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Bilateral TKR My recovery thread.

Hi Everyone, thanks for all the support before the surgery and the well wishes after surgery.
What a ride this has been so far. I'm probably the only patient in history who tried to get up off the table during surgery and go home. I told them to call me a cab or I could crawl home. My surgeon is a very serious person but he had to stop to laugh with the rest of the team, but then had to get everyone back on line to complete the surgery. I wanted out of there and have the picture to prove it. Don't know what I did to my arm, but it was purple from wrist to past elbow. By day two we found out I can't take Dilaudid or much of anything else. I loved tylenol with codiene which controlled my pain, but then the itching was awful, so was taken off that also. Day four I went to rehab and as I remember it, I was one angry lady. The pain was so horrendous that it made me mad and I felt I had been fooled by anyone who ever said this surgery was doable. HAH. Anyway I spent two and a half weeks in rehab healing while taking 7.5 mg morphine in the morning and one at night, with tylenol in between. Not enough to kill the pain, but enough to survive it. hah.
Today was week three since the surgery and its the first day I've felt maybe theres a blessing in this story someplace. I'm home now and antsy. I want to eat but don't know what I want, I want to do something but don't know what it is, etc.
My bend is 110 on the right, and 100 on left, but extension is going to be my battle.

Have to go back to bed before sitting makes my knees swell. So far I haven't have alot of swelling and I want to keep it that way if possible.
Will post every once in awhile just to keep an update for everyone who's interested. I hope everyone is doing well.
 
debbie, Sounds like you are doing Great......keep up the good work...........Before you know it, it will seem like a piece of cake.............I am now at 3 months, and am 135/130.......you will be there it due time.....Gyll
 
Oh my goodness. You are doing so well but you've sure been through it. Not having good pain control is the worst! I'm so sorry. The pain will die down gradually I promise! Did you really try to escape? It's over now.
We'll be here thinking about you and wish you feeling better each day. The worst is over!
 
Dear Debbie,
You did it, you did it, you did it :egypdance: welcome to the "other side" where the recovery begins.
Thanks so much to granny for giving us an up- date. You wanted to call a cab....do I dare ask... We're you awake
During surgery?
I hope your daughter is staying with you for awhile....post when you feel up to it...
All my best,
Diana :SUNsmile:
 
Hi scaredinCA I'm so glad to hear your doing well! i'm nearly three weeks from a BTKr as well. I understand antsy and not knowing what you want. This to shall pass.
Funny, demanding a cab during the Op!:rotfl: I wasn't quite as bad but I did keep telling myself, "You can always go home, You can change your mind anytime." I kept this up right till the time the happy juice kicked in.
Take care and keep us posted
Wanda
 
So glad you're home, Debbie. Hope your first night was uneventful and sleep filled!! Take care-I know your daughter will be a great help to you in these early days. Post when you can. HUGS to you across the miles.
 
Oh Debbie, you've been thought the wringer, haven't you? But now you're home and it will only get better from here on out! Hang in there!
 
Yes I actually did wake up during the surgery and tried to go home, not once, but three times. :bicycle1: My surgeon was in a hurry afterwards but told his nurse to tell my daughter what went on during the surgery. I would imagine it would be a story the doctor and team will be telling their peers over lunch. :rotfl:

Later in the hospital I kept telling my daughter to go get the bunny because they are going to hurt his legs. :heehee: And I told her to get that little lady in the hall back to her room before they hurt her legs also. :heehee: Thats what diluadid does to a person. :rolleyes:

I'm so glad to be home now. Had trouble sleeping last night but I don't care as long as I'm home and making progress. My daughter keeps telling everyone that I'm motivated by fear, the fear of pain will make me do what I'm supposed to do everyday, the excercises or whatever it may be. She's right, I want this all to be behind me as soon as possible. Daughter tells me to look forward and don't look back and she's right.....

Thanks Deb for checking up on me. It was fun hearing your southern accent.. Love it.....
 
scaredinCA - Glad that you have made it over to this side of the board. I am sorry that you had so many problems with pain relief - I had a similar problem and was unable to take the painkillers and anti-inflammatories that they usually prescribe and had to take morphine and paracetamol.

Hope that things are improving now and that your recovery is going well
 
Debbie, I am so glad to hear from you and that you made it through OK! Oh my gosh! You woke up during the surgery! That isn't supposed to happen. Maybe they had to awaken you because it takes longer to do two knees at a time and they wanted to check to see if you were still OK.

The pain has me scared too. I totally understand about you wanting to go home. The whole ordeal is no joke indeed. Hopefully what they say is correct and the pain will diminish over time.

I am still a card carrying scaredy cat. I rescheduled my surgery to a later date because of the allergy question and another UTI.

Keep in touch as you feel up to it. I will appreciate hearing the good, bad, and ugly of your recovery, if you care to share, so that I will be prepared.

" Look forward and don't look back," sounds like a good mantra to me.
Take care!
Pam
 
Yikes! That was a fear of mine...waking up! I had an epidural with sedation, and thankfully don't remember a thing, even if I did wake up! Now, did I say some crazy things? Maybe, but I'm probably better off not knowing.
 
Welcome to this side! It keeps getting better now. You'll see!
 
Puffin we have that in common then because I can only take morphine and tylenol (not too much morphine either, only 7.5 mg twice a day).

I think the reason I woke up is probably because they didn't give me that much to begin with. We told them that a little goes along way for me, so I think they listened and gave me the bare minimum, hence the waking up three times. The doctor also said fear can make a person over-ride meds. But really I don't think it happens that often to people and I do believe that our warning is what made them give me so little... I don't remember any it of course.
 
Dear Debbie,
You sound wonderful :) I like that you were concerned with the bunny & the ladies legs :rotfl:
I am so happy you are on this side, we've been waiting for you for a long time :ok: now everything
Seems fine, you are here with us :friends:
We are going to have to change your name soon!!
Hugs & best wishes to you,
Diana :flwrysmile:
 
scaredinCA said:
Puffin we have that in common then because I can only take morphine and tylenol (not too much morphine either, only 7.5 mg twice a day).

I think the reason I woke up is probably because they didn't give me that much to begin with. We told them that a little goes along way for me, so I think they listened and gave me the bare minimum, hence the waking up three times. The doctor also said fear can make a person over-ride meds. But really I don't think it happens that often to people and I do believe that our warning is what made them give me so little... I don't remember any it of course.
Click to expand...

That is not a lot of morphine for the pain so I hope it is controlling your pain - I started on 6x7.5mg twice a day

I also have unusual reactions to meds and did not sleep for a single second during my TKR - in the end they gave me 3 times the normal dose but without any effect at all. I got panicked as I got to watch my surgery owing to a strange reflection in the OR - seeing my knee cut open and the tools put in :yikes: The memory loss thing had no effect either so I remember the whole thing. The worst bit in my case was getting back pain from the hammering of the support stems that jolted my entire body
 
Welcome home!
 
OH MY GOSH. I can't even imagine waking up and seeing myself cut open in a reflection nor experiencing the pain etc. I had the same fear about waking up with my first surgery since it was not a general. But I don't remember anything. Did you talk when you woke up? I bet you freaked out the entire OR! I swear it seems like you would have PTSD after that!
 
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