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TKR My Life on the Other Side

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@ConnieJOS How are you today? Best of luck tapering off the narcotics! What are your holiday plans again? Be sure you build in ice/elevation each day from now until (well always, but especially over the holiday week) at least next Sunday. I am figuring you'll be involved in dinner - maybe some Black Friday shopping? :yes: But don't over do!!

Boy, I love how easy it is for me to say that. . . If only I would ALWAYS heed my own advice!! :nah:

So... Just have a good plan. . . And have your meds ready, even if it is a smaller dose!! Happy holidays!
 
Thanks @kneeper! I will do that. I sure wouldn't be working if I didn't have to, but if I'm diligent, I can still take proper care of my knee while at work. I can have the others do my "running" and just supervise. And they understand my situation and don't mind doing that.

@Ollie thanks for your nice note! I only work three days next week, then a four day weekend! I do have two thanksgiving dinners, one with my family on Wednesday evening and one on Thursday with my husbands family. Thankfully, they have each one of us bring a dish, so there's not a lot of cooking for anyone. I'm making chicken & dumplings for my family and pecan pies for the in-laws. But a big NIX on the Black Friday shopping for me! I don't like shopping under any circumstances, and especially not if I have to fight the big crowds. Now I may participate in a little Cyber Monday shopping! Lol. What are your plans for the holiday?
 
@SuperSnapper Black Friday is insanity! Most of the stores decided the day after Thanksgiving is the day they have all their big sales. It is crazy, people sometimes camp outside the store the night before so they can hit the sales first. People become insane that day, pushing, shoving, rude. So not worth it to save a dollar or two.
 
@tiredwife thanks for the explanation. It sounds very like New Year's Day here when there are big sales and people camp out too. There's also the pushing and shoving that you mentioned here too. I think it's nuts and there's too much stuff in the world anyway without people buying even more. I volunteer in a charity shop - we take almost £300,000 per year from the sale of discarded goods! It does make me think very carefully before spending money these days. I take ages to decide to buy anything! But at least the money we make from the second hand goods goes to good causes all over the world.
 
The term supposedly comes from the idea that retailers go "into the black" (profit vs "red" for loss") after these sales.
 
@ConnieJOS Oh my, but I am NOT IN ANY WAY a Black Friday shopper!! Can't imagine a more unpleasant way to spend time. . . I am very particular about my gift giving - and I am all about the online shopping, so Cyber Monday is my year long friend!!

I am eating dinner with my big sister - will be four or five of us as other sister is heading to Seattle to be with her kids, and my brother's family will be getting together with themselves. They have quite a tribe all on their own!! About the time I started university, we all decided to do separate Thanksgivings so each family could start some traditions, choosing to spend extended family time together on and around Christmas. Just more time then to get the BIG group together; Thanksgiving can be harder with work schedules. Anyway, our little dinner will be a complete affair with all the trimmings; I think I get to bring a veggie side. Am thinking roasted squash would be a hit!

AND ... weather alert!! We have snow!! Got a couple hours of hard snow, and seems to be a couple inches of fluffy but wet white!!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. . .
 
@Ollie
It can be hard to get everyone together at the same time. That's why me and my sisters decided a few years ago to do our thanksgiving on Wednesday night. We all have husbands and that frees us up on thanksgiving day to be with the "in laws". It can still be a push, though, with works schedules. I'll have to work Wednesday, and I'll need to get off early to make my chicken & dumplings, then it's a two hour drive to get there. They will probably want to have dinner about 6:00 so it's a stretch to make it.

And SNOW??? We have had a couple of dustings of it here already, which is unusual this early in the year. I'm not ready for this! Winter is coming so fast and I don't even feel like I had summer yet! I usually spend a lot of time at the pool in the summer, and this year in the midst of all this surgery, I only got to go three times. And we usually go on vacation in the summer, and skipped it this year because I wasn't up to it. Now we skipped right on to winter! I'll make up for it next year with my brand new knees and hips! :swim:

Connie
 
@ConnieJOS seeing how I'm not getting my alerts I am trying to stop by everyone's threads and say Hi. So HI!
Hopefully everyone will be able to do all the things they love doing in 2015. :cheers: Here's to 2015 being a great year for all.
 
@ConnieJOS @tiredwife Both of you enjoy the weekend. Connie, you get some rest!! I am elevating and icing right now! Is beautiful and white out, with blue sky. Walkways are clear, roads are clear with some slush. Kitties are all snuggled into laps (not mine as I am icing) or in their warm beds. Lucky kitties.

I am ready for knee #2, but the thought of losing another summer, and having a sort of limbo feeling to start of school. . . That I am not joyful about. Kim and I are big travelers. Two summers ago we spent five weeks in France and Belgium; we generally do something over the summer or even at Christmas. It is killing us to not even have any planning to do!! But - I am not complaining. New knees will make travel so much easier!!

Gotta go make a couple pumpkin pies...
 
@Ollie ummmmmm pies! Don't worry, you will get your life back! Stay warm. Scratch the kitties heads for me.
 
@ConnieJOS, Hi Connie! Like @tiredwife I haven't been getting any alerts so I'm trying to drop by to see how everyone is doing. It's been a while since I have been on your thread. You sure do have a busy schedule!! I seriously don't know how you do it. At times I feel like a slug with not doing much. My first surgery I was so anxious to get back on my feet and luckily it wasn't too bad. This knee has been tougher, but even so I am at nine weeks and today was the first time I went grocery shopping. My hubby has been very adamant about me taking it easy and I have been taking advantage of it. But then when I read how much you are doing, I think wow!!!!! I know you have your own business and I know where you are coming from, but please try to do only what you have to so and rest, ice and elevate whenever you can. You will only prolong your recovery if you don't take care of yourself.
I hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Anne
 
Jamie said:
Connie, I know you haven't really asked for any advice, but I'm going to offer some anyway. I am gravely concerned about the level of activity you are attempting so early in your recovery. You are not quite 4 weeks out and your knee is not healed. If you keep it in a constant state of inflammation (as evidenced by your swelling and pain), you risk setting up a chronic pain condition that may be difficult or impossible to resolve.

Please be kinder to yourself. If you absolutely must be at the office on a particular day, go in later so you're not tempted to work a full day. Arrange to have a day or two of solid rest in between work days. See if you can advise or conduct some of the work from home via phone or computer. And on those days you do work, do nothing else....no errands, no meal prep, no visits, no therapy or exercises, no dinner out....nothing but icing and elevating constantly. You really shouldn't continue this pushing of an unhealed knee.....
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At my follow up, my OS cleared me to drive and to start back working as I feel I have the strength. In fact his words were "with the extreme range of motion you are getting, my only advice to you would be to keep doing what you are doing. You may have discovered something that we have not! (I'm sure he was kidding about that part.). You have recovered from four surgeries exceedingly well. Now to focus on strength, all you need is to use the muscles. Everyday walking and stair climbing is what you need, and strength and stamina will come."
 
Okay, then.....he's looking at your knee and knows your case. But do watch for bouts of pain or swelling if you bump up your activity. That can be an indication that you might need to scale back your activity a bit. If you're not having either of those problems, I say go for it!
 
@ConnieJOS, Hi Connie! I know you had mentioned in earlier posts that you only get so many PT sessions per year in your plan. I get 24 visits per year. After I left the first rehab that I went to for the first week I went back to my old rehab. We talked about my plan and the number of visits that I am allowed. The girl there told me that they bill as a hospital and if my doctor says it's medically necessary, my insurance will pay for it. Last week I went over my 24 sessions for the year. I believed what the girl told me, but with it being so expensive I decided to talk to the insurance company myself just to make sure. At first the girl wasn't sure and said that my limit was 24 for the year. Then she had me hold on and after she came back on she said that if the doctor says it's medically necessary that they would pay. She also said that the doctor's office should also send in a pre authorization requesting additional sessions. I thought I would share this with you because maybe it would beneficial for you to call your insurance company. It just doesn't seem plausible that you should be so limited in your therapy with having four different surgeries. Anne
 
Thanks for The information @Yorkimom, but we've kind of let it drop at this point. I was very concerned about it when I found out. I had already used 16 of my 20 allowed sessions on my left TKR. I didn't do PT with my hips. But once I found out I had a max of 20, my physical therapist suggested saving the last four for my right TKR. That was scary not even knowing how the next surgery would go! Four is not enough to help. My PT called the insurance, I called the insurance, my OS called, but the insurance company just said "no exceptions". My OS told me while I was still in the hospital he would make sure I get what I need because this should not be about money. Well, as it turned out I had 121 rom the day after surgery and 132 at my second PT session. My OS talked to me about it at my two week follow up. He said the main thing that needs to be worked on in PT is ROM, both flexion and extension, and I had both immediately after surgery with both knees. He felt that I really didn't "need" the physical therapy. He said what I need is strength and stamina and he believes the best way to get that is just normal everyday things like walking and climbing stairs. So at that point I just decided to let it go. I have my last session next week. We spread these four out to let me work on my own in between. At my last one they will just give me instructions in continuing on my own. They believe that with my ROM I'll be able to do everything I need to do, so I'm ok with that.
 
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