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TKR Sailor's Recovery Thread

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Josephine,
Thanks for your assurance. I can't help but be worried, though, as what I am having is more than a simple cleaning. I am having 11 teeth extracted at once. Doesn't that put me at the high end of the risk curve?

Roger
 
Not based upon the evidence of the articles I previously cited, no.
 
Hi Roger:) I am sorry to hear that you are having all of this going on after handling your knee replacement. It seems that there is always something. I hope you have a good dentist taking care of you 11 teeth all at once must be a little scary but I am sure you will make it through all of this ok. I must of missed your post about your little dogs.:puppysmooze: They sound beautiful and bet they keep you busy on your toes and lots of fun. They have really cute names. I miss our cats they were always doing something funny and when we came home wondered sometimes what had happened that day they seemed to be looking at each other almost like I didn't do it. Our last of four Katie died three years ago of cancer and miss them all. They were our kids. I wish you lots of luck with all that you will have to handle with your teeth and with your great outlook you will make it through all of it great. Wishing you the best and a wonderful week Holly :SUNsmile:
 
lavender
Holly, thanks for the nice reply.
I will get through the problem with my teeth. I'll follow the doctor's recommendations for antibiotics, and then hope & pray that I don't get an infection of the knee. I'm a veteran of the dental chair, as I've had many, many procedures over the years. So the actual dental work doesn't bother or scare me too much. There shouldn't be much pain, since the teeth have very little bone structure left.

Yes, the 3 dachshunds can be a handful at times! During my first few weeks of recovery, I had to be careful because the dogs are small & tend to get under your feet! It's funny, they would always sniff my TKR knee during the early days, almost like they knew that something was going on with it. In fact, I bet they did know!
My wife and I don't have any kids. We were married late in life, and decided that having kids was not a good idea, as it would cut into our plans for retirement. So the dogs are our substitute for kids, and we love them very much! Sorry to hear about the loss of your cats. It is hard when you lose them. We have lost 1 Dachshund (Baby) since we were married. And now Tazz is 13 1/2 years old and is slowing down. The dachshunds seems to make it to 14 years old.

Have a great weekend, and hope your knee is getting better.

Roger
 
Gotta love seeing the outline of the knee cap! It's these little things during our recovery that make it exciting eh? Mine is still a bit swollen but finally going down. Sheesh it's been 7-1/2 months for me. Your little babies sound so adorable. I love the names. I have one, large cat named Hobbes. He's 17 and in stage 2 kidney failure which means I have to give him fluids every day. While I was recovering from surgery, my hubby had to give him fluids and I never thought I'd see the day where he would do that! But he was a champ in doing things that needed to get done. I can't imagine my life without animals! They bring me such joy. He's my kid too. :)
 
Hi Roger I was very busy last week lots of appointments next week is going to be a little less busy but worried my husband is going for more tests hoping they come out ok. I was very surprised at my massage therapy appointment when the massage guy told me that I had just measured a little over 90 degrees . I have never managed to get this and the highest was just after surgery before I came home 85 degrees maybe that will be all but think there will still be a little bit more. Just thankful for the gain even if it is still not what is usually expected. Hope all goes well for you. Holly
 
lavender
Hi, Holly,
Wow, that's great news! 90+ degrees. I'm sure it will get even better with time. The massages sound like they are working. How is your pain level? Have you considered restarting PT to build up strength in the leg?

Roger
 
Roger, I have to tell you I was worried as well going in to my dental procedure. My wonderful dentist endured questions and requests for reassurance for two followup visits. After that (and after a couple of months had passed), I finally began to realize that I really WAS going to be okay. It's natural to worry even when there is little to be worried about. Just take one day at a time and you'll be through this whole ordeal in a few months. Then you can get back to your normal life again.

Don't ever hesitate to come here for concerns or reassurance. We'll be here for you!!!
 
Lauramacky
Hi, Laura,
Well, the knee is still a little puffy, but I did get a glimpse of the outline of the kneecap. It is in there somewhere!
Mr Hobbes has certainly had a long life. I hope he does well with the fluids and improves.
Yes, my 3 babies are cute, but they tend to get out of line sometimes. Like I said, it's in the breed. But, of course, they're not spoiled :heehee:
Here is a picture of Annie, our long hair, the day we got her home. She is 2 months old in the picture. Very cute. She could be on the cover of "puppy" magazine! Now, at about 6 years old, she is pretty, not cute, and she knows it :-)

Roger
[Bonesmart.org] Sailor's Recovery Thread
 
Jamie said:
Roger, I have to tell you I was worried as well going in to my dental procedure. My wonderful dentist endured questions and requests for reassurance for two followup visits. After that (and after a couple of months had passed), I finally began to realize that I really WAS going to be okay. It's natural to worry even when there is little to be worried about. Just take one day at a time and you'll be through this whole ordeal in a few months. Then you can get back to your normal life again.

Don't ever hesitate to come here for concerns or reassurance. We'll be here for you!!!
Click to expand...

Jamie,
Thanks! I'm sure everything will be fine. But as you say, it is normal to worry. The extractions will be done later next week. I go in on Monday for the impressions.

Take care,
Roger
 
Hi Roger It was nice to see a picture of your little Annie she is beautiful. I am not sure if I will be returning for pt. The massage guy Devon said that I had a lot of scar tissue he could feel the resistance on the scar line. The skin on my leg from the top of my scar to the bottom and across both sides of the scar was stuck and didn't move. He has helped with the massages to soften the tightness and my skin now moves freely not much more of the tight feeling. The massage therapy and pt are covered but by my drug plan that we pay but I am working on this years coverage and will only last so long. I am very busy with my Mom and her appointments and the appointments that my husband and I have. I am driving quite a bit and find that just getting out and walking is doing more then the pt. My husband found out that he was diabetic the week that I was to have my surgery. His specialist said that he had been monitoring him for a while and he has been as the doctor says diabetic for almost 2 years he has just been keeping an eye on the levels with blood and urine tests. We received a call the other day the specialist needed to see him right away. The concern is with the condition of my husbands kidneys. We will be going for him to run tests again and he is going to see a specialist when appointment can be arranged. Worried there has been so much over the past few years thought after we got my parents settled things would start getting easier but my Mom is having lots of stuff and now my husband is too again I just guess we need to make the best of things when they are good. Holly :SUNsmile:
 
Lauramacky said:
Gotta love seeing the outline of the knee cap!
Click to expand...
Forgive the off-topic, but that comment reminded me of when I lost 120lbs and suddenly found this hole in both my hands - they were my 'anatomical snuff boxes', a natural depression just below the thumb. I'd never seen them before! :heehee:

[Bonesmart.org] Sailor's Recovery Thread
 
OMG, she is adorable! Thank you for sharing that picture. :). Noooo not spoiled! ;)

SFBaySailor said:
Lauramacky
Hi, Laura,
Well, the knee is still a little puffy, but I did get a glimpse of the outline of the kneecap. It is in there somewhere!
Mr Hobbes has certainly had a long life. I hope he does well with the fluids and improves.
Yes, my 3 babies are cute, but they tend to get out of line sometimes. Like I said, it's in the breed. But, of course, they're not spoiled :heehee:
Here is a picture of Annie, our long hair, the day we got her home. She is 2 months old in the picture. Very cute. She could be on the cover of "puppy" magazine! Now, at about 6 years old, she is pretty, not cute, and she knows it :-)

Roger
[Bonesmart.org] Sailor's Recovery Thread
Click to expand...
 
A major milestone in my recovery today. I took the boat out for a spin on SF Bay :) I didn't sail, instead I motored. That is the easy part. It's almost like driving a car. The hard part is climbing in and out of the boat, docking, going up and down the steps between the cockpit and cabin, and loading/unloading supplies. But the knee seemed to handle it well. I didn't notice any appreciable swelling afterwards, but I iced when I got home, anyway. The leg feels a bit tired tonight. I'll take it easy over the next few days. It sure felt great to feel the salt spray again!

Next weekend, I have to mow the lawn. For 2 months I recruited my neighbor to do that job, but I think it's time to free him from the chore! Of course, that's assuming I'm up to it. I may have all my upper teeth extracted this week...
 
If you want, you can practice your mowing over here. :) The sailing sounds awesome!! Congrats on making that major step!!! Literally!
 
11 and 1/2 week update: Another milestone. Today I completed 6 weeks of out-patient PT! Before that, I had 6 weeks of in-home PT. So, a total of 12 weeks of PT has been completed. Today my ROM was measured at 0/132, and strength in the TKR leg is at 80% of the non-TKR leg. I'm going to continue with home exercises, both ROM and muscle strengthening. PT showed me how to do some of the strength building exercises at home, without equipment. I have to start traveling again soon for work, so it's good to know that I can do some of these exercises in a hotel room :)
My dear wife also bought me a recumbent exercise bike as an early anniversary gift. I'll be using that quite a bit at home!

The knee feels pretty good, and I have noticed that the tight "rubber band across the knee" feeling is beginning to fade! I had been taking some Vicodin only at night, but it seems that I don't need that now. I'm just using OTC pain meds now, and only occasionally. The swelling is down considerably, also. Life is getting much better!
One of our dachshunds (Princess Annie) is lazy, and she's getting a bit overweight. So I'll be taking her for daily walks now. Both of us will benefit :)

So, things do indeed get better! I said it before, and I know some may not agree, but I'll say it again. I truly believe that the good and timely recovery can be attributed to a proper PT regimen (balanced, and steadily progressive, but without overdoing it).

Roger
 
Roger, good luck on the dental surgery. If you do go ahead with the antibiotics, be sure to take probiotics as well (whether by pill, liquid or active-culture yogurt) before and for awhile after. You want to make sure that whatever bad bugs in your gut that are antibiotic-resistant don't overrun the good ones that aid digestion and our immune systems.
 
Glad I hear you're doing so well! It's motivating to take your Princess for a walk, lol. You don't love her at all do you! ;). And I totally agree about the PT and having balance. I look at it this way...all my muscles and tendons were so weak for years before my knee replacement and the surgery doesn't fix that. You have to work in PT to get things back! That doesn't mean we kill ourselves, but I do believe in it. Hugs to you Roger! Maybe I'll see you at Scoma's in Sausalito sometime! :)
 
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