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

[DogLoverx3]

OMG, thanks for the laugh! I can totally see your dogs 'chasing' after the tennis balls! My walker has plastic skis, so I don't get that entertainment factor. I do have one of my dogs that is so confused by it all that he can't quite figure out how to get out of the way of the walker (uh, move to one side or the other), so just plops his big butt down in the middle of the hallway so I can't get by.

Thanks for the advice on the pain meds. I'll take all the options I can get. ;-) For some reason, I remember Tramadol working in the hospital, but who knows ~ I was getting so many other pain meds at the same time. I SOOO look forward to being able to sleep through the night. Heck, sleeping through half the nights would be a blessing....

 

[DogLoverx3]

so today is pretty much my 1st full day of doing nothing and I cannot get comfortable. I've wandered around the house a bit, have worked at my desk for a bit and have layed in bed for far too long. I find that if I sit more than 20 minutes or so, that my leg gets amazingly stiff. Although my knee is not hugely swollen to look at, it feels like there is a vice grip on it and I cannot figure out how to reduce that. I ice and elevate all the time. Today, for the 1st time, the back of my knee has been killing me. I'm sure that's because I've been working on my extension (only by trying to lay my leg flat). Aside from baking some oatmeal raspberry bars for my PT team for tomorrow (sat while doing so), I've not done much of anything and had hoped that my 'strangled knee' would feel better. It doesn't. I've read all the articles and threads, and know that swelling is different for everyone, but mine doesn't seem to be getting any better and I cannot get my knee bend back to where it was a couple weeks ago. :-( Anyone have any magic advice for me?

 

[DogLoverx3]

"That tightness and vice-like feeling is actually another form of pain. Some people describe it as having a tight rubber band around your knee. Unfortunately, you can't do anything to make it go away. It will only go in its own sweet time. It'll gradually get less, until one day you realise it's gone."

@Celle thanks for the information. I would have rather it been a 'magic pill' sorta response, but I'll take what I can get ;-). I'm thinking of investing in a polar ice machine. Wish I would have known about them prior, but I guess 4 weeks late is better than never? I'm getting tired of having to hobble to the freezer to replace my state of the art frozen peas in the middle of the night. Do you think additional icing could maybe, possibly, kinda help the rubber bands?

"My own thread is currently Slow, Slow, Quick Quick Slow but I had it renamed from "Tight Rubber Bands at Three Weeks". They took literally months to go away. They were less or more bearable when I took diclofenac 75SR."

@Campervan thank you as well. Perfect name for a thread title!! I was taking Diclofenac prior to my surgery but don't think I can take it while still taking aspirin for the blood thinning aspect. I have to take those for 2 more weeks, but then maybe I can start taking Diclofenac as well along with my other pain meds (currently taking oxy).

 

[DogLoverx3]

"See if your doctor will give you a prescription for one. This way your health insurance may pay for all or part of it. The only difference would be that you would then need to go to a medical supply store or pharmacy. It really is so worth it!"

Thanks @Jozilla ! Great idea. Too bad my OS is such a P.I.T.A. to get ahold of. I may just suck it up and order it today instead of having to wait for a possible RX. I found one on Amazon with an XL knee cuff for $125 plus shipping, so being as I waited so long to think of getting one in the 1st place, I kinda just want it NOW . Hopefully it won't take long to be delivered. I could use an RX for patience though ...... definitely NOT my strong suit

 

[Jozilla]

Lol. I would do the same thing plus probably overnight or at least two day shipping. I love amazon and that sounds like a great price. Feel better!

 

[jeano]

you will love the polar care cube. If you dont have a HUGE bin under a good icemaker in your freezer you may end up having to buy bag ice--I had to for weeks, even though I do have a huge bin and a good icemaker, because I was running the polarcube almost 24/7 and the fridge machine couldnt keep up with demand. Now that I am more active and the knee is at most a little warm rather than blazing hot, I can manage with one fillup of homemade cubes a day, most days.

 

[DogLoverx3]

I sprung for the 'expedited' shipping as 2 day was an additional $50 :-( Thanks @jeano , I've read where people have been freezing water bottles and putting them in the little machine with water instead of ice. That way, when they melt, you can just refreeze them! Brilliant, right?

I feel there is some sort of a snowball effect happening here. My knee is beyond annoying; I am living downstairs in my 2 story house; my space heater which I have to use since my thermostat is upstairs and I can't get to it died last night; I went to give it a proper burial in the garage and threw my back out :-( I am currently sitting stick straight in a chair with a heating pad on my back and ice on my knee and am afraid to move for fear of my back locking up. I took a muscle relaxer which probably wasn't the best thing to do while on oxy, but don't know what else to do. Any advice?

 

[Jozilla]

Oh my god you are having a bad day. I use the frozen water bottles in my machine - my PT gave me the idea. Just make sure you have water in the container and put the frozen bottles in. I use five - make sure you take a little water out of each bottle before you freeze them because they expand. Every morning I just take out the bottles and refreeze.

I understand the back issues completely as I suffer from DDD and spinal stenosis both cervical and lumbar. I have been taking muscle relaxers since my surgery. I had been on them for my back before the surgery and they just continued to give them to me in the hospital. I am also taking Percocet so I never gave it a second thought. If I was driving I would be concerned because they do make me sleepy! I do hope you feel better and find some relief soon!

 

[DogLoverx3]

Yes @Jozilla , I am having a horrible day :-( I panicked about my back and was scared to death to get 'stuck' in a chair or bed or wherever and not be able to get back up (bad knee, bad back, bad attitude.....), so went to my PT's office thinking he'd take pity on me and work on my back so it wouldn't lock up on me and guess what? NOPE! He said I had to come back at my scheduled time (still 3 hours away) as he was booked solid. Now, I totally understand being busy, but I just wanted him to prop me on a chair somewhere so at least there would be someone there to help me should my back lock up. Nope, he sent me home. Where my back locked up. And I scared the dogs with my crying. :-(

So now on top of being in a horrid mood and my knee hurting, I'm cold (can't go get another space heater thanks to my back) and pretty much useless as I can't move an inch without wincing in pain and there is no one that can help me today. Some days sure do suck more than others. :-( The muscle relaxer doesn't seem to be doing much of anything either.

I've switched from heat to ice for my back as apparently that's better? Thanks for the tips on the machine, btw!!

 

[Celle]

@Celle thanks for the information. I would have rather it been a 'magic pill' sorta response, but I'll take what I can get ;-). I'm thinking of investing in a polar ice machine. Wish I would have known about them prior, but I guess 4 weeks late is better than never? I'm getting tired of having to hobble to the freezer to replace my state of the art frozen peas in the middle of the night. Do you think additional icing could maybe, possibly, kinda help the rubber bands?

I'm a great believer in icing. As long as you make sure to have something between the frozen stuff and your skin, icing can do no harm and if there is even the slightest chance it can do good, I would try it.

I hope your back starts to feel better soon.

 

[DogLoverx3]

sorry for my horrible mood and depressing posts :-(

 

[Pumpkin]

Ellen,
Have you thought about hiring a caregiver from an agency? They cost 20 to 25 per hour. You can have them in as often as you like for a few hours. May be worth the extra expense to know you have help.
No worries about having a pity party, we all had them and understand.
, it will get better .

 

[DogLoverx3]

Hi Chris! Thanks for the note. I have thought about hiring a caregiver and have actually 'hired' a couple of my servers from my business to come help me with a few things. Funny that I feel better actually paying someone to help me than to suck it up and ask a friend to help me. Pride sucks sometimes. ;-) I had it all worked out ahead of time, and between my sister, her husband, their kids, my BF & his kids there would be plenty of helping hands. Breaking up with BF the week prior and fighting with my sister the week after kinda shot that plan to smithereens. I've had some extended pity parties on here and know that I need a ginormous attitude adjustment. I just need 1 full day of things to go right for me. Or at least not go poorly. ;-) I'm getting there. You're sweet to pop in and share some empathy. (nice assortment of emoticons, btw)

 

[NetballKnees]

Hi Ellen from another Ellen - an Australian Ellen. I have read through your entire thread and you do not need an attitude adjustment. As you said, one good day, or not so bad day, and you will feel on top of the world. I sympathise so much with the fact that you have back pain to contend with as well. AND being cold on top of it all.

This Thursday will be week 13 after LTKR for me. I would love to be able to give you a "Well, at week X, everything turned round and life is great now" speech, but for me, my surgical knee is still swollen, still tight, won't bend past 70-75degrees, but that is me. You may well hit 6, 7 or 8 weeks and suddenly turn that corner. I hope that is how it is for you. You have done amazingly well. I greatly admire those of you who are doing this solo. I share a house with my ex-husband (for financial reasons and we have our own sleeping and living areas) and I must admit he has been marvellous, especially in the first 4 weeks. You do have those adorable dogs of yours, but I honestly think that nothing can beat a warm, supportive and/or loving hug from someone - anyone. My ex and I are no longer on hugging terms, despite remaining friendly and I long for the times the kids and grandson come over and I get warm arms around me.

Oh, forgot to mention, I too have two adorable 11-year-old border collier x cattle dogs - male (Kimbo) and female (Mikki). They are brother and sister from the same litter and they are a joy to have around. I do miss walking them though. We used to spend hours on the weekends walking through a reserve close to home and they would swim in the river and it would be so enjoyable for me to see them loving it so much.

This week I have returned to work, which is proving a bit of a challenge physically, but so much more mentally stimulating.

You have had a bad trot with breaking up with BF prior to and fighting with your sister just after, and I can see how it has left you floundering a bit, especially being reluctant to ask for help. That is a feeling I can totally relate to. I actually commented today on my own post that I wonder how much longer this knee is going to consume my life for.

You are so doing the right thing coming on here each time you feel down or in pain or just want to vent. Everyone understands, no-one judges and on here you certainly won't get anyone wondering why you haven't run up the Empire State Building steps or trekked through Monument Valley yet.

Ellen, I certainly hope that your corner turning is just ahead for you and also that you get the pain under control and the knee recovery goes ahead in leaps and bounds.

I hope that you can get another space heater or at least have someone go and get you one and you can get warm again. I'm too far away for a real hug ... but I am definitely sending you lots of cyber hugs and caring wishes. (((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Take Care - be kind to yourself and continue to come on here for support.

Big Hugs ... Ellen

 

[DogLoverx3]

@NetballKnees ~ thank you SO much for the lovely message. It's nice to know that someone actually 'gets' what's going on. I was able to get a new space heater, so I'm as toasty warm as I can be with ice on my knee all the time ;-). I found some lovely (and I do mean LOVELY) muscle relaxers in my medicine cabinet from the last time I threw my back out so those are helping a wee bit too.

I totally understand the living with the ex thing and think it's terrific that you still have such a good relationship. I'm glad he's been there for you when you needed him. You're right about the hugs though. As much as my doggies would love to give them, it's not the same. I hope you get to see your kids and grandkids soon and you get tons to stock up on! Maybe when your kids are over, you can go for a short walk and they can hold Kimbo & Micki's leashes!

Good luck with the return to work. While I'm sure it's great to have your mind engaged again during the day, I can only imagine how physically draining it must be and what a big adjustment it is.

You take good care of yourself Ellen! Thanks for the hugs! ((hugs))

 

[RestAssured]

Hello @DogLoverx3!

Sorry I am late to the party, but had my gallbladder out, and it is giving me more trouble than "I" planned on having! I had planned to be back to exercising by day 3! My body got a great laugh out of that! I might try and go walking some today, or just wait for the restart of Per Training w Abby tomorrow!

I got a kick out of those miraculous recoveries! I used to hear about them "all the time" until I asked to meet all these people! LOL. They never could remember their names!

I am glad you have your babies back, I have 2 weenie dogs and they know when something is wrong, and try to help me! Myra, the motherly one, decided she wanted to do a quick twist in my lap yesterday, and used my belly button as her springboard! Owwwwww! No pain pills since Sunday even though surgery was Friday. I am just weak. Got to build up stamina again!

I know you are independent, but as I have learned through my knee surgeries, and other surgeries, I no longer play the position of a martyr. I let others help. It makes them feel good, and it saves my energy for healing!

 

[DogLoverx3]

Alright everyone, grab a seat. Or hold onto a wall. Or whatever you need to do to steady yourself because....... this post is going to be a positive one! *gasp*

Having thrown my back out yesterday was awesome only in that it made me forget about my knee. It still hurts and I'm now not only walking with a limp (knee) but also am hunched over. I'm a true vision, I am.

Now, for the positive part. I switched some things up thanks to my back and, in the end, they may serve to help. I obviously couldn't do PT yesterday for my knee, but went in anyway for him to work on my back a little. That means no knee PT for 4 days. I also decided that since I know anti-inflammatories help with back pain (as do muscle relaxers) that I would take them. My OS has me taking aspirin twice a day for the blood thinning factor, but I figure after 4 weeks, I can forgo it as aspirin & naproxen don't mix. So last night I took a 500mg naproxen along with my 2 oxy before bed. As my surgical knee is hyper-sensitive and it actually gives the sensation of pain when it rubs on any fabric, I opted to wrap it in plastic wrap last night as I'd read that that helps (and it does).

So I went to bed with my saran wrapped knee and with 500mg Naproxen on board. When I woke up this morning, once I was able to wrestle my way to a standing position, I noticed that the stiff, 'full', rubber band vice grip on my knee wasn't as bad as it usually is. I hobbled myself off to the potty and without even thinking, swung my leg kinda under the toilet seat! I haven't been able to bend past 90 degrees for 2 weeks and usually not past @ 80 1st thing in the morning. I had to have bent it @ 100 degrees this morning! I don't know if it was the Naproxen, the saran wrap 'warming' factor, the muscle relaxer or what, but something that I did actually helped!

Don't get me wrong, the pain, stiffness, rubber band thing is still there, but not quite as bad! I don't have PT again until tomorrow and who knows if I'll even be able to do any of my exercises as my back keeps seizing up, but I'm going to try to figure out what it was that helped me this morning so I can share with everyone!

Geesh, if only I knew how to write a concise post, huh? Hope everyone is having a great day!

 

[jeano]

yaaaay for NSAID aided flexion!

Speaking of hugs, one of my border collie-retriever mutts actually gives dog hugs--her chest is really wide, and if you invite her to (command used "Dog hug!") she'll wrap her front legs right around your waist. She's a hoot--cleans up after herself and her sister by fetching dog dishes after dog meals.

She's so wide she looks like a miniature Newfoundland. Swims like one, too.

 

[Chihuahuan]

Sounds like a great combo of what you needed. I've been on Celebrex from Day 1 as it was the safest NSAID with the blood thinner that I had. I truly think it has made a huge difference in the swelling etc. The rubber band feeling eventually goes away along with the stiffness and swelling. Glad you had a better night --it makes such a difference to how the next day goes.

 

[RestAssured]

I a on Celebrex, but have learned the hard way that Celebrex and drugs such as Motrin don't mix! I started bleeding internally down my calf, and it pooled in my foot. So when experimenting be careful of the combinations you use.