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

[DogLoverx3]

@71Beetle , much like all my other decision making skills lately, detoxing while working with power tools hasn't been the best of ideas. ;-) At least I'll have an excuse when people, for years to come, comment on my crooked handles..... xoxoxo

 

[hopefaith]

@DogLoverx3 No worries. We're good.

 

[dogwheels]

Hi @DogLoverx3

So glad that you are feeling a little bit better - enough to do some drilling . I realise that kitchen cupboard doors are important, but after my mammoth IKEA treks last week, 'him indoors' still hasn't put the one handle on the door that I lovingly went and exchanged for him. Surprise, surprise, sailing was more important!

He enjoyed sailing on somebody else's boat at the weekend. It was a classic regatta so very old boats, the one he crewed on was built in 1895. However the owner was not much younger than the boat ............ neither was his sailing chum. The skipper had his grandson and hubby running all over the foredeck getting wet, while he and his pal sat in the cockpit, steering and drinking wine. No wonder his Lordship is a bit tired.

Hope all went well with your tenant and your old house - that must be really difficult. So much easier when they are just investments and you have no personal attachment.

The paint smell is practically gone, it's only the downstairs cloakroom that hits you with it when you open the door, as there are no windows to open. I shall shortly be on tradesman tea making duties again - we are buying some land at the side of the house, purchase should be complete in a couple of weeks. Then, in come the diggers, rotovators and tree surgeons - happy days! Loads of stuff to be done but thankfully not by us. There's land to be levelled, trees to come down or be cut back, fences to be built, ground to be cleared, planting to be sorted, decking to be done, and the base for my hot tub to go in So I will just have the glorious sight of builders for ages .......... Never a dull moment here. Our gardener has a manic dog called Daisy, she is a sort of border collie mixture. She will go utterly berserk when she comes, as the land in question has been the foxes domain for ages, so much rank and whiffy foxiness = doggy heaven.

Anyways - I better get going. Don't overdo, and hope you are soon feeling much better.

XXOOXX

 

[Chihuahuan]

@DogLoverx3 The pre-rain has arrived here before the rest of Hurricane Odile -- let's hope the flooding is minimal!
Our tree surgeons can't work with the weather the way it is so we have quite a mess at the moment. It also means the solar panel guys can't do their thing either --closest avatar I could find for rain….
Took the foster dog to be spayed yesterday only to discover she was already … two of the vets had looked for an incision but no signs of one at all. They did clean her teeth, did blood work, and updated shots so a few hundred dollars later she is good to go. Poor thing is in a baby shirt so she doesn't lick her incision.

 

[TexasTee]

@DogLoverx3 - getting out of bed is a good start! re the cabinates - did you make a template? It takes a few minutes to put together but once you have it the rest is super easy. Hope Richard behaves today!

 

[DogLoverx3]

Haha @TexasTee - it's like you don't know me at all! I am the queen of half assing things! NO template for me. I got a ruler at the dollar store and a sharpie marker the issue at the beginning is that the drill bit was so dull that it kept slipping from the start point (gee, thanks for lending me a drill with a crappy bit, mr friend). I have since purchased a new bit and now I only have me to blame. ;-) I'm having a bit of a challenge with the lower cabinets and drawers though .... that whole crouch/squat/sit on the floor thing.....

Yes, @dogwheels , I said doodie. Cute picture. Goodness, you have lots of workmen in your future. Oh wait, that sounded kinda dirty..... nice of you to purchase the land adjacent to your property so you can build me a proper guest house. With a hot tub, to boot .... very generous. Yes, it's very difficult transitioning one of my own homes to an investment property. I did this once before and when I saw that my tenants had pretty much trashed the lovely home, I just cried. In a 'normal' investment property that I have no real attachment to I'd just get ticked if a tenant wrecked the place, but it's so hard when it's somewhere that I loved and had high hopes for.

Happy belated birthday @Chihuahuan ! I hope you had a great day. Yes, our 'pre-rain' weather has started as well. It's gloomy and humid as you know what. Yuck. They keep changing our forecast though. I'm a bit confused at the moment as to what we're in for. Sorry that all your home improvements are going to be delayed...

Today is an okay day. My head is feeling a bit clearer and I've cut down on the number of times that I actually wander in circles trying to remember what I was doing. Richard pretty much sucks, but with this weather, it would even if I was still on all my medications....

I hope everyone has a wonderful day! xoxoxoxo

 

[Chihuahuan]

@DogLoverx3 Personally I would take the drawers and doors off and avoid the entire "not able to squat yet" issue.

 

[71Beetle]

Hi Ellen,
Happy to hear that things look a bit better for you today. Wanted you to know that I am thinking of you. I can imagine the difficulties in getting down to the lower cabinets, but if there is one thing I have learned about you is that you're tenacious!
I saw my doctor today and she is weaning me off of the cocktail that I am on, I think our meds were pretty similar (Gaba, Celebrex, Hydro-morphone). I should be down to just the fast acting hydro and Celebrex when I need it in about 3 weeks time. Fingers crossed that I can keep the pain in check.
Hope everything else is going okay!

 

[DogLoverx3]

@Chihuahuan , thank you for the vote of confidence, but taking doors off is a bit beyond my capabilities (and patience level). The rains totally missed us! I was looking forward to at least some rain. I got maybe 10 minutes yesterday at my house.

Tenacious is a good word @71Beetle . Believe me, I've been called MUCH worse. ;-) Good luck with weaning off all the meds! Keeping good thoughts that all goes well and you're able to stay on top of the pain.

So one of the surprises in what I do is when I cater realtor listings, I'm never quite sure what I'm in for until I get there. Sadly, today's surprise consisted of a set of 14 VERY steep steps to get up to the house, then 2 more steps up inside followed by 2 steps down to get to the kitchen. Multiply that by no less than 14 trips (all carrying things - heavy things) and Richard is NOT a happy camper (nor am I). I was scared to death that my knee would buckle since I couldn't hold onto a rail or anything (not that there even was one at the entry), but thankfully, no face plants. I generally enjoy my job ..... today, not so much... :-(

Hope everyone is well! xoxoxo

 

[TexasTee]

Hi Ellen - Yikes - it's good that you survived but yes, agreed, that's not the kind of surprise I'm looking for! And all that with just tylenol? wow

 

[DogLoverx3]

Richard and his date, Jane (my left knee) are letting me know how unhappy they are with me today. I have a million errands to run, but looks like they're not going to get done....

 

[TexasTee]

If no one is going to die if they don't get done then I'd say grab the box of bon bons and nest up on the couch - or even better, legs up the wall!

 

[DogLoverx3]

Haha, thanks @TexasTee . Nope, no one will die. No bon bons for me (darn it). Remember, I'm trying to drop all those lovely recovery pounds that I gained and trying to eat really 'clean' in the hopes that doing so will at least help with my knee since I'm not taking anti inflammatories at the moment.

 

[TexasTee]

What - hmmm, I hate the word "diet" what way of eating did you adopt to try to nudge those pounds?

Also I've been wondering, I work out a lot doing things that are easy on the knee - abs/arms/chest/shoulders/back - unless I'm so drugged I'm likely to knock myself out, I should be able to keep doing that, right? Maybe not the first week or two but sooner than later? I'll go batty if I'm just sitting around wasting away...or worse, packing on pounds!

 

[DogLoverx3]

I didn't use the word diet @TexasTee , but I don't like sweets all that much anyway. Just sticking to proteins and veggies right now. I love making stir frys so it's not too hard.

As for working out after your surgery, are u talking about going to the gym or working out at home? I can already tell you're going to be a repeat violator of the mantras ;). Honestly, the 1st couple of weeks (aside from catering a wedding like an idiot), everything exhausted me and the pain was BAD. Okay, for me it wasn't for the 1st couple of weeks; it was more like for the 1st 5-6 weeks. You're not going to want to work out. Even if you do, you'll realize just how many things your knee affects. I don't think you'll be able to do abs. Probably arms, but back will be hard too. I threw my back out early on and couldn't manage any of the positions that helped. You will be able to bend your knee, but you don't know how far or what pain levels you'll be at. There are also certain angles that my knee didn't like (and still doesn't). I don't write any of this to scare you, but you need to 'slow your roll' ;) on your recovery expectations. Although I am quite positive you'll have a much easier recovery, I think you'd be best served to plan for the worst and then be thrilled by anything above that. I know that sounds totally counter-intuitive, but it will help to keep your expectations and feelings of frustration at bay. The 1st few weeks everything will be difficult. Sitting, standing, sleeping, walking, concentrating etc.... The simple task of taking a shower exhausted me for weeks on end (thus my love for the wonderful shower chair). You WILL be able to do everything you want in time, but remember, your knee follows its own schedule, not yours. :( xoxoxo

 

[Pumpkin]

@TexasTee
If you are going to the gym early in your recovery, pace yourself. Do a few exercises on one day, and others on another day. Keep it easy and simple.
You will not lose that much early on, you body will be shocked by the sawing, hammering, screws in you bone, soft tissue being pulled back, then being sewn, glued and/or stapled togther, and you will want to rest, and keep it simple.
Best to wait until you are ready, you do not want to be a frequent member of the ODIC.
Dogloverx3 has good advice, she has the right idea.

 

[dogwheels]

Hi @TexasTee - have to agree with everything already said about energy levels post op. Way back on my thread at about week 3 I think, I was bemoaning the fact that I had showered, washed my hair and blow dried it and was then exhausted. @Ellejay chimed in to commiserate and say that she was glad that she wasn't the only one.
Major surgery is huge trauma to your whole body. And just remember all those times @DogLoverx3 and I have expressed the opinion that they extract a part of your brain as well as the knee joint - not only will you feel 'done in' and be at Olympic standard for sleeping and resting ability - you will also forget things ........ a lot of things!

Don't be tempted to overdo in the early stages as it will hamper your ability to get moving as the knee heals.

XXX

 

[dogwheels]

Hi @DogLoverx3 - sorry Dick and Jane are both having their say at the moment, and sorry too that you had the job from hell with all those stairs.

Thought you would appreciate this snippet from my daughter this morning, she is having some work done today on her house - as luck would have it, one of the women who works for her has a husband who is a builder. Result! Anyway, 20 mins after the builder re- plastered the wall, BF manages to put his posterior in it. How it happened is beyond me and my daughter and the builder ........ Suffice to say, daughter did not want such a memento in her back passage (I know that sounds very rude, but that is just what it is), so:

• it had to be reskimmed
• BF now has plaster all over the back of his jeans
• he takes yet another step unwittingly to the great abyss of dumpee ........ it wont be long.

Try and get yourself a bit of R and R if at all possible this weekend.

XXX

 

[Ellejay]

We are on our way home now, we've stopped at a site on the banks of the Loire and are just sitting relaxing over lunch. This site has wifi all over, so I don't have to trek to reception or to the bar (oh bother!). The weather seems to have broken just today and we are seeing our first few spots of rain in three weeks.
@TexasTee, @dogwheels is quite right, for a while you just won't want to do anything other than doze and rest. These last few weeks have reminded me of that, my arthroscopy has left me with probably the pain I was in three or four weeks after my TKR. I've had the energy, but when you are in constant pain you just don't want to do anything, so for three weeks I've sat and read, which is so unlike me on holiday - I'm usually the one that goes off walking / cycling / swimming, not thus trip. Just don't bank on doing anything at all, and then if you do feel up to some exercise one day it will be a bonus.

The view from the caravan door, not as beautiful as your view @yiayia3, but very peaceful. Have you had any luck finding a boat?

 

[TexasTee]

Uncle! I do give up - I had such high hopes of finally concurring an unassisted pull up yesterday after my workout that I was reluctant to finally get there and lose all my progress, thus the question.

The knee is the Queen of the day and all bow before her!! But not too low and only if she feels like it