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TKR Knees 1 AND 2 up and running

You're getting close to surgery Shelia. How's your baby knee feeling?
 
Im glad you are finding some relief. Lets hope it keeps getting better.

Wow your scar looks amazing. Mine has little hole scars along the whole length of it. I wonder if they will ever fade.
 
Ladies, remember that is a selfie of the scar. I took the best view :).

Yes, TML, baby knee is getting ready for sibling. I've decided to quit pushing trying to lead on stairs with the baby. I can do it but it causes great increase in pain and swelling. Just 8 steps (1/2 the stairs to upstairs) sets me back for a whole day.

Husband and I drove to Amish country (2 hours each way) on Saturday. I didn't want to go, but was glad I did. We stopped and I walked every hour. I took ice bags in cooler but didn't need them. No increased pain or swelling. This gives me hope that I can go to mountain home for Christmas (7 hour drive).

I think the post op blues have hit. Husband recognized it before I got what it was (hence, the car trip). Somehow naming it gives me some relief as in , "OK, I'm not turning into a slug because I don't want to shower or leave the house-- this is depression and I can do something about it". So, today I practice the "as if" technique -- doing what needs doing, getting out in the nice fall weather and acting "as if" I want to do these things until my brain chemistry settles down.

Happy Monday! May all our knees be ziggies today.



Shelia
RTKR - 8/23/16
LTKR - 10/11/16
 
Great strategy, Shelia! I do think getting out of the house helps with the blues, new surroundings and beautiful scenery. I also think it's wise to let up on your new knee, soon enough it'll be doing all the work so let it rest for now. Have a sunny day!
 
Don't underestimate the physical and emotional healing that is going on with baby knee at the same time that you're preparing for your second knee surgery. Soon you'll have surgery behind you and be fully on the road to recovery!
 
I like the "as if" philosophy. It's hard to do when mired in depression but a good goal. At least for one task per day. My post-op blues were so intense but, it passed. Sounds like getting out for the day was stimulating. It is nice to see the outside world, instead of the constant inward looking about our knee and everything about it.
 
Those blues do seem to sneak up on you when you least expect, don't they. I hope today will be a better day for you. I am praying for you and sending a big hug :console2:your way.
 
Thank y'all. Outside in the sun and being productive are great antidotes for the blues.

Today is week 6 birthday of baby knee. I'm able to do pretty much all ADLs and housework I did before (within reason). My knee feels strong and good, although the tightness, heat and occasional swelling continue .I am not doing PT, but ride exercise bike 20 minutes daily and walk 20 -30 minutes outside. I rarely have knee pain, and once the hip pain cleared up, I'm pretty pain free. I still do one stair at a time (15) and can't do them leading with old knee.

I'm preparing for next week's knee 2. It's harder emotionally -- I'm not as afraid, just very emotional. I wish I had a little more time to enjoy and rehab the baby. But it's scheduled and I'm blessed to have the opportunity, so full steam ahead!


Shelia
RTKR - 8/23/16
LTKR - 10/11/16
 
After a few months you will have 2 very reliable pain free knees. That's what counts. It is hard to think you are going back to square one again but you have proved to yourself that you can handle it.
 
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Thank you so much, NB. An eye on the prize is what I need to focus on.

So, I've been doing pretty well with designated worry time, which morphed into 15 minutes of allotted worry time, followed by prayer. But for the last couple of days I can't seem to stop intrusive worrying, so hopefully if I just put it down here, it will help.

Worry One - I don't feel well for 3-4 hours after I wake up (I sleep soundly, 9-10 hours a night). I feel flu-like, get hot and cold but no fever. I just "feel bad all over". I worry that I have a lurking infection or metal allergy. I usually feel better by afternoon but look forward to bed every single day.

Worry Two - I worry I have a DVT -- no symptoms, just a chronic worry that I'll go into surgery for knee 2 and throw a PE.

Worry Three - I have read every single infection article on this forum and worry about worrying about an infection for the rest of my life.

Worry Four - this knee is much more damaged than first one. Will I be able to tolerate pain? Will it get infected? Will I wake up during surgery?

And finally -- should I just leave well enough alone? My bad knee doesn't hurt now. Should I just cancel next week's surgery and be happy about my one excellent knee.

I'm so sorry to even write this but I don't know what else to do. I don't get a moment's peace for fear of infection. I think my deep fear is that I was exposed to a huge number of horrific pathogens in Sierra Leone. After ebola I worked in a filthy ward with 6-8 MDR-TB/HIV/Hep C patients. One patient bit me. I've tested negative for everything so far-- but that window is still open. Doc's in US, including my GP and OS, can't fathom the degree of exposure we all had. So, in the back of my mind I worry that hep C is brewing, while TB is getting ready to attack my bones. I saw so many patients with miliary TB - it is awful. I can't help but worry that the "flu feeling" is the prodrome to something ominous.

I've brought these things up with my GP, who gives me a hand pat (and I suspect an eye roll).

Ok -- it's out there. I am going outside and dig in the dirt. I've been afraid to plant my fall mums for fear of a soul organism getting on my knee[emoji15]. Again, I'm sorry for the craziness. I'm usually a relatively sane person.


Shelia
RTKR - 8/23/16
LTKR - 10/11/16
 
Are you taking sleeping meds at night? Maybe it's a hangover from them. I know I'll get that. After a few hours, I'm fine. I used to be a morning person, now I can hardly move in the mornings! Your worries are perfectly understandable. Most of us would be the same way. I still worry and my knee is 4 months old! It's all part of being a human, I think!
 
What you are experiencing is not craziness at all! You are a sensible person and have very real fears. I wish I had a magic wand to make them go away. You could delay your surgery but then you would just have more time to worry. What will happen will happen. Remember the doctors can control the pain. You have come through this once doing well. You can do it again. We are all here to support you. Hugs.
 
I'm the worlds worst worrier and know how debilitating it is, but if I think about it,most of the things I worry about never actually happen. Funnily enough I got a book today called 'The Worry Trick - how your brain tricks you into expecting the worst and what you can do about it' by David A. Carbonell, PhD. The problem is that the brain can't distinguish between a real threat and an imaginary one, so it reacts the same with the fight or flight anxiety symptoms. The 'what if' thinking is a hard thing to conquer, and the fears are very real, but I think you have the right idea, getting sun and fresh air, keeping constructively busy, and writing down your worries. You've been in lots of difficult situations and I bet you coped with them really well. You'll cope with this, and we'll all help and support you.
Love, Tabby.
 
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The only part I can address is this: [I feel flu-like, get hot and cold but no fever. I just "feel bad all over".]
I feel that way all the time and have for years, but no one has been able to tell me why. And mornings are worse. With the extreme exhaustion, it's a mystery. I finally had to accept that it was probably part of the aging process, and maybe the arthritis, and to listen to my body and rest when needed. People do not understand, but I have to tell myself, oh well, it's their problem, I need to rest. So I do. Maybe some day someone will be able to tell me what it is, but in the meantime, I do what I need to do. (Except for the times I tell people I am the energizer bunny - I keep going and going! LOL) Hopefully it will get better for you.
 
You know too much. I can definitely understand your fears. It's hard to be rational and discard them with all of your knowledge.
I was very obsessed pre surgery with fear Of stroke from AFIB during surgery. (Which didn't occur) because you have to stop anticoagulants for 48 hours prior. And before I found the surgeon I was preoccupied /obsessed by finding the right surgeon...whether to wait the year+ in Canada, go to Bellingham, or to Seattle, who would help after, where should I recuperate, blah blah blah.
I'm not a religious person, but I started going to meditation with a friend at the Shambala center. Maybe I did it for the social aspect...I met a group of very friendly people (remember there aren't many here) and my friend and I made it a weekly thing..dinner then meditation group. Of course I practiced at home daily. Several months later I realized that I had stopped obsessing about all those things and things fell into place, I found the answers and I was calmer. I amazed myself. Was it the meditation? Who knows, but I was calm.
Hep C has a cure now, so not to worry about that one. The others, well they haven't shown themselves, and the window is closing. So toss that aside for now. You knew the risks before but they didn't stop you so this is just self-torture.
STOP READING INFECTION STORIES. I know, I read them too, and then I worry. But I'm not going to focus on them. Right now maybe you should stop.
Yes, it seems that there is a risk long term for infection, its too late for that to change as you already have the knee replacement.
I know about the infections you encountered in SL and I think you are amazing to have put yourself there, in the midst. Perhaps it's something you may need to reconsider, although, to be realistic, the microbes that infect joints are right here all around us in the relatively sanitary western world.

About being tired, get a blood work up to assure yourself. You'll need that anyway pre-op, won't you?

There is a lot about this journey that is just mind altering. But I imagine so was SL. And you survived that.
Hope I'm not coming across as lecturing. That's not my intent. I'm hoping you can find some peace in all this worry, and bring it back to the 15 minute box.

Love, mamazipp
 
Your worries are normal, @sheliac - particularly from a nurse. As mamazipp said, you know too much. We nurses know all the worst-case scenarios and sometimes they haunt us.

I know that almost everyone worries about infection, but do be reassured the the overall incidence of infection in a joint replacement is only 1-2%. That means, that, even if you take the worst odds (2%), you still have a 98% chance of not contracting a joint infection.
My new knees are 2 years and almost 5 years old. I've stopped worrying about getting an infection. Naturally, if I do have an infection (such as when the site of my ingrown toenail removal got infected) I get antibiotics. Otherwise, I just get on with life.

As for the diseases you've been exposed to through your work, I'd probably worry too. But you've had the immunizations, right? And your general health was good, so your immune system is probably good as well. Feeling grotty in the mornings is probably because you are still recovering from the first knee replacement, rather than incubating a disease.

I'm not trying to minimise your concerns, because I think it's normal to have them, but I think (and hope) that they'll all prove to be unfounded.
We're here to listen, so keep on telling us how you feel. :friends:
 
I was going to suggest the same thing mamazip did, except I thought you could contact an infectious disease dr who may better understand your fears. Call an ID, he/she can write a script for thorough labs and set your mind at ease once and for all. I can absolutely see why you would worry about these illnesses after being exposed.

I had an infection, am still on an antibiotic and worry a little less everyday. Did you worry about being infected before scheduling the TKRs?
 
I can't add anything as the above suggestions and thoughts have been so wonderful, except to say thanks for raising these issues, because the subsequent discussion has been so insightful. As your fellow member of the flashlight scar inspection brigade, I understand everything you're saying, and also understand that your fears are more deeply rooted because of your background and experience. And all these responses have been so wonderful and calmed me in some of my worries; I can only hope that they have done the same for you. We all admire you tremendously, and wish you all the best.
 
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