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Revised PKR to TKR On the other side - AGAIN!

@Legseleven - After reading your latest update, I hear you loud and clear with sleep. I think it's going to be a work in progress and maybe take the wins where you can get them. I hope you have someone to check on you when you get home. We just need to keep our eyes on the prize, whatever that may be. Sending the best healing thoughts!
 
Thank you everyone.

Day 9
Early doors here, had a banana and pain meds due in 30mins, then another nap. Yesterday I had 3 daytime sleeps. I’m simply letting the body decide what it wants, while frequently moving about. It’s like the body thinks ‘I’m ok now‘ and the adrenaline flow reduces. In the hospital my ‘startle reflex’ was noticeably in overdrive, every time there was a crash of equipment or a door banging (a very common occurrence) my body jumped, and I mean really jumped! It was really interesting, because I’m not normally a jumpy person. I’m in a very quiet room now so I can gently recalibrate while recovering.
The very cheap (£12.99) air filled knock off lounge doctor seems to be working fine, my only thought is to wonder how long it will last. I’d have really loved to be able to get the real thing. It took 3 of us to pump it up with the enclosed plastic balloon type pump. A bit of cardio for me. I use it a few times a day as per BS guidelines. This time the left knee can cope, last year it was just such a mess and that surgeon didn’t allow any raising up anyway.
Tum still unsettled, but better than before, I can’t quite trust it but hopefully soon. Bit of dizziness in the bathroom this morning so called for assistance to get back. First time since I’ve been here. This will pass. Onwards.
 
Boy, you are certainly having a good set of challenges. You’re handling everything very well, though. I’m impressed. You have the right attitude….things will get better with time and this is just temporary. You have your entire BoneSmart family behind you. Don’t hesitate to post whenever you need a little boost.
 
Glad you're in a quiet room so its easier to relax and sleep. Thankfully you're cautious and calling for help when you feel dizzy, rather than trying to make it back to bed on your own and ending up on the floor. Stay safe.

Hopefully you had a lovely dinner, the evening feels peaceful, and you get some restorative rest overnight. :sleep:
Keep us posted!
@Legseleven
 
glad you're in a place now that's much more conducive to healing. getting startled all the time definitely isn't! sounds like you've got an intuitive approach that's also data informed. hope your good resting continues, as much as can be expected.
 
Yesterday was the worst ever. Tum still galloping to its own tune, still no appetite but eating what I can, especially protein, and knee had unbearable pain for several hours in the day and again at night. I have no meds for breakthrough pain. I take what I’ve been given around the clock using timers and alerts. 2 Paracetamol (acetaminophen) 4 x day and 60mg nefopam 3 x day. It hardly touches it, plus constant icing. Told can’t take NSAID til blood thinners stop in a few days time. If still as bad today (too soon to tell) will ring for advice.
The unusual heat dome is affecting us all, and it really isn’t helping. I looked at last year’s recovery and similar happened on Day 10 last time, this was Day 8.
Still hardly any sleep, I know this will improve.
 
Bless your heart. Just know that you have lots of people on here that are praying for you and for your pain relief and beneficial sleep! Hopefully, you can get back on the NSAID quickly to help with that inflammation.
 
You’ll be pleased to know already that today is much better, the knee is calmer, you could have fried an egg on it yesterday (happily no redness) and although I had hardly any sleep last night today I’ve already had two half hour naps, had meals in my chair instead of the bed, and ventured along the landing a little way twice on crutches. Plus the GP has now sent the NSAID prescription to a nearby pharmacy for me to start next week, someone will pick it up. Things are looking up, especially if we can get the Galloping Major (my tummy) to settle too. Plan for the rest of the day is tea in the chair, one more walk after tea if the knee still behaving and try a Complan (protein shake) at ten pm with my meds instead of just milk. Hopefully now we are pushing as much protein as the tum allows everything will improve. Plus the 6 jugs of ice a day in the Cryocuff is helping, yet in a different way to last year. I’ll explain another time.
 
Happy Wednesday LE,
Thank goodness, today brought improvement. The naps certainly help when you've had a poor night of sleep.
I hope the protein shake goes down well later on and you get some restorative sleep overnight.
May this upward trajectory continue! :thumb:
@Legseleven
 
Glad things are a bit better @Legseleven.
This heat dome is hard to bear even when you can move about and are not in pain. I can't imagine trying to cope with early recovery in this heatwave.
I have just done a bit of packing for an upcoming trip and I was exhausted and dripping with sweat.
Hope you continue to improve and sleep better. Have you thought of asking the GP for some sleep meds? They are not keen but I think post TKR is a good reason.
 
Week 2 Day 1O
Yesterday was so much better. I napped after breakfast, after lunch, after tea and before the 10.15pm pills. Then slept again until the 00.15am pills, iced then slept again. The difference is the pain was at expected levels, not as hyper extreme as the day before and they’d found me an old thin pillow and I am able to put it between my straightened legs, then flip on my side. Perhaps the 10pm complan helped too, or perhaps the sleep deprivation had reached a cumulative point, it doesn’t matter, it felt good. :sleeep:
The hornet in my knee returned 3.20am, in the middle of my first post op dream. Eventually after ice, more ice and a walk to the bathroom and back I slept and dreamt again. Back on the recovery squiggle. Wow! 7 sleeps in 24 hours. This time I sat on the edge of the bed for far longer before getting going on the frame and managed without help. This is why I kept the frame for night times, it’s safer and I’m always dropping my crutches when I’m trying to park them. I thought I was beyond the ‘L’ plate stage after almost a year, looks like I’m a klutz.
 
Legseleven said:
it’s safer and I’m always dropping my crutches when I’m trying to park them.
Click to expand...
I’m sure I would hurt myself badly if I tried to use crutches! Thankfully walkers/frames are an option!

Best wishes as you continue onward.
 
Legseleven said:
Back on the recovery squiggle.
Click to expand...
Hahaha!
Good, you don't want to miss a second of the scenic route back to normal, lol. :wink:
Just kidding...there are a lot of detours we'd like to take to steer clear of those hairpin curves...right? Just avoid the potholes the best you can! :thumb:

You're doing good, LE. Glad you had some dreamy sleep!
 
Legseleven said:
The hornet in my knee returned 3.20am, in the middle of my first post op dream.
Click to expand...
I bet you moved that knee in your dream and that's why you woke up in pain. I remember doing that. It's not much you can do about dreaming and moving around in your sleep.

Speaking of sleeping...yay for getting those naps! They are so good for your healing.

How did the protein drink affect your tummy? Are you taking any antiacids? I found they helped me with my grouchy stomach.
 
Thanks @sistersinhim I hadn’t connected the dream and the knee. However it’s been a challenging day overall re pain and tum, and antacids won’t slow the motility which is the problem. I’d started to eat a little more normally, but I’m back on low residue now.
Wound check now Monday. I’m sure it’s fine.
 
@Legseleven

Hang on in there L11. From my experience after both revision hip surgeries in the last 8 months, the first say 2 or three weeks are the toughest, and it seems to me from your posts that you are slowly turning the corner, and as long as it's even 2 steps forward, and one back (not literally!), that's fine. Plus this brutal heatwave doesn't help.
And remember to be kind to yourself - for me the first 2 or three weeks were 24/7 sleep opportunities!
 
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