TKR Pheebs52 Recovery Discovery Journey May 22

[Pheebs52]

Oh, and that pint of ice cream? I wish! Everything still tastes terrible to me; bummer! Of course, I think I've already shed a few pounds as a result; definitely not a bad thing at 5'5" and 172 pounds. Hubby really has been the most willing gopher, almost too willing, bordering on hovercraft!

 

[Pheebs52]

Your Dad sounds like real whippersnapper! I can certainly see why he needed morphine to be moved; good grief!

 

[Pheebs52]

Day Six: Thankfully, last night was a big improvement over the night before; phew! Sure I woke twice, got up and walked, popped more Oxy and then finally up for the day at 4 A.M., but it was much more what Jennszoo described yesterday as basic discomfort versus pain. I just have a really hard time finding a comfy position in bed, but, to be expected I guess.

Today I had three small victories: Got out onto my back deck for a while and enjoyed the bees, birds and bunnies. Now the sun has gone in and so have I, but it was great to get outside for an hour.

Next, I made a movement that surprised me! I was trying to get back into bed and was able to swing my leg up without the dog leash; yahoo! It wasn't intentional, just done in the fog of a 2 A.M. wake-up call. Regardless, it was sweet!

Last, but not least, I was able to cram my swollen foot into a real shoe this morning; whoohoo! I've been trudging around in slippers that don't have a lot of support so this status change should make walking somewhat easier.

While getting washed and dressed this morning, I discovered a very large and sore lump on the outside of my thigh, (how had I missed this alien feature?) probably from the surgical tourniquet. Man, that baby hurts and it's in a difficult place to ice. Hopefully it will begin to shrink SOON!

 

[Celle]

You've made a lot of progress in the things you can now do. That's great.

Do you have an ice pack or a gel pack you could use to ice that lump on your thigh? If you can ice it, it should start to go down a bit faster.

 

[Pheebs52]

Celle, thanks for acknowledging my little victories as such, because it helps me to focus on the bright side rather than the dark. It is all too easy to fall down that dark rabbit hole when in pain and not sleeping much so I find it worthwhile to note what's improved each day, no matter how small.

Yes, I have gel packs and peas and just need to figure out how to fix them in that spot. I need to find some sort of wrapper to keep them there. Needless to say, lying on that painful lump really isn't an option; pffft!

 

[Celle]

Don't forget to put a small towel or something similar between your skin and the icing medium - you don't want to get freezer burn!
Would a crepe bandage do the job of holding the pack in place?

 

[sistersinhim]

You've had 4 victories. You were able to sleep better, too! What a pleasure reading of your improvements! Can you ice that lump by sort of sitting on the ice pack and leaning it against the arm or the chair you're in? I'm sure ice would help.

 

[Pheebs52]

Celle, yes, a crepe bandage probably would work, but I found the wrap I referenced earlier. It was given to me after the arthroscopic surgery and it holds two ice packs. I just used it while snoozing and already the area feels better!

Sistersinhim, thanks!

 

[knit2tog]

Yea for your victories!

 

[Mister]

What did the nurse say about the break through bleeding? I had that happen and I also had staples.
The dr said just to make sure it doesn't get infected, he would wait another week before taking staples out. He just said it happens sometimes.
So, I had staples for 3 weeks, but everything turned out ok and no infection

 

[Pheebs52]

Mister, I don't see the nurse until tomorrow, but these are just two, small, roughly dime sized spots, so I doubt it's a big deal. If it were actually leaking out the sides of the bandage, then I'd be worried!

 

[Pheebs52]

Day Seven: After having a very lazy, iced-up, elevated day yesterday, I went to bed feeling that perhaps I'd get a few good zzz's last night. Wrong! I've no idea what set this off, but I developed a painful, muscle spasm sensation in the hamstrings and absolutely couldn't lie in bed flat or any other way. Got up and walked a bit, popped the Oxy, sat on the sofa with the pillows and ice and tried to massage the area a bit. Eventually, I fell asleep in this position, but woke around 4 A.M. again; aarrggh.

Despite napping wherever and whenever I can, I think the broken sleep is beginning to take a real toll. I hesitate to say I feel shaky, because it's not quite that, but I do feel as if my whole being is vibrating in an unpleasant way. It's an anxiety producing sensation, almost like some sort of sensory overload that's putting me on the verge of *shorting-out.* Today, I am the crabbiest apple in the tree, unless someone here has me beat, which is always a possibility!

The only victory I can claim today is success at being able to stand long enough at the kitchen sink to wash my hair.

PT will be here shortly and she'd better be on her best behavior or she will get *bitten*, hah! I can see myself using the word "No" a lot with her today.

 

[JennyLynne]

My PT said that she often sees her patients reach a rough patch from days 7-11. The broken sleep, the restless/boredom and frustrations hit hard. But then we realize we actually feel better!

This happened to me, pretty much on cue. And then Thursday, day 9, I realized I felt noticeably better. And it's been mentally easier since.


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[KarriB]

I only got 2-3 hours of sleep per night in the first month of recovery. Sleep whenever and wherever you can. I was never a napper, but found myself napping often that first month and even after my 2nd surgery a month after TKR. Our bodies need sleep to help the healing process, so give in to naps as much as possible. I haven't napped in over 2 years now.

 

[AlaskaGrandy]

I hear you! Please try to relax your mind by embracing Patience. This journey is LONG and can seem endless. There is light at the end of our tunnel. You are not alone in your suffering.

 

[Pheebs52]

You Smarties are the best! Thanks for all your kind support which is much needed for this shaky crabapple today. Now, it's time for a nap.

 

[Pheebs52]

@JennyLynne, I'm delighted to hear you felt a noticeable improvement so early on! Even if I don't experience exactly the same, it's just good to know it can happen.

 

[JennyLynne]

@Pheebs52 I'm celebrating the tiniest improvements! For me, it was less nausea and a little easier walking that made the difference


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[SusieShoes]

The second week was probably my roughest due to knees (and not tummy woes). Broken sleep. Bizarro dreams from the narcotics. Pain from the knees is still significant then. I suppose one or two bad nights are inevitable. I hope last night was just a fluke and you will find more sleep, and better sleep, tonight. Good sleep makes such a huge difference.

And I also envy your ability to read! I love to read, but my mind is strangely unable to focus on a story.

 

[Pheebs52]

Thanks for the support and wisdom Susie!

I have to laugh at envying my ability to read because I can't seem to watch anything on television; hah! The moving images seem to make me feel a bit lightheaded and queasy, so I'm sticking with print for now. As I told KarriB last night, very often I just read the same paragraph over and over.....and then I fade to black.