Revision TKR Lovetocookandsew’s long road to recovery

thanks all. I got hurt earlier this afternoon by my wheelchair's leg support-it dropped suddenly and took my knee with it. The entire hospital could hear my scream, and it had me in tears. I have yet to eat any food from this SkilledNursingFacility/re-hab facility-it really isn't in me to eat here. The other hosp's food is bland but edible for the most part. Here I refuse to try any more-what I have seen and tried has been yucky.. My hubby has brought me stuff, but I'm really eating very little. The kitchen here closes at 8-so if you're hungry after that, enjoy your crackers. And my stomach has it's own timetable so hubby brought me snacks. I haven't gotten into the gym yet, but will soon; that's the reason I agreed to come here. I'm walking more, but I think some of my problems are caused by a staff shortage with the easter holiday. They reached my OS, and he upped my Dilaudid and I think added Toradol orally every 6 or 8 hours. I think I'll likely go home soon unless they or my doctor or PA can convince me of the benefit of staying. The staff here is very nice and kind, it's just they are limited on what they can do. My insurance pays the total bill here, so no problem there. I have private ins. that really is quite good. Their ice packs are a joke-I'm going to deal with that asap. I can only dream of a pain level of 3......................I have to have an x-ray-just waiting on that. I hope it's not too excruciatingly painful. Thanks for all your concern, care and support, I'll keep posting as much as I can. I don't know why, but I seem to have a gremlin here-I have dropped every single thing I've touched, onto the floor, and out of reach of my claw thing. I also keep misplacing everything I had 2 seconds ago......sigh....I'm sure I'm not alone there...............Anyway, I need to eat my apple anc crackers, and at some point have to go to x-ray. Thanks and hugs (boy do I need some hugs!) to all.
 
Im sorry to hear you are having such a terrible time thus far. It doesnt seem fair. The sooner you get home the better. I assume you have your house set up for you . I slept in the living room for about 2 weeks . My set up was great and very convenient. Plus it was next to the kitchen and the bathroon . All the bedrooms are upstairs.

I wonder if you can take Tramadol and tylenol with one celebrex daily . That worked great for me. Tramadol is a non narcotic ( I think ). I also elevated and iced all day , every day for weeks. It was a recipe for a fairly uneventful recovery. I believe the first week or two are the most difficult. So hopefully things will start to turn for the better. Best of luck . Iceman
 
Thankfully your doctor has adjusted your pain meds. You do not need a gym at this point. You need rest ice and elevation! I hope you are out of there soon. I still believe you will be in so much less pain just by icing day and night. I hope you have a better day today. We are all thinking of you!


RTKR - 9th December, 2013
 
I was discharged on the exact amount of meds as I had in the hospital. I too, thought for most of the time in the hospital the ice system they used was sub par at best but in actuality my knee was still basically asleep from the nerve block, I went home with the fancy ice pack that is supposed to stay cold and mold to your knee for 4 hours and by golly I feel it does pretty close to that now!

Home is what and where you need, especially if you have good insurance that will provide in home PT for a while. I don't have that but I have retired parents that help get me to and from PT so husband doesn't have to leave work. I am home most of the day by myself but with my walker (wheelchair was never an option), my grabber, and modified toilet it can be done.
Can't believe it took so long to get the pain meds upped and one added....Here is to a better day! I think yournOS needs to take some of the responsibility for not keeping you on top of your pain....
 
:bolt::console2:,
Sorry you are having such a hard time at the SNF, hope your situation improves soon!
(((((HUGS)))))
 
Wish I was close by- I would come visit you and bring snacks and hugs! :thumb: It's so hard but just try to take it minute by minute and you will make it thru.

I went out for a short ride in the car today. After 4 weeks, it's the only time I've been out of the house except to go to PT. It was nice to see all the flowers blooming but I was soon tired of having my legs in the same position and came home for my afternoon nap!

I hope you can sleep as much as possible. Keep bugging those folks for ice and pain meds.
 
I went out for a short ride in the car today. After 4 weeks, it's the only time I've been out of the house except to go to PT. It was nice to see all the flowers blooming
These little outings, while tiring at this stage of recovery---mean so much and let us get a tiny part of reality and normalcy that we crave so much.
 
Hope that you are feeling better now and in pain control. Ice, Rest, elevate, and prescriptions around the clock. :console2::friends: Take care, Tashia
 
I am so sorry you are having so much trouble. Like vancouver girl said, slowly one step at a time. I was in SNF also. never could get ice or pain medicine on time. :flabber: I had my own ice machine there and never used it. I was so glad to go home. I could take meds when I needed and ice and elevate often. I am still taking pain meds. :good-bad:One silly thing that brought me to tears was seeing someone have what looked like fried chicken and I had something else that looked horrible. My daughter brought me snacks and drinks. I was happy when I can home. Hope you too will be able to go home soon. :prayer::console2:
 
Thanks for the advice, and especially for the hugs-I need some hugs. I had a terrible reaction to the pain meds earlier this morning which caused nasty vomiting, and other side effects. That's my body-the only thing I can depend on with it is that it's undependable. This, coupled with a malfunctioning wheelchair that dropped my operated leg yesterday, sure hasn't helped me......Good news is that I felt better late this afternoon, so got some OT to help me get dressed; now I have all the tools I need to get my socks, panties, pants, etc, on. I also got to visit with family, so a terrible day ended in a better place. I think I'll go home tomorrow-I only need a little PT to help show me how to slowly and gently strengthen my leg-right now I have to have help every time I get in or out of bed. I use a leg lifter but for some reason it isn't working for me and I've dropped my leg way too many times. I got my CPM machine yesterday-I actually like it. It may or may not have any long term effect, but it seems to loosen my leg and make it easier to move. I'll have one at home along with a toilet riser, plus a few other devices, so I think I'll do well at home now. I really wasn't ready to go home after 3 days, although I'd rather have stayed at the hosp, but this was my option. I think my docs and PT saw that I wasn't ready for home-I am one who takes a lot longer up front to recover, so even with the hassles it worked out ok...not great but ok. The pain med problem was because I'm not at the main hosp and all my reg docs, etc, were gone this weekend so I had to have substitute docs who don't know me and just went by my charts and what the staff here requested, instead of speaking directly to me which is what my docs would have done, to order more meds instead of my doc who knows me. They all are back tomorrow so I'll be ok whatever I decide. Thanks for all your support and Happy Easter to all!
 
I understand the tears over meals, 'I'm so ready'. I have yet to eat a single thing from this place-it really is terrible even for a hospital and I was in tears today. They had an Easter lunch, brought it in to me just as I was vomiting the worst, so I asked to have it saved for later. They can only save trays for an hour, which meant I couldn't eat. Couple that with no choices at all for meals, and you can imagine how frustrated I've been. Everyone has the same meal every day, so if you don't like or eat what they offer, you can have a ham and cheese sandwich. Granted their sandwich looks better than the meals here, but I didn't want a sandwich for Easter Dinner. Hubby brought me Boson Market turkey so I got a decent dinner.
 
Oh boy, @lobetocookandsew, what a way to start off with a tKR. How awful. I hope you get discharge latter today. I mean you can do bad at home and have hubby help and at least have some substantially better food and take your own darn meds on time. I never heard of such a thing.. well yes I have and I think it is outrageous to wait forever for pain medication when someone is post op or just plain in need of something for pain. I certainly hope you fair much better at home and get PT going. Thank goodness your insurance covers you to have the CPM for home use. Pain management must be under control for anything to happen properly. It probably would behoove you to have a reacher at home. This way you won't have to feel like such a burden calling for everything dropped to be picked up. Can you inch yourself out of bed with the op leg on top of the good leg and lower the op leg down slowly till both are on the floor. PT showed me how to do this in the hospital and I did not need any help from the staff to get me out of the bed. I just needed a staff member to be present, beside me. (Hospital had a strict rule no knee or hip replacement folks were allowed to get out of bed without a staff member being present). The STAFF were very attentive about not having patient's call lights ringing forever and came to the room when you called in less than 5 minutes. and in turn came back with your pain medication just as quickly. The person answering the call light would usually tell your nurse what you needed so when you the staff member or nurse came to the room, they already had in hand what you requested. That is the way it should be.

Certainly hope today and week are much better for you and you can ice and take your meds around the clock with a little food in your stomach so as to hopefully keep everything down. Glad husband brought you some Boston Market for Thanksgiving. My good thought, hugs and prayers are being sent straight your way. Wish I could have sent you a piece of deliciously seasoned lamb that my son made for Easter. If I could have I would have. Take good care of yourself and I will keep my fingers crossed for you to go home later today.:hiking:
 
Please keep us informed on how you are doing. If you can get the medication all taken care of maybe another day in the hospital is ok. Play it by ear. Remember the knee is in charge. Go slow, sleep, elevate, ice and pain pills around the clock. Tashia
 
Thanks guys. I do have a reacher, chestnc, my problem is I manage to drop things just out of reach...lol. This evening I dropped my chapstick, (For the 20th time...lol) but was able to grab it. Too bad I let loose of the handle just enough to loosen the hold, which dropped the chapstick and it rolled far far away.....:rofsign::rotfl:
 
I find that since I have had my.TKR everything drops. Just seems to be a part of it all .
 
Yeah, I did a lot of that dropping of things while I was in the rehab facility which didn't have a good setup for keeping everything within reach. I think it's probably related to the pain meds.

I'm so glad to hear you sounding more chipper. As your pain is more under control, you will definitely start being able to manage more things on your own. I said that I made progress on getting out of bed and to/from the bathroom fairly quickly because I had to go so often and didn't want to have to ring for help each time. I tried to "save" my calls for when I really needed my meds or ice (the critical things).

There will continue to be challenges but I think you're getting to the end of the beginning stage (if that makes sense) of this journey and as soon as you start to see some progress, it will help your spirits . . . along with being at home of course.

We're thinking of you and wishing you the best.:console2:
 
Waiting for my doctor to come over and write my discharge...Yes, I am going home! Made the decision yesterday that I was going home today and stood firm. I will have home PT and some things like the CPM machine that goes home with me which was delivered here the other day, some kind of toilet riser, and a few other odds and ends, so I will do well. I will be able to take the pain meds I need when I need them. Thanks everyone for all your help and care. I'll keep you updated. Kim
 
Thanks all, I am a little better in spirits, mainly because I am going home! As soon as my doctor writes my discharge I am out of here! While I think a re-hab was the best choice for me, THIS re-hab was the wrong one, but I didn't really have a choice as I wasn't planning on it and didn't check them all out. My doctor said it was very unlikely I'd need one, but then things changed rapidly, and the rest, as they say, is history. If I ever have to do my other knee (which is still a perfect knee, but I have heard having one knee go bad sometimes send the other knee into a tailspin) I will definitely check out all the re-habs thoroughly, just in case. Thanks for all the care, I'll keep up the updates. :yes!: :egypdance: :dancy: :spin::giggle: :SUNsmile:
 
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