Revision TKR Never give up, keep trying, don't settle - that's me, Bonnie

[Gabby2011]

Re: I am on the other side now friends!

Hi bonnie. My surgery is May 17th (might be moving it up). I had only read your first post until just this morning. As I read through your posts... I can feel your frustration... sadness... pain. Nothing worse than having pain and not being able to do anything about it!! I hope by now they have found what can work for you. I have been there! I don't think I would have been too nice to the pharmacist. I might have bit back along the lines of. "I have an idea. Let's cut your leg off.. give you a tylenol and see how you feel". I'm going to check in on this post later today and I hope you will be able to post that things are better. I'm sending you positive thoughts!

 

[RunA42K]

Re: I am on the other side now friends!

I am happy to report that last night I had my best sleep yet! Once I fell asleep, I woke up 5 hours later!! I opened my eyes and realized...I have not had a pain pill for 5 hours!!! I very carefully got out of bed so as not to anger my leg in any way... used the potty, took my pain pills then went back to sleep, this time sleeping for 6 hours!!!! Wowie a full six hours. Usually the longest I could sleep is 3 hours waiting for the 4 hour pain pill, then waiting for it to start working. One of the big differences I did that I learned from my PT is to ice the back side of the knee/leg as well as the front side. He was telling me that all of the muscles, tendons, ligaments all through the knee area have been stretched and traumatized and that both sides benefit from icing. Boy was he right, it has helped so much! I slept that way in bed last night. I am resting and icing now after a visit to the eye doctor this morning and thinking I can go 5 hours between pain pills now...maybe I am turning the corner 11 days post-op? Don't worry...I wil rest, rest, rest!

 

[referee54]

Re: I am on the other side now friends!

That is great news! Sleeping that long must have really felt great! That is awesome; I could never go that long. It must have felt wonderful!

 

[11995533]

Re: I am on the other side now friends!

Glad to hear you got a good nights sleep...it will help alot. I think I hit sleeping 6 hours straight on Weds night. Had my 10 year old grandson with me today , stayed off the leg and just played games and watched movies. Hoping to sleep more then 6 tonight but will take what I can get. It is hard for me to just rest also....I am restless, think about what I need to get done and sometimes think I am almost depressed....but since I am for the most part a happy person...not sure what that is. Take care and embrace the small wins.

 

[jerseychick]

Re: I am on the other side now friends!

Great news Bonnie! It's amazing how wonderful a complete night of sleep will make you feel.

 

[referee54]

Re: I am on the other side now friends!

I had trouble sleeping---I am glad to hear that you were able to get some solid sleep time---it has not only a physical effect on you, but a psychological effect as well. Great news!

 

[parla]

Re: I am on the other side now friends!

Bonnie,
Great to hear you got some good sleep! Your body needs it to heal. I hope you continue to feel better everyday. Take care.
Parla

 

[Josephine]

Re: I am on the other side now friends!

How wonderful! Sleeping that much in only the second week is awesome!


Bonnie, when you feel up to it, could you go into your User Control Panel, then to Edit Options and check to see that the little box beside Show Signature has a tick in it? I never knew you had a signature there already!

 

[old goat]

Re: I am on the other side now friends!

Glad for you to have a good night's sleep. What a message of hope. Step by step you will get there.

 

[kneeworn]

Re: I am on the other side now friends!

Bonnie so happy to hear you are sleeping better. Sleep helps the frustration of this long journey we are on. I used to tell Ray it was like having a baby to take care getting up all the time to take care of this knee. I am thankful now I sleep most nights.

I am glad you discovered the ice "knee sandwhich" as I call it. It feels so good to have ice on both sides. I was able to find large square ones at the drugstore that cover about a foot square maybe bigger and they are awesome. They have them at Walgreens here.

Sorry if my post could have sounded like you were not doing as you should earlier as that is not what I meant to say. We are all just trying to let you know it is ok to rest the knee too as it needs lots of healing time.

I found my knee felt better after my earlier PT. I had a better therapist then. The movement helped push some of the fluids around and got rid of some of the stiffness.

As for the pain meds don't let that pharmacist or anyone make you feel guilty for taking them. You need them to even want to move your knee much less do the PT. They are so important to your rehabilitation. There is no way to sleep without them either. I finally got to the point I could let my knee wake me up to take the next dose and did not set the alarm but for the first few weeks I did set the alarm so the pain did not get out of control.

Hope your heart is healing too.

 

[RunA42K]

Re: I am on the other side now friends!

So sweet of you Kneeworn as yesterday was a hard day for me. Molly's ashes were returned to us along eith some very nice cards, poems and verses from the veterinary staff and the pet Cementary/creameratoriam. My tears flowed freely as I read each word, it is comforting to have Molly back in the house now.

Now the good news...yesterday after waking I took only one pain pill that lasted throughout the day! Well I didn't feel like a million bucks but I was ok. At 6 pm I took 2 pain pills anticipating the night ahead of me wanting to get ahead of any pain. Four hours later at 10 pm I took two more pain pills and went to bed...woke up at 9am today!! No pain pills through the night, just sleep! Using the CPM this morning, back to PT Monday afternoon. Tuesday to the OS to have my staples out, then can take off these awful socks. I have given myself the last blood thinner injection!! I think I am really turning the corner!!

Bonnie
RTKR 3/28/11

 

[BigGene]

Re: I am on the other side now friends!

Sounds like you are getting control and progressing well.
When your staples come out Tuesday mine will be going in.

There is staple balance in the universe.

 

[kneeworn]

Re: I am on the other side now friends!

I know the return of Molly"s ashes must be hard and bitter sweet for you. We are a lot alike by loving our pets like family. When I lost my last cat after 18 years I got pictures I had taken of him and put them in nice frames. I put them in a few places around the house so I could still see his sweet face. It helped.

Glad your pain is getting better. It will go up and down as you heal. As you have already done you will just have to adjust your meds according to the mood it is in that day. Sounds like the CPM is agreeing with you more. Yeah.

Keep up the good work.

Donna
LTKR 12/06/2010

 

[referee54]

Re: I am on the other side now friends!

I too am glad to hear that the pain is getting better. You are on your way. I am glad to hear that you no longer have to give yourself those injections---mine were not painful, but just a pain, so to speak.

It sounds like you are indeed turning the corner.

 

[parla]

Re: I am on the other side now friends!

You sound like you are doing great! I hope you continue to progress so well! All the best,
Parla

 

[Josephine]

Re: I am on the other side now friends!

Bonnie, you are doing amazingly well. I am impressed!

I have the ashes of the last three of my cats that died and they are all together in a sweet little sarcophagus I got from the Pet Crem. Gertrude and Prudence were litter mates, Daisy was their 'surrogate brother'. I love having them near me still.

 

[sunflower]

Re: I am on the other side now friends!

I think I am really turning the corner!!

:yes 4:

Bonnie, I have been wondering if some of your pain is a result of your mourning process. Now that your Molly is back home perhaps this will give you much needed closure. Her death was so sudden that you had no time to prepare for her loss. :cry4: I can tell you from experience as a doggie rescuer that when the time is right Molly will send another one into your life. I think it's their way of mending a broken heart. They always do. They always know. :doggieshmooze:

 

[RunA42K]

Re: I am on the other side now friends!

Question...just because I was wondering...My surgery was exactly two weeks ago today, what Is an average number of degrees that I should be able to bend my knee? I know everyone is different, I was just wondering where others were after two weeks. Also...I am taking less pain pills but I get achey, do you think I can take one pain pill and 600mg of Advil. Since the pain pills have Hydocodone/Tylenol in them, I thought maybe Advil would be ok with it?

Bonnie
RTKR 3/28/11

 

[Josephine]

Re: I am on the other side now friends!

You should take your pain meds as prescribed. This is not the time to be reducing them or tinkering with the prescription. Two weeks out is the peak time for 'angry tissues' and maximum swelling.

As to the 'average' of degrees of improvement - remember that old chestnut "how long is a piece of string"? It suits here exactly. You see, there is no measurement like that. Everyone progresses at a different rate and even then may go forward, backward and then forward again. So please don't try to predict what you will achieve by any given point.

 

[RunA42K]

Re: I am on the other side now friends!

Thank you Josephine! My PT did'nt want to push the flex too hard till the staples come out which will be tomorrow, Tuesday. I will talk to my doctor about pain meds tomorrow too. My husband is always telling me to bend my knee but I just can't past a certain point. He told me that a father of a co-worker had surgery same day as me and that he was doing 90-95 on the CPM. I am at 62 on the CPM. I have PT today in a couple of hours from now so will get some input there too then my doctor tomorrow. I guess I just feel like I am being lazy or something! I think I will feel better tomorrow once these staples come out and I can take off these horrible tight anti embloism socks!

Bonnie
RTKR 3/28/11