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TKR Sarah Jane's Summer Journey and Fall Frolic

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Before you take a bath, do a dry run with your clothes on. Easier to get out if you are not a slippery wet seal.
 
That's a good list of questions. If he doesn't have you get x-rays, don't worry. Mine didn't have x-rays until my three month visit. My home health PT recommended Shea Butter for massaging into my scar. I use it on some psoriasis patches I have as well, and it seems to be helping (it's a little awkward on the scalp, but I'm going to keep trying there, too).

As for driving, in addition to be off narcotic pain medication, you're going to want to make sure you have the stamina to depress the accelerator and the coordination to make the shift from accelerator to brake -- especially for an emergency stop. My doctor told me 2-3 weeks minimum for my left knee and 4-5 weeks for my right knee. Yours may have a different criteria, and it's a good conversation to have. The pool discussion with mine was also at 4-5 weeks or after the incision was fully closed.

Not sure what he'll recommend for outpatient physical therapy, but I don't recommend more than two days per week. Don't be surprised if it take a week or two to get that set up, but don't worry, your knee is too new for them to be able to do you much good during those weeks. Take that time to do the basic exercises you're already doing, get the swelling down, and get comfortable moving around the house and taking short walks. If you do that, the outpatient PT will be more worthwhile. (My opinion -- your mileage may vary. Also, I highly recommend you have an interactive discussion with your PT to let them address areas of concern you have in your recovery. If they can't do that, you may need a new PT group.)
 
@SarahJane - Just now catching up on your thread.. sorry you had a rough go of it for a while. You are still pretty early on.. It's takes a while, but it does get better.. I'll be four weeks tomorrow. It's definitely better than 2 weeks ago!! It'll happen for you too! :yes:
 
So true, @Pumpkln, so true. Guess who woke up with a very deep bone ache this morning? Another half tab of Percocet and one very large and very cold cold pack later, I can still feel it. Oh joy. I'm trying 400mg ibuprophen. We'll see if that helps.

I've been adding just a very, very, very little bit more to each walk. Last night, I tried walking with a cane instead of a walker. You think that one small change made a difference? Or is it just One Of Those Things? Intellectually, I know there will be good days and bad days. I can't help feeling disheartened, though.

... to be continued ...

7pm. 2 visits, one walk, one "catered" lunch, 2 naps, 2 pain pills, an hour or two of tv reruns, and another nap later, I turn to the computer and realize that I hadn't hit "post reply." Thanks for the additional comments, support and suggestions.

@PolarBear60, even though I live in Los Angeles, I have absolutely no desire whatever to drive even a moment before it is absolutely safe to do so. @Pumpkln, the same goes for getting stuck in bathtubs, unable to get out. The image of my nude body being helped out of the tub by firefighters/EMS is not one I want embedded in anyone's memory. @Braunzie, I've been following your progress on your thread. Thanks for stopping by. I know we're not supposed to compare ourselves to others, but I've been really tempted to do so with your pathto recovery.
 
@SarahJane - I know how hard it is NOT to compare to each other, especially when surgery dates are so close.. I do the same thing.. - even though I know I shouldn't..:heehee: I think it's called being human. I'm still working on the patience part.. would REALLY like to be able to do more, faster!! hahaha! - just like everyone else here in the forum.. :yes:
 
@Braunzie, someone -- sad to say I don't remember whom -- has a signature line with an exercise for patience. Reach your hand out, palm up, bend your elbow and bring your forearm towards your body. Slap yourself on the head. Repeat as needed. Wish I remembered who, so I could give them credit.

Good report from the OS. He very pleased with my progress. All you Bonesmarties would love him. He had some x-rays taken. The whole exam consisted of him asking about my pain levels, then asking me to do a heel slide while seated. I raised and straightened my leg. He asked me to stand and walk a few steps, observing how I stood. He had me sit down again. He put a foot against the foot of my operated leg, and asked me to bend the leg a bit further back. He moved his foot so it was against mine, and asked me to move my foot a bit further back. I did. That was it. No measurements, just observation.

I asked him about the implant and registry. He had to call the Zimmer representative. (The hospital has a contract with Zimmer. A representative is present at the surgeries. I think -- and this is just my guess -- that the representative has an assortment of devices available, and the one which is the best fit for the leg is chosen after the surgeon has a chance to see what's going on with the knee and bone quality, etc.) The doctor told me that I could call the Zimmer representative and he'd give me a card with the implant info. My bone quality was fine, as were my ligaments, tendons, and muscles. That's a relief.

I was a bit surprised that the OS gave me a script for another 100 Percocet. He was happy that I'd cut down on the frequency from 6 a day to 4 a day, but he didn't want to switch me to another Rx. He said I could continue to take them as needed, gradually reducing the frequency and/or dosage. He said that the alternative would be ibuprophen or tylenol. He also said, which I found a bit surprising, that he was OK with me driving. (I spoke with the pharmacist about it later; he was a bit more cautious and suggested that I refrain from driving if I felt my reflexes were impaired.)

The OS was OK with me using the bathtub, pool, and jacuzzi. He said my scar would heal well, and didn't seem much concerned one way or the other with lotions, etc. I asked about sunscreen, and he said yes.

He made a referral to physical therapy. But he said that I was doing so well that I might be OK with PT once a week. See, I told you Bonesmarties would really like him. Letting the knee heal naturally, and not pushing to achieve set degrees of flexion and extension in an arbitrary time frame.

First PT appointment is next Monday; OS follow-up in 6 weeks. 'Til then, I'm going to continue to rest, elevate, ice, and do gentle walks and exercises.
 
I think more OS's are getting the word about less is more. Mine didn't seem to care one way or another if I went to PT or not. He didn't object, and he was happy to write the scripts, but it was more me leading the way on it. During pre-op for my right knee, I'm going to discuss my thoughts on how I might want to do it just a little differently next time. I was thinking once a week might be good, but I hesitated to say anything. Kind of smiling that your OS thought that was the way to go.
 
Good to hear your positive report. My OS did not have much time today. I think he was in the room for less than two minutes. There were things I wanted to ask but forgot. Next time I'll write them down.
 
Glad to hear everything went well with your OS. I see mine next week so I know what to expect. I have written a list of questions to ask as my husband can't go with me.
 
Sounds like your doc knows you will use common sense re: the pain meds. Great update.
 
OK, gotta 'fess up that it's easier for me to counsel patience than to have some for my own up and down path to recovery.

Yesterday, I barely iced and only took 3 Percocet in a 24 hour period.

Today, I woke up at 4 a.m. and took a Percocet and a Zofran. I didn't really get back to sleep, but was OK, finding reruns of Matlock and Columbo (shows I never watched when they were on in prime time) to enjoy. I got out of bed and did a gentle bit of PT exercises -- chair heel slides, forward lunges on operated leg, raising knee up like I was marching, standing on flat feet and then rising up on my toes, swinging the operated leg out slightly to the side and back again. Bones started feeling a bit achy, so I took 400 mg ibuprophen. Forty-five minutes later, I still had that dull, achy feeling so I took another Percocet.

What OTC meds and what dosages have you taken as you've been weaning yourself off the "hard stuff?" Should I have taken more ibuprofen (600 or 800 mg?), some aspirin (I'm already taking one 325 mg coated aspirin in the morning)?
 
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@SarahJane - it's always easier to tell others to "do as I say, not do as I do" :heehee: I know I'm MUCH better at encouraging others to be patient than I am at being patient myself. I just keep practicing.. :yes:

For OTC meds, my OS told me to use 400-600 mg 3 times a day or Aleve 440mg twice a day in conjunction with Tylenol - 650mg every 4 hours, not to exceed 4000mg in 24 hours.

Hope that helps. :)
 
@Braunzie, guess we can just keep up reminding each other to be patient, right?

Meanwhile, I'd be delighted if more folks would play with me over in the Games Room. It's been a great diversion for me. You can spend a minute on one thread -- like adding your contribution to an alphabetical list of things you drop on the floor. Or five minutes coming up with the next verse for a DIY Limerick. Or, like I've been known to do, 15-30 minutes checking out a bunch of on-going threads ranging from alphabetical boys and girls names to famous people to word associations to activities you can do after your operation. There's a challenge but very fun thread where you have to make a sentence of five words, each word starting with a given random letter. Home -> Community -> Social -> Games Room. https://bonesmart.org/forum/view/games-room.12/
 
SarahJane said:
Should I have taken more ibuprofen (600 or 800 mg?), some aspirin (I'm already taking one 325 mg coated aspirin in the morning)?
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Have you tried Tylenol/Acetaminophen? The effective dose is 1,000 mg (1G) 4 times a day, to a daily total of no more than 4,000 mg (4G) in 24 hours. You need to check your other medications, to make sure that none of them contains Tylenol. If they do, factor that into your calculations of daily dosage as well.

No, I wouldn't take more Ibuprofen. It's an anti-inflammatory and is not a very good pain killer. In addition it can cause severe bleeding, particularly in your stomach.
As you're already taking some Aspirin, I wouldn't recommend taking any more. Like Ibuprofen, it can increase your tendency to bleed.
Never take Ibuprofen or Aspirin on an empty stomach.
 
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Thanks, @Celle. Good advice about not taking aspirin or ibuprofen on an empty stomach. My pain med (Percocet) has 325 mg Acetaminophen per pill. But now that I'm down to 3 or 4 pills a day, that gives me some lee-way to add more acetaminophen if I need it. Gotta pick some up at the drug store/chemist/pharmacy. Very helpful suggestion.
 
Well, I've been trying to cut down on my Percocet during the daytime so I can get back behind the wheel for short trips out of the house. So far, it's not working as well as I'd hoped. I take one at night before bed, one in the morning when I get up, and then 500 mg of Tylenol in the early afternoon. By mid-afternoon I'm in enough discomfort that I end up taking another Percocet. :/ @Celle, @Jamie, @Pumpk1n, or anyone else who might know, should I try taking 1000 mg Tylenol in the early afternoon, or 500 mg in the late morning and another 500 mg in the late afternoon. Or should I just accept that I'm not quite ready to cut back on the hard stuff yet and stick to Percocet?

Gotta admit that I'm very, very bored. If I had more energy I might say that I'm going absolutely stir-crazy. But I can't really claim that since I've been nodding off every so often.

I don't want to sound like I'm a Disgruntled Dorothy or a Complaining Connie. I spent a good chunk of time yesterday reading some of the threads of other Bonesmarties. My heart goes out to people like @Legin and @Nana moon 27 who've had to come to terms with chronic pain and impaired mobility. Wish I had a magic wand. Or a time machine so we could go back and change the outcomes of their surgeries. I haven't had a chance to read through everyone's threads, but I know there are others out there like @zauberflöte and @wberry and @KarriB and @Angel1978 and several of our Forum Advisers and Moderators who've faced challenges and disappointments instead of celebrating the happy endings we all anticipated.
 
Aw ty lass but I'm fine and tho I have this silly CRPS thingmabob its just there is nothing I can do to magic it away but I can do my therapy and whilst work leaves me with a few ows and very tired at least I'm out and about and making a differance
You are doing well and don't mind those zzzzz moments as they are healing moments. Take care and keep smiling lass

Legin THR Sep 14
 
@Legin, I'm only up to p. 38 of your first thread. Thrilled that you're working. The wiff and daughters and gson and your clients, co-workers, and all are very lucky to have you in their lives. I've been tempted, once I finish getting caught up on your thread, to start researching Iditarod training tips for your pooches. Gotta get you to your favorite thinking rock one way or t'other. Just make sure your seat belt is securely fastened for the return trip. :D
 
Ty ty, errrrrrrr I'm just numpty Nigel and worked out eons ago that we all can get over that wall tho you might have to change your expectations and methods. Chortle reading my thread there's the answer for all your naps.
As for rock, hmmmmm methinks that maybe about 700ft to far getting up is fine its coming down that's the problem. My rock called to me when I needed it the most when out and about and I was being blitzed with major problems in my personal life. So the way I think is another spot will call to me if needed. Right now I can lose myself in music and regularly do. Ooooops have gone on a tad, as I do.
Don't forget a chortle or two a day can keep those troubles at bay.

Legin THR Sep 14
 
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