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Bilateral TKR Luisa's road to recovery June 10th, 2013

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Thank you for the encouragement Jesse! Jackie I do believe you are right about speaking to the PTs in the rehab immediately BUT THE BEST NEWS is I am going to rehab tonight! Its in this same hospital, brand new state of the art place (redone 2 mths ago). Its called Rusk institute. I will stay somewhere between 5 to 7 days. Also my afternoon PT session was really encouraging. I walked with the guarding and verbal cues from 2 PTs and didnt feel my knees buckling at all. I think I may finally be getting some muscle control back. I am determined to keep this good mood for at least the rest of the day. I cant tell you how much it means to me to be able to share the good, the bad and the ugly here! As always...I feel blessed to have found this site and all of you.
 
Lmarshall said:
BUT THE BEST NEWS is I am going to rehab tonight!
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That is great news---as has been said before, a change of scenery should do you good!

Lmarshall said:
Also my afternoon PT session was really encouraging. I walked with the guarding and verbal cues from 2 PTs and didnt feel my knees buckling at all.
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That is even better news!

Lmarshall said:
I think I may finally be getting some muscle control back.
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Yes, I think you are, too---it does take time for some of the muscles to "wake Up and to start firing, and yo are on your way now!
 
Good for you Luisa! I'm glad to hear that your muscle control is starting to come back! We all started where you are my friend, that's way we're here to help each other! We are all real people that went through the real thing, and soon you will be the one helping the new comers, as a matter of fact the minute you started posting was the very minute you started helping others! We all learn from each other, the good, the bad and the ugly, that's what makes us family "The BoneSmart Family"! :)
 
Hey hope by now you are zipping around on a walker! we have the same issue Valgus knee. mine looked just like yours before they did the osteotomy to correct my femor, and now im having the hardware plate out tomorrow, so they can eventually do a TKR on my right. Quite terrified actually cant wait for a weeks time.
How did you manage with that valgus knee?
 
The valgus knee looks much straighter but it is the one with more pain and less muscle movement. I woke up at 130am hot hot hot, needing to pee (still need a bed pan)and in pain.I had a terrific day...this was like reminding mehow easily it can suck :( as I sat hear crying quietly aso as to not bother my roommate a nurse came in asked me what was wrong and promptly brought me a pain pill. What an angel still hasnt kicked in tho. Has anyone else here experiencedthese hot flashes? Meds maybe? I wish I could turn forward time to get over the worst of it. Hasnt even been a five days yet. :hairpulling:
 
Hi Luisa, your doing well the first two to three weeks are the worse then believe me it gets easier just keep taking the medication and look to the future.
I had the hot flushes to I think it is the medication I would only get hot in the night but after two weeks it disappeared I bought a thermometer as I was worried I might have had an infection but my temperature was normal I just felt hot, it was weird but it passes and you will start sleeping again soon to.
 
As I stare at my legs and wonder why I cant move them one inch to the right or left upon command, the frustration and tears start to build. last night was awful...waking every 1 OR 2
hours wishing I could sleep on my stomach for even 15 minutes.

This is hard :gaah:
 
It is hard Luisa just keep looking to the future. :flwrysmile:
 
It will be hard for a while. But as you recover, the "hard's" will be a thing of the past, and you will start looking forward to new challenges that you never thought possible! :happydance:
 
Lmarshall said:
the frustration and tears start to build
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It is so hard in the early days, especially as even now it seems like forever. Night-times are the worst, the frustration and boredom in equal, horrible parts. Easy to say I know but please try not to fight, just relax, watch telly, whatever helps you.

It DOES get better it WILL be worth it.
 
Today was day 4 post op....1st full day in rehab. First, my night was awful, getting little sleep and plenty of pain. BUT I turned the corner after havin my PT OT evals. I struggled to get out of bed on these lega I call bricks butt after 1 hour eval which included ROM and walking another 1 hour OT eval and then a 1 hour PT session, I am exhausted but happy. I am proud to announce.....drum roll....I am now getting up to use the toilet....NO MOREBED PAN!!!!! I really think this will lea e my legs feeling less stiff and cement like. I am actually laughing and joking again! BTW my off icial goniometer reading for ROM is very similar on both legs 78degrees flexion -25 degrees extension. The extension is pretty bad. ButI am confident I will get 90 degrees flexion before I leave here. One side effect of all my therapy...ankle is swollen :(
 
Gotta love the physio therapists eh? They are always my favorite part of a get-well regime. It is rewarding to see how exercises ( that looked laughably easy before surgery) help to rebuild strength and flexibility on a daily, even hourly basis. Keep those ankles pumping to help your swelling move up and out! Don't forget to drift and daydream oh momentarily sleepless one
 
That was my daughter in the video and her fiancee with commentary lol jesse soooooooo true about the exercises being so simple yet...........yikkkkkes!!!
 
Today is post op BTKR day 5 and have been in rehab 2 full days. I have stopped looking at every day annoyances quite as closely and have begun to focus on all the positives since there are many. Of course I still get annoyed or weepy at times but I try not to stay with the feeling too long. I LOVE being able to walk for longer and longer with my walker feeling stronger and stronger. I am walking alittle less straight up since I am working on swelling and extension difficulties. I try to remain confident it will come. I even started some recriprocle bike (7 min) and beganstepping up on low step, not bringing 2nd foot up...but will begin tomorrow. CPM Is on 80 degrees flexion 0 extension but I swear it really depends on person placing machine heighg etc because goniometer readingz arent as pleasing with extension numbers. None the less my independence has improved by leaps and bounds daily!! Pain is being managed well as long as I remain my own advocate!! CAN YOU TELL I HAVE REGAINED SOME SANITY??? LOL and all before week is over!
 
I posted on new knee in June thread and lost it all somehow. Its harder to post from my tablet and gets frusdtrating. There are many of us ladies going through this in early june and feel quite lucky to b part of the group my dear friends. My mind isnt as sharp lately...sside effect from meds, to be able to list the ladies byt u kniw who u are! Tomorrow, my girls celebrate their 1 week birthday, so in honor of them...they shall be named Lucy and Ethel! (Hope no one has cosen this funny duo). I find it so appropriate, since it really is my sense of humor getting me past some of the tough spots. Crying has now only become my part time hobby...no longer my chosen career lol. Progress is slow byt VERY noticeable...except for that darned on/off the bed business. At least its alittle less painful to do tho. My right shoulder is cuurently angry at Lucy and Ethel, and frequently remind me to give them a holler! Lol. I hope to get an updated walking video tomorrow, even though my hair is at disaster levels.....HORRIFIC! Hoping to see my OS tomorrow and ask her if I can have the ceremonious 1 st shower.
 
I loved watching Lucy and Ethel and their mischievous ways! :rotfl:
 
Luisa you sound like you are doing great. I like the Lucy and ethel bit. And tears and rehab go hand in hand. Everyday we were like who is going to cry today.
 
Post op day 8: yesterday had a GREAT therapy day! Hubby stayed and videotaped and I will post later. Once back in my room I slept so hard and long. I then woke up with a mild fever (99.5), and frlt generally unwell. I cried on ad off all night and morninb. Even through OT. PT was much better. For some reason, this PT is a perfect fit for me...very zen like and calming. (I asked to keep this PT...he was just a fill in guy for me). Anyway long story short....bzd night due to a lot of hard work, but truly I feel revitalized in PT. I am now transitioming to the forearm crutches and I LOVE LOVE them. Even managed 5" stairs without railing (2 steps). Im having huge mood shifts and its so hard to control. I see a direct link to feeling tired and therapy being over to my drastic swings. Staff must think im crazy
 
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