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Revision TKR Lovetocookandsew’s long road to recovery

This dumb "knee" wrap really doesn't help a lot. It's like a big donut, and the large hole in the center doesn't make for efficient icing. The outside area doesn't cool as well as the other wrap either. It's better than no icing, but I am glad the wrap I originally requested will be here this morning! My knee is better than it had been but still not where it was. I think part of that is just catching up that takes time, but also part of it is the design of this particular wrap just doesn't do it for my knee. I get a ring of cool around my kneecap, but it's not cold like the other wrap. Looking at it, it also seems to have a smaller water flow than the other one, which is likely why it isn't as efficient. If you get an ice machine, I suggest not getting the actual knee wraps some brands have as the universal wrap covers better. The best would be a large rectangular wrap that covers the front and back of the knee. Here's a picture of the donut wrap. Don't worry, it's not actually on without a tea towel between it and my knee, I just set it there to take a picture of it. :) Yay, while writing this post, the UPS man rang my bell and gave me the correct wrap! :yes!: Now to get dressed for the day and get back to real icing! I'll just take my shower later. :heehee:
 

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Thanks, Kim.
The beach house has high toilet seats.
The apartment we rent inland has low ones. And that's where I'll be recuperating. Low toilets, low sofa/sectional. It's painful now to get up from them. Can only imagine doing that with 2 busted knees!. Just have to adapt.
If all goes well with the new knees we'll be moving permanently to the beach in March. And enjoy high toilets and higher sofa/sectional. And built in seats in showers.
When I'm done with all these contraptions I can donate them to the VFW or American Legion.

I have to set aside some time to look at all the ice machines. I would def want one that ices the knee cap area!
 
Ice machines, I love whomever invented them. I giggled when I read someone has 3, I can top that, I have four! My last one is my fav. It came with 4 canisters that you fill with water and freeze. When its ice machine time you put two of the frozen canisters in it and a small amount of water and your good for 10 - 12 hours. Then just change out the canisters. Easy peasy.

What we did with the hoses was to put the ice machine at the foot of the bed. Then put the hoses under the sheet. That really worked well. Long hoses are a bonus.

We all heal so differently, I find it interesting really. I couldn't have lived without our tall toilets and handles. Shower has a seat so that was great. I'm going to ice myself this afternoon.
 
@beachy I just received the correct wrap and am icing as I type. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. I also suggest you get an ice machine without a timer-some have a 30 minute limit, others can be set to continuous and others have no timers. Mine has no timer, which is my preference. Can you imagine having to set timers all night long for every 30 minutes?!!!!!! No way!
 
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@eaglemom Which ice machine has the canisters? Is it electric? I can't put the hose under the sheet as I'd have to rip holes in my sheets for it to come out to the knee wrap. :yikes:
 
@eaglemon could you post a link or picture of Your latest ice machine? It sounds fantastic and I need one for my upcoming revision. Thanks!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
When I figure out how to get photo's up of the ice machine I will. In the mean time its a Breg VPulse. I have no vested interesting in this company, etc. I just think for me, this machine has been far and above every other ice machine I've had. Its even able to pump your calf's while icing your knee.

Pictures coming soon, I hope.
 
How long are you strapped into these devices at a time? Can you move about
 
@Spex10 It's all up to you how long you choose to ice at a time. You can move around a short distance, but to really go any distance farther than a few feet you need to stop the machine and un-clip the wrap from the machine. You can either un-clip it if you're going right back to it, or you can take the wrap totally off your knee and put it back on again later. I generally ice whenever I'm resting. If I'm up and around, as I was most of this morning, I just put the ice bottles in the freezer and rinse out the machine, (I empty and rinse it once or twice a day) I just refilled it and now will spend the rest of the afternoon icing, until around 6 pm, since I was up more than usual this am. As time goes on, you're up and around more and more so naturally you ice less and less. I ice for as long as I can and as long as my knee needs it. I'm at 6 weeks so am up and around a little more than I was at 4 weeks, etc. But I still tire easily and my knee still swells with too much activity, so I still rest and ice a lot.
 
Six weeks today........it's hard for me to believe but it really has been six weeks already. I'm doing well, and my knee is coming along. I still have quite a bit of stiffness so know I still have quite a bit of swelling. I don't know what my ROM is and don't plan to find out, at least not in the foreseeable future, if ever. If I had to guess, I'd say my ROM is not as good as some but better than others. :wink: When sitting with my leg in front of me, my extension is pretty good, but when walking it's still tight, so I limp a lot. Over time this will continue to get better, and I'm not at all worried. I still tire easily, so spend a lot of time resting; I ice and elevate whenever I'm not up and about. It's more like I fit in a few tasks, and some walking, between sessions of my new icing career. I do plan to retire in a few months, so it will be a short-lived career. (I can see the ad for this job, "Wanted: people who have nothing to do each day so are willing to lie around attached to an ice machine with their legs up in the air." :heehee: ) I'm starting to slowly rejoin the land of productive people.....albeit very slowly.

I am still getting a solid night's sleep every night which has been wonderful this time around; last time was the polar opposite of this recovery in basically every way, and for that I am thankful. I changed my avatar to a blueberry muffin I made a few years ago because we love blueberry muffins and I plan to make some in the very near future as my first cooking project post TKR, along with some bread, as I am sick of store bread. Unfortunately, our blueberries are done for the year and I didn't get to freeze any, so I'll have to settle for some from the grocery store, but the muffins will still be yummy. I'll attach a bigger picture of the muffin to make everyone's mouth water for them, just because I can. :rotfl:
 

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Oh those muffins look yummy. I can't bake so you are lucky you can. Good you are still getting sleep. I am so happy when I get a full night. Been few and far between.
 
:yay::yay::yay::yay::yay: I finally shaved the forest that was once two smooth legs. I hadn't done it yet, even though I was told I could a while ago, because it's logistically difficult. I can't shave them in the shower as falling while bending to shave is not my idea of a fun time. I could have done it while sitting in a chair or bench inside the tub, but that was also too difficult. No matter how I did it it was going to be difficult for a while, so I just let it grow. But today the hair was so long I either had to braid it or shave it. I chose the latter. It wasn't easy; but I sat on the side of the tub to do it. My knee actually bends enough now to be able to sit with my knees bent while facing the back of the tub, so that's what I did. And so my legs, while not pretty, are no longer dense forests.
 
My legs used to be furry, but 7 years ago, all my hair fell out after chemo. Leg hair never came back. A Very Good Thing.

@lovetocookandsew - i just saw a recipe for a blueberry croissant, sort of like a puff pastry with blueberry compound butter. Once I can stand comfortably (just 11 days out) going to attempt this. I used to make blueberry bagels too, but the blueberries need to be dehydrated.

Ahhhh....just as it’s cool enough to do interesting baking, i’ll be standing.
 
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