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TKR Schpooko's Recovery

Hi, All hope everyone is coming along in their recoveries. I have PT this a.m. but telling her that I am exhausted today. I only got on and off sleep last night. I have not had a really good sleep since before surgery. I have tried everything. I take my tramadol right before bed and even aided a sleep aid and last night nothing. Slept 2 hrs. then I was awake reading threads til 2:20 a.m. and finally fell asleep til 4:30 a.m and have been awake since.

I know everyone complains about this but jeeeezzzzz. This is awful. Sleep is the best thing for recovery and you have to fight really hard to get achieve it. You know if we could all have restful nights I bet recovering from this surgery would be easier.

I called the OS PA today and she told me that I can have the flu shot whenever. So maybe next week I will get that.

Also I asked when I can shave my legs and she told me still to wait. I am going to need a lawn mower or weed whacker to get them done next time I go for it :heehee:

Then I have a appointment set up to see my rheumatologist in the middle of November to get a cortisone shot in my left knee and for him to look at my trigger finger. Well, she said to wait on the shot she thinks the OS will say its too soon but she is going to check with him and get back to me. Has anyone had a cortisone shot after surgery on their non OP leg? Josephine do you know when it is safe to have a cortisone shot in my other knee or hand for trigger finger? Any advice appreciated:idea:

Still taking my tramadol around the clock with tylenol and motrin. Swelling is under control. Everything is moving along slowly but surely.

Someone send the sleep fairy to my house please.... Good day to all.
 
schpooko said:
Speaking of other things I have a baby deer we feed and it's the cutest thing. She loves my husband. She eats out of his hand and when he gives her a banana she just goes wild.
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Can you get a video of that and post it in the social room? What an uplifter that would be!

Sleep whenever and wherever you can. I took morning, afternoon and evening naps before going to bed! I'd sleep in the recliner, then wake up and get in the bed. A couple of hours later I'd wake up and go get into the recliner again. This went on for at least 6-8 weeks. That's why I took so many naps. I just slept where and when I could!
 
@schpoooko I’m 2 days behind you so interesting to hear your story!
Re your stair problem I live in a 3 storey house with living room on first floor and bedroom on second. The ground floor has my front door so every time someone comes I have to go down 14 stairs or chuck the keys out of the window. Anyway although a nuisance the stairs are no longer scary so I’m sure when you’ve been shown how to do it you’ll be fine. Good luck !
 
I can send the sleep fairy to you.
You have a lot going on, buddy! Sorry it's all happening at once :console2:
 
@Newboots Thanks for the encouragement. I have been doing stairs coming and going into the house from the garage and the front door. But you see there is only a handrail on the left side of the basement stairs and I am just scared to go down, not worried about going up. Well, I see it is a fear I have to conquer. My PT cancelled on me today I am truly thinking of canceling on the rest of the home therapy and going to Outpatient starting next week. Does the back of your knee feel tight sometimes? I love bending my knees it feels good and I love having my feet down better than up how about you?

@beachy Thanks girl for the sleep fairy. :alarm: How was PT for you? Did you hear from MissViv18? Are you doing stairs yet? Resting though has helped the left knee quite a bit and the meds too. Does the back of your knee feel tight sometimes? I love bending my knees it feels good and I love having my feet down better than up how about you?

I can wait to get the shots if need be. I wish @Josephine would answer. I just tagged her and I hope she sees this maybe she knows?

Any advice appreciated...
 
I don't think I'm having anymore in home pt. I have the exercises printed out. She just takes vitals then exercises then measures for ROM then does a tsk tsk at the measurements. Almost 80 flex and 2 extension today. She said maybe we can walk outside next time. That made me LOL for some reason.

Haven't heard from MissViv. Hope she's ok.

I don't have any stairs. At all. Anywhere. I know that's strange, but true.

Everything feels tight. I always ice the back of knee. It's swollen from whatever I did yesterday. You've got 10 days head start on me.
Try tagging Josephine. You didn't do that and she won't see your post without it.
hope the sleep fairy finds you tonight!
 
schpooko said:
be. I wish @Josephine would answer. I just tagged her and I hope she sees this maybe she knows?
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I don’t see where anyone has mentioned that Josephine is away for the next week. She will get caught up and respond to all her tags when she gets back.

Don’t fret about the lack of sleep. I know, easier said than done. That was my greatest frustration during my recovery. Read my thread and you’ll see I was like you. It does get better.
 
Yea sleep does get better, and this is coming from a guy that has to deal with rls on top of knee. At 3 weeks I was still getting very spotty sleep wondering if I would ever get back to my crappy sleep routine pre surgery. Yes crappy , cause with rls I never did sleep good. I would get 3to4 hours wake go to bathroom then get 3 or 4 more 5 if lucky. At 6 plus weeks am back to my presurgery sleep and never thought I would be glad to get back to that again lol.

Hold on. Pain goes down, you get more comfortable in different positions where that sudden twist of knee doesn’t wake you up. You are approaching that 3 week mark, so hopefully you will get a bit closer to the sleep you are looking for over the next few weeks.
 
Lack of sleep is to be expected, but that doesn’t make it any easier. I hated to see the sun go down because it just meant I’d be up all night. Sleeping did get better around week 6-8 for me. You might find a Tylenol PM helpful in getting your body back into a sleep rhythm. It helped me.
 
Re your stairs - I only have one handrail so use the crutch on the other side to come up and down nice and steady. Elevating a lot so I like to walk around for some relief but yes back of knee very stiff . Don’t think I have very good ROM yet. Didn’t go to physio this week cus it set me back pain wise last time I went. Not doing much in the way of exercises. Quite a lot of sleeping in the day . Sleep not so good at night but I remember it only too well from last time and know this will pass especially as we hit the 4 week point. Hope you get some sleep!

@beachy I can send you some of my stairs to practice on if you like!
 
@NavyGunns Thanks for writing back. I did manage to get better sleep last night. I took a Benadryl with my pain meds before bed. What a difference a night makes. :sleeep: I did manage to get a couple of hours, wake up and change positions and then go back to sleep until 6. It was better than it has been so let's see what tonight brings.

@Softtail Thanks for getting back to me.... I guess I will have to wait a few more weeks to make sleeping a normal thing. But at least last night some of the sleepy thoughts and vibes (along with the help of Benadryl) I got better sleep than I have in the past few weeks. Now let's see what happens tonight.:alarm:

@KarriB I tried the Benadryl last night and it did help. I had about 6 hours or more so I'll take it. Its better than 2-3 hours. You feel so crappy the next day. Thanks for getting back to me.:yawn:

:tiredwheel:
 
Update for today. I just got a call from my home health aide and PT person. I told her that I did not want anymore home PT and I starting Outpatient next week. I was annoyed that yesterday that she did not even call or have her company call to even tell me she was not coming. I was outside waiting in the living room and after an hour later I called her and she said "Didn't anyone call you" "I am not coming today".

Well, no... No one called me. There I was getting the house ready and along with myself and no one even called. If I did not call her she would not even have called. I am done.

Last week, every appt. I had with PT she was late. And not by 10 minutes and such. She was late by half hour or more. I don't need that.

I am doing just fine with ADL's. Even cooked a meal tonight for my family. I am tired tonight which I hope helps with going to sleep later. We will see...
 
@schpooko hello! I had my right TKR on September 10, so 6 weeks. I did outpatient surgery so I was home by 3 the same day. I was so darn tired by the beginning of this week from getting NO sleep. I had tried everything. Initially I tried gabapentin 300 mg because it’s always knocked me out. During the beginning of the sleepless nights it didn’t work. I’ve been having nerve issues in my foot and now my hip which really prevented any sleep. Well I thought I’d give the gabapentin another try on Monday night and....omg! I slept almost soundly for 10+ hours. I was hoping it wasn’t a fluke, but did the same thing last night and slept again! It was the most awful period of time not sleeping for weeks. I was a mess! Irrational, irritable, depressed and more. I still have this weird inner hip thing but the foot numbness is gone. I do wake up at night but fall right back asleep.

After my follow up appointment I had to ask for more pain meds (1week post op). So I only had pain management for 2 weeks. I had not found this forum until just recently, or I would have called to get more. Florida now has a new opiate law that you are only allowed a 1 week rx. Then you can go back and get another week, and after that week you’d have to go back to your doc to get another. I just wish I wouldn’t have suffered that third week and called the doctor. But I didn’t and my knee pain is next to nothing. Now if hip-groin pain would resolve I’d be good

Good luck in your recovery :doggie::doggie:

Melanie
 
Hi, all. Post Op Day 25... Recovery is going as planned. Keeping up with the Bonesmart Way and resting, icing and elevating. Hoping to start Outpatient next week or at least I will go once to see what the assess me as. I have been doing a little more each day and only waking up once during the night.

Last night it was quad pain. I took my motrin and one tramadol and I went back to sleep after a 1/2 hour. I hope soon I will make it threw the night (only for a bathroom break).

The scar today is zingy (if that is even a word) so I guess the nerves are starting to come back more and more.

Sunday I will try that tour of the college with my son. It's a 2 hour trip there and 2 hours back. Not including the tour. My son reserved a wheelchair for me because I would not be able to do all that walking up and down hills and such. I will sit in the back seat for the rides and take my ice and pillows with me. I am sure I will so tired after all of this so there will be no work on Monday except make a pot of chili for dinner.

Healing vibes to all... Schpooko
 
I called them zingers! Aren’t they fun? Mine caused my leg to actually pop up which my first graders thought was hilarious!
 
@KarriB Yes, they are zingy at that... Mine have not had me jump but they do hurt. I have had surgery in the past for different things and it happens all the time with healing. I have read your recovery thread and boy you have been put thru the wringer. I have such a fear infection. I did not hold my guinea pigs or my dogs til after the staples came out and I am still worried. Its a scary thought. :yikes: I hope all is okay with you now that its past you. You were a trooper.

So you are a teacher that's great. And the first grade. That is cuteness at its finest. Thanks for writing back...
 
schpooko said:
Yes, they are zingy at that.
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I still have very mild zingers once in a while in the numb spot on my knee. My left knee hasn't had surgery in over 10 years, but I still have numb areas on it, but no more zingers! It takes me a while to get there!
 
Yes I agree @sistersinhim I can take them over quad pain like the other day. I started taking tylenol with the tramadol instead of the motrin. The motrin was making my stomach a bit weird. So let's see how that goes for a few days.

Thanks for writing back...
 
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