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TKR Kiwicurls TKR 27 Feb 2024

I meant to add, the knee is feeling quite good but the shoulder pain is awful today. I think it’s from gripping the walker so tightly going up and down the doctor’s steep driveway the other day.
I had to take a couple of voltaren. I know it’s not recommended but it’s the only thing which eases the shoulder pain.
 
Week3 post op cont…
Physiotherapist visited today and is pleased. I told him I wouldn’t do the marching and abduction and he said that was fine. He said, if it hurts don’t do it. Amazing, isn’t it! A sensible physio? I like him!
I also began using the exercise pedals and had no trouble doing full rotations. He said 1 minute maximum per day at this stage on the pedals. I could have done more but he was very insistent I don’t overdo the pedals.
I started toe taps on the step, too. Easy.
In fact, it’s all fairly good except for my poor old shoulders! Both kept me awake all night and I could hardly lift my arms to wash my hair this morning. Back on voltaren. I don’t care what my GP says… I need it and nothing else helps. If it kills me it kills me.
 
All sounded so good...until the shoulders. :sad: So sorry you have to deal with that discomfort and pain as things are going well with your recovery.:console2:I hope the Voltaren brings you relief, kiwicurls.
@kiwicurls
 
Yes @mendogal , I might even buy him an Easter egg for next week. Interestingly he said that the knee occasionally buckling was just because of fluid and swelling. He’s going to bring me a newly published scientific paper on the subject. He said if it gives way constantly the surgeon needs to be told but I am reassured now that what I am experiencing is ok. This bloke struggles with English, to be honest, but he’s very good and I am grateful to have him. It must be so difficult when English isn’t your first language. I used to teach overseas students and they worked so hard at the language. And English isn’t easy, is it! Just look at the differences between the US and Australia; you call jam, jelly and biscuits to us are what you call cookies.
 
While I’m on a roll, here’s a few more:

You take a vacation , we go on holiday.
You fix dinner, we fix things which are broken.
You say slacks, we say pants /trousers.
You say happy holidays, we say merry christmas.
You say griddle, we say barbecue.

I’ll stop now in case you think I’ve gone crazy but I find the differences fascinating.
 
I'd love to see the paper... Can you find out where it's been published?
 
Um...we say barbecue; griddle is what short order cooks do indoors at cafes.
We definitely say pants more often than slacks.
I've never ever said I was fixing a meal.

We say wrench, you say spanner (at least in the UK)
Our cars have hoods, yours have bonnets
We put gas in ours (even though it's a liquid), you put petrol in yours
We say "I'm stuffed," patting our tummies happily after a good meal. You... Oh never mind!!!! :rotfl:
 
@mendogal , sorry! I notice things when watching American movies. Must be regional variations. I have also chatted with many Americans while on cruises.
We say “ I’m stuffed “ when full too. No idea what you think we say!
Re the paper: will let you know next week if he brings it.
 
kiwicurls said:
@mendogal , sorry! I notice things when watching American movies. Must be regional variations. I have also chatted with many Americans while on cruises.
We say “ I’m stuffed “ when full too. No idea what you think we say!
Re the paper: will let you know next week if he brings it.
Click to expand...
Well I supposed you might follow UK on that... Back in the 1960s a teen friend spent time in England and HORRIFIED her hosts by saying she was stuffed after a nice dinner. First any of us in NY in those years had learned of the quite risqué and declassé expression "get stuffed"! So the message we were imparted was to never ever use the word in the UK!
 
We don’t really use that expression.
As I said, I have many British friends and they have a good laugh at our Aussie expressions. We aren’t as ‘British’ as people think.
 
Week 3
A beautiful sunny autumn weekend here in Sydney. I walked for 15 mins but I don’t want to tackle our slightly sloping driveway yet, due to the painful shoulders. I don’t want to grip the walker tightly at all and am trying to just handle it lightly. So I am reduced to going around the garden, path and carport in a never ending circle! My border collie walks in front of me, just like last time. I don’t know why she does this but it’s as if it’s her duty to escort me.
There’s still a red area at the distal end of my suture line and I think it may be a little stitch abscess or irritation. The area isn’t hot or sore and being on antibiotics I am not too concerned.
I am trying to do more around the house as my husband (who never complains) has sciatica badly. I can cook with a little bit of help, make my bed (sort of), clean the sinks and loo and dust. I hate that he has to do the heavy things but it can’t be helped. ( I know this is boring but I am trying to keep a sort of diary.)
I hope to go to a cafe this week, just for coffee. I need to get out of the house.
I managed to put on and lace up my joggers this morning. Not easy, but a small achievement.
Overall, I am doing well, knee wise but I didn’t realise how having massive rotator cuff tears would make recovery that much harder.
On a bright note: my granddaughter says I’m the best, coolest gran in the world because I am buying her a Frank Green water bottle for Easter. Personally I can’t see what the fuss is about and they are massively overpriced but the young ones love them. We don’t buy them Easter eggs as they get too many already.
I heard that chocolate eggs are not as popular in the US and candy ones are preferred. Is that true
?
 
Re walking in circles: my first knee was done in our winter rainy season. I mapped out a route in the house. It was fine when I was only walking 10 minutes at a time. Not so good when I needed to increase to 1/4 mile and a half mile (for the record, 15 times round on the route was a half mile; it's a minor miracle I didn't wear a path into the floor!)
 
Glad you're having a beautiful sunny weekend in your corner of the world, kiwicurls! I love Autumn, it's my fave. Spring has finally sprung here!
kiwicurls said:
I am reduced to going around the garden, path and carport in a never ending circle! My border collie walks in front of me, just like last time. I don’t know why she does this but it’s as if it’s her duty to escort me.
Click to expand...
So cute! I love it, lol.

I wonder if your body is spitting a stitch? Glad you're not concerned, on antibiotics and keeping a watchful eye. I'll bet it clears up soon.:thumb:

Getting out for coffee should be an enjoyable time. It's easy to feel stir crazy and separated from the world in early recovery.

We have the Frank Green water bottles here also, but Stanley water bottles seem to be the current (overpriced) rage in the states.

Chocolate Easter Eggs, All The Way, if I'm choosing or buying. :wink: Has to be good chocolate though.

I hope you have a nice week! I am sorry your recovery is overshadowed by the rotator cuff tears. :console2:
 
@mendogal , I can imagine you getting slightly dizzy, going so many times around the house! Was it difficult having tkr in winter? One good thing about having it in warm weather is that you only need a sheet over you in bed instead of getting tangled up in blankets and quilts. I remember a lovely poster from last time, inkedmarie, describing it as a nightly cage fight in bed!
@Layla , hope you’re enjoying spring. It’s the second best season, isn’t it.
I haven’t heard of stanley water bottles here but I guess they won’t be long in coming.
I’m glad you have chocolate eggs too. I agree, good chocolate only. I come from NZ originally and still miss the chocolate there. Whenever I go back I stock up on Whittaker’s. Once when my bag was getting checked at Sydney Airport the man said “you’re a bit greedy. Look at all that chocolate!”
That supply had to last a year! Now why did he laugh? I admit it, I look like I enjoy chocolate but really!
 
Re bed tangles: we have kept a metal blanket lifter at the foot of the bed for years to keep all pressure off our toes!
The hard thing in winter was the ice machine on my knee. I used it while in the recliner because of more convenient set up. It thoroughly chilled my whole body but because of a total body skin reaction to a topical preop scrub I couldn't tolerate any real friction against my skin for weeks! So I lived in the smoothest silkiest bamboo pjs I could find online. And when it was time to ice for an hour my husband would bring me mugs of steaming Assam tea and swath me in fleece blankets. Then my kitties would pile on!
 
@mendogal , that must have been awful. At least you had your kitties. I wouldn’t like my border collie to pile onto me. She weighs a ton.
Very bad luck to have such a terrible reaction to the body scrub. It must have made for an uncomfortable recovery and a sore suture line!
I have a bed cradle too but I only used it for my forefoot reconstructions not the knees. I had to wear surgical boots to bed and it was very difficult to sleep.
I cooked lunch today and my knee is protesting now.ODIC?
 
Could be mild ODIC, bet you'll be fine tomorrow!
Saw some fine border collies today plus sundry other pups accompanying their owners (will post on my recovery thread shortly) on a 5k race to benefit the local humane society.
We actually have a local breed of smart small herding dogs called McNabs after the ranch just south of town where they were developed.
 
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