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TKR Pheebs52 Recovery Discovery Journey May 22

that's great you forgot to use your walker, gives you a little more confidence. my walker is coming in quite handy. i have it by my bedside and hang my towel, sweater and blanket on it (which i carry back and forth from living room) and also use it to support me while i'm doing the standing exercises. :heehee:
 
@SusieShoes, I think my brain may have more than just a few gaps....can you say Swiss Cheese? Yeah, that's how I imagine it right now, lol. The effect of increasing the Oxy has only exacerbated things, but, and this is a big but, I am sleeping better and ON MY SIDE last night for 5 hours, AND I can push my heel slides further. Not a lot, but a noticeable small increment to where my quad is feeling a good stretch sans pain. Something tells me I have a long way to go for complex juggling, physical or mental. Oh well, c'est la vie! I'm a happy space-shot for now.:happydance:

Sistersinhim, I actually don't think the itch is psychosomatic, but I'm no expert. It sure feels itchy to me, I'd even say uber-itchy, so I scratch the area, but can't even feel my nails on my skin while scratching. Once scratched, it all stops for a bit. It's truly a Twilight Zone experience; hah!
 
Walkers are very useful. My ice packs are huge, big squares that can wrap all around my leg, and I loved slinging them over my walker to carry them into the living room for icing. Can't do that with a cane. I have to stand, then pick them up, then carry them wherever. Not nearly as easy. Also, I outfitted my walker with a lovely pink utility hook so I could carry a handbag on it when going out. Much to be said for a walker!
 
Liam2015, the image of the walker draped like that is hilarious! Thanks for the laugh!

Oh, and SusieShoes, brava on doing some appliance-free, *real* walking! If you can do it without causing pain and you feel balanced, why not? You are several weeks ahead of me and have been doing remarkably well from the get-go, so your walking act does not surprise me one bit....."Walk on By,"....:SUNsmile:

I find my leg gets a buckling sensation behind the knee when I've been walking a little too much or standing in one place too long. It's my cue to park it. I'm sure it's normal at this stage and will probably continue for several more weeks if not months. At any rate, I'm not concerned, just blithely skipping along in my addled head.:flwrysmile:
 
SusieShoes, where did you get the utility hook? I've only been out in the real world once so far, and Mistah was my utility hook. I tried to choose a manly purse for him, hahaha!
 
I should put my noisy, little terrier in the walker basket when she acts up. I'll bet that would quiet her right down, lol!
 
@SusieShoes...where did you get those large ice packs and do they have a soft cover. i saw something similar at the physio last week and would love to purchase.
 
Yeah SusieShoes, where did you get them? I'd like a full-body ice pack.:happydance:
 
Both you and hubby didn't notice you walked unaided to dinner! Wow! Good sign!


@Pheebs52 I read on another thread you'll be doing stairs for laundry next week. I also have 13 steps to my laundry and garage area. If that's the case for you, try to coordinate your laundry with your PT visit. I'd go downstairs backwards a few minutes early, dragging the laundry basket down each step, throw a load in when I left for PT, upon return I'd put it in th dryer before heading back up the stairs.
 
I got the pink version of this hook. It has a Velcro strap to fix it to the walker. Amazon product ASIN B00MTJX728
These are the gel packs I use. Sometimes I fold and tent them. If your legs are very large, they may not go all the way around. They just make it on mine.
Amazon product ASIN B008A6MM02
Haven't seen any full-body ice packs!
 
Re swiss cheese memory problems: my DH said I had a serious case of Schmerzheimer's which is Schmerz (pain in German) and the second part of Alzheimer's (who was an Austrian doc, BTW)
He said this because I summoned him to my bedside (with a bell) but then couldn't remember why.
-I also have a whistle...and I've asked him to keep his phone on even past dinnertime.-

Re long walkways to doc's offices:
It's a running joke here that before you open a practice as an orthopedic doctor, the location must have steps and no lift and/or a long walk to get to it.
When I first consulted with my OS I asked him what was wrong? He didn't understand my question. I said: "Your office can be reached by a lift! "... "Ah!" he countered, "but there's a long walk from the reception!"
 
@KarriB, it's either a good sign or we both belong in a looney-bin, lol!

Noooo, I won't be tackling laundry yet, but I do like your idea for when the time comes. I will be going to outpatient PT as of this Friday, so that means 13 steps out and 13 steps back in, and the long, sloping driveway hike, besides the PT. I imagine I will be merged with my sofa and ice on those days after these sessions!

Mistah is managing the laundry right now and I have no qualms about letting him continue.:yahoo: He throws a load in when he gets up and dries when the workday is over. So far, so good. Ok, so he doesn't put it away immediately...or ever. I can live with that.:smile2:

@SusieShoes, thanks for those links! I'm going shopping this afternnon, hehehe.

@VW54, because I cannot sleep in the same room as Mistah right now, I did have him keep his cell-phone on during the night "just in case." I'm over it now, but the first week is a bit scary at night if at the other end of the house. Love the bell idea, hahaha! I've also learned my dogs will notify him if they think I am having a problem!:dogsniff:
 
@SusieShoes, I just ordered that massive ice-pack; really cool, pardon the pun! I have *chicken legs* so that baby will wrap right around without a problem! It'll also be great for my back, so thanks again for the link!
 
@Pheebs52 - I hope your Swiss Cheese brain is filling in some of the holes! What you shared about forgetting to use your walker and not sure how you got there made me chuckle. I am so glad I'm not alone. The other night I was walking around the house, carrying (not using) my cane. I didn't even realize I was doing it until my hubby asked me if carrying the cane was helping me walk better.


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I love how these little 'forgets' are showing just how much you ladies are healing! @IowaNana, how did you answer your hubby? Was carrying your cane helping you walk? I love it!! And @Pheebs52, where is that walker!! :rotfl:

I have another inconvenient sample. My friend took me to the OS last week. When I got ready to leave, I have to use the bathroom. I'm in the wheelchair and I went to the ladies room, and outside the door, looked for the handicapped button to open the door. There's not one! An orthopedic office and no handicapped button to get into the bathroom. I tried to back into the room, but the door wouldn't budge. Finally, I asked someone to open the door for me. Crazy! I will email them and give them my opinion!
 
Day 17: It's Getting Better All the Time....Sing along with the Beatles!

Though I'm really hesitant (paranoid?) to say this, I seemed to have turned a small corner in the right direction on the recovery journey as of yesterday. I've been able to use my rolling pin gadget on my thigh and IT band and it's really helped to reduce and tame muscle spasms. Since the staples came out on Monday, my swelling seems to have gone down quite a bit, obviously resulting in less pain and more mobility.:yes!: Last night, for the first time post-op, I was able to sleep for 5.5 hours with Mistah and the *furs* in my own bed!!! Huzzah! I can't begin to state what that did for me physically and emotionally so let's just say I'm a happy camper today.

Now, I don't wish to convey that all is roses and lollipops, or that pain and stiffness are a thing of the past; it's not. But...it's now livable. I feel human rather than sub-human. I am so much better than I was just 3 days ago that I actually feel ready to have my first outside PT visit tomorrow and that was almost unimaginable on Monday. Oddly enough, I think I'm looking forward to it, lol. Naturally, I'm hoping for a nice massage, but this will just be the initial evaluation visit so that probably won't happen.

I *think* I may have found the sweet-spot for my home activities and gentle exercises yesterday. I did the stretching routine just twice with only 3 reps, same for bed lying leg extensions. That was more than enough when combined with hourly, slow jaunts around the house. I felt my stretches were beneficial without creating any new pain and perhaps I could have done even more, but I intentionally chose to be cautious and will continue to do so. I made many recovery mistakes in this area with my hip 5 years ago, mostly due to impatience, and I will not repeat those hard-earned lessons with my knee.

There's no doubt in my mind that increasing my morning Oxy to 10 mg and my bedtime Oxy to 10 mg has made a huge difference. If only I'd been on that schedule the first 14 days; aaarggh. I could've done so, but I didn't wish to increase constipation or feel *loopy.* That was just foolish, but I needed the doc to tell me so on Monday. And, there are definitely worse things in life than a bit of loopiness. Right now, a little bit of loopy seems to be just the ticket.:SUNsmile:
 
@sistersinhim, the wandering walker was in my bathroom, lol! The bathroom is roughly in the center of my house and apparently, I walked unaided, from there to the dining room on the far side of the house. However, there are no witnesses to this bizarre event, so it's only conjecture on my part since there is no other reasonable explanation.:SUNsmile:

I just know you will give that OS office a solid, e-mail slap for that ridiculous bathroom situation; good grief!
 
That is a long hike without your walker! You're getting stronger every day! And you have a routine that's working great for you. Keep up the good, slower work!
 
@Pheebs52 - I am so glad you hit a turning point and that you slept in your own bed! Since my good news at the OS office today, my hubby is going to try sleeping in bed with me again. He will enjoy being out of the guest bedroom - that bed isn't nearly as comfortable as ours is.


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