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

[DogLoverx3]

I know @hopefaith , we have gotten to peek behind the canine facade of @Phil75070 !

Hiya @icep707 , good to hear from you! Thanks for checking in. Yes, I have some nerve disorder that 8% of TKR patients are 'lucky' enough to get. I can't remember what it's called. I was prescribed a creme that did nothing but turn my skin into fly paper and cost a lot. I was also put on Gabapentin which seems to be helping, but the duration of relief it provides seems to keep getting shorter. I need to make a follow up appointment to find out if I can either have a higher dosage or be able to take it 3 times a day instead of just 2.

Getting old sucks, huh? Glad your knee is doing great but sorry for the other aches and pains. Odd how this surgery has brought about other physical issues.

Yes, excited about seeing the Go-Go's. Will be my 1st real outing around throngs of people. I tend to still get nervous that I'll lose my balance or someone will knock into me when I'm around large crowds, so hopefully all will be well! I doubt I'll be jumping around much although their music absolutely makes me want to..... how's work going for you? The GF? Your little granddaughter?

Hope you had a great 4th of July!

 

[Phil75070]

@Phil75070 You've morphed!

I got tired of @JustJeff one-upping me in the looks department!

 

[TexasTee]

wow - I missed a lot! Love the bookshelves @DogLoverx3 and if the oops don't show, they don't exist! I, too, had pink tipped hair and desperately wanted to be a Go-Go...super fun that you're going to the concert!

 

[icep707]

Hey Ellen , All is well here in Cali. Weather has been sunny and averaging 80 degrees . But ive been slaving at work. Busy time of the year for meat. Our numbers are up and prices are sky high. My knee holds up just great. And my back is better but I ache alot. I havent been to my gym in awhile and I think thats a factor. My hamstrings are tight as a drum and its my fault. Im just too tired to exercise after work. And ive been eating horribly . Ironically my GF has been losing weight but she has a plush job and doesnt get exhausted like me , plus she is 15 years younger than me. She doesnt understand that im not a spring chicken any longer but she knows my knee has been miraculously fixed. She remember the crippled and lame days pre op. My granddaughter is doing great ,4 years in Sept. Has speech problems , we think because she confused with English and Spanish. My son is a pain in the butt, abandoned everyone and lives to drink and smoke pot and be irresponsible. He is 21 and I hope he grows up one day. It took me sadly till I was like 30 something to grow up. I actually think I like it better not working and getting disability, I spent all day playing. Now reality sets and I wake up , work , come home to eat and sleep and do it all over again. Like a tired robot. Im ranting , sorry. Hope you are well , Iceman

 

[71Beetle]

@DogLoverx3
Hi Ellen,

Just getting caught up on the threads I have missed. It was a pain trying to do much on my phone while I was in the hospital. I am home and have myself sorted out, the family is in bed (eldest boy out with his buddies) so checking in on my BoneSmart buddies.

Your shelf looks great. The feeling of accomplishment is great when you complete a project like that isn't it? Keeping yourself busy will keep your mind off of things that you want to forget as well.

I love the Go-Gos. I am a shameless 80's music fan. Our middle son loves the music too as does my hubby. The "Pretty in Pink" soundtrack is still one of my all time favourites! I have watched the movie likely 50 times as well. It never gets old. I am a big concert goer but this year I have not seen any because of my knees. We have BluesFest happening in Ottawa this week and last week. It has got to the point that the blues bands are on secondary stages while the main stages are filled with more main stream acts. This year Lady Gaga and the Killers were a couple of the main attractions. I was supposed to go to Oceaga in Montreal in August but again, with the knees, a 3 day music festival was not in the cards.

How is your recovery going? What is the nerve disorder you are experiencing? Sorry that you ave to go through it.

Hope you have a good week!

 

[DogLoverx3]

Page 3! Darn internet. My router pooped out on Sunday evening, so I could only work off my phone. As my phone seems to have a mind of it's own and likes to auto correct words that make no sense and totally freaks out should I attempt to type a numeric digit, it usually sounds like I'm either drunk or just severely er, challenged, so couldn't do much.

Dumb phone even accidentally sent a 'wink' to a very icky man on my dating site. No really, it was the phone! Kind of like the time I was on the dreaded facebook looking at an ex's new girlfriend's page (yes, I'm 12) and I hit the wrong area on the screen and accidentally friend requested her!! Yikes!

K, so here's the catch up on my and Richard. Our weather is still fairly gross here. Hot, humid with lots of dust storms, high winds and scattered rains. The rain I can deal with, the winds and dust and humidity, not so much. Richard is being a pretty big Dick about it. I'm actually wearing 2 knee braces today. I compression with another more sturdy one on top. I look like an idiot. No biggie. At least I've progressed past the days of going to the store in sweat pants and slippers.

@71Beetle , I love that you are a fan of the 80s too! Everyone I tell that I love 80s music says that they love 80s too - only they love the hair band ickies of the 80s while I love what I call the 'nothing music' from the 80s. Oingo Boingo, Kajagoogoo, Duran Duran, Go Gos, Devo and all the happy peppy stuff.

As for the nerve disorder, I didn't write it down and for the life of me, can't remember what he said the name was. It ended in some sort of 'algia' I think but wasn't fibromyalgia. I'll need to ask when I see him next. I do need to make another appointment as my swelling and tightness is just not improving. Boo.

I'm so glad you're feeling up to checking in! We've all been thinking of you!

@dogwheels , I was thinking about your daughter yesterday. Aren't her hearing appointments coming up? I'm sorry your ankle is still yucky (as is your weather), but hopefully they will both be much improved by the weekend!

@Nana moon 27 - i'm sending you good thoughts, as always xoxoxoxo

@hopefaith , I am sending you good thoughts as well and hope today is a better one for you.

I need to check in with everyone else, but am on my way out the door, so to those that I have neglected to tag, it's not because you're not in my thoughts. It's because I kinda suck and haven't caught up on everything.

xoxoxoxoxo

whew! long post! ;-)

 

[TexasTee]

Hi Ellen - epic catch up! Yikes on the misadventures of your phone...

Sorry Richard is living up to his nickname - I'm telling you, it's all in the name! Maybe rename him? "Iwillfulfillmywomanseverykneed" hmm, that sounds kind of creepy rename for a ahem "Richard!"

Hope you feel better when this front passes.

 

[Nana moon 27]

@DogLoverx3 was it Polymyalgia? Xxxx

 

[Nana moon 27]

@TexasTee that name wasn't creepy it was wishful thinking....OOER lol xxx

 

[Jozilla]

I have what's called in US paresthetica meralgia. Maybe that?

 

[71Beetle]

@DogLoverx3
Hi Ellen,

That is unfortunate about your phone. I bet the guy that you "winked" at appreciated your sentiment. Sort of difficult to try to explain yourself out of that one.

Though I did like the 80's pop songs and danced a lot at the clubs then, my musical tastes were more on the alternative 80's. OMD, New Order, The Smiths, The Cure, INXS and the like. I have Sirius Satellite in my car and have it tuned to the alternative station all the time. And yes I sing out loud in my car.

Sorry to hear that you have to wear two braces on your knee. Where have you seen the most improvement since your surgery?

I do hope you feel better soon and I hope you don't have anymore unfortunate phone incidents!

 

[dogwheels]

Hi @DogLoverx3 - sorry Richard is being well ........ a Richard. Hope your weather is a bit better soon and your knee improves too in time for your concert.

So sweet of you to remember about my daughter. Yes she is off to see this Professor chap on Friday morning - doesn't quite know what to expect and thinks this appointment will just be a preliminary fact finding exercise, followed by a raft of tests at a later date. Still its the first step to finding out if anything can help, and more importantly for her - if the damage has been done already, or if her hearing will continue to degenerate.

@71Beetle - yes, I definitely approve of your music choices. But as I am lots older than you guys, my taste is more eclectic! In my youth it was all about T.Rex ; Alice Cooper; David Bowie; Queen; Roxy Music; Police and then The Specials; The Jam; The Clash ........ all very 70's.
My daughter is a huge Smiths fan - she has seen Morrissey so many times and totally converted me too. The other year one of my ex-Abu Dhabi mates and I went to hear him in concert - what a nutcase, but what a voice! Her full size, signed, naked (all but for a strategically placed 45rpm record) Morrissey stand up is still here - I am hoping that she takes it to her house soon. It's extremely disconcerting and not a pretty sight. I was going to take a photo for you, but I think it may cause severe nausea. She tells me it will be worth a lot of money one day.

XX

 

[TexasTee]

Giant nekkid Morrissy...yikes...don't even need the picture to be a bit nauseous! But I'll agree on the voice, I love the Smiths AND all the pop-rock from the 80s. Rick Springfield was my first concert/first love at, 12? lol its been a while!

 

[Jozilla]

I am with Dogwheels with the music. Loved Queen, Dire straits, REM, Zeppelin, and Bowie. Early 70's was great until disco started. Good thing we had 8 track tapes!!

 

[71Beetle]

@dogwheels @TexasTee and @Jozilla - I loved all the 70's bands as well. Music was always a big thing in my house growing up. It was great. I still have Deep Purple's "Motorhead" 8 track in a box of treasures. It was my first 8 track. I also have my first cassette - Bob Seger's "Night Moves". Oh wow, there is a trip down memory lane. I worked at a record store for a couple of years while I was in high school and have a large and well varied album collection too.

I am a big concert goer too and have seen Bruce Springsteen about 20 times and U2 about 15 times. Never saw the Smiths or Morrissey but I can well imagine what the cut out looks like . Alternative is still my favourite genre but those bands don't make it to Canada as much as I would like. That's why I was planning on going to Oceaga this year but my knees will not be up to the crowds and the experience of a 3 day fest. Oh well...next year!

 

[Phil75070]

Early 70's was great until disco started

And what was so bad about Disco? I worked as a DJ in a semi private club on weekends and was really into the mixing. It was above a restaurant and I really enjoyed "playing" with the older couples who would come up after dinner because the wife would say, "Come on, Harry. Let's go up to the disco and use those disco dance lessons we took." I'd get them up on the dance floor with a couple of slow songs and then play a song that would start slow before the beat would kick in, like Donna Summers' MacArthur Park. The looks on their face when that happened and the lights started flashing to the beat of the music was priceless. For everything else there was MasterCard.

 

[71Beetle]

Love that story @Phil75070 - you would have been an awesome DJ!

 

[dogwheels]

Ha ha @Jozilla and @71Beetle - 8 tracks - what a blast from the past. I had completely forgotten!

8 tracks were quite rare here - but my first car had one . It was so hard to get new cassettes that I had to just make do with what I had inherited from the last owner - I seem to recall 'River Deep Mountain High' and some Johnny Cash ........ not really what a 16 year old wants! I managed to acquire a passable Hits Cassette and a 'Party' Cassette that was good enough for all my friends and I to sing along to on the way to school. The best was when I got a classical music cassette - one of my main subjects was music - and this had some well known favourites on it.
We used to start the tape each morning when I picked up my friends, and by the time we reached the queue for a busy junction the Wedding March would come on. I used to reverse and then go forward in time with the music, while we were queuing for a gap in the traffic - then we would whizz on to school with the windows open and music blaring like a mobile church.
Those were the days!

BTW - 'Get naked Morrissey' has now been relegated to a quiet spot, with his face (and other parts) to the wall - the hairiness finally got to me.

XX

 

[DogLoverx3]

@Jozilla, nope, not the thingie you thought - it's strictly confined to the mid to outside of my knee - when I googled your 'algia' is said it happens in the thigh....

@Nana moon 27, I don't think it's what you suggested either .... I'll have to ask him when I next see him as it's absolutely ludicrous that I don't know the name of it... duh. Good show on the weight loss, btw! Keep up the great work! Mine is very slow going. Ugh.

@Phil75070 , I agree with @71Beetle on thinking you were an awesome DJ! How fun

Okay, here are some other of my 80s favorites: UB40, General Public, ABBA, The Waitresses, whoever the group was that sang "I want Candy" and the ever popular Midnight Oil. ;-) Not big on '70s music, but love love love music from the 60s.

Lisa, you'll be all set for next year's Oceaga music festival!! Glad the retraining of the troops at home is going well. You sound so chipper and GOOD for just being a few days out! I'm so glad for you! The 1st week I could barely stop crying long enough to breathe and actually weighed the option of just wetting the bed vs having to go thru the pain of getting up and hobbling to the restroom!

@dogwheels , glad your daughter can get her testing started this week! I'm sure it will give her piece of mind to start getting that sorted out or at the very least, identified. Oh, and I did like Roxy Music .... and Boomtown Rats. Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't Morrisey a hottie? If your daughter doesn't want the lifesized cutout, send it my way. ;-)

Haha @TexasTee my twin sister was in love with Rick Springfield (we had a more colorful name for him)

@icep707 , your son will come around. Think of him like your knee - it will be on his agenda and no one else's (sadly). I hear you on the preferring the disability pay and not having to work. It sucks to be too tired after working a full day to actually be able to go out and enjoy your new knee. You'll get back into the swing of things soon enough, I'm sure!

As it's 2:30am here, I should probably try to get some sleep (again) .... I hope everyone is well! xoxoxo

 

[dogwheels]

Mmmmm - no I would never have called Morrissey a 'hottie'. Do you not recall his hearing-aid wearing, gladioli brandishing performances with 'The Smiths'?

To be fair to his nakedness, in my time I have seen a lot worse but I have no doubts that this image has been enhanced by courtesy of Photoshop. Perhaps its just me, but I could never get too excited about anyone whose sexuality was - let's say 'diverse' and therefore off limits ............. apart from Freddie Mercury that is! Both men with voices I could listen to forever.

For me, back then it was all about Bryan Ferry ...................... actually, come to think of it, he's still pretty good!

xx