Fusion Long ride to a successful Fusion

[renatelynne]

The hospital was crazy with me too when I was in the brace and the doc said NO bending... then nurses coming in trying to take the brace off... and PT coming in saying I had to walk... *giggle If it were not for my sister there is no telling what they would have tried to do to me.

Glad you are home... rest... let us know if we can do anything

 

[wanttoride]

Hi all! Day 8 of post-fusion. I had a very good night's sleep last night. Hubby slept on the couch so that I could have the entire king-size bed to myself...well...me, plus 1 dog! I was able to sleep on both sides without a lot of discomfort, too! Sleeping on my back give me a "wicked" headache in the am.
I was pleasantly surprised that the swelling had gone down a tiny bit during the night, and getting up and out of bed was pretty "simple". I find it very hard to put even just a little weight on my leg/foot when crutching. I would compare this to having a broken leg....

I'm still taking 4mg of Dilauden (sp?) every 4 hours and a Tylenol if I feel a headache coming on. I get Migraines really easy...part of the RSD. Since they now have a recall on Excedrin Migraine, I've had to find something else to use. I hope the recall doesn't last long, as when you find something that works, you want to stick with it!

Home health came yesterday and spent 2 hours with me. All vitals are excellent, and my heart rate is back where it should be....82! Still dealing with constipation issues (sorry, but somebody's gotta say it!) but I think I've got that under control...FINALLY!

I'm glad I had my boo-hoo time. I've been fine mentally since I "let it all out"!

My brain is still trying to figure out why my knee won't bend. Every now and then I get a "super twitch". I think I had 3 total yesterday. Brain says, "hey leg...bend!"....Leg says, "are you kidding me"! Oh well...they'll start to be on the same page at some point! hee hee

 

[PhoenixS]

Audrey;
That is one AWESOME COOL scar!!!
I'm glad you are feeling better. You have been through so much, you deserve a break!!
We are recovering together, as I had my revision on the 29th.

 

[wanttoride]

How are you doing, Sandy? Do you think this is the answer and the final surgery for you?

 

[Jamie]

Audrey, that is a very tidy looking scar! I'm sorry to hear you had some crying spells, but it sounds like the result of all the stress you've been living with for so long finally falling away. It's a good thing!

I know you're going to do just fine. You are one strong woman!!!

 

[awolfpaw]

Hi Audrey! Im glad you had your surgery and everything went well (well, except for the fact that your knee is fused...haha).

Im here to say everything that you are feeling....normal. I was reading your posts going "yup,, I remember that". The excruciating pain after surgery (worst pain of my life...they had to wait for the blood to pool around my fused knee and it hurt SO bad). The swollen foot, I had that for a good 3 months after surgery. I actually went to college with the contraption on my knee and all the football players were very impressed/scared of how swollen my foot was. Ice and elevation will be your friend. I even remember the urge to bend my knee but not being able to. Mainly, I wanted to stretch my knee, I felt like it would make it feel better if I extended it out more than the slight bend thats in it now.

Some suggestions I have on things:

For the pain, I kept a pain diary. It helped me keep my mind off it. It was also good for when I saw the doctor so I could recall how and when it hurt. I would write the date, time, and pain level (1-10) at the top of the entry, then just write about what I felt as well as anything else I needed to get out. Some entries were just lines of "ow ow ow ow". haha. After everything was said and done, its even nice today looking at it and seeing how strong you were...its like a boost of motivation when I feel down and out.

I bought a soft pillow for under my ankle when I slept too. I actually slept on the couch for a while so I could prop my knee against the side of the cushion. I was not an "on my back" sleeper, so I needed to adjust a bit. Now, I sleep however I want, though I do sometimes need a pillow between my knees to keep for the two knocking together and hurting.

Keep strong! The worst is behind you now!

 

[tashia]

I just dropped by to see how you are doing? wow You really have been thru a lot. I do hope the worse is over and all is well. Take care and rest, ice, and pain control. Do keep us posted. :doggieshmooze:Tashia:flowerysmile:

 

[Josephine]

Wolf, you have been an absolute brick for Audrey. Can't thank you enough.

Audrey, I am in awe how well you are doing. Keep up the good work.

Sandy, you too. God bless you both.

 

[wanttoride]

Hi everyone! Day 9 post-op. Thank you "wolfie" for posting! I do have some questions: 1. My OS told me not to put any weight on my left leg, except for toes. Well...I put a little weight on it yesterday, and it hurt like HECK!!! Right in the area of the knee joint. Very sharp. I know he used cadaver bone past around the joint of the Witchita nail, so I'm guessing that has to "harden" and fuse to the tibia and femur??? 2. I'm a bit anxious now that I got that pain. And..of course, my first thought was , "am I every going to be able to put weight on this leg?" This will get better, won't it? 3. it seems as the swelling goes down, the pain gets a bit more. Tolerable, but a bit more. How long was it before you were able to apply pressure to your foot when standing?
I'm looking for the "normals" in all of this. I know it's gonna take a long time, but I got spoiled by using the cast the past 9 months. Going back to sitting in the recliner 24/7 or in bed for at least the next 3 weeks is ok. Just hard to do sometimes.

yes! Very often, I feel like I want to bend my knee! Too funny!!! And stretch it out! My brain still thinks it should be doing so, but I'm sure it will catch up with the fact that it won't sometime soon!

Last night, I must have tried to roll over onto my side in the middle of the night 'cause I woke up and it really hurt. I don't think twisting is a good thing! .....I'm calling my OS today and asking to get off the Dilauden (sp?) pain med and going to hydrocodone. I'm really afraid of getting addicted to this, and I don't want that again!

Wolfie..please keep posting! You are my touch-stone!

 

[caneguy]

Hey Audrey!

Nice to see you are back on the road again!
I need to take a look at your messages since surgery. I haven´t read them yet.

I would worry too much about the pain when you tried to put weight on your leg. I think you will have x-rays done once in a while to check the fusion is going on properly. You just learnd you need to be patient

Patience is the most important thing you need now. I don´t remember exactly, but if I remember I think it took around 4 or 6 weeks until I was able to put a bit more weight on my foot. As I once mentioned I have used forearm crutches, as they are usually used over here in Europe, and they helped a lot to relieve the leg from weight.

I guess you use crutches too? Or maybe even a wheelchair? Well, a wheelchair is a cumbersome tool, but may be worth a thought? Maybe that would be nice, with a wheelchair you can easily sit, have your leg elevated and move around at the same time, sounds like an interesting thought

Be patient, I think from month to month you will feel the progress you make. In one year from now you may look back and think "oh, what a time this has been, I am happy it is over now and I can go on".

I have already asked Ashley, if we should´nt open our own little club of the straight legged mates, mabye we will find even more creatures of our kind

All the best!
Malte

 

[wanttoride]

Hi Malte! Yup...patience is gonna have to be something I need to master even better now! I do use fore-arm crutches. No wheelchair for me, as long as I'm able to get around using the crutches. Of course, the "fear" of "oh oh....there's pain the the knee are when I put down my foot even just a little" kinda gets me anxious. What if the pain doesn't go away? Typical questions and feeling right after surgery, I know. But....it's still scary. Wouldn't we all want to be "up and about" only a week after surgery? You bet! Highly unlikely, but one can only hope, right? LOL

Do you remember how long it was before you were able to put even your toes on the floor? I'm able to put my toes and the ball of my foot on the floor, but no weight on it at all. NO WAY!!!! My right leg is really taking the brunt this time...just standing at the sink to brush my teeth is exhausting, and I feel like my right leg muscles are burning by the time I finish. I know this will go away in time, and when I can distribute the weight. Patience...I know....patience!!!!!

 

[wanttoride]

Being taken off the Dialuded (sp?) today and going to hydrocodone, 325mg, 1-2 pills every 4-6 hours. I'm gonna try just one pill every 4 hours and see how that goes, and if it still keeps the pain to a minimum, I'll try 1 every 6 hours in a couple of days. Hoping this plan works! No sense in getting addicted and having withdrawals along with everything else, right?

 

[Josephine]

You're talking about joint replacements, Audrey. You're in a whole other ball game now which is bone healing. That takes a while and what you've had done to your knee is way more painful than a replacement. But it will heal eventually. Probably be about six weeks before you begin to see some changes, I'm afraid, but they will happen.

 

[caneguy]

Hey Audrey!

Oohhhh.... I don´t remember when I was able to touch the floor just with my toes or the whole foot... but I think it was not long after surgery when I touched the floor with my whole foot, but with no weight bearing.

I know, I know, brushing teeth and going to the toilet are now big deals! The pain I had was in my butt, I guess due to the nails near the hip and the incision in that region and it made going to the toilet a real big thing!

I can remember in the hospital they had a trash can in the toilet and when I went to the toilet I have always used that trash can to rest my leg on it :th_heehee:

That could help you too, when you go to the loo, to rest your leg on something.

And when you go to sleep you might use a large pillow to rest your leg on, this is what I still do today, just for the convenience.

Celebrate every little progress and enjoy every single day that is a good day

 

[wanttoride]

You know, Jo...I never have really thought about it that way, but yes....this is bone healing. :DOH:
For some reason, I keep thinking that the Witchita Nail is in there and now everything is fused. Not so. Am I right in assuming that the ends of the tibia and femur and pretty much "slammed together", but still have to mend together to form the fusion? I know he used cadavor bone paste around the ends. So if I look at this as a really badly broken bone, maybe I can rationalize a bit better? What do you think?

 

[Pumpkin]

Audrey,
You are right on track thinking it is a broken bone, that was surgically fixed.
Takes at least 6 weeks for it to heal.
Have patience you will get there.

 

[karmigirl]

Hi Audrey,

I have been following your thread for a very long time now. I do have another question for you, Did your Dr. tell you what was really going on in your knee (what he found in there) with you fusion surgery? Since there had been so much work done previous, with no relief to speak of, just curious what he found.

 

[wanttoride]

Good Morning everybody! Well...had a bit of a scary night last night. Went to bed early and about 9:00, I felt like my heart was pounding out of my chest and I was sweating to the extreme! Luckily, I've got a blood pressure unit here at the house, so hubby took it and it was 105/65. Kinda low. My heart rate had gone up to 100. (Was 82 the day before). Had a bit of anxiety before we both realized that I was no longer taking the dilauded (sp?) pain drug, and I was going through withdrawal. Wow! Only 9 days on that drug, and withdrawal in that short a time. I soaked the bed twice during the night in sweat. Had the shakes, cold sweats...you name it. I'm much better this morning. No signs of withdrawal, so I'm guessing it has passed. I just wanted everybody to know that this does happen, but without ever happening to you before, you could think you were taking a nose dive or have an infection. (Never rule it out, but don't rule out drug withdrawal either) The visiting nurse is coming this morning to remove my staples. I'll be on later...just wanted to update everybody. Oh..and the hydrocodone is working very well. (my new pain drug).

Karmi: Overall, we have determined that because of the "botched" TKR done in 2009, which caused the RSD, there really hasn't been anything "wrong" with the TKR that Dr. K did. Having so much surgery prior to having the TKR did not help matters, but then getting the RSD was the striking blow. Movement of any kind of the knee (bending especially) would cause the RSD to flare up and cause enough pain to end my day. Putting me in the cast prior to the fusion was an "experiment" to see if keeping it straight would keep the pain away, which it did. Functionally, the cemented TKR was done perfectly. Had it not been for the RSD, the TKR would have been successful. However, the "botched" TKR also affected my quad muscle. The Dr. cut into it, and it never recovered past 45% approx. Well..you need the quad in order to walk, and if it's not working, there really isn't much you can do. Had electrical stimulus therapy on it and everything. Pretty much, the quad was dead.
I had enough with "experimenting" and ending up in pain and telling people I couldn't do anything because of the pain. When I was in the cast, I was able to be a part of life. So...the decision to have the fusion. As each individual case is just that, what I did was right for me. It may not be right for everybody. I did read some posts of somebody that had a fusion and absolutely regrets it. However...her Dr. did not put her in a cast prior, so she did not know what life would be like with a permanently straight leg. My Dr. K is awesome!!!! Super smart, don't you think? He prepared me mentally and physically to have this fusion surgery. So many Dr.'s would have just passed me off the the pain specialists and be done with me. I am a very, VERY lucky lady!

 

[wanttoride]

yay! Staples are OUT! Everything is looking good. No signs of infections, pain is under control with the hydrocodone, and yup...having withdrawal from the Dilauded, which should pass by tomorrow. Vital signs are good, and heart rate is back down to 82. Double Yay!!!!

 

[megbabyrn]

Audrey, it sounds good to me!! You have such an inspirational spirit and attitude after all you have been through!! Take care, hopefully no more w/d symptoms. I do have to say I have horrendous night sweats almost every night, not changing meds, and NOT hormonal. Could it be part of the recovery process??