Bilateral TKR Recovery Diary

[Roy Gardiner]

It's 11.27 now, have you been walking yet??

10.00 First attempt to stand with the PTs. Overdid the morphine preparation and was off my head, but got to the edge of the bed, bent knees and stood. For about 1sec. No steps taken, this is apparently tomorrow although given the nothing today this seems unlikely to me.

11.00 Surgeon arrives, removes bandages (mid-thigh to calf) and re-dresses. Horror pix taken. Bed mobility good, I'm told.

 

[Josephine]

Early in the day, the right leg blood fine and given back. Left leg blood has slight yellow tinge and leaves a scummy deposit in the bag. Nurse doesn't want to give the scummy stuff back to me, as one might imagine! So what's that scummy stuff all about??

Obviously that knee wasn't bleeding/oozing quite as much as the other one. The bottles are vacuumed so, since nature abhors a vacuum, it will fill up with something! That something would be a preponderance of tissue fluid (or lymph) which has a tendency to get scummy or even frothy because it's almost pure protein - bit like egg white in a way.

TMI? :wink1:

 

[Tykey]

If you've got femoral blocks, these make walking difficult.

As soon as they come out, your legs will recover very quickly, and you'll be scuttling down the corridor

Are the nurses pretty????

 

[Tykey]

it's almost pure protein - bit like egg white in a way.

TMI? :wink1:

That's tomorrows breakfast taken care of:rolleyespink:. Did you know that the old knee parts are sent to the kitchen and boiled up as part of the soup??

 

[goodasnew]

Deeden, love the puppy analogy - so true!:doggieshmooze:

 

[Juliep]

10.00 First attempt to stand with the PTs. Overdid the morphine preparation and was off my head, but got to the edge of the bed, bent knees and stood. For about 1sec. No steps taken, this is apparently tomorrow although given the nothing today this seems unlikely to me.

11.00 Surgeon arrives, removes bandages (mid-thigh to calf) and re-dresses. Horror pix taken. Bed mobility good, I'm told.

I like that you post the time - with so many of us in different time zones.

Wow, the legs are bandaged that much? Dare I ask how they look? I too want to take pics throughout the stages to see how they look from start to end. You are a trooper.

 

[Roy Gardiner]

13.15

If you've got femoral blocks, these make walking difficult.

As soon as they come out, your legs will recover very quickly, and you'll be scuttling down the corridor

It was the pain that stopped me, but we'll see for tomorrow. Only spinal I think, just now had paracetamol into a vein

Are the nurses pretty????

Narry a one

Wow, the legs are bandaged that much? Dare I ask how they look? I too want to take pics throughout the stages to see how they look from start to end. You are a trooper.

They look scary, I'll post the pix when I can (when I get home)

 

[rubysue]

My goodness, Roy, you're doing great! I'm not sure I would have been able to figure out the quotation grab function for a forum post a few hours after surgery. :th_heehee:

I'm sure you will get to take a few more steps very soon! Bend those knees!

 

[Roy Gardiner]

My goodness, Roy, you're doing great! I'm not sure I would have been able to figure out the quotation grab function for a forum post a few hours after surgery. :th_heehee:

I haven't; I just use cut & paste

Day 2 19.40 Now really swollen and tight, Cryocuff applied, paracetamol for pain relief at the moment, might not be enough.

 

[Jazyb]

I hope everything is going according to plan Roy?

 

[Roy Gardiner]

Day 3 20.00

Recap: Surgery Tue 8am, OK in the afternoon then no sleep whatsoever Tuesday night.

Wednesday during the day: the guys doing the hospital extension had their band saw right outside my window, it seemed. In the evening there was a genuine emergency for some poor soul so there were wee-waa-wee-waa and beep-beep-beeps, then finally what seemed to be - you couldn't make this up - a Christian revivalist meeting in the room next to mine (not connected to the emergency, apparently). All fairly trivial (well apart from the real emergency) but enough to frazzle my brains in my sleep-deprived state.

Finally got to sleep around 1am with the help of Tramadol (sp?) waking at 04.30 in Elysian Fields. The contrast couldn't have been greater.

Mid-day stood up -- when the legs straight, no pain but only a few steps possible.

Cryo cuffs on most of the day, but they warm up dead quick don't they? I now know how to work them where many of the nurses don't.

 

[Pumpkin]

Sounds like you are coming along fine. Will be good when you go home to have a little peace and quiet. And yes they do warm up quickly.

 

[srn]

The heat from my knee used to warm up the cryo cuff so quickly, I think you could have cooked on my knee!

 

[Jazyb]

Good to hear from you and I do hope you get some sleep tonight. Take it easy!

 

[Roy Gardiner]

Day 4 12.00 Dozed from about 8pm yesterday,slept soundly from about 1am-3.30. Very odd having to stay on my back without moving much.

Tickboxes: walked a few steps to bathroom, 1st BM no bother, catheter gone :yes 4: Standing up from the WC still a big problem, help needed.

Impressions: That wonderful :flowerysmile: feeling to stand, pain-free. Still painful to get there but, once there -- nothing!!

When standing, left knee kinda wibble-wobbles; not to give way, just doesn't stay steady. Seems to wobble backwards past vertical -- ever such a strange feeling. Right knee fine.

 

[srn]

I found that my left knee felt a bit 'wobbly' when I stood on it for the first couple of days, I don't remember this happening when I had my right knee replaced. The feeling was strange, but it went away after a couple of days. The physios walking with me weren't concerned when I mentioned it to them.

 

[grabbit97]

You are doing fantastic.... the more you strenghten your quads, the more it will move forward for you.. take it slow, ice and elevate as much as you can.. and do try and nap whenever you feel a need, .. I slept every afternoon for a good month after, probably 2 months.. I don't lay down so much in the afternoon any more, but I am ready for bed at 10 PM each night... and do sleep other than getting up from mother nature calling...

 

[zjrog]

Sounds like things are going just fine Roy. I hope things continue this way for you!

 

[Roy Gardiner]

Day 4 21.00 Walked from bed to bathroom using Zimmer. Stood pain free whilst washing & brushing teeth, sometimes both hands free of the frame.

Sleep still illusive, though dozed without at first realising it this afternoon (TV programs kept 'jumping' :th_heehee

 

[Jamie]

You're doing great, Roy!!! I'm really enjoying your posts.