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Bilateral TKR Puppylove's New Knees

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@PuppyLove Good morning Chris! Yes, usually if you tag me it will show up in my alerts. Believe it or not, I am still learning how to navigate the forum and I still mess up at times. Sometimes I get emails as alerts and other times they just show up in my alerts. I sure wish you could get more sleep. Hopefully your PA might be able to help you. I remember last time I would be watching TV at 3 in the morning. Not is time I am so lucky as I am sleeping so much better. My only problem is that the last week I have been getting up every two hours to use the bathroom, but luckily I go right back to sleep.
Your PT sounds very stubbron. I would just be firm with him and tell him no. Sometimes, even though you don't want to so it, that's what has to be done.
@ljrfrm, it is nice that you get to spend individual time with your sons, but you need to find a way to get more sleep especially since you have to go back to work. Try to nap through the day as best as you can. All I have to do is try to start reading, and I want to go right to sleep!
Chris, I agree I don't know what I would have done without my Bonesmart buddies. From your post I can tell that you are a very caring person and I firmly believe that what you give always come back two fold, so I'm glad that everyone has helped you and like you help them. I'll be anxious to gear how your appointment went. Take care. Anne
 
@Yorkimom Thanks, I know I do. I think you're right about the reading - it puts me to sleep too. I think I need to plan to go upstairs each day to relax, read, and my guess is nap!!!!
 
@PuppyLove hey Chris I too had a little internal stitch at the top of my scar that kept that area from healing,but it eventually did.
Sounds like you're coming along great. I have found that the Tramadol was my painkiller of choice. The Norco prescribed was way too strong at 10mg hydrocodone 325 Tylenol. A lesser Norco of 7mg would have been better for me and my prescription was to take 1 or 2 of the 10mg pills. They made me hallucinate so I quit them pretty much after I got home. I never took 2 at a time. I now just take 1 650mg Tylenol morning and night. Since I finished PT last week i haven't taken a Tramadol. But then I'm 3 months out now. Just celebrated my 64th birthday on Tueday! Life is good!



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Happy birthday @JTH ! What a great present to yourself- to have happier knees!

@ljrfrm i understand about giving the kids attention. After I made them breakfast that one day, I told them I couldn't repeat it the next day. I usually bring them to school in the morning, and feel like I'm missing that time with them. BUT, just think about the quality time you can spend doing fun, active things once your knees are healed!

I had my 2 week postop visit with the PA today. I went in with a list of questions ( which he expects from me!):

Little red bumps:he thought the little red bumps at the top of my incision line was a suture popping out. He cleaned them betadine and a 4x4 and when he tried to get the sutures out they were gone. We felt them before, but possibly the 4x4 "scrubbed" out the loose sutures? Tis a mystery. He did put me on a few days of antibiotics for preventive measures.

Tape peeling off incision line: he pulled the whole piece of each knee- no pain and it looks better! I have some Keloid scarring on my hip incision (my scars take a long time to fade) and he was concerned about gluing my knees. I reinforced that I don't care about scars, and he reinforced that he is a perfectionist and does! He is such a great PA! When I got to outpatient PT, he agreed that I should ask about using Kinesio tape on my incisions to help them heal better.

Kneehab machine: is a great tool for improving quad strength, but considering my $400 copay ( I need a left and right since I'm Bilateral) he said to hold off since I'm doing so well.

PT: everyone uses measurements differently in their treatment plans. When I told him my story he asked if I was ready for outpatient PT. He wrote me a Rx for outpatient- I just have to wait for insurance approval.

Medical Massage: thinks it's a great idea and my outpatient PT may provide it in their office, saving me another trip. If not, @JTH, I'll try your massage therapist.

Pain and Sleep: he wrote me a new pain regimen involving Norco every 3 hours and Ibuprofen at the halfway mark in between. He would rather have me take one Norco every three hours than two every six hours. If it doesn't work, he wrote me a more intensive one which includes Tramadol. He thinks this will help with my sleep.

Overall, he said he's impressed with how well I'm doing at this point ( better than they expected considering the extent of the damage). He even said I can drive myself to outpatient PT any time I'm ready if I plan out my pain meds accordingly. (I'm not ready for that yet). He didn't measure me with any device, just moved my knees and said he can tell I'm over 90 and that's great. Have I mentioned how much I appreciate this guy? I was so encouraged by him when I left!

On a side note, In- home PT did not try to visit today (he did make an appt for tomorrow).This was a good thing, as we had a quick violent storm with 80 mile per hour winds, downed trees, power outages and blocked streets. Thankfully we did not sustain any damage that we know of (will have to check our roof when it dries up a bit)and since we bought a generator last year we have not had a power outage ( used to have them all the time)- kind of like an insurance policy- since we have it we don't need it. We needed the rain desperately, but not the wind!

So, that's my story for today. I started the new pain med schedule this afternoon and rested well through the storm. We'll see how tonight goes. Have an great night!
 
@PuppyLove Sounds like a great visit - and a great PA! I take Norco (Hydrocodone) and Tramadol. I take them both at bedtime and it knocks me out. Hopefully the Norco will do it for you - but if not, definitely take the Tramadol. I think the Tramadol makes me tired even when I take it alone. Hopefully you can start getting some sleep!
 
@PuppyLove Chris since you're a nurse, you're probably well versed on narcotics. Hubby always drove me to outpatient PT since I always took a Tramedol about an hour before. Not that I was doped up,but just to be on the safe side. We're both retired and I liked him being involved in my recovery. We didn't get that much rain in far N FW, but I saw there were high winds and downed trees and power lines. And that wall came down in the stockyards. Lots of problems in Arlington too. Hope your roof is OK. I used Premier Rehab which was on my insurance,but they're mostly in N FW and Keller I think. Sounds like your PA visit was great. You're doing so well.


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@JTH yes, I clarified drug clearance and driving with the PA. I'll be going to Green Oaks Physical Therapy (off of Rosedale and near I-35) - that location has Aqua therapy. They're also open til 7:00, so hubby can take me after he gets home from work and carpool.
I was amazed at the pictures of the stockyards- we took the kids to The Love Shack after my THR. We have huge oak trees in our front yard and have them professionally trimmed every three years, and we seldom have limb damage from storms. My son said he rescued some loose items blowing around the driveway, but I don't they damaged anything. We were blessed to have power all night. Hubby just called and said many schools are closing- gotta run and check on our schools. Have a good day!
 
Chris

How did the new drug protocol workout? i am now on tramadol every 6 hrs @ 1 - 50 mg tablet and take extra strength Tylenol at the 3 hr mark in between Tramadol. I have taken Tramadol before and it worked just as the one I have is short release and doesn't stay in the system....easier to taper off this drug than morphine.
 
@PuppyLove Hi Chris! Your visit sounded like a success and your PA sounds wonderful. Not only does he know what he is doing, but he listens. A very good quality. My PA is the same way and I just love him. Uh oh, maybe I shouldn't have said that. I told him about Bonesmart and he knows my username. He said he would be checking up on me. But seriously both he and my OS are wonderful. I couldn't ask for any better.
How did the new drugs do last night. I sure hope you got a better night's sleep.
@JTH like you I always take a pain pill before therapy so I can't drive because of it. Some doctors let you drive at two or three weeks if it's not your driving leg but even without the meds I don't see myself driving anytime soon. On the way to therapy it's not too bad , but on the way home my leg hurts so much being in the down position and then it locks on me. It is so painful. It took me so long to be able to move it enough to get out of the car today. But after a few steps walking on it the pain goes away. It's like it can't stay in one position for any length of time.
Chris I hope you didn't get any damage from the storm. Have a good night and take care. Anne
 
I've been on the new pain control regimen for 24 hours now and all I can say is What a Difference!!! Although I still had trouble falling asleep last night, I was MUCH more comfortable. A few times I went past the designated times and I still wasn't in pain. I slept for two hour stretches but did not feel exhausted when I was up this morning. PT even called early (he had cancellations) so I got it over with before lunch, then had a nice nap. Since I can see the light at the end of the tunnel (hopefully outpatient next week) I just played along with his measuring routine and didn't complain.

This afternoon I walked in front of the house with my walker (and my son as a chaperone). Afterwards I could feel that suture on my left knee popping out again. I guess all my exercise today helped it work its way out again. Hubby got home shortly after that and pulled it for me ( among other things he was an Army field medic and likes doing that stuff). It practically dissolved at the skin line and the pain relief was immediate. I'm already on an antibiotic, so all should be good.

@CanukTriMom tramadol is on my alternative pain control regimen. I took it with my hip, then stopped, and I don't remember why. Possibly it made me feel loopy? I'll have to see if I kept any notes on that. I know that with my hip I was happy with the relief from ibuprofen.

On another note, I can lift my legs over the tub edge to take a shower. Previously I had to use a cane to lift them over the edge ( while sitting on my shower bench). I can also get dressed without using the long handled grabber to pull my pants up from the floor. Small accomplishments make me a happy camper!:egypdance:
 
@PuppyLove So glad the new pain regimen is helpful - keep up the great work!!! Small accomplishments all add up to big ones :)
 
@PuppyLove - glad to hear that you've got the meds worked out. Also very glad to hear that you were able to manage a shower. Did you get in using the shower bench or were you able to stand and get in? We don't have a walk-in shower and this kind of info is very important to me ;-). You think it's a small accomplishment, I think of it as a BIG one. Go girl go!
 
@Threads , here are my how to instructions on a how to get into a tub/shower combo:

To get into the shower, I have the shower bench already in the tub, then I back into it and sit on the short edge (side) of the seat. I keep my walker just outside the tub. Sometimes it feels like it's wobbling or tipping towards me ( but i know its stable). That is the point when I would hook the handle of my cane under the ball of my foot and lift it over the tub edge. The toilet is just inches from the tub, so it is a tight squeeze. Then I can pull the shower curtain closed (I don't know if this would work with sliding shower doors). I have a hand held shower nozzle, which is wonderful. I have always been able to stand and sit as needed to hose myself off. When I am finished soaping/ rinsing, I turn off the water and open the shower curtain and from my seated position on the shower bench, I grab a towel to wrap my hair in, then another to dry off the top part of my body, which I leave tucked in around my torso. This is tricky part. I use my cane to lift one foot at a time over the tub edge, but once again it's a tight squeeze next to the toilet and my body is slippery. Here's where I disobey the home safety rules. I have rugs in my bathroom with secure rubber grips on the underside. That is what keeps me from slipping on the bathroom floor. I usually sit on the closed toilet seat and finish drying off, then finagle the walker out of the way and move the shower seat out of the tub and in front of the sink/ mirror. I then use a blow dryer on medium or low heat to completely dry off my body and dry my hair, while being seated on the shower bench.

For the first two weeks I had to use the cane to lift my feet and the walker for stability in getting on/ off the shower bench. Now I can lift my feet by myself and I keep the walker close for safety, but don't usually need it. I feel like such a big girl!

This feels like a ridiculously long post, but until I thought about all of my deliberate actions, I didn't realize that orchestrating a shower was this difficult. I am a fiercely independent person and did not want help with this, so hubby was always within earshot, but did not have to physically help me. I use liquid soaps and shampoos and a long handled scrubber. Once my incision is completely healed I will resume shaving, but for now, long live stubble! Menopause does have some advantages for me- my leg hair doesn't grow as fast and is still light in color.

I hope this helps. I know from experience that some of the the simplest activites before surgery are some of the scariest after!
 
Thanks so much Chris, for taking the time to think this all through and write it out. I've set-up a Notebook in the App Evernote for all my surgery and recovery information. I now have a note called @PuppyLove 's instructions on how to take a shower in a bathtub :). I don't have to worry about shaving my legs too much any more, so I'm just going to not worry about the few I have left. And, I'm getting a "little old lady who" (say it fast - it sounds like you are yodelling) perm which will make my hair easy to wash and wear.

At these bits of information I'm gleening on Bonesmart give me down to earth, practical and information from people who have "been there". It's amazingly comforting.

Hope your new pain med regime is working for you today.

:friends: Sandra, from kitty corner across the continent (sort of)
 
@Threads - before my nursing days, I did marketing for a computer firm and also helped write some technical manuals for their software programs. I never thought I'd be writing technical instructions on how to take a shower! This has certainly been an interesting adventure for me. You never know where life will lead you!
 
I would think you're ready for outpatient PT.
 
@PuppyLove Wow Chris, you have getting a shower down to a science. It was great of you to write down exactly how you are doing it and I'm sure it will help those who will be having bi-lateral surgery.
Have you decided on outpatient PT yet? I think you are certainly ready and it will be good for you to just get out. That's one of the reasons why I chose not to have in patient surgery. It gets you out of the house and you can stick with the same therapist for your whole recovery. But of course we know that didn't happen this time for me. I hope your new meds are working and you are sleeping better. Take care, Anne
 
@Yorkimom my PA wrote a Rx for outpatient therapy, last week, so I'm waiting for insurance approval. Since I did not go to a rehab center, my insurance required that I have in home PT (req for bilateral). I went straight to outpatient PT with my hip, but did not always have the same therapist. There were three, and fortunately I liked them all ( as well as the assistants) so I just chose convenient times. I will be going to a different therapy center this time, and I'm not sure how the scheduling works yet. My new meds are working well and though I'm not sleeping through the night, I am sleeping better. Sweet dreams!
 
@PuppyLove so glad to here your doing better..went to a little get together at the hospital that I'm getting my surgery done met many other people having surgery soon . as mine is still scheduled dec 1st I shared my knowledge that I have learned on bone smart and from people like you sharing every little detail that may not seem like much to you but is very important to us and just today I met a man struggling with what to about getting in and out of shower/tub combo he is considering tearing out tub and replacing it with a tub with lower sides . He will have bilateral tkr I so hope he finds this post again thank you thank you ..so I tried to spread the word about bonesmart ..good nite and god bless to all you good people hope you all have speedy recovery
 
@meowmary , you're very welcome- I feel like I'm giving payback for all those who have helped me. You should be well prepared by the time your surgery date arrives!
 
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