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TKR KathyH New Knee

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So sorry to hear you have been feeling so unwell, Kathy. As you know this awful nausea affected me badly too. I do hope that you feel better, and that the swelling in your knee goes down soon.
Thinking of you.
 
I had rather a large blister on the outer side of my knee while in hospital. One of the nurses said it could have been caused by the tourniquet and to just keep an eye on it. When it burst to put Betadine on it. Well, it has never burst. I still have the blister and it has been a dark colour for some time now. It is about 1" x 0.5"

[Bonesmart.org] KathyH New Knee


Also, just between the blister and the incision I have an area of around 2" x 1" which is completely numb. I'm wondering if both of these are contributing to my swelling and therefore my not being able to bend the knee.

Thirdly, should I still have bruising after five weeks?

[Bonesmart.org] KathyH New Knee


Perhaps Josephine can help shed some light?
 
My bruising was still there at 5 weeks but was more at the back and even in my foot! Don't know about the blister but I still have a numb patch, my understanding is that it might always be there. Does a soak in the bath do anything for blister?
 
I think the numbness lasts forever, Kathy. I've had it ever since the operation after my original accident, it hasn't got any worse subsequently, and I'm so used to it, it doesn't bother me.
Don't know about the blister though.
 
Kathy,I was a solid bruise from the bottom of my bum to my ankle for 6 weeks. Funny where the bruising ends up.. I didn't have a single bruise on the front of my leg, but boy the entire back was a mess. Josephine posted a good piece on why we are numb in that area of our knee. There is a nerve that is cut when they make the incision..can't be avoided. The feeling may come back in time, but sometimes it doesn't.

I'm sure Josephine will be along to address the blister you have soon.

Hang in Kathy girl.. It will get better :friends:
 
I still have bruising on my thigh, front leg, and ankle, and back of leg. OS said some patients have lots of bruising and some do not and the articles here described it even better. He also there might be blisters around the incision that looked bad but were normal. I have not had a blister. OS said there would be numbness on the right side of my knee(that is on my right leg) that may or may not go away. So far at 4 weeks, it has not gone away. Read the articles and good luck on your recovery.
 
Oh Kathy - your poor knee! My bruising was all in the calf area & it lasted for about 5 weeks. The numbness is a funny one - I wasn't really prepared for it at all. Thought the incision site might be numb - but the whole shin!!! At 16 weeks the numbness is fading & the feeling is coming back in 'patches' - all very queer. We stayed in Comberton on sunday night on our way home between Dover & Sheffield. If we had been staying 2 nights I would have paid you a visit! I do hope you start feeling better soon, hope you are recording all this for those sceptics at work who think TKR is a walk in the park! Sending hugs 'n stuff :console2: Rita x
 
Kathy, hon.....remember that you are still a newbie in the world of recovery! You cannot rush these things. All you're experiencing is within the range of normal.

Please tell me what you're taking for pain, though. I'm concerned that it's not enough and the pain is contributing to your feeling sick.
 
Hi Kathy

Oh poor you and your knee :puppysmooze: . You sound a little down to me and you have every right to feel like that. Are you sure it's not the Tramadol making you feel sick and causing the constipation ... just a thought. I had a very bad reaction to it in hospital and couldn't take it. I'm pleased to read you have been :happydance: , nothing worse than bottom trouble!!

If you are worried about the blister why not ask a nurse at the GP's to take another look, don't sit at home worrying about it as that is no good for your mental state; you have enough to worry about at the moment. The numbness around your knee could last forever as Ladyj has said. I still have numbness from my first operation when I was 12 yrs (many years ago!) and it has never been a problem to me.

As for the swelling I hope you are still elevating and icing???? And, not over doing it around the house????? As Jamie states you are still in the early phase of recovery and don't expect too much too soon - it all comes in good time and your knee is always in charge of the schedule.
Take care and take it easy. Good wishes to you Kathy xxxxx
 
Thank you all, I feel a little easier now after all your replies :flwrysmile:

Nancy, I haven't had a bath yet, just showers. Guess I can't take a bath until I see my consultant in two weeks?

Titianlady, the numbness sure makes sense re the nerve being cut. So many things have gone on, so many things we don't expect....

Josephine, thank you for the links, which I will read now.

Oh Rita, it would have been lovely to meet you and you were so near - maybe not quite round the corner, but much nearer than we are now.

Jaimie, I'm lucky enough not to be experiencing pain (she says touching lots of wood). Guess the Tramadol is keeping pain under control? Sometimes I forget to take them and I go over the time to take it by one or two hours and I'm still okay. I take x2 Tramadol 50gm, x4 times a day.

Jo, I guess I do sound down, but I'm not too bad really. Every day is exactly the same. The only time I have stepped outside the front door is to go and have my staples removed! Ray said we should take a walk up the lane where we live one evening. I would like to do that, but I will have to use the two crutches and be very careful as the lane is only for access and therefore the ground isn't maintained by anyone and is full of potholes in some places. I could go the opposite way and go more into the village, but hate the thought of people staring at me.

I am elevating most of the day and icing three times a day for an hour each time. Certainly not overdoing it around the house. I'm watching a lot of cookery programmes on the old box and can't wait to try some of these recipes out.

I'm a bit loathe to change the Tramadol as they seem to be keeping any pain at bay. The anti-nausea pills the GP prescribed for me seem to be doing the trick. Still not much of an appetite, but hopefully I'll be able to fit into a lot more of my clothes at the end of all this :heehee:
 
Hey Kathy!
Your knee looks like it hurts! I don't know about bruising because I never had any, but the numbness is just now getting better. The right side of my knee was so numb. My at home PT would lightly massage it. I could feel more feeling every time. Then there has been a stubborn patch that is just beginning to get feeling back. Just a little.
When I was at you point in recovery, it was tough. It does get better, but just a little bit at a time.
Now I am going to give you some friendly advice. Get out as much as you can. It truly helped me. Sometimes I just sat in the car while my husband went into a store, sometimes I went in, and lasted a very short time. I would take an empty cart back to the car. Every single day, we did something. Get out for a few minutes every day. i brought a squishy pillow and put it under my thigh. It was comfy. So, please try getting out with your hubby even for a quick drive. Go for short walks outside. I walked outside MANY times a day. I took my dog out about 6 or 7 times a day. It was nice because i got to chat with neighbors. I didn't stay out long, but just getting out helped.

Take care, my friend! Oh, and HI Jesse!!! How are you feeling? Thinking of you both!!!
 
Thank you, Nyland, for what sounds like to be good advice about getting out of the home. I will certainly take this on board and try to get out a bit more.

My GP is arranging local physiotherapy for me now, so just waiting for my first appointment to come through and hoping to start seeing some improvement after that, however small, I shall be very grateful.
 
Hi Kathy,
My bruising lasted until about week 6. I also had some blisters around the incision. My doctor said it was from the swelling. The last two have just healed and tomorrow I'm at week 9. As Nyland said, it does help to get out a bit now and then. Take care. As you know, this is a long recovery!
 
Oh Kathy I agree with Nyland, you have to get out of the house. You need to get some sunshine that natural vitamin D. Don't be embarrassed by your cane or crutches, I went out all the time with mine. Mentally it will help you so much to get out again.
 
"I'm a bit loathe to change the Tramadol as they seem to be keeping any pain at bay. The anti-nausea pills the GP prescribed for me seem to be doing the trick. Still not much of an appetite, but hopefully I'll be able to fit into a lot more of my clothes at the end of all this :heehee:"

Kathy, I had a terrible time with med-induced constipation and lack of appetite. I found that the more I was 'stopped up', the less I wanted to eat. I also found that the Tylenol prescribed to piggy-back the Tramadol was my source of nausea. I am back on Vicodin, but am able to go longer and longer between dosages now. Little by little, my appetite is coming back. Please remember that good, nourishing food is just as important to your recovery as anything else. Nibble on grapes, carrots, cheeses (not too much or you'll be stopped up again!), and drink plenty of water. If you have a caregiver, ask them to make an absolutley aromatic meal one evening - my husband made tortellini with Alfredo sauce and garlic bread last night and I *swear* that the smell if that meal helped me turn a corner on the appetite thing.....

And stay positive!!

~K
 
Kathy, I was out every day, even if just 10mins round the block morning and afternoon. I gradually increased it. I didn't care who saw me with sticks!
 
Thank you Kstormyd, Debbie and Kgeb. I'm easy about the bruising since everybody's replies. I must admit with the lack of natural light, I have become very pasty faced - would frighten any ghost :heehee:

I am eating a fair amount of fruit each day - especially grapes, can't get enough of them and large juicy oranges and bananas. Can't seem to stomach a lot of water, well tap water. I'll try some bottled water, I think that's easier on the taste buds.

As for cooking, Ray doesn't cook other than snacks or ready meals. My Mum cooks a roast for us every Sunday and she offers to cook more, bless her. I think I could get filled up on just the smell of the tortellini and garlic bread :heehee:
 
Can I just second the advice to go out everyday. I know that sometimes you won't feel like it, but try and go anyway. It doesn't matter if people see you on crutches, they will be pleased to see you anyway.
I have finally got my appetite back, and even went out for a pub lunch and a (short) walk around the woods yesterday, something that didn't even seem imaginable a few weeks back.
You will be fine, but do try to stay in touch with the outside world, even if it is through the car window.
 
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