Revision TKR Motherbone's Recovery Thread

Today was an emotional day. My dog, almost 17 years old, had been fading over the past several months and over the weekend I found her lying on the floor in a puddle of her own urine, trying but failing to get up. It was the signal I guess I needed in order to help me make a difficult decision. We brought her to the vet today; they are very familiar with her and called her a "legend," because of her up-till-today perky longevity. Around 1:30 PM with my husband and I holding her, she joined the angels and our previous dogs (a Labrador and a rescue street dog). Hopefully they will show her the ropes on the other side until we meet again. I am crying as I write this so I will sign off and post again later.
 
@Motherbone, I am so sorry to read your post. It’s terribly painful to lose a fur baby;they love us unconditionally. She had a wonderfully long life with you, and now she’s young and healthy again, enjoying the Rainbow Bridge with your other dogs. Someday you’ll all be together again, and until then, you’ll be able to remember her with smiles as well as the tears. Hugs to you and your husband.
 
@Motherbone , I am so sorry!!! Fur babies take a piece of our heart when they pass. I am sure you gave her such a great life with lots of love. It’s hard to know who benefits more...us or our pets. Sending you a big hug!!!
 
I'm so very sorry. Awful to lose such a good friend.
 
CAFBF35E-F6D6-439C-8279-9D5DF312E23B.jpeg
 
I grieve with you. Our fur babies wiggle their way into our hearts , saying good bye is terrible. I lost my precious Joey last Thursday early morning due to a very sudden illness. I feel your pain and grief.
My avatar shows my 3 cats. Sherman, the black cat died in February. Joey is the brown tabby.
Sending you hugs
 
Breaks my heart. I have been there......going to go hug my dog! Time is our healer, memories our comfort.
 
Sorry to hear of your loss, 17 years together is wonderful but takes an even bigger piece of your heart when they are gone.
 
@Mom2Lucy Thank you for your dear words. I have been thinking along those lines a lot. It restores some hope. I absolutely believe in the afterlife for all living things. Energy (the soul) is never extinguished, it just changes form.

@Irish471 So right - this particular dog (my sixth) had a rough start in life, shifted from owner to owner, briefly abused before she was passed on, and ultimately a refugee from a natural disaster zone which is how she came to our house. We gave her safety, predictability, and affection without anger or bullying. She always had a quirky personality and a high anxiety level but over time, with what we gave her, she did much better, able to show joy while playing catch when I got home from work, and meeting most situations with at least some level of enthusiasm. I guess I learned a lot about myself and about the importance of just showing up and being consistently kind and present.

@Jockette You are always there for us. If there is ever anything I can say to build you up, please please let me know, don't hold back.

@Benay Thank you so so much for the cartoon. It gave me great comfort even as it elicited more tears. It was just what I needed at the moment.

@Mutti3 I feel your grief and know that you have my spiritual support. Two of my dogs died after short and vicious illnesses with cancer. So abrupt and no time to get used to the idea of loss.

@Cementless I tell myself that time will blunt the pain and it's true, I've had six dogs and one cat in my life and over time the pain eases. Right now every now and then I think I see her out of the corner of my eye and then I remember she's not here in the flesh.

@TimeBuster Thank you for your kindness.

@FCBayern You are right, it's as long as a generation and you really feel the empty space when they are gone.

My heart is so touched by all of you. I've never had to decide to euthanize a pet because of progressive old age to the point that they could not function, and making the decision was very hard because I don't believe in throwing things out just because they are old. I am overwhelmed by the outpouring of all of your support. Those of you who have followed my journey on this forum since last October know that I've fought hard for every inch of progress, that I'm left with some level of disability that just will not budge, and that along the way I've also lost not only a lot of mobility and independence, but also my job and much of my social circle. Losing my pup felt like the last straw in a season of losses and, crazy as this sounds, to a certain extent I felt like I was watching a version of my own life of losses over the past nine months as I watched her slowly decline. Last night lying in bed with the house so quiet without a dog in it, I told myself that all I can do is keep putting one foot in front of the other and keep doing the things that I can still do. Hopefully it will be enough.

I head to the orthopod next week. If this silly ankle pain doesn't go away, I guess I'll have to have it worked up. Definitely not looking forward to that so everyone please pray for my left ankle!:) :-) (:
 
You definitely have all of our hopes and prayers, hopefully the ankle will ease and not be yet another issue to deal with.
 
I so identify with your story. Lost of job, the circle of friends, mobility, independence and the loss of a beloved pet. I could have had my TKR surgery earlier last year but I postpone my surgery when my 14-year-old beautiful cat got very ill. She was in perfect health until the middle of last year. She has been the best little girl in the world but her health was failing. I couldn't bring myself to have surgery and leave her side for a moment knowing her time on earth was coming to an end and when she needed me the most. She passed away in October.

It's amazing how a pet can become so much a part of your life. It feels as though a huge part of me has been torn away. I miss her so much, but I'm also relieved her suffering is over.

My heart goes out to you. I hope that in time after you have mourned the loss of your good friend, that you will find another.
 
@Jockette You are always there for us. If there is ever anything I can say to build you up, please please let me know, don't hold back.
:console2:You are so sweet, I’m so glad we have this forum for camaraderie and support since many people we meet face to face just don’t understand. Even those who have had a knee replacement don’t always understand, if they had a non eventful recovery and a good outcome.

I kind of feel I’ve lost friends, too. Maybe not actually lost them, but I feel the relationship changed. I’m very touchy about my recovery experience. All my friends are very pro physical therapy and think the therapist is always right. They have no idea what I’ve been through emotionally with my recovery.
 
@Motherbone, I am so sorry for you loss of a dear, loving companion. I can relate. I had my kitty, Booboo for 21 years. Health wise she was in great shape for her age. One day she got up and her hip broke. That broke my heart. I still miss her to this day and it has been almost a year. I have her photo and ashes on my mantle.

Just know that you gave your fur baby a wonderful life in her senior years. She is happy and running around playing with her already gone brothers and sisters. I look forward to one day visiting the Rainbow Bridge where I can hug all my sweet babies again. What is heaven without our loved pets? I believe we will have a way to see them again!

Do you wear shoes all the time in the house and out? When it got warm I kicked off my shoes inside, being a former Tar Heel! A couple of weeks ago my foot and ankle stated hurting. I have now started wearing shoes all the time again and my pain has gone down. Maybe that could be your problem? I pray it's something simple like that.
 
@sistersinhim Wow, 21 years - what a nurturer you must be! I'm proud to know you online.
I do wear shoes all the time because I have completely flat feet, born that way, so bad that at one point one of my tendons was partially torn due to severe over-pronation (more than 10 years ago). I can't really walk barefoot. My fear is that I have a stress fracture somewhere in my left ankle or lower leg, because I have had to rely so heavily on that leg to compensate for the right one with its broken kneecap, and that leg is not in such good shape because the knee joint is distorted by arthritis and degeneration. I had a fibula stress fracture a few years ago on the right side and sometimes it feels just like that. I could handle a walking boot if that's what it is, but I sure don't want another surgery or a big cast that puts me back in a wheelchair.
Hoping all of us are carrying on as best we can. I'll let everyone know what they say after my appointment.
 
I was hoping it'd be something simple like going barefooted. Please do let us know what you find out.
 
I'm having less ankle pain, trying to stay off it more but I still need to walk some in order to keep the right knee from totally stiffening up and the quad from losing all its tone, so it's a balancing act. I called the doctor's office two days ago to ask if they could add an ankle X ray when I come in for my usual followup (they X ray my right knee each visit to make sure things haven't shifted) but they insisted I had to wait until I saw him first. That was a little disappointing because I want things to move forward fast. Unfortunately their practice is so specialized that it's also possible I might have to see someone else who deals only in feet and ankles. This doctor was not the one who did my original TKR, he's the one who does trauma and joint reconstruction, but I actually like him more than the first surgeon, I feel like he never gave up on me.

@Benay Thank you. I read through your thread. I found muscle relaxants, magnesium citrate, and calcium triphosphate gummies to be a helpful combination to combat night time leg cramps. I am only now becoming able to sleep four hours at a stretch. As many others have observed, these surgeries are major energy vampires, and in my case blood loss and anemia played a big part as well. If your energy doesn't come back, it might be worth it to ask your doctor to run a complete blood count on you.

Thanks to all, wishing us a good night.:sleep:
 

BoneSmart #1 Best Blog

Staff online

  • Jaycey
    ADMINISTRATOR Staff member since February 2011

Forum statistics

Threads
65,181
Messages
1,597,069
BoneSmarties
39,365
Latest member
Dave4562
Recent bookmarks
0
Back
Top Bottom