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Revision TKR Lovetocookandsew’s long road to recovery

I couldn't stand myself anymore. Sponge baths with the hospital-type wipes weren't cutting it, and I had to get the stinky off me. My doctor said I could remove the gauze and Tegaderm coverings today, and take a shower. So, I removed them, counted TWENTY-NINE! steri-strips, and then took a standing shower. Did it hurt? :censored: YES! Did I survive? Yes, but with much pain, which is still here. But it was worth the pain. My hair is clean instead of greasy and I smell sweet and clean again. While I was in there hubby changed the bed, so I'm clean and my bed is clean.

Now I think I'll sleep all day with the ice machine going. Well, at least I'll rest as I'm still in too much pain to sleep. I get about 2 or 3 hours of sleep each night in between being woken, but I'm still hoping the pain abates soon. If only I could take a pill and not only have the pain go away, I could sleep! This stupid, contrary body of mine is driving me nuts.

My lower leg is still fairly numb from the leftover pain ball stuff, but when my husband helped lift my leg at the ankle, he touched a spot next to my lower surgical site that sent out a sharp, stinging, stabbing pain that kept hurting like that for about 5 minutes. Hopefully that's all the pain I get from the lower area, as that was a solid 10 and mean.
 
Woohoo! A real shower. I still remember mine. It was kind of quick, but the best feeling!
Nothing better than being squeaky clean and sliding in between pristine sheets. I hope you are resting comfortably and your pain is easing...at least a smidge.:prayer:
 
Kim,
Glad you finally got to take a shower, and clean sheets. :yay:
Hoping your leg pain settles down and you are able to get some :sleep:
 
I'd forgotten about the zingers that hit, so along with everything else I'm now getting hit by the dreaded zingers.........grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr............
 
I read somewhere that zingers are a sign of healing- a step forward in recovering. Since I have not had my surgery yet I don’t know about zingers but since your having them I really hope it’s true that it’s a good sign.
yay for getting to shower. Hopefully that was all you really did today.!
Have you found anything that somewhat keeps your mind occupied when your awake?
 
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Good news! I got 5 straight hours of sleep last night. I stuffed a pillow under my back and the usual one under my leg, which meant I didn't move in my sleep much, if at all, which meant no pain from moving, so I got some sleep. Unfortunately, my bladder had other ideas, so at 6 am it woke me....but 5 hours was a nice break.
 
So good to hear....a step in the right direction! Yay for progress!
I hope you have a good day, Kim. :)
 
:yes!:!! This is amazing news!! I’ve been worried about you- so hearing this reprieve from pain you had just makes my day!!
 
Great news, 5 hours of sleep!
Hoping you start feeling better soon, and are able to start sleeping better.
Though I am sure your progress will look more like this, rather than a linear line.

[Bonesmart.org] Lovetocookandsew’s long road to recovery
 
Wow 5 hours straight sleep :yes!: enjoy, I found sleep really intermittent in the first few months as I think it was trying to find ways to get comfortable.
If you are awake at night or long periods of boredom during the day, I have recently discovered painting by numbers, a great way to distract from pain, plus side you have a lovely painting at the end of it.
Hope you have a better day /night today xxx
 

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Sara, that's a great idea. Anything that takes our minds away from our pain is a plus.
 
Thanks for asking, @Cococay

Nothing much has changed. The pain has not abated, and has actually gotten worse. Not the level, that's still 9-10, but it has spread from an area just around my surgical site to most of my thigh. For some reason my quads are also painful-he didn't touch them but they are painful. It may have to do with my strange walking style right now, or lack of a lot of walking, who knows. But hopefully they'll settle down soon. I still can't lift my leg, but I can move it a little now to shift positions when lying or sitting. I just have to be careful or it'll cause that pain to hit.

Fortunately, the lower sites aren't bad, other than one spot that is a meanie. My OS prescribed some Toradol on Monday as I had that in an IV form in the hospital and it seemed to help. The oral version's not helping much, but a little is better than none.

I also am having an issue with my left foot; it feels like I have come down with plantar fasciitis there, which makes it even harder to walk. I don't know if that's what it is, it just feels like it's felt in the past when I had it.

I'm still not sleeping much, so am tired and cranky. My OS said this pain should begin to fade in another week or so-let's hope he's right.
 
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