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TKR Rita's recovery

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[Bonesmart.org] Rita's recovery Gosh, how I envy you, Rita---trip to France! Only trip I'll be making this summer is to the hospital and rehab to look after hubby who's TKRs will be Sept. 24 and 27. But on the bright side, this could mean that next summer we'll be able to take a trip somewhere.

Have a wonderful time---take some pics you can show us on your return---we love pics!
 
Good for you! Whooooooh, driving and towing what a wonder woman! I'm glad that you're bringing your laptop so you can share your wonderful experience with us! I look forward to hearing a about your trip! :friends:

Stay well my friend and enjoy your trip! :thumb:
And oh yeah, could you please enjoy a glass of fine French wine for me? Pretty please, with a cherry on top! :cheers:
 
Hope you have an enjoyable trip!
 
reetpteet said:
Yep - caravan in the drive, washed & half packed. Will finish off tomorrow. Tues I will not only be driving but .... towing! Yikes!!! Taking laptop so will be able to keep chatting to my new friends x
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have good time not be long now before get mine out (caravan) but spain first will let captain fly me.
 
Rita, I am not brave to drive when pulling the trailer. I will drive our truck and pull the boat, that isn't so long, but I won't drive our motor home that is 39 ft and then a trailer with the car and ATV on it, that is about 60 ft total and I am too chicken to drive that. I do take our laptop along too, wonderful way to stay connected isn't it. Have a great trip.
 
reetpteet said:
Ten weeks gone already - time for a proper update. I really thought time would drag in these first weeks but I have been pleasantly surprised. I have been fortunate to be 'normalish' with no real complications. My biggest challenges have been sciatic pain which took 8 weeks to settle down & made me feel very sorry for myself some days and leg length discrepency. After a long chat with my physio last week she explained that I had been using a slightly bent leg for years (painful to straighten it out) without realising. Of course the surgery immediately straightens it & makes it feel yards (well 1 cm!) longer than the other one. She told me to put all my mental energy into perceiving my non-operated leg as my 'strong straight' leg & to try & move the focus away from my TKR. It's 'brain training' & I'm glad to say it works. Am feeling much less wonky now.
Am taking just paracetamol 2-3 times a day and am not in too much pain now. Shin is still quite numb & am getting tingling still, which I welcome - nerves coming back to life.I massage my knee twice a day & still ice when resting. Swelling is coming down a bit now. I can't tell by looking at it but I can tell by how certain trousers feel! Wound is healing amazingly - may post on 'Badges of Honour'.
For the first time this week I felt like going shopping for clothes, couldn't be bothered with the trying on before now. Hit the jackpot as the sales are on & got some good bargains - more normality! Next week we are looking after our 2 grandaughters age 8 & 5 - who will be under strict orders to behave nicely!!!! (definitley NOT normal for 8's & 5's)
I celebrate a 'significant' birthday next week - I think Bonesmart already knew as they awarded me 'SENIOR' status this week, not sure how I feel about that.
In just over a week we will be packing our caravan for another trip to France. Have got sites chosen, just need some sun. Really looking forward to getting in a swimming pool.
Am so glad I discovered Bonesmart, it is so encouraging to share the journey & to be able to offer encouragement from the 'other side'. Wish they had an online shop. I want a "I am a BONESMARTIE" sweatshirt! Actually ... might get one printed. Could be a conversation starter!
Love to you all & keep up the good work :thumb:
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Hope you have a lovely holiday in France , you desrve it, cant wait to take my new knee on holiday and be able to enjoy all the things have not been able to do for ages . You have given me so much encouragement and information I am looking forward to getting past these first few weeks , although doing quite well.
I went shopping in a wheelchair last week , 1week after my op , my daughter was home and she wanted to do some shopping so she insisted on taking me with her and it was good as not really been able to shop properly for so long, her boyfriend came too and pushed me around it was good fun and I didn't mind it at all and also picked up some bargains in home dept M&S but we didn't stay out too long but it did lift my spirit.
My husband has been looking after me really well, he has a bad back had discs removed years ago so between us we manage to get things done.

Hope the weather is good and you both have a wonderful time
Love Linda xxxxxx
 
Meant to say that i cannot believe you have suffered with Sciatica as well as having the pain of the op to put up with.
I so sympathise with you as while on holiday in June I bent down to pick something up and I got the most awful pain in my hip my immediate thought was 'oh no my hip has gone now' as had been walking badly with limp for ages and had fallen loads of times when knee gave way but within about 20 mins the pain moved to my buttock and groin and there it stayed for 7 weeks, I have never experienced pain like it, I could not sit or lie down did not know what to do with myself, I could not sit at the table to eat had to stand up but then the pain got so bad after a while I could not eat at all as I felt sick and I lost over half a stone in 3 weeks at least one good thing came out of it eh. needed to lose a bit of weight before my op
It felt like someone had poured boiling water over the top of my legs every morning when I woke up, that is when I could sleep,the only way I got relief was to put cold flannels in the freezer and lay them on my legs and kept changing them for about an hour each morning
Flew home on a 4and a half hour night flight where everyone was sleeping and all I could do was pace up and down the walkway.
Then as fast as it had come it just went. hope I never get it again it was the worse pain ever and everyone i know who has had it said the same thing.
So Rita I really do feel for you but pleased to hear that it has gone now


have fun on your trip

Love Linda

xxxxx
 
Bonjour mes amis, je suis en vacances en France! Taken my new knee ( must stop talking like this) for it's first swim today, felt good. We have no TV reception here & so are missing the Paralympics - caught the opening ceremony on site in Dover before we crossed the channel. Go GB go! What amazing athletes & incredible stories of winning in the face of adversity - definitely puts TKR in it's place! Got to go now, more relaxing to be done.
:cheers:
 
Great Rita! I am sooooo jealous! It makes it all worth while to get that knee done, doesn't it?!:thumb:
And you speak and spell perfect French!:thumb:
 
I hope you are having fun Rita, wish I could go for a swim, going to talk to OS about that at my next visit. I understand why he didn't want me to go swimming the first couple months after my hip replacement, but to never go swimming again??? He couldn't have meant that. How long are you vacationing in France? My son and his wife went to travel all over Europe for their honeymoon 3 years ago. They started in France and changed all their plans and just stayed there. They loved it. I hope your knee is behaving there too.
 
Also - will be doing more caravan towing tomorrow. Forgot to mention - manual gear shift too, & me an invalid! May be buying an automatic soon though.
 
Good to hear that you are having a great time, keep at it

Love Linda
Xxxxxxx
 
So good to hear that , you must be so happy to do something so normal after being so careful in what you do xxx carry on having fun look forward to hearing more once you are back and have unrestricted Internet xxxx
 
Have just spent the last 2 hours reading all about Rita's recovery and all the advice and information given by our lovely friends .
This gives us all so much encouragement to read that everyone one has the same ups and downs plus the same thoughts going through our heads while recovering from TKR. I was reading bits out to my husband saying oh listen someone else get this and oh that's the same thing that's happening to me
Like the feeling of an electric shock running up shin, the feeling of bad sunburn, the waking up at 4.30 every morning, the itch that can't be scratched, having really good days where you feel you have turned a corner and then the next few days you take a step backwards. The swollen knee that is one day not swollen or hot and then for no reason is back big swollen and hot again. I know I have done really well sailed through the op with no pain and no memoriy of what occurred after having a spinal, felt great for the 4 days in hospital and now just over 24 days later have managed to get around quite well and doing little jobs in house, have done a bit of ironing sitting down. helped to prepare meals etc for well over two weeks and got a decent bend in knee but not so good straight leg . I have been to shopping Mall and walked about for a short time with no problem but I get this fear that something is wrong with the replacement as it feels so near to the surface if you understand what I mean and is really painful a lot of the time just can't wait to see surgeon next week to have my follow up appointment and hopefully have my fears put to rest.
I suppose we are all so impatient wanting to get on with our lives and make use of our new knees but I will just have to learn that these things do not happen overnight.
My little grandson who is 3 in November brings tears to my eyes whenever he asks about my knee. Prior to op when we got together we would both run to each other with arms out stretched and I would scoop him up and we would have a lovely big hug and a kiss. The other day when they pulled up on the drive he got out of the car and I held my arms out, this confused look came on his face and he said can't you run anymore nanny :beg:
Hopefully will be able to do so soon : )
Thank you Rita love reading your posts and our friends comments.

Hope you are all continuing to feel better every day and achieving another step closer to normality whatever that might be :gaah:

Love to you all
Linda xxxxxxx
 
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