Guest viewing is limited

TKR Numbness and kneecap pain<<

@Newbie tkr Good morning...( or almost afternoon) ... We are definitely two peas in this pod... There are days when I don't even want to get up, the thought of showering and hair and makeup is overwhelming...and by the time I do manage that I'm ready to just sit again. I don't know if we are zapped due to the healing or zapped because this process is overwhelming... Everyone told me how much better I'd feel wt my new knee but it had the opposite effect...I care about nothing anymore... I should be thinking of my house and flowers and getting my deck ready for the parties I love to have but I lay in bed and make excuses. I should be on my way to vote today, get some groceries and make dinner..instead I just emailed my husband and told him he's on his own tonite ... I have book/wine club tonight, never finished the book, no desire for the wine I normally wld love and don't feel like making nice listening to everyone's past month. But I will. I understand about the friend issues, they were here for the first few weeks wt food and flowers but as they say...everybody wants to see the baby, nobody wants to hear about the labor pains...
I hope you do get some joy out of being wt your sister...it's good for the soul to be wt family. I have no siblings nor was I able to have any biological children.. I have grown step-sons but they are loyal to a fault on their birthmother even tho they were wt us 80% of the time. Never even told them I had surgery...
We'll get thru it I'm sure... As we said it's just nice to know we really aren't alone in this journey. AND it could always be way way worse!
Take care... Marcy
 
@bsassy, don't know if you read my earlier post to you but want you to know that despite all my resolutions and best intentions, I often feel like you do. It's 11:00AM and I'm still mostly lying around today despite telling myself I'd get lots of things done while daughter and husband are away on a trip. Instead I can't think of anything to do that I care about.
I'm two weeks ahead of you, facing bad ROM still, minimal pain but still not the energy I'd like to have. I have four siblings and don't hear as much from them now after 3 months. I'm happier when I can find something that interests me for an hour or two but it's hard to get there some days.


Sent from my iPhone using BoneSmart Forum
 
@charmed-life Oh dear Lord... How did I miss your other post!? I just went back and read it.... I'm so sorry that happened to you... I can't even imagine what's going on in your head compared to mine... One minute you are fine and wham...life altering. I had a bad 3 years to prepare myself for more pain where yours came out of the blue...no words.
It's now 2:30, I did just finish with getting my shower , doing something wt this face and blow drying my hair... I'm shot. I just walked across the upstairs ( haven't even been downstairs yet..who cares about food) to the back bedroom to look for a light sweater of sweatshirt in that closet. I kept telling myself that it's fine, I'm fine, I got this...then after I found what I wanted I promptly sat my butt on that bed... I used to go all day, every day... I don't want to leave my house. I don't want to be away from my comfort zone... This is not me. Who is this person?
I cld lay in bed all day, as you said... Find something that ammuses for an hour or so...which is what...online shopping?? My UPS guy loves me...my husband, not so much...I started buying just to buy and that's not good.
I hope for better , brighter , stronger days ahead for all of us... My mom used to say... "This too shall pass" ... I always asked when!?!?
One hour at a time...hugs to you.
 
@bsassy, it will pass but had to laugh at your online shopping. My husband and daughter are gone this week and I told my daughter I figured I should plan orders on Amazon so I get one every day this week - something to look forward to! Couldn't really find much I was motivated to buy though.

I feel like I have to push a little more activity every day than I want to - or energy will never come back. Especially since I work at home, am my own boss and can totally slack off if I want.

But I did get up, dressed, worked on my business a little (the Preemie Store, I sell clothing for premature babies). Made some lunch, pedaled exercise bike a little (I can just make it around if I go backwards and position my foot just right) Told my daughter (via text) that without her here nagging me to do stuff, I do much less. I think she'll nag me by text this week.

Hope the days look up for you!


Sent from my iPhone using BoneSmart Forum
 
Hi Marcy: omg, yes, two peas ( or should I say two wounded superstars, lol) that have crawled under a rock to be alone until they heal...I have lack of interest in most things I used to do on a regular basis...(reading, working out, animal advacocy, scrapbooking, etc. None of that is happening now-bed is so comfy. And the process of this recovery is sooooo slow. Though I did notice today that my knee is starting to feel a bit stronger; this, after spending 5 hours with sister in Altoona antique shopping. Indeed, I've been up for 14 hours straight today! A landslide record for me...but, have had crying jags to no end...almost like I've forgotten what it was like to have two legs. So funny, but every time I go to a doctor's appt. (majority of them are finished, finally) I'd start crying
the second I got in the door. :bawl:
WHAT happened and WHERE is the Diana I used to know and love??! One of my biggest outlets for any type of negative depression has always been working out...I'm pretty good about that. But now working out is still a tiny pipe dream, just another major joke that has stomped me into the ground. I DO see the progress with my knee as I'm certain you do with yours; it's just incredibly miniscule, something akin to watching grass grow:bored:
Yes, I have my family and you have hubby. I've never been married-never thought I wanted to be.
I also realize that, just like this forum suggests, depression and despair ARE a part of recovery...very sleepy. Going to bed.
We'll have a better day tomorrow...
Diana
 
Diana...you rocked it today..14 hours..what's the secret?? Ahhh to work out again... To travel again...to park my butt in a beach chair and let the ocean waves sooth the soul...only I'd probably not be able to get up out of it wtout being a spectacle... I did go to book ( wine ) club tonight... Even enjoyed my bottle of wine... ( the book not so much) .... The company was entertaining, the appetizers so-so and an hour into it I wanted to scream...but I lasted...just crawled into bed...yes, moved the husband down the hall, he doesn't know yet it'll be permanent...marriage is overrated... Twice is enough...although I know the first one would definitely have disappeared after the first month...this one at least understands, he's a physician (radiologist) himself...although his patience are wearing thin... We WILL have a better day tomorrow!!
 
@charmed-life ... Atta girl! A package every day! QVC is on speed dial and I think I maxed out my Nordstrom card yesterday.... It's true, when we're by ourselves there's no motivation to even get up... But we do and we pretend and go thru the motions... I wish your ROM was easier wt the bike... I can hear the therapist, " it'll come "
How wonderful and talented you are...clothing for preemies....what patience to sew the tiny stitches...my mom was a gifted seamstress...whom for some reason I Failed to appreciate ....what I wld give to have her and her old Singer sewing machine back ... Alterations aren't cheap!
If you need encouragement this week, You'll find it in me... As long as you return the favor...
Sleep well.
 
@charmed-life ... forgot to ask...where in Minnesota are you?? Spent a lot of time in Albert Lea, I have a cousin who married a guy from there... I fell in love wt his brother head over heals...he was in Alden...a phone call at 5am one morning that he'd been killed in a car accident changed my life forever...you only get one soul mate...40 years later and it seems like yesterday...
 
@bsassy, I grew up in Rochester, not so far from Albert Lea but we live in the Twin Cities now, husband and I met in college in Indiana, he's from PA, we have lived in several states but came back here in 1981 and mostly lived here since. Where do you live?

So, maybe we should make a deal to get up, showered and dressed earlier tomorrow! Knee is hurting tonight but hope to get to sleep soon.

Pat


Sent from my iPhone using BoneSmart Forum
 
On line shopping and TKR . I did my Christmas shopping from the hospital on my iPad. Did I mention oxycodone and two different antibiotics were also involved? When I got myself situated with imbolizer, wrapping paper, scissors, tape and packages only to realize I didn't have what I thought I had ordered. Yep, I ended up having to ask my sister to take my shopping. Driving with an imbolizer wasn't allowed. :bignono:
 
@charmed-life Deal! Lol... I'm up early ( awake 5:40am) have been laying here trying to decide if the aching is bad enough for a pain pill...so far I've held off but may have to break down...showered and dressed is happening yet tho...for why? To sit in the recliner again...I desperately need some groceries so that's on the agenda for today...just the basics tho...I'm not up for lugging 10 bags in and putting them away... Ugh.
Have been to Rochester many times along wt the twin cities...when I was separated from hubby one I spent that Xmas wt my cousin...her dad and I drove all night in horrible weather..got to her place around 7am and was at Mall of America on Xmas Eve by 10am. What I wldnt give for those knees again!!
I'm in western Pa, , grew up in Hermitage... Shenango Valley if you will... home of the original Quaker Steak and Lube...I'm now about 1/2 hour from there and drive back and forth 4-5x a week. My life is down there...moved here when I re-married because his kids were in school sports etc..and it was close to the hosp where his office is...now his practice covers 3 hospitals and 2 are in the valley. I beg every day to move back down. My close friends are there, everything is there... This town I live in is so clannish, if your not from here you're not excepted easily. I could walk away from this house today and it wldnt bother me a bit... Give me a condo or ranch style home and I'd be extatic...I have way too many stairs and we don't need a big home any longer. I think I have him convinced since he'll prob work another 10 years. Time will tell. Here he's close to the golf course and can go out every night and play... I know that's a big reason in his hesitation...he lives to golf. I gave it up years ago..was never any good and just seemed a waste of my time.
So deal is shower by noon...store by 2 and then too tired to cook so will go to grille room for a sandwich... Your on your own this week so you don't have to worry about dinners for anyone...just those exercises :)
Enjoy some of the day if you can...maybe today things will look a little brighter for us all?? Maybe not.....
 
@KarriB ... What did we do before online shopping...!?!? ( or iPads!?) Christmas shopping was from my iPad as well... The knee didn't do malls.....it's just way too easy these days especially wt Amazon prime the next day. I started getting all my paper products and detergents etc...on auto delivery every 3 months from there...that was epic in terms of convenience!! Today is a new day and I'm going to be the boss I've decided....honestly don't know how much more I can take ...but determined to get on with it... Actually had a 2 minute period yesterday in the kitchen where I forgot about it...granted, 2 mins is nothing but the way my days have been I said out loud "well how bout that" ...there must be hope yet :(
 
bsassy: don't know HOW you manage to keep up and write back to so many people! That's what I call amazing as I haven't the patience to write (or text much) at all.
You are really so very funny too! Keep me laughing please, as recovery itself isn't quite doing it. :tiredwheel:

So hubby is moving down the hall? Listen, I've decided that IF and WHEN I ever hook with someone again it's seperate bedrooms. Period. Don't mess with my sleep or be crawling all over me in the middle of the night ( there! I said it!) You said your husband is a radiologist- I live with sister and her husband...he is the head of the trauma department here in Johnstown at Conamaugh Hospital- he's a super terrific guy, though I did find myself screaming hysterically at him one day ( I WAS HAVING a bad post-op day) ".. Why don't you doctor's TELL people how BAD knee surgery is, how can you be so cruel?!! ....and on and on. It was awful. Poor guy just looked at me like a deer with a lab coat caught in the headlights, then mumbled something about a trauma call and fled the house like a hurricane.

Just woke up, got my coffee and AM NOT MOVING until pain meds kick in...knee feeling a little bit of the effects of yesterday, but not to bad-may try for 1/2 mile walk today instead of the 1/4 I've been doing. Promised my sis I now the front lawn this (it's not a big lot, just a huge house). She'll pay me of course, lol

I miss having wine- but no income right now so will have to wait...I always thought that's why they HAVE book clubs-nobody wants to say it's really a wine drinking fest so they introduced books into it and 'viola!" you've got what you want.

As far as sitting in a beach chair on the beach-wow! I lived in Charleston, SC for ten years and miss it so much. I'm a water babe and loved having warm weather 10 months out of the year. But I have strong family roots in PA and actually get to live with my family-can't beat that...but still...I hear Charleston calling... Maybe I'll test my recovery leg and just hitchike on down there. Now that would be a feat.

Miss my Oxycodone too as I downgraded now to Tramadol...but I was much nicer on the oxys.:angel:
Hugs, Di
 
@Newbie tkr ok I lied... It's 11:00 and somehow the last 2 hours were spent sound asleep. I was awake early with good intentions of getting up but wanted to see The Band Perry on the Today show. I guess the election stuff while waiting got to me and I missed them...oh well, saw them live last year anyway.
You are spot on about wine club. We talk about the book for about 2 mins then we talk about everybody else...the hostess makes the snacks and we all bring our own wine...it's amazing how fast the evening goes. Guys just don't get that... And don't think about getting married again... No need to... Here's a perfect example... I leave last night, we carpooled so they picked me up, I went out thru the garage...we have an auto code closer on the outside of the garage that he disabled last Friday when he was trying to program the one in the car ... I texted him when I got in the house a reminder that he never re-set it, ( mind u, he was home in the family room) that he needed to close it, unlock the front door and leave the outside lights on for me for when I get home. pull in and door is down but no lights...thank God my friend helped me to the front because I have a long sidewalk and high steps to the front door..told her I was fine and stood on my porch to make sure she didn't fall going back to the car. Went to open the door and ... Yep , locked. Can't tell you what I said out loud but I knew he was already in bed... Layed on that doorbell and knocked so hard I hurt my knuckles. He comes down ... Oh he's so sorry , he wasn't thinking, he closed the garage only because I had to remind him to take the garbage out too... I just looked at him and asked if he uses his brain at all after 5pm....geez...clueless.
Well at least you have your sis to help you...men are useless.
1/2 mile today is pretty darn good. I send you good thoughts and now I need to get myself upright and outta this bed... Kathy Lee and Hoda aren't that good today ;) ... So far no pills, can't tell you how I talk myself out of taking them... It's like I bargain wt myself. Luckily I have an OS that is good about renewing Rxs ... And you can be sure I'll renew them until he says no.
Enjoy this day..even if you pretend, it's ok. :)
 
@bsassy
Well, up early, showered, dressed and sent out all my orders by 10. (usually my daughter's job). It's been a slow week for my business which is probably just as well. I had to go out to the back yard where we have a small building with some of the inventory - it's on our lower level. Somehow the screen door locked me out and I had to walk around the house - up a very bumpy hill and luckily the front door was open! But I was sweating after that and it's cool and cloudy outside - just drives me crazy how little strength I have now - it's been seven months basically not getting any exercise and wow, have I deteriorated!

My husband is from Philadelphia and we have driven across PA many times - beautiful drive. Hope you get to move where you want. I really would love to move to a condo near downtown, near restaurants, walking distance to stores. But my husband (of 42 ½ years) doesn't want to make the effort so I agreed to stay in our house in the suburbs but I get to drag him out to more things, and fix up the house more. Now to find the energy!

I really feel some of the drain is pain meds but not quite off them, too much messed up in my leg I guess and still trying to stretch it every day to get a little further. It rarely swells any unless I really do a lot but still that tight band of scar tissue across my knee and down my shin from the inserting and removal of the plate to fix my tibia when I broke it. I'm actually done with PT, doctor says I can just keep up gentle stretching myself. Some days I wish I had a job outside the house to go to because I feel like it would force my brain to wake up!

Ok, have to comment on the bedroom situation - my husband wouldn't go for that BUT he SNORES and I've been loving this week with him gone and having the bed to myself - sometimes I think sleeping in one bed is very overrated.

Ok, go ahead and have a good day! Do something for you, even if it's just one little thing you get done.

Pat









Sent from my iPad using BoneSmart Forum
 
I know that the energy drain s a nuisance and it seems to linger on for ever, but there is a reason for it. Most of your energy is directed towards healing your knee. As your knee improves, it takes less energy, but it can take a very long time before you have 100% energy available for the rest of your body. This article explains it:
Energy drain for TKRs
 
@KarriB just wondering how long it took you to conquer steps? Struggling with those to do them one after another...going down isn't awful but going up one after the other is not doable...guess my quads are still too weak .... Sigh....
I know you were prob in much better shape than me going into surg tho...I haven't been able to for at least three years if not longer....

I'd be fine with 10 degrees warmer out... A bit nippy this morning and I had my windows open all night...
 
I actually still go up and down steps one at a time because my left knee is super weak and should've had a TKR this year. But I'm waiting until I can't handle the pain. I do use my TKR to do steps. I had so many complications with the infection that looking at this surgery again isn't very appetizing. My Infectious Disease dr only works out of UPMC, my insurance is Highmark PPO Blue so she can give me scripts for before the surgery but not sure if she can practice out of West Penn which is where I'll have to have the left knee done due to the insurance issues in Pittsburgh. It is crucial that I have my ID doc because I'm still on antibiotics and will probably have similar antibiotics again with the left knee. I also hate leaving my students to a substitute while I'm off for months and months. So now that I'm retiring in June I can get my knee done when I want and not worry about school or sick days.
 
@KarriB ... I see now... You've had your share haven't you?!! I can honestly say to you please don't wait forever to have your TKR...regardless of all your pre-existings... I do get the insurance issue...what a pain!! I would have had to go to Erie for mine but since I'd been doctoring for years wt the surgeon for cortisone and synthetic stuff I was approved for here... I'm so sorry you have to go thru the beauracrats and powers that be...it's not fair.
Thanks for sharing about the stairs... I think I'm setting that as my goal...one after the other wtout holding on and pulling...may take a year but we'll go one step at a time.
Have a good tomorrow...I'm sure the kids are getting anxious for the end of the school year!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Corganics CBD

Staff online

  • djklaugh
    djklaugh
    Staff member since December 30, 2020

Members online

Total: 1,329 (members: 3, guests: 1,326)

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom