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Revision TKR Lovetocookandsew’s long road to recovery

Good to read your update Kim, and see that you are slowly reaching the goal post and that your horrid pain is getting better. As they say all good things come to those that are patient ..in some cases, very, very patient :heehee: sending virtual hugs to you xxx
 
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Three more days until my surgery. The kangaroos are going crazy in my stomach, so I'm trying to keep as busy as I'm able.

I'm almost ready-just need to pack my bag. We took down all our Christmas decor today and packed it away. I paid our January bills-it only takes a few minutes, but I wanted to make sure to do it before surgery, so did that today also.

I made some meals ahead that are in the freezer, not as many as for previous surgeries, but I don't expect to be down as long this time. My doctor said it'll be about six weeks until I'm feeling better and out of pain, but I'm hoping, since it's not as involved as the last two surgeries, to be up and around much sooner. If I am, great; if not, we'll manage.

My walker, cane, Lounge Dr. and toilet riser from previous surgeries are ready to go, and the hospital will be providing an ice machine. Actually, my OS said he's going to order two of them this time so my entire upper thigh is covered; last time the machine wasn't working on my thigh which was where the worst pain was, so he's going to make sure I'm covered as much as I can be before I go home. I'll be in the hospital at least three days, maybe a little more until my pain is at a level I can bear.

Last time it was horrible and I barely functioned at home. Day one I got stuck on the toilet, and couldn't get up by myself; my husband had gone to run an errand and since I couldn't get up I had to wait until he got back, in horrible pain the whole time. Then, when he was trying to help me up, we both fell-it was a terrible experience and we're going to do whatever we can to avoid the scenario that led up to that. My OS does expect there to be pain, but not as much as last time, so hopefully I can handle it between using the ice machine and elevating a lot.

I'm praying that this time I finally get my miracle and I'm not only pain-free for the first time in years, but that the swelling, which has never gone away, miraculously dissipates.
 
Keeping my finger & toes crossed for a good outcome for you :prayer::fingersx: Thankfully you have enough experience to know what is needed for your aftercare.
Try and relax in the next couple of days, soon you will be on the recovery side xx
 
So good to hear you are fine, hoping your hospital stay is not too bad and that they are looking after you and managing your pain levels. Sending you a big hug xx
 
Thanks guys. Due to the new young "hotshot" anesthesiologist who thought he had a better method to control my pain, my pain is not under control. I'll go into more detail later, it's too uncomfortable to post right now.
 
The pain problem isn't that they can't get it under control, or aren't trying, it's that I can't take anything so they can't do much to help there. They are giving me ibuprofen orally and Toradol IV, but neither is really helping very much. If I lie perfectly still, my pain is around a 4-5, but any movement immediately shoots it through the roof.
 
I made it home last night. I worked hard all day Thursday getting to the bedside commode every time so I could go home. It was hard work, which my sheer stubbornness accomplished (or maybe my pure ornery-nous, who knows) , and took two helpers each time, but I persevered and am now home. My pain ball is almost empty, so tonight or tomorrow I should be removing it, then I'll see if it's been helping with the pain from the tibia surgery, or not. It was placed to block the nerves for the lower leg only, not the upper, so if it has been helping, it's only the lower sites it's worked on.

I actually have three separate surgical sites; the two lower ones are smallish, I believe, as they were last time, but I'm not sure of the length of the upper one-I won't see that until the wrappings all come off next week.

I'm still having constant pain on my thigh; when lying still it stays around 3-5, but any movement shoots it right on up. Depending on how I move, or how much, it'll shoot up to 7-22 in a nanosecond. (I know the official pain scale only goes to 10, but my personal pain scale goes much higher :heehee: )

I'm managing to get to the bathroom-I ditched the walker as my quads are still asleep, likely from the On-Q, so I should see them waking after I remove it tomorrow, or tonight-whenever it's finished. I'm using my crutches; my husband walks right next to me ready to catch me if needed, so it's easier to navigate with them right now. Once I can put weight on my leg, I plan to ditch the crutches as I'm not as safe with them as with a walker, and I'll then go back to the walker, and transition from there as I heal.

I'm really glad to be home-a hospital bed is never as comfortable as your own bed, and it's also not Grand Central. Don't get me wrong, having all the staff there to help me is much appreciated, but home is....................home.
 
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