhaps every other day will help. I'll try that after a time off and see how it goes. Celebrex is expensive, but I'd rather take one rather than up to 8 Advil a day. Insurance or not, after the first of the year, my deductible starts over, and at $5000 a year, I'll be paying out of pocket anyway. $5 per pill! That makes the Advil more attractive, actually. But ai won't take them without eating something, so that's a lot of eating!

 

[Mimi]

Yes, it is a very expensive drug and up until now was a $30 co pay. Have you tried the Aleve, it is naproxen and I only take one with breakfast and it lasts 12 hours. Advil is ibuprophin and does not last as long.

When my daughter-in law had the baby last week ( completely natural with no drugs cause he came so fast it was an ambulance ride 45 min. sirens blasting at 75mph!), the only drug they gave her after giving birth was Aleve.

 

[Janet2012]

Oh my, a dear friend called from Brazil today. She's decided to to have a tkr in January. When I've talked to her in the past and said how great I'm doing, she imagined this was a simple quick recovery that was no big deal. Wrong! I HAVE done great given what the surgery is, and what not doing great can be. I think I've now scared her, but I insisted she come to Bonesmart and get educated so she'll be prepared and have a good recovery, with realistic expectations. I guess the answer to how are you doing is one thing for those being polite, and another for those making a decision about knee surgery.

 

[bottomshollow]

She would not be able to consider you a friend, Janet, if you had not been honest with her. Let's hope she will come to BS and find the courage to stick with her decision and be able to accept the long recovery time involved. You did the right thing.

 

[Brownie51]

Janet you did the right thing.

 

[Mimi]

You never know just "what " people hear when you tell them something. I too have a friend that had their TKR two days ago. He told me I was the reason he went ahead. You know my recovery was not the best and I have always been honest with everyone about the challenges this recovery presents. He said I know you had allot of things happen that were not the normal recovery, but you came through it and you walk great! And we discussed recovery once more and he still had his TKR. If your friend comes to bonesmart and does her "homework" she will thank you for being such a good friend.

 

[Janet2012]

Something happened today, I had to stop and tell! We are hooking something up that requires getting on the floor on opposite sides of a wall and feeding cords through. Hubby was on the back side of the wall and I decided to go ahead and just sit on the floor and knew I'd figure out how to get up later. Well, next thing I know is that I'm standing on the other side of the wall talking to hubby when I realized I didn't remember getting up off the floor! How about that!?!

 

[Mimi]

You go girl!! It's your new "normal" you do things without thinking about your knee! That is the main goal, I think, of recovery.

 

[laf1958]

Yay, Janet--that is so cool that you didn't even realize you got up off the floor until afterward!!
I sat on the floor last night to wrap Christmas presents and got up all by myself, too. It wasn't pretty or graceful, and I did it without kneeling at all, but I did it, which wasn't possible before my surgery.

Happy New Year to us!!!

 

[Janet2012]

Yay for you, too!

 

[Jacky48]

Wow Janet, what a great milestone, getting on the floor, I have yet to do, however you did it and got up without realizing it! Oh happy days are here again, my friend!

 

[ElanorG]

Janet, that is so cool you got up off the floor without thinking about it! I have yet to try the floor, but I think I would do OK if need be. The floor is not really my thing, so when the need arises I will do it. But I can now sit cross legged although not quite that tight yet.