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TKR Midwest Girl - Round 2 Recovery

I hope the sciatica calms down a bit for you. It's great to hear that the knee isn't complaining too.
 
Venturing out to grocery shop today. The first time in 5 weeks and I'm out of everything. This is where living alone sucks. You gotta start fending for yourself eventually. Big snow storm moving in tomorrow afternoon so it needs to be done today. When I have a grocery list and stick to it, it doesn't take that long. I'm hungry for baked potato soup or chili - or both!

And I'm having another surgery on dec 23rd so I won't be making the 200 mile trip to my family for Christmas. Which a few in my family aren't understanding at all. It's made for a morning of tears. So I need to get my shopping done so I can get it in the mail. Everyone is getting gift cards to make it easier to mail. I was going to do a lot of this tomorrow or Monday but if we get the 4-8 inches of snow as predicted I don't want to go out in it. I will have to Monday morning to go to the Wound Clinic and then to PT.
 
Try not to do too much on Monday. If the shopping and the Wound Clinic use up most of your energy, skip the PT for one day.
I used to find, for at least a couple of months, that I only had enough energy for one outside activity each day.
 
Thanks @Celle. I should be fine. Monday's visit should be brief. It's just a dressing change. And the Clinic visit is at 9:15 and PT is at 1:00. Time to rest in between.
 
I understand how living alone makes it very hard at times. It does get very tiring. I know a few groceries stores around here will do your shopping for you and one will actually bring it out to your car. I've also used restaurants that will also bring food out to car. Maybe there is some store in your area with that service. i used whatever short cuts I could. I still do especially after a long day at work.:yawn:
 
I think my bed has become a torture rack. I can't get comfortable at all, no matter how many pillows I use to support my knee. Just when I get comfortable I'll get this crazy itch under this thick bandage on my knee. Definitely have to do a mind over matter thing. Or my leg/lower back will start aching or my wrist is on fire. My inscision that's not covered by bandage is sensitive to the sheets. My sleep schedule has gotten way off this week. I'm wide awake until 3:00am and sleep until 10:00-11:00am. On a non-whining note, tomorrow I'm going to church. First time since surgery. If it wasn't a special service I probably wouldn't go. It's the kids Christmas program and this is the last year my friends daughter is in it and she has a speaking role. So I really need to go. 1 1/2 hrs of sitting. That I'm sure will produce swelling.

I handled my first grocery shopping trip ok. It took me about 45 min and my knee/leg didn't bother me at all while shopping. Once I got home it was swollen and stiff. I promptly elevated and iced the knee. It's been raining (with thunderstorms) here tonight and this will all turn to snow tomorrow afternoon. I'm praying it's not icy in the morning. I keep checking the temp. Right now it's st 33C. We are forecasted for 4-8" of snow Sunday night. I'm going to have to tackle walking in snow and maybe ice at some point. This will be the weekend. I can't stay in my house all winter. As long as I go slow I should be fine. Well that's enough rambling. Enough time has elapsed from my last meds so I think I may take some Tylenol PM and use some essential oils that helps with sleeping. But I'm still wide awake.
 
Sorry to hear sleep is eluding you. I always loved my bed (only use it to sleep, no lounging etc) but during my TKR recovery I dreaded going to bed. Enjoy church, when I started going back I propped it up on the seat beside me. Be very careful in the snow and ice, use your a walker or other device to give yourself security and leverage.
 
Hope sleep finally found you. I don't live in the snowy areas but it sounds really tricky.
So if you have to go out I agree with KarriB to use one of the assisting devices,
if for nothing else the security and peace of mind.
 
Went to the wound center this morning for a bandage change. Was surprised by how much drainage there still was. The "wound" was a nice red and "healthy" looking. I asked how long she thought it would take to heal and she thought a month. I can't go a month with no showers! Bought cling wrap and I'll wrap my knee well so it doesn't get wet. She was kind enough to give me another bandage (against the rules) and a roll of tape. Going 2x/week for a month for a bandage change is going to be costly. Still didn't have the culture results do I still need to take antibiotics. I'm tired of feeling nauseous everyday. My stomach needs a break. I just want to stop taking everything. And on top of all this I'm constipated. Enough whining, I gotta scoot to get to PT.
 
If you still have prescribed antibiotics, you do need to keep taking them. Stopping before the course is complete is one way in which antibiotic-resistant bacteria develop.

Are you still taking stool softeners and possibly something extra, to combat the constipation?
 
@Celle i always take the prescribed doses of antibiotics unless I'm told I can stop as was the case with my surgeon. When I went to the Wound Center last Thursday she told me to start taking the antibiotics again as a precaution until the culture of my open incision came back. When I was there this morning they still didn't have results.

Yes, I am taking stool softener 3x/day. I also use miralax+prune juice which I started yesterday. What I had stopped taking was the Linzess. I guess I need to keep taking it.
 
I didn't shower for a month. It was very difficult, but my doc said no showers. In rehab they gave me a bath in a bag. I loved those and really missed them when I came home. When I was finally allowed to shower I still had to cling wrap my PICC line. The antibiotics don't get rid of your constipation?
 
I am sorry you are having nausea. That along with the constipation is terrible! Stay the course with the stool softeners and Miralax and you should "go" soon. It took me several days at the beginning, but since then, I have been regular. Hope the Poop Fairy comes soon! :chuckmarch: I do hope your infection is identified and you heal quickly.
 
No the antibiotics have no affect on relieving constipation for me. I'm sure things will get moving. Right now I'm suffering through the gas pains. Put a nix on the plans I had for the evening. No one to blame but me.

As far as the shower, I'm going to use cling wrap. She suggested leaving the left leg out of the shower. I don't know how I would accomplish that without getting water everywhere! Since she gave me another bandage in case this one got wet I think it's worth a try.

We didn't receive any snow or ice with yesterday's storm. Which made me happy. Just lots of rain. So I finished my Christmas shopping - which was easy - just gift cards for everyone. Will pack them up and get them to the PO tomorrow. Another chance for freezing drizzle tomorrow. Ugh

PT is going well. A little bit of a standstill as far as flexion. I'm ok with it and so is my therapist. With the bandage on my knee it can only go so far. She massaged (friction massage) the very top of my incision today. I've developed a horizontal ridge that feels like an adhesion and I think the source of pain I've been having since yesterday. The only time there is pain is if I'm bending over or if for some reason there's downward pressure on that mid quad area. Or if I'm laying on my right side and my left leg crosses over so that gravity is pulling down on that skin/fat/muscle. It was painful (nothing I couldn't handle) but she got rid of it!!

Well time for supper! Have a pleasant evening!
 
The Wound Clknic called today with my culture results. It is a low grade staph infection. Told me to stop the antibiotics because what I was taking doesn't treat that kind of staph. She's taking the watch and see approach for now. She asked about the drainage, but with it bandaged up I have no idea if there's been an increase in drainage. The doc will look at it Thursday when I go in for another dressing change and decide what to do. She is considering putting a wound vac on it. But I feel fine, not running a fever so I'm not worried about it. I need to shower tomorrow. It's been over a week - ugh. I'm going to wrap my knee up well with cling wrap. I use a hand held shower head so I'm confident I can do this without getting the bandage wet.
 
HI @midwest girl i was just catching up on your thread and saw you were having a hard time with your wound and nausea, that sucks I hope things clear up quickly for you. Hang in there we are all stronger than we think. I pray tomorrow is a real good day for you. :flwrysmile:
 
Two questions coming from someone with a staph infection in a TKR, are you under the care of an infectious disease dr and have you gotten a script for the correct antibiotic?
 
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midwest girl said:
The Wound Clknic called today with my culture results. It is a low grade staph infection. Told me to stop the antibiotics because what I was taking doesn't treat that kind of staph. She's taking the watch and see approach for now.
Click to expand...
Well, she was correct that the wrong antibiotic should be stopped. However, you shouldn't play around with staph infections and the appropriate antibiotic should be prescribed and taken.
 
I'll add my voice to the others that you still need an antibiotic that can stop the type of staph infection you have.
 
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