Revision TKR Lovetocookandsew’s long road to recovery

[lovetocookandsew]

@KarriB after TEN weeks? I didn't even wait that long after the TKR! lol.
@LoveGiants I'll bet you love the garden bed. Gardening is such fun and relaxation. Do you have a friend or neighbor with a little space in their freezer you could use?

 

[lovetocookandsew]

My OS said I could take a bath at three weeks. That's today, so I did. I don't like showers so a bath was soooooooooo wonderful. It was a bit challenging getting out though, what with the two Carpal Tunnel hands. My right one is totally okay except when I put weight on the outer part of the palm, and the left one hasn't hurt at all until I tried to get out of the tub using it.....not going to try that again any time soon. But I just turned to my left knee and carefully stood up using it. It wasn't the easiest thing to do, but I did it. So worth the hassle of getting out of the tub to take a bath again. Another step back to normal life accomplished!

 

[lovetocookandsew]

Is it just me, or does everyone else find they have collected a TON of stuff related to their surgery? I really noticed my bedroom today, besides the gallon of dust I noticed the other day, and realized it was a cluttered mess. I guess I'm feeling well enough to finally see and care about things, so I decided to clean it out. I went through and tossed or put away copious amounts of stuff that was on all the dressers and bedside tables, etc. Luckily I could do the sorting while sitting or it wouldn't be done yet. Then I got out my duster and removed a ton of dust. Amazing how much collected after only three weeks! It took a looooong time as I still have little energy, but it is mostly clean in here again. Granted all I did was dust, not polish or vacuum, so it won't be long I'm sure before dust collects again.

My ROM this afternoon (my knee is a bit more swollen as I've been on it more so I'm sure it'll be better after a rest and icing) was 3/108, which is great, and I've done almost no exercising, other than normal walking and a few heel slides here and there when I remember. Josephine's advice there is spot-on as usual!

Ahhhhhhhhhh, I needed this now.........

 

[newlybionic]

I'm doing the same thing now in 'my nest'. I can't believe how many folders filled with papers, notes, exercises, papers from work and then medical bills and insurance payments. It's amazing how much I have here. Your ROM is really good especially since you said you have some swelling. Time for your ice for sure and a nice nap.

 

[KarriB]

It was a RTKR, but I was put in an imbolizer for a month at the 4 week mark of my RTKR. No bending makes it very hard to drive.

 

[Suz]

I hear ya Kim-!! I began about 2wks out doing little 5 minute house keeping chores when I got up to go to the bathroom. Now I'm up to about 15 minutes and consider it 'effective PT'-!!

 

[lovetocookandsew]

@newlybionic I hear that! I have a stack of papers sitting on my shredder now. That doesn't include all the papers that hit the trash can, but I'll only shred the ones with my name and medical ID number. I'll take the time one of these days to shred them all. I just woke from a short but nice nap!

@KarriB I remember they had you in an immobilizer, but had forgotten all the details for the moment when I wrote that. So, of course you needed more time to get back to driving than did I!

@Suz I wish I had done that, but I really didn't notice anything much for the last three weeks. I think I've needed to just focus on getting well, so now I realize how much I'll have to do. Luckily, other than dust, my house really is pretty clean and organized......well, except for my sewing room as hubby used it to put everything in that he didn't know where else to put, plus a bookshelf he emptied into it to clear a hallway for my walker, etc, etc. I'll need to figure out that mess before I can sew again, that's for sure...lol.

I think I am a temporary member of the ODIC this evening, as even with my nap I'm pretty wiped and still have to go vote as soon as hubby gets home. Then we still have dinner, so I will be even more worn out, plus my knee is actually hurting right now. I had the ice machine on but I may have to take some Motrin/Tylenol. That's all that's left for me to take so I try to only take it when I have more pain than I can take.

 

[sistersinhim]

I need to pick up that habit. Thanks for the hint.

 

[Suz]

Well now don't go and misunderstand my comment Kim- even with those little housekeeping chores I still had plenty of disarray left around! You know the ole saying, 'misery loves comfort'? When you first posted about this it made me feel so much better that I wasn't the only pain ridden newbie with accumulating dust and 'stuff' piled up everywhere!

 

[Suz]

I overdid it bad this morning- after 5wks I'm still amazed at how easy it is to do that. Hope you are able to get some good rest when you get settled this evening Kim~!

 

[KarriB]

@Suz I did the same thing, I'd dust th living/dining room and elevate for and hour hour or so, then vacuum and elevate again. I get ready for Christmas this way. It helps to build stamina as well.

 

[Suz]

I only did at best two of those a day in the beginning Karri- LOL! For the first time in my life I allowed visitors and really didn't care what my house looked like. Which was kind of nice actually! Now at 5wks I worked in my deck garden today that I set up pre-op because I KNEW I was going to be stir-crazy post-op! After 20 minutes though I'm finding my way back to my captain's chair- LOL!!

 

[lovetocookandsew]

I walked out to my garden today. I so wanted to pull some weeds in the golden beets, fertilize the Swiss Chard, dig some potatoes, pull some turnips, trim back some herbs, pull a few weeds that are in the pepper plants, cut the artichokes, etc. But I can't so I have to leave it for hubby on the weekend. I am so glad that the 24 tomato plants all look wonderful so at least those are not suffering from my neglect. But I did get out to vote tonight, ate dinner and am now going to take some pain meds (I never got around to it earlier and remembered a few minutes ago when my knee let out a big yelp). I plan to get a lot of rest soon, Suzie. This is the first time I've been in the ODIC and I am kicking myself about now. But you're a braver soul than I-I hate allowing visitors when I look awful or my house looks awful.......or in this case, we both look shabby....lol.

 

[Suz]

I'm sure as this knee feels better & better I'll be policing the dust bunnies more & more for fear somebody will stop by- lol! I think you're doing awesome considering all you have been through Kim. I hope I'll have your courage should I ever need surgery again!

 

[lovetocookandsew]

I'm not sure it's courage, I really had no choice. But I do know I can't go through this again so am hoping and praying that not only do I not have an infection (still waiting to have that confirmed) but I don't end up needing a total revision for the metal allergy. The OS said the tissue didn't look red or inflamed as it should if I were having issues with the nickel, so it may not be an issue and therefore not need a revision.

 

[Tabbycat]

@lovetocookandsew
I came home from hospital to find my sewing room full of all sorts of clutter too (my hubby's way of tidying up!)
I'm itching to get back to my sewing too, but can't sit at the machine just yet, or concentrate on cross stitching. Never mind, it will keep. You are doing so well, you are an inspiration to so many of us, we hope and pray too that you get good news soon, you deserve it.
Love, Tabby xxx

 

[lovetocookandsew]

@Tabbycat Thank-you for your kind words. I hope I can live up to them! I should hear soon and will post here as soon as I hear anything. Our husbands must be related somehow...lol... or maybe it's just a guy thing. I really am itching to clean the mess that is my sewing room and get back to some sewing, but I know I'm not ready yet either.....sigh. I can tell that I am slowly getting better as I am beginning to go a tad bit stir-crazy and really want to do some things my knee and body just aren't ready for. Such a shame that the mind and body are in different places.....Right now my knee is quite swollen from overdoing, and it is quite painful but the Motrin/Tylenol I took aren't really helping. So, I just put on the icing pad for the night and hopefully this will help soon.

 

[Tabbycat]

I really feel for you, not being able to get good pain relief, I am in the same boat. I am seeing a pain specialist on Friday, I hope she can come up with something that helps. In the meantime I am looking into the APS therapy device I saw someone mention on the forum.
Don't forget, rest before you get tired
Love, Tabby xxx

 

[lovetocookandsew]

Luckily, this is the first time since I had to stop heavy pain meds that the pain has been more than meds would help. After I had to stop the Dilaudid, the minor meds took care of any pain the ice machine didn't cover until today when I did more than I should have, so tomorrow it's back to minimal things again. I'll read the book I started in my bath today and watch some more TV, even though I am pretty sick of the thing. Thank goodness for the DVR so I can watch whatever I want whenever I want, I can skip all the commercials and I have a ton of stuff I really like recorded. You should have reminded me to rest hours ago, now I'm an official member of the ODIC and it's too late...... But I shall turn off my light, close my computer, put the sleep timer on my TV and thus drift off to sleep with a wonderful cool ice wrap helping the swelling in my knee. I will keep good thoughts for you to find a way to get some pain relief-I can't imagine how I would handle a lot of pain that wouldn't respond to anything. That's another reason I can't go through this again; I really don't know how we'd work out the pain relief after this last horrible reaction to the last pain med we had available to me. I weighed myself this am and I have lost 10 pounds in about a week just from the tummy troubles from the reaction. I don't mind the loss, just the method.

 

[lovetocookandsew]

Wow, I really must have overdone things yesterday! All I can seem to do today is fall asleep. I guess my body is really telling me off! So, back to the v...e...r...y slow but steady recovery, and no more overdoing for me. At least the pain in my knee has lessened some so I don't have to pay that way too.