TKR New Year, New Knee - Jan. 3, 2017<

[sistersinhim]

Whoopee!

 

[KarriB]

SIX HOURS at one time! That's great!

 

[Grammy211]

Yay for you!!!

 

[L.I.T]

I bow down at your sleep-godliness!!

Now can you send a little of that over here to Utah? I'm willing to make a trade.... A little ROM for 3 nights of 6 hr sleep?

 

[RMasano]

@L.I.T Funny but true!!!

 

[jaschembra]

@L.I.T I would gladly trade some lol! My ROM numbers have not changed in 3 weeks! He says, 5 extension and 105 flex. I swear they have, but it's the same guy measuring every time. But even today, every so often I would make a revolution on the bike at home and it's easier with less lifting of the hip than it was the previous time.

According to the BoneSmart chart, I now advance a level every week (entering week 7). I'm really hoping I'm part of that average.

So today at PT, I did a new exercise- while I was on my back with my knees bent, he held my feet in place and I did a small bridge. The very first one I did, I felt something that all I could describe it as was a "rip". I had no pain and I feel no pain in that area now, but it was really weird. I did two more of those small bridges and it never happened again. It was on my upper, out side. Near where your IT band comes in, but not that far over. Oh well, just another one of those strange feels during this journey.

 

[Celle]

Oh no! Bridges are a bad idea for your new knee.
There's no need for them, so please don't do them again.

 

[jaschembra]

Thank you @Celle Good to know. They were just tiny ones, but I will follow your advice.

 

[jaschembra]

I'm going to the chiropractor today. My lower back has been aching the last few days and I can't get it to pop. That's usually my sign. I figure, it's gone through using a walker, a cane, and now no cane/cane so it deserves a little manipulation!

 

[jaschembra]

okay, so chiropractor visit will actually be tomorrow. Couldn't get a good time today.

I kinda feel like a few of us that had this surgery in Jan. are becoming like a restless bunch... I guess this time period is when it starts! Pain is getting to be less, activity is getting to be more, but we want more lol. I emailed my OS since I was needing a refill of the Tramadol and I wanted to make sure he knew I was not abusing it... anyway - I asked if this pain will get better pretty soon and that it's not the "ache" he told me that I may experience for 6-8 months. He said, yes, it varies, but this present pain should diminish in 6-8 weeks. I wrote back and said, thanks, "patience grasshopper".

 

[RMasano]

@jaschembra I agree, us January peps are getting restless!!! And impatient!!! The pain, lack of sleep, etc., was something I expected, but my lack of patience is what I wasn't expecting. Before surgery, I thought, oh well, it will be a good time to watch some movies and tv, read an book etc., but truth be told, I can't stand watching tv anymore and for some reason have a hard time reading, even though, normally I can finish a book in 2 days!!!

 

[Celle]

I think that needing patience is one of the hardest things about this recovery. You need stacks of it, and it's always in short supply.

I blame the post-op brain fog for the inability to concentrate. I'm an avid reader, too, but it was about 2 months before I could concentrate long enough to read anything longer than a magazine article. I watched a lot of mindless TV - programmes like "Escape to the country", where I could look at pretty scenery, but didn't have to concentrate on the plot.

 

[KarriB]

It was 3-4 months before I could read and I taught reading! No concentration at all due to brain fog and I wasn't on pain meds the whole time either. I watched tons of Law and Order reruns. I'm going to try grown up coloring books when I get the left knee done.

 

[jaschembra]

@KarriB I don't think the grown up coloring books is going to work lol. I've had one and my pencils haven't been touched. Netflix shows with a lot of seasons have been working for me.

@RMasano Thought of you yesterday. I got a notice about a USPS delivery and I sat here wondering what I possibly bought! I'm not on heavy duty pain meds. Ended up it was notice my mom's mail I sent to her had been delivered. Whew!

Here is a sign that you're doing better (again, it's not related to drugs lol) - You get up from elevating and icing and you don't know where you left your cane! It was in the kitchen.

 

[L.I.T]

@jaschembra @RMasano Perhaps it's just a fluke, but between myself @Mireille and my mom, it seems that around the 6-10 weeks time period, we all seem to get restless. My mom and I called it the 6 week depression.

It seems to be a time where we no longer feel 'sick' or the completely debilitating exhaustion that happened in the first month and a half - but our knees aren't *quite* ready to be healed as much as we wish them to be!

It's also a time where we grow tired of the same old routine of watching Netflix, going to PT, and then trying to 'wait' the day out. We crave some normalcy, but trying to do *normal* things makes us join the ODIT club, and we end up taking a minor step back.

During these weeks, we also tend to get those 'sneak peaks' at what significantly less pain feels like - or what a 'good day' feels like. But then things slide back to stiffness and/or pain.

Finally, I think there's an element of peer (even self) pressure that we *should* be better now.... It's been a month and a half, for goodness sake!

I've decided that while weeks 1 and 2 are the worst (because you literally feel like a piece of doo doo, weeks 6-10 are the *hardest* because you are sick and tired of being sick and tired.... You think you've made progress, only to see it taken away, and by GOD, when is this thing EVER going to end?! I mean we just got rid of one pain only to have another? Really?!?!

I have no advice for coping, as my posts suggest that I was having a horrid time of keeping my spirits up. But just remember the things we loathe to hear (even if they are true) "two steps forward, one step back", "even slow progress is still progress", "time and patience".

Some midnight Funnies to lift your spirits....

 

[jaschembra]

@L.I.T Wow, you are spot on with the above. I wanted to click the Like, Agree, and FUNNY for the pics, especially #1 and #4 lol. Thank you!

 

[KarriB]

Good to know Jaschreembra, always on the lookout for what may help to pass time. Since every knee is different maybe I will be able to focus the next time. Reading would be lovely!

 

[RMasano]

@jaschembra @L.I.T @Mireille I absolutely agree that we are in between feeling like absolute dodo, and our minds are finally clearing up, and looking forward to moving on, but our knee is just not ready. It is going to be an unbelievable weekend in Chicago and my mind would love to be out and about, but my baby knee is not ready!!! I have therapy and maybe have a short store stop with my daughter.

"Peer pressure"-My friends wanted me to go see a band tonight!!! Really!!!! I had a good roll of the eye as I was talking to one of them on the phone telling them there is no way!!! I know the conversation will be "I really thinks she needs to get out. It's been over a month." Like I want to be strapped to an ice machine, watching tv, wearing wide-legged sweats, having full on conversations with my dogs, and doing laps around my first floor!!!!!

There will be dinner for my husbands birthday on Sunday with the kids. Should be interesting. I have no idea how I am going to get jeans on over this knee!!!

 

[L.I.T]

@RMasano ! I totally understand! All of a sudden, in the last week, a suspicious number of my friends have emailed saying "let's go get lunch" or "are you going to this event"? I even had one friend just show up on my doorstep last Friday to 'take me to lunch' no matter what! I don't think many people understand that we *could* get out and do that stuff....but the price we pay in pain and swelling (at least to me right now) is NOT worth it. If one evening out leads to 2-3 nights of swelling and pain, then I'm going to be VERY selective about when and what that night is - it's gonna be a banger!!!!!

You are good to try jeans for your hubby's b-day. I'm still living in my wide-legged sweats. 8 weeks now - gotta be a record! (I admit I did wear a pair of slacks to court on Wed.....but they were wide legged slacks muaaahhhaaahhhaaaa)

 

[KarriB]

I LOVE my wide leg sweats, in fact I jit's ordered more from LL bean. This is what comes from retirement.