[BILATERAL TKR] MissViv's Recovery

[sistersinhim]

I agree that you should take the walker. It's better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it! I kept mine in the car for months and the cane is still in there!

 

[MissViv18]

We haven't rented a cabana on this cruise, although we did once with the butler service. It was great!

Lately, we have just gotten off and found lounges in the shade. Hope I can get up and down on the lounges, maybe with DH help??

 

[CAB]

You will surprise yourself @MissViv18. I needed to be lowered into my beach seat and levered out...now i can sit down and push myself back up!
Enjoy, sounds like just the thing!

 

[MissViv18]

Yesterday was week 14!

Just now starting to be able to lay on sides when sleeping for very short intervals. Still the rubber band feeling in both knees but the numbness in my feet seems to be getting a little better. Dear Hubby massages my feet every night and I think that is helping. The last two mornings I have woken up with swelling that goes down later in the day.

I still feel as if these are NOT my knees. They seem so foreign to me. I wish I could come to terms with them. I feel like I will never be normal again but DH keeps saying I will get better. Just give it time.

Not sure if we can go on the cruise or not. The trip might be too much for me, it's on March 10th. I guess we will see. Glad I bought the insurance.

 

[Jockette]

I think the cruise could be a nice diversion if you mostly relax, physically. (not just mentally) I’ve never been on a cruise but from what I understand is that they offer a lot of activities and off ship excursions, and that’s part of the reason one goes.

But if you limit those and mostly just enjoy things on the ship, still within reason for your abilities, it could still be a very nice vacation.

But waiting until you can enjoy all of it is not a bad idea either. I’m sure it will be a hard decision.

 

[SusieShoes]

The insurance was a good idea, but I hope you don’t need to use it. I’ll cross my fingers that your knees improve markedly in the next month. Once the swelling starts going down in earnest (for me it was around three months), these new knees can make big leaps in things like pain and bend. You’re just now starting to sleep better on your side—something that will become easy over the next several months. For now, though, you’re in the frustrating middle of recovery where things are better... just not there yet.

A cruise is manageable if you feel you can enjoy the time spent considering your limitations. Maybe long walks on uneven surfaces (such as a beach) will be out, but walking on the ship should be fine. You can control how much or often you walk. If you think you might need a wheelchair, those can be arranged ahead of sailing and will be delivered to your stateroom. And of course crew members are invariably helpful for things like arranging easy seating at dining, etc.

And kudos to your husband for those foot massages! A caring and giving partner is the very best recovery aid of all.

 

[sistersinhim]

Even though a cruise ship is large, it was still rock some. Keep this in mind, too, about your trip. If you improve a lot in the next month, then go for it. If not, cancel or reschedule. At five months I would have been happier home and I didn't have a bilateral! But, you have to make that decision when the time comes!

 

[MissViv18]

Woke up with swelling the last three mornings. I have iced (several times a day) and elevated to no avail. Hoping this swelling goes down soon.

 

[SusieShoes]

Crossing my fingers this swelling is temporary. Do you know of anything you did to bring it on? Often there’s no reason, but it can be reassuring to know of one.

 

[sistersinhim]

Any increase in activities can cause your knee to swell. Try cutting back on what you are doing and rest that knee of yours!

 

[MissViv18]

Cannot think of anything that I did that would cause the swelling? Still swollen and ice does not seem to help. Just have to wait and see I guess. I may call the OS on Monday but I know they will just say ice and elevate.

 

[MissViv18]

Just though of this …. I am tossing and turning in bed a lot and sleeping on both sides so maybe that has them aggravated. I am using a pillow between my knees.

 

[Jockette]

Just though of this …. I am tossing and turning in bed a lot and sleeping on both sides so maybe that has them aggravated. I am using a pillow between my knees.

This could be it. I used to be a very restless side sleeper, pre surgery. Since needing to elevate my knee in the early months of recovery I became a back sleeper. My particular wedge has a trough cut into it to fit one leg, and it’s pretty hard to move out of it in my sleep, so it kept me still the entire time I was asleep.

It worked so well that I continue, at almost 2 years post op, to sleep with my leg elevated in this wedge, and I can get my other leg on it, just not into that trough. I even fall asleep much faster now than I ever did when I was a side sleeper.

I’ve read other members comment on a lot of pain during the night (more in the earlier part of recovery) and tossing and turning, and I’ve always thought all that movement contributed to the pain.

 

[beachy]

As soon as I started sleeping on my side it made my knee very unhappy. It's better now. One thing I figured out was that the top sheet was restricting movement at night. As well as the blanket tucked in the bottom of bed. After kicking it off countless times I finally took it off the bed. Never in my life have I slept with out a top sheet.

I can't stand to have anything tucked in. The lightweight quilt doesn't restrict movement. On cold nights I add another quilt or blanket. But nothing is tucked in.

 

[Jockette]

I can't stand to have anything tucked in. The lightweight quilt doesn't restrict movement. On cold nights I add another quilt or blanket. But nothing is tucked in.

Same here!
But then it’s hard to have something tucked in around the foam wedge!

 

[MissViv18]

I don't tuck in covers either. It bends my toes down and puts pressure on my heels. I guess my knees will get used to the side sleeping and tossing and get better on their own. When I get sore or feel pain from side sleeping, I move back on my back and stretch my legs.

 

[MissViv18]

Today is week 16!

I have had swelling, pain & stiffness for the last two weeks! I've tried icing and elevating and it does not seem to help. I do not do a lot so not sure why I have the swelling. Ankles are also swollen and when 5:00-6:00 p.m. rolls around I feel really bad and just look forward to bedtime.

We are going on the cruise … son & granddaughter are joining us, so cannot cancel. Hopefully, I can manage. Don't plan on taking any excursions so just planning to rest and EAT!! HaHa

We've got four more weeks until cruise so hoping I can improve some.

 

[skigirl]

Why not get some easy compression stockings. I wear knee highs from Dr. Motion that I got on Amazon. Most of them are not very much compression and they control the swelling in my ankles and feet that I think is from varicose veins. I always wear compression hose on airplane trips--although I do wear some that are a bit tighter for those trips. When I first went back to work, I wore thigh high compression hose which were very comfortable. But, since I am now in my dotage, I find the knee highs are very comfortable and help tremendously with the foot and ankle swelling.

 

[ebungalow]

@MissViv18

I’ll second the recommendation for compression stockings. I wear a thigh-high, open-toe compression stocking most days and it helps with swelling so much.

I bought them on Amazon, and they are very comfortable. They’re nude colored.

 

[beachy]

A lot of good healing can happen in 4 weeks. Just take it easy on the cruise, enjoy your family time and allow yourself to be pampered. You deserve it!