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TKR Puffin is soaring into the sky

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Dear puffin,
How are you feeling today :) I do hope your swelling has gone down. When is your next aqua-therapy ?
You are doing so well getting out & about :egypdance: you should be proud of yourself.
Now, swelling be gone :hissy: so our dear puffin can get on with her life.
Thinking of you always,
Diana :flwrysmile:
 
Well I have stayed in bed to elevate and ice for 2 days but the pain, swelling and walking ability are not yet back to where they were before my trip away last weekend :hairpulling: I dragged myself out of the house finally today for aqua training which went OK once I was in the warm water and I was able to stretch out my knee better than I have managed on "dry land" for the last few days.:dancy:

I am feeling a bit discouraged at the moment as I am not really making a lot of progress towards independence righ now - I still cannot drive, I am still stuck with the walker and not able to walk unaided or even with a stick and the adhesion problem seems a bit worse with some places harder and "more stuck" than 2 weeks ago. I have a call in to my OS but it may be next week until I speak to him :headbang:

I am also struggling because of the rather short medical notes that the OS has given me which is causing problems for my employer - I got 6 weeks last time. But work wants to know if I will be back when the current one runs out on October 6. I work as a college lecturer and the courses I teach tend to be specialized and not so easy to find temp staff. Work wants to know if I will be standing in front of a Masters course lecturing the week after my sick-note runs out and also teach seminars in rooms all over the campus (100 miles from home). At the moment I cannot see that I would be physically able to do that but I do not have anything "official" from my OS to give them. Also I may need surgery for the adhesions but at the moment have no idea what the timescale might be :gaah: Then there is the problem that my concentration is compromised by the meds I am taking that doesn't help matters.
 
Oh Puffin I am sending you lots of hugs ((( ))). I can't help you but I do know exactly how it feels to be discouraged and despair about ever getting back to a normal life :sad:
If you need surgery for adhesions then I would hope your OS will be able to do it within a short timescale. I know mine did, he did recognise that these things get worse and that he needed to act quickly. Mine was 3 weeks from seeing him and signing consent. For the NHS, that is extremely quick and I was happy.
Totally agree too about the pain meds. I cannot imagine going back to work yet because my brain is a fuddle and I am likely to make a mistake. Plus I still have the "energy drain" and am constantly taking naps and falling off to sleep! Are you the same? :snork:
I hope you get to see your OS sooner rather than later. Firstly so he can sort out the paperwork you need for work and also so that he can sort out your pain and get surgery planned if you need it. In the meantime, try and stay strong. You have been coping so well with all this so try not to let it get to you :)
 
Oh dear puffin It's all coming at you the one time! I can understand your frustration. Maybe things will improve after the weekend. You felt better after your aqua therapy so you know the stretch is there. I'm sure a few more days of rest will get you back to where you were as you have seen some improvement. Most of us need a couple of days if we over do things by just a bit and we didn't have the issues you have dealt with. You should get to talk to your OS next week. With your complicated surgery he should give you more than 6 week blocks. Maybe they don't realize many problems this causes for you and your employer.
I hope things look brighter soon.
Wanda
 
Dear puffin,
I am so sorry this is all happening at once. First things first.....you have to concentrate on your recovery
Ice, elevate pain meds. On time :ok: get that swelling back down.
2 nd.... You have a call into your os. Make a list of questions & keep it near your phone. Tell him to fax a letter stating
You will be out until ( fill in this part for a few more months )to your work place. As about any future surgery,
Get your meds. Refilled.
If we break things down into small pieces, it is always easier to get things accomplished :yes:
I do hope you feel better :console2:
Diana.....June sunbeams :SUNsmile: ......one thing at a time....
 
Hi, I hope things are a little brighter today. I agree with Diana, breaking it into small chunks makes it easier to deal with. easier said than done I know.
:console2: wanda
 
I have been to a farmers' market today with my husband - we didn't stay too long as walking is still very painful - especially in the shinbone which seems to have got much worse since Ireland. We managed to get cheese, bread, honey, a smoked trout and some raspberry chocolate & chilli jam :yikes:

Josephine
Am I remembering correctly that you wrote on a thread a few weeks ago that hinged inplants with uncemented stems are more painful than the cemented type? As I found out last week that mine were not cemented (although this was originally the plan) and I was wondering if this was contributing to my ongoing shin pain?
Do you have any idea how long this would last? The OS said something about the bone growing around/into the stem inplant
 
Hi, I'm happy to hear you got out a bit today. I love markets but I'm not sure I should try one as I don't know when to stop. I hope you are recovering from your trip and feeling a bit better.
Wanda
 
Love the sound of the farmers market - and the food that you bought :) I am like Wanda, I go mad buying loads of stuff at things like that :SUNsmile:
Hope you feel better now.
 
Good day puffin I've been thinking of you and hoping you are getting some answers about your job situation. The last thing we need in recovery is pressure that we can do nothing about.:hairpulling: is the shin pain settling? I hope so.
Wanda
 
Hi everyone - well I passed my 3 month anniversary yesterday as one of the June sunbeams :SUNsmile:

I managed to celebrate it with 3 "1sts" that I have not been able to do since my operation :happydance: - OK I am waaaaay behind most of you but it seems that I am making (very slow) progress:

1. I went out for a 30 minute walk by myself - OK it was with the walker but it is the first time I have been out alone since the accident in November 2010 :egypdance: . I walked along the village road between the river and the fields where the farmers are harvesting. It definitely feels autumnal here and the leaves are turning.

2. I made dinner for the family after feeling sorry for my husband having to dash directly from work to a parents' evening. I have found cooking very tough as I can only stand without support for a few minutes at a time but I made a stew where I could chop everything up sitting down and threw it all in the slow cooker so it was ready when he came home.:yay:

3. I had a shower by myself - this will not seem much to most of you who have been showering alone since surgery - but after almost 3 years it was quite a big thing having not done this since my accident :happydance:


However the downside is that I still don't have the work/OS situation resolved - obviously the OS's offices' claims that I was on the list for an "urgent callback" on Friday did not mean a call on Monday/Tuesday :gaah:
 
Wow !! You must feel so happy with your firsts. Every first is a great thing in this recovery. I don't think you should feel you are way behind most of us! Most of us didn't have your major problem with our knees!
Ha Ha....... Me thinks Miss please leave your name.....must have transferred to your OS office. :rotfl: Sounds like her kind of reasoning.
Take care and continue your slow progress.
Wanda
 
Well done Puffin! Lots of firsts to be celebrated there :) So proud of you! Well you are ahead of me on the "making dinner for the family" stakes ... I have not done that yet as I struggle too with pain on standing. You have made me feel a bit guilty though as my poor husband comes in from work then has to start dinner.

Great that you have managed a walk out, a bit of independence and fresh air really helps raise the spirits. You are definitely making progress and remember, you and me are not comparing ourselves with anyone else!

Now you just need to get tough with the OS office and get the information you need!
 
Grrrrrr - have not had a great day as I woke feeling exhausted and in a lot of pain all down my leg - even had to take the walker to the bathroom - I kept falling asleep all morning even while icing/elevating

It could be that I am in the ODIC as I have done much more than normal this week
Monday - walking/cooking/apple picking
Tuesday - 1 hour 10 minutes of aqua therapy
Wednesday - another 30 minute walk
So I did not try and leave the house today - although it felt boring

It also feels like my increase in activity has caused an increase in energy drain - also even the weather doesn't help as the mornings are tha autumnal mist and dampness which seems to increase the aching

Hopefully I will feel better tomorrow as I have another aqua therapy appointment and we have been invited out to friends for lunch on Saturday
 
Dearest puffin,
My you are a busy lady :) you are doing so well & I am so proud of you :friends: you make me feel
Like a couch potato :sigh: congratulations on all your first, they truly are amazing & do add up to
Getting back to our normal activities :dancy:
I am sorry you are in pain, you know the drill ( ice & elevate ) it gets better....
Diana....June sunbeams :SUNsmile: ....& the recovery continues.....
 
Thanks Diana for your words of encouragement :SUNsmile:

The shin pain has been really bad today - I think that the longer walks have aggravated the tibia bone where the centre was drilled. My OS said that the bone is regrowing around/into the long support stem. I just wish I knew how long it will take
 
I have a question regarding adhesions/scar tissue - has anyone had a surgical release even if they have an OK ROM? I spoke with my OS today and he is a little conflicted about further surgical intervention as he usually does this when people have a poor ROM however my ROM is OK. He plans to re-assess me in 4 weeks.
What do people think? Does anyone who has had this procedure have any advice on the issue?

I am worried whether I will get a totally normal level of functionality back if I don't do it - but given the complexity of my original surgery is it too much of a risk?

I'm also tagging Josephine and Orthodoc for a professional perspective
 
What is your ROM? And how do they know there is a quad adhesion? How is this adhesion affecting you?
 
I don't actually know precisly what my ROM is as we don't measure it often in Sweden but I would estimate it in the region on 115-120/0

The OS examined me at the end of August and diagnosed the adhesion as the scar is very sunken at this point by well over an inch. There is also a large and very solid lump - it is on the site of a large post-op hematoma (It was larger than fist sized for weeks post-op).

So although my mobility is OK I have a "hard stop" when I bend my knee and a uncomfortable/painful stabbing sensation for each step I take and when I stand up fron sitting. The scar tissue very much affects my ability to life my leg straight and/or fast. Because of this I am still not able to drive as I cannot lift my leg fast to brake in an emergency
 
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