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PKR Raffs' Recovery Thread<'

@CATSMUM I'm on my second break now. Doing one hour on, one hour off. Icing whilst working and using a footrest. Elevating now. Fine so far. I think the point has been reached where work will need to decide how much I'm worth to them. Is it worth moving the office for one person? But, the issue of disabled access should be addressed. It's a mess.

Not going to do any exercises for a couple of days, apart from some walking around and some bending and stretching so I don't stiffen up. It feels better already but the day is young.

Thank you for you lovely words, I really do appreciate your friendship and the friendship of everyone on here.
 
@Raffs morning!
I can sympathize with you I'm almost 5 weeks out and had a bad night last night. I went back to work full time this week and average 4 hours at a time up and down on my feet before I can ice. It gets swollen and hard to walk then. I'm a pediatrician so I had to go back. Try to take it easy on the knee and when swollen cut down on walking for sure
I'm sitting here waiting to go into pt and will let you know how it goes
Keep up hope
 
Hey! Well just want to say that 8 weeks is not better than 7 for me so far. Sore this week like you. I have been back to taking a pain pill to get to sleep. But, I can straighten much better. I think there are always ups and downs with this surgery. Keep your chin up and I hope that working goes well this week. You said that you are a PA, in the U.S. That is a Physicians Assistant, what is that in your neck of the woods?
 
@Dearjr working full time in your job must be so tough on your knee! Wow.

@tigwy11 7 weeks not better than 6 for me!!! Just finished my first 3.5 hour day. Didn't do much, to be honest, had a long phone call with a colleague, read a load of emails, tried to catch up on what's been going on. I'm really good friends with my colleague so she's been keeping me updated anyway. PA = Personal Assistant, think you'd call it an Executive Assistant. Hey, isn't that what you do?

Going to ice and elevate for a couple of hours now. :ice:
 
Perhaps its the damp weather getting to us @Raffs!!!
Sorry you are feeling sore and uncomfortable. Taking it easy sounds a good idea.
Today my knee twanged around the left side when I was walking. ITB? Don't need pain meds but a twang all the same.
I walked half a mile to a local cafe for brunch and then uphill home. Found I was walking more slowly than usual. Last week I was bouncing around Spain! Yesterday I was gardening - on my little seat mostly. Its caught up on me.
On the bright side, my daughter said to me last night as I flitted around the kitchen avoiding her messy cooking, mum - you are walking normally at last!!!!
It is early days and going with the flow as your knee settles and the swelling comes and goes is, I feel, par for the course of recovery.
It sounds like you have a lot to work out with your employers. They are probably just not thinking things through properly and might imagine you are far more mobile than you actually are. Spell it out to your HR dept and lets hope they give you the support you need so you can relax and concentrate on recovery.
Take care and look forward to a restful, sunny saturday!
 
@Hopper could be the itb band, it's in the right place. Sounds as if you're doing really well.
@Raffs glad you're only doing an hour on, hour off. Just wish that your employer would come into line with disability matters. Also noticed you've finished your first day, how do you feel?
 
Hi @Raffs just got back from the OS for my 2 week post check after my set back. I asked about wearing a knee sleeve to help support the knee when walking and I was surprised when he said he thought that would help a lot. It might bring on some ankle swelling he said, so not to wear it all the time, but when doing a lot of walking, it would be a good idea to wear one. I just can't wear one with the hole in the middle. A simple neoprene sleeve gives just enough compression and support. That might help.
 
@Raffs it most definitely rough but I had no choice. I ice during lunch and it helps
Today at pt got to 115 myself and 120 by the pt
 
@Hopper Good to hear from you and glad that you're generally doing well, niggles aside. Thanks for stopping by.

@CATSMUM I've heard through the grapevine this afternoon that surveyors are going in to value the building so perhaps that's a good sign? Knee is the same as it's been for the last couple of days - sore, swollen, warm and full of tight bands! Driving me crazy. Haven't done any exercises today other than a few heel slides and some leg raises and some walking around the house. Work itself was ok, didn't do a great deal really, first day back!

@momweb I have a neoprene knee support (with a hole in the middle) with Velcro straps that I used when my knee was painful earlier this year. Is that the sort of thing? What is it supposed to do to help? I remember it made it harder to bend the knee and made it hot too!
 
I would say that's a good sign, if the surveyors are valuing it, then I'd say they're looking to sell it. Fingers crossed.
Have you been sitting with your knee bent today? If so that won't help. You're still really early in your recovery and your knee is angry still. Are you wfh tomorrow? If your knee is sore, then you need to rest up.
 
The doc didn't want me to use one with a hole in the middle because it would aggravate the incision. What it does is just add extra support to the knee with compression and helps keep the swelling in the knee area down. Now, the swelling has to go somewhere, so it may end up in your leg or ankle. I wore one today that had velcro but no hole in the center, It made the knee feel more supportive while walking. I took it off while in the car and iced on the way home. I'm icing again now and elevating a bit. I think it helped some. You'd have to try and see if it worked for you.
 
Yes I am an Ex. Asst. cool! Work for a CEO at a bank. He's a great boss, I am lucky. Sounds like you are too! Did it feel good to work again?
I think that after you do a lot of exercise, you will be sore, but it means muscles are getting stronger! Anyway, my PT says great when I say I was sore! Lol.
 
@Raffs Congrats on your first half day back to work!! Sorry to hear your knee is not cooperating, hopefully that settles down. Geez it's tough enough getting back to work and all the stresses that go with that and then the knee starts to act up like a petulant child. Hang in there girl!!
 
So, knee was quite sore for a while last night but a couple of hours on the sofa with it iced and elevated helped. Slept pretty well too, around 10.30 to 6.30 with a couple of quick bathroom jaunts during the night.

It felt better this morning than yesterday although still swollen and very tight around the bottom of the knee. I did another 3.5 hours work. This time I did an hour, then half an hour break. Then an hour, half an hour break. Then an hour then 1.5 hour break then a final half hour. I elevated my leg on a chair with an ice pack on my knee. Probably means my calf or hamstring or butt or back will ache later! I thought my knee was doing ok until I went upstairs to do a few bits and pieces at lunchtime. About 30 mins on my feet and it was really sore and tight again. Had my lunch, some ibuprofen and paracetamol and it feels a bit better now. Haven't done any PT or exercise bike or outside walking, just been walking around the house as normal. I am concerned as it feels a bit worse than it did at the weekend. No progress has been made this week. I'm seeing my PT on Monday and my GP so will see what they say. It's too soon to go back to the OS as I only saw him on Saturday.

I had an email chat with a friend and I was moaning to him about my frustrations and lack of patience. He did some serious damage to his elbow a couple of years ago and said this to me yesterday which I think should be how I try to look at things - "It will be a long haul. I can't believe I am where I am now looking at where I was".

Going to take it easy the rest of today. Big day tomorrow..drum roll...my 47th birthday! I've been instructed to lay some clothes etc out on the spare bed so I think we're going to a hotel tomorrow night. There may also be something arranged for Sunday. Just hope my knee behaves. If it is a hotel then we'll take my cryo cuff and ask the hotel for ice.

@CATSMUM my snooping today has revealed that the building may be being rented out providing suitable offices can be found for us. The brief for the new offices includes a lift (elevator) and "complete disabled access". Watch this space. Yes, I did have my knee bent yesterday so have elevated it today to see how it likes that!

@momweb thanks that's really helpful. I'm going to ask my PT if he thinks it would help me if I wore something similar.

@tigwy11 hmm, it felt ok to work although so far I've mostly been catching up and sending "I'm back" emails to people!! Your PT sounds a little mean, lol!

@bdink21 thanks, I'm hanging!! Hoping to attend a conference/convention in 3 weeks - not sure that's gonna happen!

@Dearjr good tip, thanks. 9-6 is a long day, when was your surgery?
 
Lol. I know right? I call him Sven the torturous! But he does make me laugh and it is getting stronger! Glad work was good.


Sent from my iPhone using BoneSmart Forum
 
Happy birthday, @Raffs! I hope it is wonderful and fun, in a mellow/pampered way for you.

Hats off on doing your first 1/2 day of work. Especially delighted to hear about the possible office move. That's really grand--just hoping they stay the course.

Sorry about your meltdown--but so so understandable. You are usually upbeat and "can do." Once in a while, the limitations of the slow recovery are going to get to you. What aspects of it are really bugging you lately? For me, it's generally feeling like I've taken a crash course in being 40 years older than my true age--it is depressing to feel catapulted into a much higher age bracket in terms of what I can do, how I stand up, when I need to stay behind and let others go do things without me, how stiff the knees feel when I first walk, always using ice, etc. Like you I am generally a trooper, but come ON. We all have our moments. :-) Hoping the clouds have lifted and today is marvelous for you.
 
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