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TKR Late Bloomer<

Do you know when you called the OS office with these concerns? That would be a good detail to include in your written note.
 
Oh, honey, I feel so much for you!

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Sorry wasn't finished. DO write it all down. If worse comes to worse, a journal is admissible in court. I hate that this is happening to you. I wish you all the best! Mrs. Susie

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Zzevi I'm so glad your infection was properly cultured, the antibiotic determined, the wound vac obtained and "installed" and that are moving on! I also am a fairly recent grandma, too, and my daughter has an autoimmune illness so since they moved back to Oregon earlier this summer, I've had lots of time to spend with the 5 year-old! I love hanging out with her and watching her grow! You will undoubtedly love being a grandma, I suspect! And my new knee will be so helpful in letting me keep up with her! You have been through a lot, but it's totally understandable to need to cry and have your pity party! I haven't heard of anyone here who didn't! So, since I found Bonesmart late one night in the middle of one of my pity parties, and got the support I so needed, this group of folks has been a major factor in my recovery... It's okay to feel sad and weepy; it is a lot that you've been through! Thinking of you and wishing you a relieved, restful night!
 
I'm glad for your sake that you will write down what you've been through. I wonder: was the PT even supposed to be qualified to do wound care?! Here, no way can they do that, unless they have nursing certifications or some certificate that lets them deal with open wounds. My PT didn't want to touch my knee until the incision began closing up firmly, would only touch next to the incision and was cautious and very careful. Personally, I suspect that PT was out of their area of expertise. It is important to keep a contemporaneous journal so you recall dates, times, who you spoke to, as best you can. Having that record could really be a benefit down the road... I have lawyers in my family, nice ones, and I was taught by my mom to always take notes when you talk with people, get their name, etc. It has been good training! And I have had to use those notes I had taken on a couple of occasions when lawsuits were able to be avoided due to the plethora of evidence of mistakes on another party's part... Am so glad you found Bonesmart so we can support you when you're dealing with so much!
 
@zzevi I'm sorry too that you are having all these difficulties and your recovery is turning out to be more prolonged than you hoped. I hope things continue to improve for you, you've come through a lot already.
Tabby xxx
 
@zzevi I can sympathize with you on the wound vac. Two rounds for me a year apart. Second time was 8 weeks. My wife had to sleep on the sofa due to the noise from the pump. I had to take up so much of the bed sprawling out with tubing and positioning, we have never slept in the same bed again since 2006.

You can change your own dressings too. It became so hard for me to schedule wound care and work I had to do mine. I snapped pictures at each change. Sterile gloves, alcohol wipes and boil my scissors/tweezers before each use. Pulling the sponge out was a little uncomfortable as the new granulation stuck to it but you just have to wince and go with it. Medical pro's might not suggest this but surgeon was fine with it.

The wound vac is a great method to heal a wound and very successful so you should have good results.
 
@Bikesouth the other day I was very much thinking of leaving coming home and doing my own dressing change. If I didn't have those 2 small pieces of white foam in my wound to help heal the tunnel, I def would. As I've watch enough lately and know the process, sometimes it looks like the nurse could use another hand trying to keep the foam in place and get the draping for the vac over it all. ( this is my regular nurse who's been helping) the other one just had issues with the whole process. But it's on and it will get changed in the morning again. Hopefully by a different staff person, it's been noisy since the change, I've thought about re-doing it, but if it makes it till Monday guess I'll live with the way it is. Yes, I've been in the spare room since my knee surgery and also use a cpap machine, was just mentioning to my husband this morning I think that mattress I've been sleeping on has went to pot and needs to be replaced, think that is why I've been having a back ache the past few weeks. Hoping when this is all over with I can return to the bedroom, I am a sensitive sleeper tho and my husband snores, if I can beat him to sleep I'm good, if not I usually head over to the spare room.
 
Zzevi, I had to relocate to our foldout couch a year ago when my husband had a stroke. His sleeping became fraught with difficulty and he doesn't realize how noisy he is... So, I got an extra top foam thick mattress for that couch to be more comfortable. But, soon as I can, I'll convert my old art studio room to be a bedroom, and get a real bed again! Then maybe I can sleep on my side again, and not feel the bed's metal parts... Your sleep is really important, though, so perhaps a new mattress is a sensible thing to step up to... Healing without good sleep is hard!
 
Zzevi your course has been so much more difficult than expected and in no way can I even imagine what you are going thru with the wound vac, dressings, etc. hopefully this will soon resolve and you will be glad it's in the past. I agree that PT should never have any input on wounds or incisions of any kind. That should be reported.
 
Zzevi, my husband is a bad snorer. I bought some special earplugs from Bed, Bath & Beyon (they're shaped like pawns in a chess set). Amazing! They block out all nose and are comfortable . Just a thought-- I used to bale to the guest room, too, but no more. Earplugs and lavender scented eye-covers. It's like sleeping alone, but with hubby within kicking distance :).


Shelia
RTKR - 8/23/16
LTKR - 10/11/16
 
Good advice about writing everything down concisely with dates when you called and the response you got. The OS should know how poorly all of this was handled. I hope that the appointment goes well.
 
Had a dressing change yesterday and ended up going back in tonight to have the wound vac taken off. Friday night I had a nurse who struggled with doing the wound vac, yesterday I had to go in earlier in the day so again I had someone else other than my regular nurse who's been doing a wonderful job. This one also seemed more confident, but didn't follow the directions left by my usual nurse. Well already yesterday my leg felt like I had a case of road rash, and was itchy. Well it seems if I kept myself busy I didn't notice the itchiness or the red pimples forming. Came home from work and changed and though maybe I should check in with the wound care clinic, it's itchy and has that road rash, sunburned like feeling to the covered skin. Well they had me go in and once the the wound vac was taken off my leg looked very red, irrariated and sore. My nurse applied some special ointment that the wound care suggested be used, wound was packed with something, and leg was wrapped in gauze until tomorrows appt with the wound care dr.
Think my problem is I am fair complexed, and I also have issues if bandaids are left on my skin to long.
Also both Friday and Monday's dressing changes weren't done as well as the regular nurse as she makes sure to really do everything possible to keep my skin from breaking down. ( she left very detailed instructions for her co-workers. )
This last dressing, was lacking the framing of the wound so I had a lot of suction going on, on the skin surface.
Think if it would have been done correctly, my leg wouldn't have gotten so sore.
Hoping I can go back to the wound vac tomorrow, although the way my leg feels right now it feels to raw to be recovered with that plastic drape material.
Right now the positive to all this is a measurement of my wound tonight shows it's closing, and for the most part looks good.
Another issue with yesterday's dressing change was when the covering was removed and the wound opened up it had a odor, in the past 7 previous dressing changes no odor was present, this also prompted me to place a call to the wound care specialtist, I go in tomorrow so we will see if it was just a vac odor that you get sometimes or something more.
I continue to be frustated with my care, after hearing some of my tales of the past 2 dressing changes, i think my regular nurse wasn't overly impressed with her co-workers. I feel like a soap oprera
 
I'm glad you're seeing the wound beginning to close, that is good news. As far as the nurses go, my TKR and particularly the infection gave me a whole new appreciation for the medical community especially those who took wonderful care of me. There was one nurse that didn't impress me and I was thankful she worked nights only. I went back to the transition unit a few months after I left to take my nurses boxes of chocolates. So there's not much you can do about the struggling nurses, hopefully they'll learn from your nurse and see progress in your wound.
 
I am so impressed with what must be very frustrating circumstances and you remain at least somewhat matter-of-fact and trying to understand that not everyone takes the time to offer the level of care...caring care... That the first nurse showed, even though they may be trying. Hang in there...at least you do know there is one very trustworthy, caring person who will care for your leg next. Thinking of you and admiring your persistence, patience and effort to be understanding... I bet you're as glad that we are here as I was with everyone so caringly helping me out and offering support! Here's support across the miles!
 
To say the least it's been a very trying time. Was thinking yesterday had I only known maybe a week sooner, I probably wouldn't have returned to work. It just adds a whole new set of circumstances to the mix. Hoping that everything soon will be all cleared up. I wish I didn't find fault with so many I know they are trying, had things went more smoothly my patience level would be better. Right now I am just bitter about the whole process, there is much to be happy about and is positive, but I am stuck in the negative right now. Everything seems challenging at this point, dressing for the day, covering up dressings, securing them to keep them on, the trouble with bathing,doing anything in general with that wound vac pack attached, or even just all the extra dressing on the leg. it's all beginning or is taking a toll on my emotions, last night at the dressing change and seeing how sore and feeling how sore my leg felt, I just wanted to cry and almost scream out in frustration, seemed like even tho it's small it's one more set back.
 
I totally understand how you feel, you have had a very challenging experience through you entire recovery and I know that by know you are probably out of patience and even when others try to help it just aggravates more than comfort but if they don't try to help it is also frustrating, right now nothing is making you happy. I think this is normal for all you've had to deal with since TKR, but try to think that you were able to treat the injection and every day that passes is one more day closer to healing and putting this whole episode behind you, think that you have people in your life that love you and want to help you. When you feel that you are at the end of your rope, just breath and have faith that things are looking up now and the healing is happening. If you want to cry, then do it, I find it that sometimes it makes us feel better and stronger once we let it out, but afterwards is time to take to bull by horns and look at the positive and reassure yourself that this is temporary and it too shall pass.

I am sorry that you are still dealing with all of this, but like I said every day you are one day closer to getting your life back and pain free this time.

You know that you can vent anytime you want, we are here for you. I know that having to work thru all this is not easy, going back to work under normal circumstances is hard enough.

Take care and I hope you feel better soon!!!
 
The wound vac with dressing changes is annoying, time consuming, frightening even and I'm sure it wears on the little energy you have. Then there's the fact that you have no idea when it will be over. Absolutely, vent here!
 
Had a follow up visit with the wound care dr. Had some good news, wound has closed a lot, probably would have still stayed using the wound vac longer if I hadn't developed the skin irritation under the draping material. But because it has closed a lot, she switched me over to a different method and she thinks 1 or 2 more times of dressing changing and it may be closed shut. Oh what good news. Since the tunneling in the wound has closed, I feel confident that I am able to do my own dressing changes from here on out. That alone should help my spirits this consist going 3x a wk for dressing change was taking a toll. Now maybe things can become more normal again. :egypdance:
 
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