Become an Insider

TKR My Journey as of 12/16/13 - Over 1 Year and Still Trying

Status
Not open for further replies.
Good for you @DogLoverx3 Just woke my husband up to tell him I don't feel well. It was a bit pointless and selfish nothing he can do x x x:puppysmooze:
 
@DogLoverx3 I know I'm moaning but this insomnia tonight is the worst so far. It's 5.40 am no sleep. I remember you being like this at one stage I think?
 
I am doing well, thank you. My PT was done the first week of December and I go to the gym two or three times a week and ride an exercise bike or march and swim in the pool for thirty or forty minutes. My OS has had me marching in the pool since a month after surgery and I look kind of goofy doing it, but I know it has done me a lot of good. I have a little swelling still and there are days that the stairs are a challenge, but over all I am very happy with my recovery.

In the first couple of months I had lots of swelling and my OS told me that instead of shooting for 120 degrees like most of his patients, if I got to 100 degrees that would be an "A plus." Thanksgiving week I got to 100 degrees and was at 110 degrees at my last PT appointment. So I don't know if I will ever have the ideal ROM. But I also think that I have since passed the 110 degrees, I haven't been measured, but I can just tell sometimes that some things are easier for me now than they were a month or two ago.

In my last post I told you about taking Ambien. I started on that in July, which is when my latest knee problems really started. My blood thinners somehow got out of whack and I injured my knee and it filled up with blood. Very painful and sleep was extremely difficult. That is when the OS prescribed the Ambien, he said that wan't really his specialty but he would prescribe a low dose. And I used it almost every night until November. There were a few nights after I stopped using it where getting to sleep was difficult, but within a week or so my body adjusted and everything has gone smooth since. My OS did recommend Benadryl to help with my sleep as I came off of the Ambien, but I tried it a couple of times and it never really worked for me.
 
Nana Moon, :)
So sorry to hear you are still not sleeping, I too spent weeks lying awake at night going crazy with lack of sleep and being uncomfortable.:beg:
Its only been just over a month for you and although you don't think it now, you will sleep soon. I am wondering if you are on Tramadol, I was on the slow release one for the night only since my not sleeping was making me weepy and frustrated which in turn kept me awake. It was a vicious circle and I have never felt so alone in all my life.
My husband was sleeping downstairs on the sofa bed at my request, I had my laptop, books, magazines, my pills, bundles of DVD's all lying next to me on the bed and it was the loneliest place in the world for me.:sad:
I used to leave my bedside light on and put a DVD on the TV low so as not to wake my daughter or son in their rooms. I would slowly start to relax with the Tramadol and would close my eyes sitting half up in bed and leave the DVD on softly in the background. With the noise and the soft light on I didn't feel so isolated or scared.
Indulge yourself, have some background music on, soft lighting, make sure you are warm and comfortable and treat the night just like the day, you will nap now and again and remember that your healing time won't be like a normal day or night and you should just go with the flow.
I found there was nothing more frustrating than lying in the dark listening to my husband snoring whilst I was in pain and wide awake. I felt it was the lowest point in my life.
I got over it, you will too so be kind to yourself until that happens and see your doctor about the night time naggers that you have.
Remember you are not alone and that others who have been through the same thing are probably lying awake too. Its a club remember lol.
Each day brings you nearer to a good nights sleep and recovery.:console2: Things can only get better.
:flwrysmile:
 
@Dog Lover x3 Sounds as though the Benadryl caps did not work for you. Maybe it's time for Ambien to reset your sleep pattern. Do you have a family doc who can prescribe that?
Hope your catering went well and knee didn't have a tantrum --it's in the toddler phase --totters around and has fits when it doesn't get it's way….
 
@Chihuahuan , I'm actually going to try the allergy pills tonight. I didn't last night as I had to be up early to cater this morning and am always worried when I try something new that I will oversleep or be groggy or something so I pick a night when I have nothing to do the next morning. (I could be so lucky as to oversleep) ;-)

I was reading about neoprene braces that @Bluetechseeker & @jeano used that helped with their swelling and feeling of 'stability'. I've wondered of one would help. Any ideas if they would be good/bad/indifferent for me? I do worry about my knee giving out in public and my knee still swells up fairly huge whenever I do much of anything.

I catered this morning and my silly knee is doing it's daily imitation of a cantaloupe, so I've got an ice pack on it. So annoying.

Glad your ROM keeps improving @New KNee in NE ! That's awesome! No clue how mine can be so good when my knee is perpetually swollen, but I'll take it. When my knee gets really bad, I can't go much past 90, but I'm usually able to get up to 130 at PT without pain, so that's good.

I think I'll look in water therapy. The subdivision I live in has a pool, I guess I should wander down there and see if it's heated or not....

Hope everyone is having a great day!! xoxo
 
Hi @DogLoverx3 I'm Sorry you have a cantaloupe for a knee right now. Mine does a similar thing but looks a bit red and angry. I'm sure one day it's going to develop horns!!! Will you let me know if the allergy pills work please??? As regards knee supports, our PT's over here discourage them. They claim it stops your muscles from strengthening when you walk because they're being supported instead of working. Your rom is fabulous. I hope mine will be better this time, if I'm well enough to go x x x x look forward to your next post!!!! I hope the pool is heated x x x see you soon hugs :puppysmooze:
 
That makes sense @Nana moon 27 . I had this surgery in the 1st place so that I wouldn't have to wear a brace anymore. Guess I'm just grasping at straws for what I can do to minimize the swelling. I'm just in the remedial class of rehab I guess. Getting tired of the swelling and tightness. At 8 weeks I should be able to walk for more than 15 minutes without my knee blowing up for the rest of the day. Super, guess I'm feeling sorry for myself again today. I had SO hoped that period of my recovery was over. Guess not. :boohoo:
 
Do you know what? I think we have both got to accept that we are not going to be the poster children for recovery!!! I am now convinced after reading so many posts that in general,the younger you have this done, the worse the recovery in some cases.

I think you do marvellously well, you know you go back to work, you see to your dogs, you take out your exes kids, you cook for the older couple, You meet friends socially for happy hour or whatever and you do such a lot. You attend PT and do so much. Somewhat i am trying to say to you is you are doing well, and you do better than you realise.


Today I managed to go upstairs minus the stick. I am walking around the house mainly without it until it aches, I went briefly into the back yard today without it. But the heavens opened again!

Good thinking about the knee brace that makes sense. Anyway will chat soon, take care Nana Moon 27:puppysmooze:
 
We can be the poster children for the remedial recovery patients @Nana moon 27 :whistle: I'm having a rough night with a lot of pain on the right side of my knee. My own fault as I didn't take my pain meds when I should have. I wanted to see if I could make it for 8 hours without anything. Uhm, that would be a NO and it took another hour or so after I took a Tramadol for it to kick in. I'm going back on my Tramadol/Tylenol schedule tomorrow. Every 4 hours. Tonight was no fun.

Careful with not using your stick. It puts a lot of pressure on your knees if you're not totally ready. I still used my walker in the mornings and whenever my knee was acting up at home up until about 2 weeks ago. It still sits in my family room (currently known as the master bedroom :sad:) and may go back to using it as I can't seem to do much about this awesome limp I still have. I've been walking without any aides for over a week now, but my limp doesn't seem to be getting better and gets worse when my knee is acting up. Duh. Glad you at least got a quick trip out to the garden before it started raining on you.

I'm going to try the allergy pills tonight and see if they can help me sleep. I've got a busy day tomorrow as I couldn't do any of the errands I had planned for today thanks to my craptastic knee. Wish me luck!

Hope you're sound asleep right now and feeling better! xoxoxo
 
Hi @DogLoverx3 yep I slept. Couple of longer than usual naps. Think this bug is knocking me out a bit. I know exactly where you're coming from with the pain meds. I have managed to reduce down to 60 mg of morphine per day. I was on 90. Today I am going to try 50 x I tried the other day but way before time to take evening dose I was in agony. Not good:( (20mg this morning and 30mg tonight)

You are right about the stick. I was aching more than I should have been. I know what I'm up to I'm trying to, despite being ill, to feel normal. My thought was don't use the stick and you'll feel more normal. Nope, it didn't work!!!

I also agree about us being poster children for remedial recovery and I would lay money on it there's a lot if others out there like us. They may be grateful for our honesty that it's not all an easy run!!!!

I hope you are getting plenty of rest and hopefully some zzzzzz's too!!!!

What do the PT's say about your limp? Mine only starts if I try to speed up. If I walk slow I don't limp!!! Again this is another frustration!!!!!! I have always been notoriously fast on my feet for my age!!! So now being reduced to tortoiseville is not pleasant!!!

Looking forward as always to hearing from you, love Nana Moon 27 :puppysmooze:
 
Just time for a quick update. I did take a Benadryl clear gel @9pm last night. Turned off the tv @ 11:45 and actually was probably asleep by midnight. Woke up at 1:30 & 3:15am for no apparent reason, but was able to fall back asleep until almost 7. Very much needed. Not sure if it was the allergy pill, sheer exhaustion or what, but it was nice to sleep.

My knee is still extremely stiff today and I couldn't get comfortable at all last night. With the rest of the week being very busy for me, I'm a little bit worried but there's no choice but to buck up and muddle through (oh, and feel sorry for myself the entire time, of course)

Glad you were able to get some sleep Nana and that you got to the drug store for some medicine for your sore throat. I hope you will be feeling better very soon and won't have to miss another physio appointment. I have PT this afternoon and as I am only scheduled twice per week for the next 3 weeks, I don't feel I should miss it. We'll see if that decision comes back to bite me in the butt (or knee as the case may be).

I hope everyone has a great day!
 
Ah @DogLoverx3 good for you. My sleep patten was similar to yours. I feel better for that. Knee a nightmare today. My PT is only once a week scheduled on a Friday. I cannot afford to miss it really!!! You of all people are allowed to feel sorry for yourself like I said previously I admire a person who can cope like you. Josephine's post is similar where she dumped at the gates of her house by an unhelpful taxi driver and she just gets on with it. I think you're amazing. It makes me feel a bit wimpy but he has very little to do for me in a lot of respects because right from day one I've been as independent as I can especially washing, dressing and personal care!!!

I'm sure the PT is there for our greater good. His nibs said today that I am swinging my leg out when I walk so I need to correct that!!! It happens when I'm trying to hurry up which is what I said. He is incapable of walking with me at this slow pace. As I said previously, I was so fast on my feet!!!!! Good luck with your day I will be thinking of you x x x x x

Please have a great day and I look forward to your next update (hugs) xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo:puppysmooze:
 
Thanks @Nana moon 27 , you're very sweet. I'm FAR from amazing, I just do what I have to do ('cause no one else is gonna do it for me) :sick:

I'm about to head off to PT and I want one of the therapists to actually watch me do some of my exercises (instead of leaving me to do them on my own since I've been there so long) as I do the leg swinging thing too and I SWEAR my TKR leg juts off to the right below the knee. It's the oddest thing I've ever seen. I'm going to pay close attention today while I do my exercises and watch in the mirror to see if it's noticeable when standing/walking or just when I lift my leg in the air (hmmm, that sounded odd) :heehee:

So annoying that after walking for 46 years of my life, I now have to concentrate so hard in order to get it right. No clue why the right side of my knee is still so painful today, but my quads are actually sore which is a good thing as I'm finally starting to get strength back.

I hope you're feeling better my friend! xoxoxox
 
Hello @DogLoverx3, I feel the same about my leg. So tonight cos I felt a bit better, I set up the cheval mirror in the back of my bedroom facing the doorway. I walked from the doorway at a pace and sure enough the leg swung out to the right! I slowed this down really focussing on the heel/toe thing and lo and behold it was pretty darn good! So this racehorse is going to have to be a shire horse a bit longer! Or should I say this greyhound is going to have to morph into a Sloth!!!! I know exactly what you mean about have to learn to walk properly too!!!!

I will speak to the PT on Friday and see what they say. I managed on 20 mg Morphine this morning and 30 mg tonight but the paracetamol (Tylenol) keep it activated. If I don't take the paracetamol it is less effective, it is almost like an activator for the morphine !!!!

Will you let me know how you get on with the PT please? I'm always genuinely interested and do care my friend!!!! Catch you later xxxxxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxxxxx:puppysmooze:
 
DogLoverx3 said:
I'm having a rough night with a lot of pain on the right side of my knee. My own fault as I didn't take my pain meds when I should have. I wanted to see if I could make it for 8 hours without anything. Uhm, that would be a NO and it took another hour or so after I took a Tramadol for it to kick in. I'm going back on my Tramadol/Tylenol schedule tomorrow. Every 4 hours. Tonight was no fun.
Click to expand...
So did you try to jump for every 4 hours to every 8 hours? Once you recover from your ill fated attempt to cut back:wink: maybe try 5 or 6 hour increments before you try 8. And you may need weeks at that level before you go down to 8.
 
Well now you tell me @kneeper :whistle: It was silly of me to think making such a big jump would be doable. Especially considering all my other failed attempts at cutting back. I'll get it right eventually. :headbang:

Here's a word to the wise. Do NOT go directly from PT to meet friends for dinner and proceed to sit for 3 hours gabbing & eating. By the time we got up to leave even my ankle was swollen and I couldn't even straighten my leg. :gaah: I couldn't drive home fast enough so I could put my leg up and ice it. Actually kinda worried me as I seriously tried to get my leg straight and the best I could do was probably about a 10 degree mis.

PT was not the best today. Knee was tight and swollen so I just worked on my own a bit and then the tell all was this contraption called a 'flexionator' (i think) where you put your foot in a little holder thingie and then kinda crank a lever in order to get as much bend as possible. I'm entirely in control of how far I get my knee to bend and there are little numbers on the side of the machine so I can check my progress. Monday I was able to get to 21 but today I could barely hit 19 :sad:. Although I can tell that my quads are getting stronger and firing better, I can't quite get a handle on this swelling issue. Darn.

Hope everyone had a good night!
 
Hi @DogLoverx3 I hope that you are ok? Did you manage to sleep? I sure hope so!!!! I know you've a hefty couple of days coming up but you are sensible and will put in a damage limitation (ice or something) method to get you through. Like you say we have to do what we have to do!!! Hope those cute doggies are ok too and behaving!!!! Chat later love Nana Moon 27 xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :puppysmooze:
 
Hiya @Nana moon 27 , I managed a few broken up hours of sleep. My knee was not very nice last night and as I usually sleep on my side with my knee slightly bent I had to figure out a way to NOT do that as I didn't want to perpetuate the inability to straighten my leg last night. I actually ended up on my stomach with my leg straight out across the bed. My crazy dog Bean was nice enough to lay on it to help keep it in place. :puppysmooze: Neither icing or elevating helped last night and I am starting my crazy marathon of unavoidable activity for the next 36 hours. I plan on doing as much as I can while sitting, but there's still a lot of standing, schlepping and walking in my future. Yuck.

I hope you are feeling better and will be up for physio tomorrow! Thanks for always being so sweet to me! xoxoxo
 
@DogLoverx3 it's lovely to hear from you. I'm sorry for he next 36 Hours poor you!!! I'm feeling a tad better but every time I eat I keep feeling queasy after. I just cooked a full English breakfast as it is my husbands favourite as a thank you to him. He loves it I hated it. And now I've come back to bed feeling blecky!!! Throat is a little better and head a bit less fuzzy thank goodness. But I still do jot feel quite right!!!! So hopefully PT tomorrow at 10am I need it tbh xxxxxxxxxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxxxxxxxxxxx:puppysmooze:
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Corganics CBD

Staff online

Members online

Total: 847 (members: 5, guests: 842)

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom