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TKR Jozilla Part 2 - 9/8/14 LTKR

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Jozilla said:
Ziggy sure found the right home. He must be trying to heal you with his licking. Dogs are so intuitive. Thank you for sharing. I had a spinal also. I was so worried about it but finally accepted it after it was explained to me. It was definitely the way to go. I cannot believe how great I felt next to when i had a general. I was lucky too I had no nausea. My appetite is still not great but I have been eating right along. The biggest surprise is the fatigue. I have never experienced such fatigue. Is it because of blood loss during surgery?? Each day does seems a little better. I will look forward to your progress!
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I think I had a spinal but memory is so fuzzy from the meds that I need to ask when I see OS on Monday. I know I had a scopolamine patch to prevent nausea. I am not feeling overly fatigued - just a pleasant mental state from the Percoset --but I easily plunge into a 2 hr afternoon nap, often with wild dreams, after lunch :sleep: I just view all the resting as a gift to myself :flwrysmile:
 
Jozilla said:
The biggest issue I have have right now is exhaustion. It feels like I am beyond drained.
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This is all to be expected. With the body expending large amounts of energy to the healing process, and the pain meds, being exhausted is to be expeceted.

Jozilla said:
The second would be abdominal pain. I don't know if I am using those Muscles more or it is from the daily levonox injections.
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Probably muscular; those Lovenox shots are in a very thin needle, so they won't bother you, but I do bet that you are using your abdominal muscles quite a bit and do not know it.
 
I was told by the nurse the exhaustion is caused by multiple things...the anesthesia, no matter what kind you get, the pain meds, blood loss, and the trauma caused by the surgery....the body needs all resources to start healing, and sleep is restorative...sort of an instinct of the body. I'm still fuzzy headed, and keep dropping off to sleep. I might even nod off while writing this post! But at least now I can have a conversation with my husband where we aren't talking about two different things because my fuzzy brain can't grasp what he is talking about. I did that in the hospital, too, but they are clearly used to it...:spin:
 
Ziggysmom said:
I'm still fuzzy headed, and keep dropping off to sleep. I might even nod off while writing this post!
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While I was recovering from my BTKR, I needed to grade essays that were dropped off by my sub. I would grade maybe three at a time before I fell into a deep sleep!
 
Great to hear!! Seems like December supernovas are the cream of the crop. I suspect experience and bonesmart has alot to do with it. Please ladies. Take it easy at pt. Set boundries and remember No pain more gain. keep us posted
 
Tomorrow is my first outpatient PT. I was going to go to a different physical therapist facility then I had Bob as my in home PT this past week. I immediately liked his laid back style and feel I accomplished so much with little effort. No pain, no pushing, no worrying about numbers. In one week I am walking with just a cane, going up and down stairs , and my rom went up to 100. He has been a great confidence builder. I will let you all know how it goes this week. - JoAnne
 
I think having someone you like and trust for PT is going to be huge for your recovery. I've never had PT before, but I view therapists as more than just the people that get you back on your feet, but hopefully they will serve as guide, mentor and confidence booster as we move through the healing process. Good luck to you!
 
Yesterday was the first day I have been out. I had to get pain meds refilled - i just sat in car - and had outpatient PT for the first time. I woke up feeling a little down yesterday and had to make myself get up and go. I am only going to PT twice a week - my copays are $35 per visit which is all i can manage so far. This is fine with my OS. The PT went well. The most discomfort I had was some stretching before exercising. The exercise was ankle pumps, heel slides and rocking on the bike. I loved the bike which actually felt great. This was quite enough for me. I am walking with just a cane for about four days now. I feel very stable - might be my big wide feet. Today my quads are sore - maybe waking up so that I feel more pain there? While I remember I wanted to say baby wipes have been a must for me. I freshen up with them during the day and they are very refreshing. It is Xmas eve and I go to my OS in a couple of hours. I am hoping all goes well there. I have never had staples so I am a little nervous. I am taking a pain pill before I go. Will post as soon as I can. My best to all.
 
Staples are out! 27 of them. Feels so good but definitely recommend a pain pill before. I would say 15 didn't feel a thing, 8 felt a little pinch and maybe four almost hurt. The ones that hurt were because I had started to heal over the staple. All in all not bad. Nothing like stitches - no tugging or pulling. They then put steri strips on which should fall off in a couple days. Great news I can take a shower tomorrow!! Best Christmas gift I am getting. X-rays looked great and OS very happy with my bend and extension. No measuring just eyeballing. I no longer have to sleep with immobilizer brace. And according to my PA Erica do not need to wear Ted hose as my swelling is down. I only need to put them on if I have swelling. They were amazed at how little swelling I have. Thank you bonesmart for emphasizing the icing and elevating. I still believe that is the key to all of this. Merry Christmas to all. I hope you have a blessed and pain free holiday. I am going to enjoy a great meal tonight with my hubby who has been cooking and baking! Tomorrow I will spend part of the day with my children and grandchildren here at home. Keep safe everyone and god bless!
 
Wow, 27 staples! I don't know how many I have because there is a bandage over the incision, but I know there will be a few "ouches" when they come out next week.

Kudos on the lack of swelling! Yes, the icing and elevation does work...I had some significant swelling yesterday that has receded quite a bit today. I actually think sleeping in bed precipitated the swelling, so I slept in my recliner last night. I have an ice machine so I was able to hook it on when I felt like it, and elevating was more comfortable. My therapist was pleased with how my leg looked today.

As of today I am now walking with a cane, also. So encouraging! I'm sure you and your family will have a very Merry Christmas tomorrow.....enjoy!!
 
If anyone can help me out. I have extremely sore quads in my tkr leg. Should this just be handled with icing - which is what I am doing now. And is this a result of swelling I cannot see?
 
My therapist told me I could gently massage the quad to help with swelling and soreness. My quads are real sore, too...those leg lift exercises just kill me. After exercise I've also started icing up the quad toward my groin, which seems to help some. At therapy tomorrow I am going to speak with him more about icing and massage techniques at home.
 
Thank you. I was able to take my first shower yesterday. I have been looking forward to it so much. When I went to get into the shower - not a walk in - it was like my quad froze up and it hurt so much and gave me such anxiety I was afraid to get out of the shower. I have to figure that out more. Thankfully hubby was able to help me calm down and get out. The tkr doesn't seem to hurt but boy does my quad which is killing me. Let me know what your PT says. I see mine today so I will also check. In the meantime massage sounds good.
 
Shower for me too, today, but it's a walk in, thank goodness! Getting in and out of bed is the killer for me. Talk to you later...
 
A little gentle massage might help. Also some mild heat on the quad might make it feel better. When was your surgery date? @Jozilla What's your pain med situation?
 
Hi @kneeper. Thanks for your response. My surgery date was December 9th. I am doing really well I think except for upper quad pain. I have been prescribed one to two percocets 5-3.25 every four hours. I was just taking one every four hours but increased it this morning to two which has made a big difference. My pt said it was ok to use a little heat before exercise but definitely ice the rest of the time. I am so fortunate with my PT as his philosophy is much the same as Bonesmart. I just put a call in to my OS's office for a refill of pain meds.
 
Sounds good. I had quad and hamstring pain--I think I had strained muscles b/c you know they bend your leg to 130 in surgery, but my leg hadn't bent that much in years.
 
I had no idea they bent your leg that much during surgery. I am sure that explains some of this pain! Just resting up and icing this afternoon. Thanks got the info.
 
Three weeks today! Still feeling good and still taking things very slow. I ice whenever I can and take my pain meds. The quad stiffness is still there but seems a bit better. I have been getting leg twitches when I lay down and they are worse in my unoperated leg. They don't hurt just twitch. No more fear of the shower - just figured out how to slide in on the shower seat and turn and lift my leg. I was going to use the leg lifter but am able to do it on my own. I do see a blood specialist Friday to try and figure out why my blood platelets are so low and what exactly that means. But all in all I am so thankful to have come this far and have three weeks behind me!
 
Great to hear you've got a system for the shower. Good luck with the platelets.
 
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