TKR luvcats recovery box

[luvcats]

@marieltha It is always a perfect day to hug a cat. If only the cat agreed...lol

I must admit that if I had done my final PT I would be celebrating.

I haven't so much finished PT as I have stopped because I get 20 sessions a year and I want the other 10 for the next knee.
Of course I did read absolutely everything in the articles archive while I was freaking out pre-surgery. Somehow knowing that down days are a completely expected part of the recovery process didn't make me feel any better in the moment. Nothing ever does when you're down.

I'm not sure, but maybe we need to send out warnings to the world that you're coming......

Shhhh. It's a secret! I'm going to surprise them!

Oh, and best of all: I don’t have that awful bone on bone grinding pain.

That is definitely the most important truth of all right? Everything is better than that, whatever challenges the healing brings.

 

[luvcats]

Thank you all for your emotional support and kind words. Yesterday was an emotionally unsatisfactory day, but today has been much better. Everything is better when you get decent sleep I find.

This week has been another huge jump forward. 3 days in a row I've gotten some important tasks done that required real brains. It's so nice to have them come to visit! I really miss my brains when they are gone. And they're about to take another trip, so I'm glad to spend some time with them. lol

Today I went to see my chiropractor. He adjusted my hips, which really object to learning how to walk all over again. And he adjusted my neck so I don't have to hear it grind every time I turn my head. I always get crimped up in my neck when I spend too many days in bed. So now things feel pretty good.

I also got on the freeway for the first time. And probably the last until October. I went to a social gathering and had a lovely afternoon with my local friends.

It was a bright sunny day, even though it was entirely too hot. From the comfort of the a/c it at least looked like a nice day outside.

Tomorrow I need to do some cooking. I don't have nearly enough food in my freezer for the next round.

 

[luvcats]

Saturday we are going to a pool party for our Weight Watchers group, so yesterday I cooked our potluck contribution. It's the first real cooking I've done in ages and it was great. I was able to stand as much as I needed and move around between stove and pantry without thinking about it too much. I was pretty much wiped out by the time I finished, but it felt great to think about how much I was able to do!!

I have a chair that lives in the kitchen by the stove because it's been YEARS since I could cook standing up. I'm still using it, but I can do a whole lot more now, standing flamingo style on my good new knee. I really can't wait until October.

I got our party food done and then got about half way done with making another batch of food for the freezer. I'll finish that today. The next round is coming right up. On Sunday it will be time to stop all antiinflammatories. Not that I'm on nearly as many this time.

I'm also super excited because we're getting a break from this awful summer. We should see low 80s most of the week. Saturday morning should be cool enough with lower humidity that I can open some windows and air out the house for a few hours. I'm very excited about that. I do not tolerate the heat well and I'm ready to be able to enjoy outside again.

 

[Neesie]

I love that you got to spend time with your brain. Gives me hope that maybe mine will drop by for a visit some time soon.

 

[luvcats]

Yay! Our cool front arrived! I'm so pleased! It won't be open windows all day, but the morning should be lovely and I can't wait to air out the house even for a day.
It's actually cool enough I need to rethink my wardrobe for the day. It's an outdoor pool party so I was going to wear a cute halter dress, but it may be too cool for that. I'll have to wait and see.

Yesterday I did a lot more than usual standing doing my best flamingo impersonation. I got a lot more frozen meals into the freezer for my next recovery and put away the groceries that my husband carried into the house. And I made my own lunch. It was tiring, and today I am sore, but not how I expected. My knee is surprisingly ok. It's my hips and butt muscles that are tired from standing a lot mostly on the one leg that isn't as strong. Nothing a little Advil can't help, but I am glad the new knee put up with it nicely.

The party won't be a strain. I'm going to do my usual thing of parking myself in a centrally located chair and then not moving at all. There won't be a place to put my leg up, but I'll keep it up all morning so that should be fine.

My cat woke me up early today. No idea what was up with the, but I think I may go back to bed now that the cats are fed, watered, and cuddled.

 

[Jaycey]

@luvcats Hard to believe you are already preparing for #2 knee. It will feel great to have both knees done and dusted.

Enjoy the party!

 

[ApricotPie]

And numbers can be deceiving. I was always pushed to the most bend when measured so my records show wonderful numbers. But those “wonderful numbers” were worthless at home because I wasn’t healed enough to have the function that those numbers implied.

My last PT I measure 105 degrees using only my leg muscles to get there. The therapist added a gentle
push and got me to 110. Previously I had been 95 degrees.

You're correct in the the measurement is not precisely done the same way every time. I figure there must be a plus or minus 3 degree range of accuracy. For my records I recorded the 105 degrees I could squeeze out of the joint with a mighty effort.

 

[luvcats]

@Jaycey I'm starting to be a little anxious about the next surgery just because there's so much to do at the last minute, but mostly I'm just excited that the days of the burning, grinding pain are almost over and soon I'll be able to be up and about like a fairly normal person. I know it will take me a while to get to where I'm strong enough again to walk far and take steps normally as it's been years since I could walk without pain, but that all just looks like a challenge, not daunting like exercise has been while managing pain.

@ApricotPie I'm mostly over my moment of annoyance about my ROM numbers. It finally occurred to me that I can't even remember the last time I could bend even as well as I can now, and how much easier it will be for my body to learn to bend more when I can walk and exercise properly and get things well warmed up before trying to increase my stretch.

Yesterday was our party. It was a perfect day for sitting outside. I didn't do anything but sit, but between several days of doing a lot of standing and then sitting in a bad chair yesterday, I was super sore last night. I wound up taking more meds than I have needed in a while.

Today we're taking advantage of the unseasonally lovely weather to go out again and have an outing with another couple. The seating will be a bit better, and we won't be out as long, but I know once we are home, it will be my comfy chair, an extra elevation pillow, and some ice.

It will be worth it though. It's been so nice to get a break in the heat and that it came early enough for me to really enjoy it

 

[marieltha]

LOL, pics of my feet touching now that my formerly knock-kneed legs are straight! Before my new PKRs, my thighs and knees touched, but then my feet and calves splayed out:

 

[luvcats]

Yesterday was even more lovely than Saturday. Cool breezes and blue skies with fluffy clouds. Such a nice vacation from our normal weather, which starts back today with rain. sigh. I do miss the weather in Colorado.
Yesterday was an outing with friends. Much less than the day before. A good meal out. Then home for some ice which sorted me out right away.

I feel pretty good today, physically. Starting to see some minor anxiety looking at the calendar today though. Today is 9 days out from my right TKR and my calendar is full of bright red reminders and various to dos. Maybe I'm weird, but my biggest concern is always that something will happen and I *won't* have the surgery on time. I'm so ready to get past this.

Disney is waiting!

 

[Carole4815]

That seems like a rational concern! At least I felt that way before my TKR earlier this month. I really didn't know until the night before if it would really happen on time; the surgeon's assistant was scheduled to call me at that time and let me know. And then, I was so concerned that there would be something I had to do, and didn't know about. Instead of getting a packet with a list of lab tests and clearances that had to be done, I just sort of found out along the way; so I thought each was the last one until I would find out about another one. For example, when I went to my PCP to get HIS signed clearance for surgery, he gave it to me and then after giving it to me he mentioned I had to have a chest x-ray and EKG (which I believe were required by the hospital, not him). What confusion!

I am so excited for you! TWO new knees! You have done so well with the first new knee already.

As for the weather, I am constantly adjusting the thermostat these days. Whenever I have been icing a lot, I get cold. But then summertime gets pretty hot here in New Orleans, so that inspires me to lower the thermostat often, as well.

 

[Neesie]

We're in southern NJ - at the very tip in fact. We have the windows and doors wide open. It's such a pleasure to feel the breeze and hear the ocean!

 

[marieltha]

Having those heavenly central Florida 85 degree days, so pool water is also 85. Nirvana for me. My bp stays low, so I think at 85, I feel like others feel at 75. At 75, I am wearing long sleeves.

LOL, When people say it is too hot and humid in Florida, I tell them they would not like it, and they should not move here. If everyone were to move here, I think the peninsular would break off and we’d either sink or become an island nation.

 

[marieltha]

Your new knees should be fine in December.
@Neesie’s lovely description of being at the very southern tip of the NJ shore made me think of the Keys:

Should you venture to the Southernmost Point:

My favorite Florida joke:
God/Buddha/your choice took Florida by the Panhandle border, shook the whole peninsula like a rug, and everything loose fell to Key West.

We lived in the Conch Republic (Marathon/Vaca Key in the middle Keys)on a sailboat a couple of times.

 

[luvcats]

Having those heavenly central Florida 85 degree days, so pool water is also 85. Nirvana for me.

You can definitely have my share. lol. I am one of the people who thinks FL is too hot and humid. 85 degrees is too hot for me. After about 82 the heat makes me feel sick and like my energy is being sucked out of my body. Humidity just makes things worse.

My dad has a place in Ft Meyer where they live when they are in the states. I've never visited there because he only comes at the end of summer. I'd never manage the temps. I don't wear long sleeves until about 65 and a coat at 50. I loved living in Colorado for the weather.

Which is why we choose to go to Disney in December, or sometimes February. It's much less busy and the temps are pretty tolerable. We're going in that nice quiet space between Thanksgiving crowds and Xmas crowds. It's my favorite time to go because everything is all beautifully decorated for Christmas.

I'm confident my knees will be up to the trip by December. I should have a month or 6 weeks of pool walking after the 2nd knee. And I'm still planning to have an ECV for the parks. I don't think I'll be up to walking 8-10 miles a day even with the new knees. It's been too long. But it will be lovely to be able to walk around my hotel, get up and down curbs, and even climb into a bus without issues.

 

[luvcats]

I've been doing too much. Saturday was the party. Sunday was another outing. Monday was working on my list of pre-surgery tasks and general life maintenance.

Yesterday was a trip to my pain specialist and they had some people out in her office. It was my worst appointment there ever. She was her wonderful self, but frazzled, so one of my prescriptions is wrong. The appointment was an hour behind. She sent me back to the waiting room to wait for my scripts, and by the time I got them, I was nearly late for another appointment (1pm should be plenty of time to get home from an appointment at 11:15 I thought to myself when I scheduled it.) so I grabbed them from the nurse and dashed off. Only to discover they are for capsules and my insurance only covers tablets. I've had to do this dance multiple times before. I thought we'd solved it.

When I got home after my appointment I got to spend much of the afternoon trying to get my script fixed and called in correctly. Which didn't happen, to my extreme frustration.

So now I'm out of my standing script for Tramadol ER and I'm making due with multiple tabs or regular tramadol on a careful schedule. And this afternoon I'll probably get to spend listening to charming hold music some more. Won't that be fun?

Very frustrating. Normally seeing her is a pleasant experience and her office runs pretty much on time. And exhausting.

Today is supposed to be relaxing. I have a massage this morning to loosen up my hips and shoulders before I go into surgery again. Then I'll be spending the afternoon in bed with my legs up on the high pillow. My whole leg is swollen from not enough elevating, although it doesn't hurt too much more. I'm just plain tired.

My only other outing this week will be a quick hair wash, and going to pick up prescriptions. Oh, and grocery shopping. And I guess one meal out over the Labor Day weekend. See, it just creeps up on me. I still need to make more ice packs and another round of meals for the freezer and my pre surgery tasks will be complete.

7 days and counting.

 

[Carole4815]

How aggravating! I hope they straighten out that prescription somehow. Sounds like everything else is going as planned though. You are going to be so ready for this surgery!

 

[Pattikakes]

I'm enjoying your thread and chuckled when you talked about bring ready to visit Disney. I just had my first TKR done on 8/20 and won't have the second for about six months.
Our annual Disney trip is part of my motivation, as well. We go the week right before Thanksgiving every year. Best wishes in sailing through your surgery on the 4th.

 

[marieltha]

Sorry your Rxs got out of sync. Deep breaths.

I frequently learn something from your posts, @luvcats . Today it is Tramadol ER. What is it?
Do you get better pain relief?

Your massage sounds heavenly.

PS I lived and worked in Ft Myers for many years. Best times to visit there for your weather preferences are latter October and April. Lowest humidity. Clear. Nice. And if you pick an April when Easter is early, and go after that, the masses will have left. Lovely area, but the proximity to the Everglades really ramps up the humidity there. The weather in Tampa, in my opinion, is much better. We have several 80high/60low months.

 

[sistersinhim]

After about 82 the heat makes me feel sick and like my energy is being sucked out of my body. Humidity just makes things worse.

I'm right there with you! I run around in tshirts outside when it's in the 50s. The only time I enjoyed the heat was when I was recovering from my trk. That ice made me cold all the time. Ice on my knee, wrapped up in a blanket and 90 degrees outside! When I have my next one it will be in early summer again so I can tolerate the heat.