TKR Recovery #2

[beachy]

New post op appt is Dec 3. Yes, I’m 6 weeks out. Friday starts 7 weeks. 6 weeks started out painful and is ending with a lot less pain. Finally seeing the light at end of tunnel. I hope.

This is from my first recovery. Fast forward over 4 yrs ....about the same time as now. Even though no two knees are alike I sure hope this holds true for now. Hurry up next Wednesday, 7 week mark can't get here fast enough!!!
Because last night was a doozy! And not a good one. In spite of VERY gentle pt.
After a very restless night of constant icing, elevating and a dose of hydrocodone the swelling is down, but still hurts.
Only took me 6 weeks to join the darn ODIC!

 

[EalingGran]

Take it easy. Endless hospital appointments seems to be the new work as we get a bit older unfortunately and it is all quite mentally and physically stressful. Hope it all went well yesterday.

 

[Layla]

I am sorry to read you had a miserable night, beachy.
Hopefully you're able to take a nap today and the pain eases soon.
Sounds like you found a good match with your PT.
@beachy

 

[sistersinhim]

Oh beachy, that doggone yoyo and rollercoaster at one time. I pray your night is better tonight. Try and catch a couple of naps today.

 

[CricketHip]

Sorry Beachy. I hope you were able to rest and possibly nap a bit today.

 

[beachy]

Thank you for the good vibes.
So much icing and elevating yesterday trying to get the swelling down. It was sunny and 65* yesterday and I was planning on enjoying it. No energy, knee regained its ham status, tummy troubles. I did sleep last night with the help of hydrocodone and got out the ice water machine. I had put it back in storage.
Hubs handled taking the beastlet out, setting up ice machine and anything else he could for me.
Woke up about 6 hrs later.
Swelling is better today, but still can't be up and around for more than 30-40 min.
Cancelled PT for today. Will try for monday.

I'm still holding out hope that 7 weeks.....starts on Wed....will be much better! I've never liked rollercoasters. If anyone is reading this and its your first tkr....just hang in there. Setbacks happen and they're usually temporary.

 

[Layla]

HOLD ON...it can be a bumpy ride!
I hope you feel better soon.

 

[beachy]

@Layla
Thanks for the chuckle!
And don't be sad. This happens to most of us at some point.

 

[sistersinhim]

This recovery is a learning experience. Hopefully, we all will learn what not to do!

 

[Tino2You]

@beachy ‘Good judgment comes from experience; experience comes from bad judgment'.

today was graduation day for me at PT. My doc wouldn’t give me a new script for pain meds and asked me if i needed a new script for PT and i told him “not without meds” so me and me knee are on our own. i feel like the pirate in Captain Phillips. “I am the Captain now ;-) ”

 

[JusticeRider]

Oh those darn dips in recovery! They’re really just the worst! You have a great attitude though…you know it’s temporary and it will pass. The benefits of it not being your first rodeo, and also all the time spent with BoneSmart.

Keep that ham on ice and take it easy. As for the sun…do you have a chaise lawn chair? I’ve been known to set up on mine even in winter to get some of that precious sun. Even if it’s a bit chilly, a good blanket and a cup of tea will take the edge off!

 

[beachy]

@sistersinhim I knew better. After hiking around the hospital I came home, fixed dinner, cleaned up. Then went to PT the next day with a swollen knee. I'm a dummy

@Tino2You, aka Capt Phillips, sounds like a standoff. I was refilled yesterday, but script was for 30 instead of the usual 40. My gp will write for me if I need them. I still need them at night. Occasionally in the AM, Tylenol and ice during day. Hang in there, better days are coming!

@JusticeRider that was my plan.... To be outside and get some sun. Its good for the soul. I felt like yuck all over. Like I said, better days are coming. Soon, I hope LOL
Are you still feeling great?

 

[beachy]

I just tried to post a quote from the day I was 7 weeks post op first tkr. Didn't work LOL
It sounds like exactly how I'm feeling yesterday and, to a lesser extent, today.
So, all is on track. The swelling, stiffness and pain was just the same due to ODIC and I had a great recovery first time around!

 

[EalingGran]

It must be so reassuring to have a record of your last recovery for comparison. A really good idea to look back and see where you were up to then.
Good luck!

 

[beachy]

@EalingGran
I've been reading my first recovery more frequently lately. It is so reassuring.
I'm 6 weeks post op now. After reading recovery #1, this was a sort of "limbo" period that lasted a few weeks. Grateful to have a record of that!
I was driving at 4 weeks, but that was left knee.
Is your knee behaving?

 

[EalingGran]

Thanks- it was a complete star during my hospital stay. But then it was on pretty much bed rest and also got IV paracetamol ( for my fever).
Now I am home I am gradually reintroducing exercise and it is fine but our total ceasefire/ truce is over. It again gets a bit warm/slightly tight by the end of the day and complains if it does too many flights of stairs!

 

[beachy]

Yay! For being home. You know what to do. It had to be exhausting getting rid of the infection, fever, yuckiness. And just being in hospital is no fun.
Don't be a superstar and get rest and ice that knee. Your poor body had a lot to fight back from!

 

[beachy]

After 3 days of intense icing and elevating the ham is back to a sausage. Still some swelling, but that's going to be my companion for several more weeks.

 

[JusticeRider]

@JusticeRider that was my plan.... To be outside and get some sun. It’s good for the soul. I felt like yuck all over. Like I said, better days are coming. Soon, I hope LOL
Are you still feeling great?

beachy, I hope you got some of that sunshine! I’m envious of your warmer temperatures there. We’re usually moderately cool here in winter, but I just saw that tonight we will be having a snowstorm that is projected to dump TEN inches of snow over 24 hrs!

I hope you are feeling better now that your ham has made way for the sausage. Good work icing, elevating, and resting! Even if you do everything right, there are bound to be bumps in the road, right? But hopefully you’ll be feeling as you should in no time.

I’m doing pretty well, saw some live music last night and it might be the first time I’ve done that where the knee actually didn’t bother me at all! Yay! A bit stiff this am, but I tried sleeping without my pillow for my legs last night, so think that’s why. Still need that extra pillow I guess! How’s your sleep been lately?

 

[EalingGran]

After 3 days of intense icing and elevating the ham is back to a sausage

Well done! Hope that turns into feeling better generally very soon.
Those early weeks are tough. A bit the early weeks with a newborn. You kind of remember how tough it was but the full horror does fade and turns into a bit of a blur.....
@JusticeRider So glad you were able to go out and enjoy some live music and the knee didn't bother you. Was it an evening event? I still turn into a pumpkin well before midnight- so all our socialising is daytime still. But I remember the first time a couple of weeks ago when I was out having coffee for an hour with friends and at the end I realised my knee hadn't troubled me at all. That is a good milestone particularly if it was a longer event in the evening.