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PKR Raffs' Recovery Thread<'

Had a lovely day yesterday with my brother and his mob. Tried to get the balance right between sitting downstairs with them and having a nice rest upstairs. Knee wasn't too swollen last night - well, no more swollen than usual, just the awful vice-like band driving me a bit nuts.

The waterproof dressing came off yesterday so just got steristrips on it now. They'll fall off when they're ready over the next few days I expect. Looking forward to getting to know Frankenstein.

The lifting of the leg from the floor to the bed seems to be intermittent. Earlier in the day it is possible, later in the knee it is not so possible. I really notice the difference between how my knee and leg feels in the morning to how it feels in the evening.

Is there any thought on which type of heel slides (sitting or lying) are more effective? Or does it not matter?

Parents coming again for a few hours. I'm home alone this morning so first day having a shower without someone else in the house. I can also put my TED stockings on myself now too which helps with a sense of independence.

@snowleopard I love your posts - you write with great wit and style. If you don't write for a living then you should! I promise that when I do dance the horn pipe I will post a video on here for your enjoyment.

Thanks all for your reassuring replies re the knee vice. As long as things are normal then I'm ok.

Patience!!!!!!! I knew before the surgery that this would be an issue for me as I'm an inpatient so-and-so. I must try harder.

Going to do my first session of stretches for the day now and then pop over to read what everyone else has been up to.
 
i do my heel slides sitting and lying down. Not sure which is best to be honest. When you say about the knee feeling different, is it more painful in the morning or evening?
 
@CATSMUM I think I'll do a combo of sitting and lying down. I seem to get a better bend when sitting. Knee is more painful in the evening which I think is very common?
 
@Raffs I find heel slides really beneficial. Yep, my knee is normally more painful in the evening, l would assume that's because we've been using it all day jumping up to go and spend a penny etc.
 
Raffs said:
Is there any thought on which type of heel slides (sitting or lying) are more effective? Or does it not matter?
Click to expand...
I don't think it matters. Just do whatever way you prefer.
 
2 weeks today! Cannot believe how quickly the time has gone.

Managed to look after myself for a few hours yesterday - showered, washed my hair, sorted my breakfast - was shattered afterwards but it all went well. Was tired generally yesterday after lots of visitors at the weekend.

PT exercises are getting easier. Can do straight leg raises most of the time and even managed a couple of short range quads.

Walking is still a challenge due to the tight band around the knee. Am trying to walk as best I can, bending the knee and not swinging from the hip. Feels weird to have to concentrate so hard on doing something that I've been doing pretty well for around 45 years!!

Getting an intermittent stabbing pain in one part of the knee which I am assuming is healing pain. It is a part of the knee that hurt a lot pre-op.

Slept better last night. Woke up a couple of times but didn't need to ice. Went to the bathroom, stretched and then back to bed and sleep.

Seeing my doctor later for a general update and to discuss pain meds. My doctor has been great, she wants to be involved in my recovery and said I should see her regularly during the first couple of months.

All I all, I am pretty pleased with how things are. Long may it continue!
 
Well done you for doing bits and pieces, just make sure you don't overdo it as you're still only a couple of weeks out.

I still have a tight band but that will gradually get better. I also get these pains and l think it is where things are healing as some days the pain is non existent, whereas other days (when I've overdone things) it's sore.

So pleased your GP is supportive, mine is also very good. Talk to her about the anti-inflammatory drugs.

Keep up the good work.
 
Thanks @CATSMUM

I'm finding it hard to judge if I'm doing enough activity vs enough resting. I know I need to do some walking around but also know I still need lots of rest.

The tight band is the worse thing at the moment! So annoying!

I'm getting zingers of pain here and there but nothing too troublesome.

GPs get a bad rep these days, mine is always great, I'm lucky.

Sad day today - it was a year ago today that we bought Patti home from the animal hospital after her op to remove a tumour. It was major surgery and she had to live in a cage in the living room for 4 weeks. She was such a brave girl, took it all in her stride. I'm so glad she had another 9-10 months of good life after going through that before the cancer took her :cry: :mooncat:
 
Have a look at the activity regime on the bonesmart mantra they post at the beginning of our threads, you'll probably discover that you are doing too much and should just mainly be resting.

Tell me about the band, mine was a little better yesterday but after doing lots of things yesterday has tightened up today!!!!

You're right about GPs. Mine always seems to get a bad press, I've always found him to be approachable and friendly. Other people say how he's rude and not interested in them. l think part of the problem is that he doesn't like time wasters and no doubt GPs see more than their fair share of them.

Poor Patti, still she had extra time with you that the operation bought her. Would you consider getting another pussycat?

Just read your reply on my thread, thankfully, l only have one flight of stairs but a 1/4 mile walk from the station, we do, however, have lifts!!! Fingers crossed that they find another building with lifts!!!
 
Hugs for Patti.

Everything you're describing sounds normal. You seem to be doing well with the activity level you describe, but you probably don't want to do much more at this point.
 
Sorry about your kitty :(

It sounds like you are doing great!! Each gain in independence is a huge boost in confidence!
 
@Raffs I couldn't do sitting heel slides at all, yet at night when my knee woke up all tight and painful, I would do lying heel slides and found they helped to ease some of the tightness in the knee. At 3 weeks I still don't sleep through the night, but then I didn't sleep through the night before surgery either. But now, I find I don't need to ice during the night, and sleep one hour beyond the 2 AM pain med. I wake up in pain at 3 AM.

I had the tight band across the top of the knee until the staples came out and I was able to move and bend the knee more. My problem was more of tight hamstrings. I got spasms that were awfully painful. The doc gave me Valium which I took religiously for a week. Now, I only take as needed which is rare. The tightness is getting better as I continue to stretch the hamstring. Things do get better and you are right, we can't compare with others. My biggest problem, like many of you, is doing too much and paying for it later. Hang in there.
 
First shower without someone else in the house is a milestone. Zingers, normal. Stabbing pain, normal. Tight band, normal. Well done with the sleep! That's huge. Such a good feeling the first night you're able to roll over, go back to sleep, and sleep through until morning!

I am typing this with Patti's tortie look-alike stretched between my legs, head resting cock-eyed on my foot. Her eyes are shut, which is a signal to not even think about moving that foot out from under. I intend to have a talk with her about the necessity on her part to live forever. Woops, those green eyes just opened as if she was in conversation, and blinked back to sleep. My little nurse-cat has been such good company through this procedure, and I don't know how I would have made it through without the provisions she's managed to collect for me, in spite of her captivity. The total that I know about consisted of one vole, two birds (darn it!), and half a squirrel. Yum!

It just gets better for us from here, right?
 
My Tarzan has taken over nurse cat duties after Natasha's death while I was in the hospital after surgery. Quite unexpected, but he does quite well.
 
Well, I joined the ODIC yesterday but it wasn't my fault!!

Had a great morning. Lots of resting and icing. Found the PT exercises a bit easier to do. Went out for a short (5-10 min) walk outside with hubby. Knee felt less swollen and easier to move.

Hmm. I had an appointment with my doctor at 5pm. 5 min car journey. V short walk into the surgery. Had to stand for a few mins whilst waiting to be seen. Sat down and waited. Unfortunately, she was running behind so ended up sitting in the waiting room for about 30 mins. Knee was not happy. Then sat another 10 mins whilst seeing the doc. Then walked back to the car, sat there for 10 mins whilst prescription was filled, then 5 min drive home.

Knee was very unhappy by now. Went straight upstairs and iced and elevated the rest of the evening. Much more swollen than it has been for a few days. Was throbbing by the time I was brushing my teeth before bed! However, elevated all night and it is a bit better today although quite tender around the scar.

Lesson for the day - only book a morning appointment with the doctor when they are less likely to be running late!!

Doc pleased with my progress. Said the scar looks good, checked my calves for any sign of clots and we discussed pain meds. She wants me to start slowly trying to cut down so prescribed some lower dose co-codamol and some of the higher dose but not a huge quantity. I'm going to start very very slowly cutting down from today, one pill at a time. She seems quite relaxed though so I'm sure I can ask for some more higher dose pills if I need them.

@CATSMUM would like to get another cat one day but not just yet. Perhaps next year. Although I know that if I went to a rescue centre I'd probably come home with at least 2!!

@PolarBear60 thanks for the hugs. Good to hear that Tarzan has risen to the occasion. I do often wonder what Patti would have made of all this knee stuff.

@JennyLynne independence is great isn't it? Didn't realise how much I would miss not being able to do the smallest things for myself.

@momweb. Thank you. Agree with everything you say about not comparing to others and also about overdoing it!! I didn't sleep through the night before the surgery either so I'm quite happy with how I'm sleeping now.

@snowleopard your kitty sounds wonderful, such a little character. If you manage to persuade her to live forever then please let me know how you did it so I can try it out on my next cat. It most definitely gets better from now on for all of us. I was reading a magazine yesterday and some of those annoying advertising flyers fell out. Well, one was from the World Wildlife Fund asking for donations to protect snowleopards from extinction!
 
Morning glad you are doing okay this tight band is horrid I used to have a cat who was a great nurse but lost her when she was 21 now just have dogs. They have not been aloud to see me as of yet as they may jump so family and friends are sorting them at the moment. But the oldest snuck in the house to find me this morning oops have a great day
 
@Raffs Make sure you medicate enough, I'm almost 6 weeks out and have only just started cutting down on my codeine. I take one 30mg tablet at 8am, one at 1pm, one at 6pm - if l feel that l need the 10pm dose I'll take it otherwise I'll leave it until morning.

Glad all is going well with your recovery. Puts your mind at rest when you know all's well. I've still got a tight band at the top of my knee but, like you, the exercises are easier and ROM is getting better.
 
@Deeann the tight band is indeed horrid! Feels a little better today though. Many people on here really seem to benefit from the love they get from their pets during their recovery. I wish our girl could have been here to help me but she just couldn't last this long, by the middle of May the cancer was affecting her quality of life too much. Enjoy your pups when you get to see them!

@CATSMUM yes quite nervous about cutting down too fast too soon. Going from 60mg codeine every 6 hours in the day to 45mg for a couple of days to see how that works. Will stay on 60mg during the night though as it seems to be helping me to sleep. I guess until I try to cut down then I won't know if I can or not! I won't allow the pain to increase though, it's been very manageable so far and I want that to continue.
 
@Raffs sorry to hear about the doctor visit. Funny how they expect you to be on time, but it's ok for them to be late. Oh well. I think we've all been there, done that. I agree with how much our pets mean to us. We have one dog and one cat. Our second cat passed away about 4 months ago. We had to put her down due to thyroid issue and a mass in her belly. She is in a better place. The dog has been my protector since I've come home. He stays out of my way when I walk with the cane and sits with me with I need someone to cry with. They are almost better than pain pills (or at least a minor substitute). Today I'm feeling tight for some reason and the knee had a tough night, we'll see what the PT says. He'll be here shortly. UGH! Move ahead, move back.:what:
 
Not much to report today. Knee felt good all day yesterday. Felt like I was walking a little better. Prepared my own breakfast and lunch, did a tiny bit of tidying up (I'm very fussy about how things are done around the house and although hubby is doing a great job it isn't quite up to my standard :heehee:).

Started cutting down on meds by taking 45mg of codeine instead of 60mg every 6 hours. Worked fine during the day but woke up at 1am in a little pain so I'll take 60mg before bed I think.

Knee is still a bit swollen by the time the evening comes so I'm going to increase the elevating and icing after I've been walking and after my exercises.

Home alone for about 11 hours today. Was a teeny bit bored for the first time yesterday.... Got some movies to watch, emails to send and a cross stitch project to start. I'm the world's worst seamstress so this will be interesting!!

:rofsign:
 
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