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Knee Infection* Right knee has been replaced

Wishing you well as you return to work! Hopefully you can get alot of help and be able to rest and/or ice (wrapping ice on with a 6" elastic bandage works well for me when walking around at home) throughout your shifts!:flwrysmile:
 
Hope your return to work goes well and you have time to rest, ice, and elevate your knee.
 
Good luck with your return to work! You have been through a lot and you have been brave and strong. You've got this!
I'm so glad you were able to attend the baby shower. It is such a boost to morale to just do something normal and not knee focused!
Take care as you return to work. I think dropping PT is smart. So is preparing a few meals. You will want to rest ice and elevate when you get home between shifts. Cut yourself some slack and don't plan to do much else until you build up your stamina and routine again!
 
Have you gone back to work yet? I hope it's going well and you're enjoying this return to normalcy. It will be tiring at first, but rewarding. Stopping PT was the right call, especially since you weren't getting much benefit from it. Being a woman on the go is going to be giving you plenty of exercise!
 
I went back to work today. I stayed for 6 hours and then came home. Did mostly computer learning sessions that piled up while I was out. Definitely felt weak and shakey at times. I still don't have much a desire to eat anything. I try to force myself to eat during the day. Perhaps it's the oral antibiotics but nothing tastes very well and no food appeals to me. It's a chore to eat which is definitely not me. I'm down 35 lbs. I could stand to lose more but I want to be able to eat a well rounded diet.

It was weird walking without my cane. My legs were weak and I can see I'm going to have to fit in some extra breaks to sit periodically during the day. I'm back there tomorrow at 6am and I'm trying to stay until 2:30 or so. I have an appointment with my psychologist at 3 on my way home. I'm hoping I can last that long. Friday I'll go in for a few hours to finish up any outstanding paperwork and review everything. Saturday I'm on my own for a 10 hour shift. I'm hoping I'll do ok.

By the end of the day my knee stiffened up and I came home, took a tramadol and elevated. It's too cold and damp in my house to ice! It has been much cooler than normal and rainy the last few days. I don't expect my ROM to increase but if I could just get back my normal strength I'd be much happier. Since I'm back at work I've stopped PT since their office is 45 minutes away from my work and only opened during weekdays. It would be too much for me right now. I'm at least lucky that I'm never in great pain but I always have some stiffness and achiness that is enough to notice. I rarely take medication at all even though the OS said I should take the tramadol. I don't even want to take Tylenol as I'm finally healthy without any liver or kidney problems. I don't want to tempt fate.
 
Sorry to hear that you had such a rough time, but overall it sounds like you did fairly well. 6 hrs is a good amt of time to be up and moving at work! Glad that you aren't having any major pain. I would imagine that your strength and stamina will slowly build back up again, especially early on.
 
oh marian, that must have been tough for you today, but you've proved you are one tough lady. sending you hugs and best wishes for increased stamina and getting your appetite back. do whatever you have to in order to stay comfortable and safe at work.:hugzz:
 
Congrats on surviving 6 hrs on your first day back to work. I expect your stamina will increase with each passing day as long as you are able to rest a lot when you get home. I hope you will soon get your appetite back. I expect your body could use some protein. ((Hang in there!))
 
Marian, I'm hoping your days get easier. You're right, eating a balanced healthy diet would help you to feel more steady and possibly more energy. Maybe the day will give you a good night's sleep though.
 
@newlybionic I agree with everyone. It sounds like you did really well, but it also sounds like you need to give yourself some extra attention. Is there some reason you are not using your cane? If you are able to use it where you work, perhaps it will help you be a little more confident and steady on your feet. It might also get you some needed sympathy and understanding. Resting/sleeping will help you recharge your batteries, and help you deal with everything on your plate. Eating a well balanced diet will also help you feel better, although for me, eating a balanced diet means having chocolate in the left hand and the right hand, too!:loll:Sending all good thoughts your way, and keep up your positive spirit. You can do it!
 
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I think you managed very well, considering all you've been through, Marian. Well done!
It will get easier and your energy will return.

Best wishes for your long day at work.
 
You did it Marian! Good for you! Try and get lots of rest between now and Saturday so that you don't get too wiped out" It's going to take a while to build your stamina!
 
Oh, Marian, you're doing so well. You really are. Going back to work after a long hiatus is bound to be draining. Your medical journey is only part of that; part is also having been away from the job for a long time and needing to get back into the swing of work. It'll come. Be loving and patient with yourself.

Eating a healthy and balanced diet, even if you must force yourself, is a good plan. I hope your appetite resolves soon so you can enjoy it again. And do consider the cane idea, if that can work for you. A cane can be a good friend. You can leave one at work, perhaps, and just use it as needed.
 
I don't think Marian is allowed to use her cane at work.
 
Congrats on being able to return to work. Sounds like you managed it well. Can those protein drinks help you at all? I find I like the Premier Protein chocolate drink with my half cup of coffee each day. 30 grams of protein. Just take it one day at a time and slowly but surely your strength and stamina will return.
 
Unfortunately I can't use a cane at work. I need both hands free plus i wouldn't be able to clean it every time I touched it. Hand washing and keeping our whole facility cleaned with bleach is a must since in dialysis we deal with a lot of blood.

I've thought about some type of protein drinks. Perhaps next time I get to the store I'll have to look for some to try. It would be helpful right now especially since I really dislike almost everything I eat. Though milk chocolate is still delicious!
 
Marian, I found Atkins protein bars are delicious and come in a variety of flavors (chocolate being the common ingredient). You can just keep one in your pocket and eat it on your way home or during a break. They're not a lot of calories, but do have protein.
 
@newlybionic You might want to try Isopure protein powder which is whey protein isolate. One relatively small scoop has 25 grams of protein and only 100 calories. No carbs, no sugar, low sodium and cholesterol. I get the unflavored kind. You can add it to any cold drink (not hot) like iced coffee, Vitamin Water, juice. It is truly tasteless and an easy way to get a whopping protein infusion! You can find it on Amazon.
 
Understandable about the cane. Good practices at work!

Hope you find a chocolate protein drink you like. There are so many options surely one will taste good.
 
Just got home from a 10 hour day at work and I'm beat. I've gone to work 4 days in a row with this the longest and I was on my own. I feel like I pulled a muscle in my 'good' leg. It's sore and achy. It's been doing double duty for almost 5 months now and it swells up and feels stiff too. I have them both elevated right now but I'm too cold to go get some ice. I'm off tomorrow and will be working 10 hour days mon, wed, fri this coming week.

I plan to go to CVS (drugstore) tomorrow if I can drag myself out. I'll check to see what protein drinks they have there to try them out. Hopefully they'll have something that I think I can drink. If I don't go tomorrow it will be Tuesday before I go.

I have started to eat more while at work. Yesterday my boss bought pizzas to celebrate my return and I quickly ate a slice. It actually tasted good. I wasn't hungry for dinner last night and that's when a protein drink would be perfect. I had a chef salad for lunch today and a croissant with egg for breakfast. I hope in a couple of hours I'm hungry enough for some dinner.
 
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