TKR KathyH New Knee

[KathyH]

Thank you Gail and Kelly

 

[Dhare63]

Hi Kathy,

I hope you are doing well and starting to work out the details for pt. keep the faith that better days are ahead. We are all behind you 100%!

I would suggest that if you can get access to a bike, that would be one of the best things to do for yourself. I know it helped me a lot.

Congrats on the second wedding. It sounds like you will have a busy year in 2013!

Be well and keep us posted!

Dawn

 

[Nyland]

Hi Kathy!
I hope that things are looking brighter today. I had a horrible 3 weeks with swelling. I still swell. I have to wear my ted until 10/20 and my OS may decide that I don't have to wear it anymore. It helps me so much. I never had dressing, staples, or waterproof bandage. I think that you scar looks like it needs to be uncovered and exposed to air.
3 weeks was tough. 4 was when I turned the corner. 5 was better. 6 even better. So, I promise things get better. Sending you a big hug!

Oh, and I was so swollen that my PT was slowed down considerably. My OS had to see my before he would give my my outpatient prescription. I start next Tuesday. My OS believes in GENTLE stretches, icing, and elevating for swelling.

 

[Josephine]

No worries there, Kathy. If you look in the photo thread, you will see lots of scars look like that. The hardness is just swelling, specially at the skin surface. And there is often a considerable amount of old dried blood which needs to be very gently washed off with warm soapy water over the next few showers. The skin is well sealed and healed at this stage so don't worry about that though you should use a freshly washed flannel or sponge to do that just in case you dislodge some scabs which leave a raw patch underneath. But scars always look scary (!) to the patient - to me it looks great!

Since I substituted the paracetamol for ibuprofen, I think the knee is less swollen.

Sorry if you've explained previously but why are you only taking paracetamol or ibuprofen when you are only 3 weeks out? Never tell me you have NO soreness, burning, stabbing, throbbing, aching, swelling or stiffness - because I won't believe you! No, you said (and I can see) that the knee IS swollen and with swelling comes pain, specially at this stage.

But if you insist on only using otc meds, then at least take the paracetamol and ibuprofen together.

 

[KathyH]

Many thanks for your advice about the scar, Josephine. I was just worrying too much that perhaps the skin wasn't knitted together properly and so with my taking the dressing off it would open the wound

Besides the ibrobrufen I'm also taking Tramadol, both four times a day. I wish I could tell you truthfully that I don't have any pain, ache, soreness, etc. but of course I can't. My GP has only prescribed me Tramadol and my Mum has given me her ibrobrufen for now, so I will be asking the doc to prescribe me the ibrobrufen as well, save me paying for them (as I am on the wrong side of 59 now). I do get the feeling though that he isn't keen on prescribing me much as he questioned me a lot when I asked for the Tramadol! Guess he hasn't had a TKR

 

[KathyH]

Thanks Dawn. I haven't sorted PT out yet, going to give it until next week. I started to do the exercises I was given by the hospital today and I will see how they go. Though there are some that I just couldn't possibly manage at the moment - like the squats. I might look around for a secondhand exercise bike.

Thank you too, Nyland. Wow, I was amazed to hear you didn't have staples or a waterproof dressing. It certainly does seem that the first three weeks are the worst. I am more mobile around the house now, just using one crutch, though sometimes I might do without that, providing I am near furniture or something to grab, just in case. In fact when Ray came home from work last night and saw me walking with one crutch he was surprised and asked me if I had been blagging all this time Cheek, but he was only joking

I hope work is going well for you and you are not doing too much. I had three work friends come to see me last night and it was so lovely to see them. I don't miss work at all, but I do miss most of the people (one or two I don't )

 

[Jacky48]

Wow! Kathy, two weddings next year!:rolleyes: You will be soooooo happy by then that you had your knee replaced, because you'll be doing plenty of hopping around that's for sure!!

If Ray was surprised to see you walking with just one crutch wait until he sees you walking with just a cane that can easily lifted to swat him with! I used to warn Norm that I now had a weapon and can use it, if he wised off to me! Of course he knew I would never, however you should have seen the faces of the ones within ear shot!

I think you're doing great and I'm glad that you decided to give your new knee a break! She'll love you for it!

Stay well and stay positive my friend!

 

[KathyH]

Thank you Jacky. Oh I so want to dance at those weddings next year

Funny about your Norm and you threatening him About a week before my op, Ray and I had a few drinks in our local pub and he said that he had bought me something. Wouldn't tell me what it was, so of course I couldn't wait. When we got home, he said that I complain that he never buys me flowers, well here you are he says, handing me a package. Funny flowers I thought I opened it up and found it was a black collapseable (spell?) cane painted with lots of colourful flowers! He said it would save me using one of those old wooden ones. He is thoughtful in a strange kind of way

 

[speccybecky]

But soon you won't need any stick!
My scar looked like a cornish pasty pulled together for a few weeks, i wouldn't worry too much about it

 

[Jacky48]

LOL, Kathy! Your Ray sounds like he has a sense of humor like Norm. Now whenever you use that cane and you look down at it you'll always remember how you came to aquire that cane, and you'll smile thinking of him. I think that's his way of making sure you have him on your mind!

I also have such a cane and I loved using it because it was so pretty. A lot of people commented on how pretty it was and I would tell them it's my girlie, girl cane and since my knees were hurting they might as well enjoy walking with a bed of flowers at their side!

 

[KathyH]

Love the cornish pasty description, Nancy

Yeah Jacky, Ray certainly does have a sense of humour. He does buy me the most odd presents sometimes and I was secretly pleased with my flower cane. Last summer I complained that I didn't have any summer dresses to wear. So he presented me with two such things which he had purchased from one of the shopping channels (which he is hooked on). Oh heavens, everything about them is hideous - the colours, the style, the material and the fact that they reach the floor Ray could see nothing at all wrong with them - we do have different taste

 

[Jacky48]

Way to funny Kathy!I know what you mean, Norm tried his hand at buying my clothes as well when we were waaaay younger and I thought he wanted to sell me on the streets for god sakes. I politely asked him to stick to bedroom clothes, needless to say he never bought me clothes again!

Your Ray probably had a motive for the long down to the floor dress. He probably didn't want to share those beauty legs with the world!

 

[reetpteet]

My hubby bought me bright blue skinny leg jeans from NYDJ for my birthday - they are fab & surprisingly I can get my (defo NOT skinny) legs into them!

 

[speccybecky]

My husband tried buying me clothes when we first married....soon got him trained! He's quite good at picking jewellery though!

 

[Titianlady]

Isn't is funny how we women can outfit a man from nose to toes, but they seem to miss the mark, bless their hearts. My hubby is wonderful at picking me lovely tops and sweaters. He also has wonderful taste in jewelry and perfume.
Bless them, their hearts are in the right place.

 

[Dhare63]

Hi Kathy, love the cane story! It was thoughtful, in that quirky way!

My hubby rarely buys me anything to wear, but has done well in the jewelry department on the few occasions he buys me something. The most wonderful gift was a string of pearls, which I had longed for for years. I never considered buying them due to the cost, but he splurged one year and they are my prize possession, I love them!

Hope you are doing well and getting through the exercises. I need to change up my routine this week and start with the bike again. It's just a challenge to get in the habit, but it pays off later!

Be well,

Dawn

 

[Titianlady]

Hi there Kathy. How are you feeling? I have been thinking about how your recovery is going. Are you trying to use your nice new flowered cane yet..even a little? You will be a hit with that cane when you finally use it to go out and about!

 

[KathyH]

Hi Titianlady and Dawn, isn't it funny that our better halves are much better at picking out jewellery than clothes and Dawn, that was wonderful that you got the pearls you always wanted. They are good for some things

Thanks for thinking of me, Titianlady. I am down to one crutch now, but I will give it another week or so I think, before I try out the cane. It will be a conversation piece I imagine

I have been doing daily exercises since the weekend and I have been getting on well. I'm still not there with the bend yet, but I think I'm getting there slowly. I downloaded the app which allows you to measure your flexion and extension.

I wasn't able to do the exercises yesterday - I was in such a bad way with constipation. I know it is the Tramadol that is doing this. At the moment I only seem to be 'going' about once a week and yesterday was the second time where I was in absolute agony. It was like trying to pass bricks - sorry for the too much information. I have asked my daughter to get me a stool softener from the chemist today. I'm hoping that will do the trick, as I just cannot go through that again

 

[Debbie_joints]

Kathy, do you have MiraLax over there? It is a powder that you mix into anything liquid and there is no taste to it. It works, even on my sister who is a once a week pooper otherwise. I have been using it since I had the surgery and makes me go every day and I am not gassy or crampy, it just helps.

 

[speccybecky]

Gp gave me a script for lactulose. I didn't ask, it was automatic with the tramadol I think!