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TKR Slainte's Big Adventure

Glad you are feeling so good. And I really hope the feeing good feeling lasts. It's hard to reign it in when you feel good. Seems my endurance, or should I say lack of, does that for me, and just when I think I am done with the Tylenol/Aleve routine and icing 4 times a day, it seems I am back at it! Have fun the next three weeks!
 
@Braunzie My PCP says Tylenol PM is just Tylenol plus Benedryl. I take 50 mg generic benedryl and sleep well. Although, I have the same problem getting "fixed" in bed. A few weeks ago I couldn't stand for even the sheet to touch the incision! Some days, I think this knee is like a 2 yr old wanting all of my attention! Lol!
 
Excellent update. Really hope your second knee goes as well as this one. Will be reading with interest - and chipping in with words of wisdom (!) and encouragement of course! Hope the apple cake was good.
 
I take the Alieve PM and love it... It's a 2fer (anti inflammatory AND sleepy stuff)! Sleep is so important in recovery. Everything is way more difficult without sufficient rest! Good luck with the next knee! I hope it goes smooth and you are soon all fixed and ready for version 2.0
 
I took my 2 Tylenol PM around 8:30pm last night, lay me down to sleep at 10pm. And I woke up at 9am this morning. I think I was in the same position I went to sleep in. Absolutely surreal. Eleven hours of sleep! I think I need to back off of the Tylenol PM. My friend recommended Sleepytime tea. Will try that instead tonight.
In other news, it occurs to me that my new knee will be my good knee in three weeks' time. I don't have many stairs in my life, just a sunken living room two steps down. No handrail. I just now stepped up on the first step with my new knee and pulled my other leg up on the step. It was really hard. So I have three weeks to train those muscles to take the lead on stairs. It has been years since those muscles have been used, and it felt like it! Will call PT on Monday and schedule some stair sessions. What else do I need to train my new knee to do before it becomes my good knee?
 
That's some great sleep! I can't remember the last time I slept that long (before kids?).

Sent from my LGLS740 using Tapatalk
 
@Slainte - I still rely heavily on my "good leg" to get up out of chairs and out of bed in the AM. How are you at that? Almost every time I get out of bed, I think of the folks who have bilaterals and honestly have no idea how they can maneuver with two operated knees at the same time.

Slainte said:
And I woke up at 9am this morning. I think I was in the same position I went to sleep in. Absolutely surreal.
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Can't imagine what that would even be like. I have a couple more weeks before I need to actually "get up" in the AM to go to work. I've been thinking about trying it.. hahaha! You may have just convinced me!!
 
I don't have any trouble getting up from a chair without using my arms. But I am using both legs, and fairly equally. The stairs require a strength in my new knee (or the muscles around it) that may be there, but I am so afraid of waking up my IT band after I just lulled it into not bothering me. Although @CATSMUM tells of a nifty IT band wrap that I am going to have on hand just in case.

Bilateral TKR would not have been a good idea for me. I have been so reliant upon my left knee. But now, with some easy but steady training, I think my new knee will step up to the plate.

I am looking forward to another vacation from work! Ridiculous the lengths I have to go to just to get a vacation! :heehee: Only 2 1/2 weeks out this time, but the first week back will be half days. I know I will be so tired that first week. I will survive. And my knee might not get where I want it to be as early as it would if I were able to stay home and take proper care of it. But in the end, I think the result will be the same. I will let you know next summer! I really hope I have the same recovery I had with this first knee.
 
Wow.. only 2.5 weeks?? You are so brave!! ... But you're recovery this time has been awesome!

I've joked with one of my managers (who's more of a friend, since I've worked with him for 8 years)... I have four years until retirement (fingers crossed!! :fingersx:) I'll get 12 weeks off for this knee, then next year, another 12 for the other knee, then 12 again for a hip, the 12 again for the other hip.. (Secret.. I have no problems with my hips!!! :rotfl: ) ... (keeping figures crossed that it STAYS that way!!!!! :fingersx: )

I missed the IT band from @CATSMUM. Maybe something I can use?? It's driving me nuts.. :umm:
 
@Braunzie Have a look on eBay or Amazon. Put IT band in the search engine. Mine is really good, it's a pro-tec IT band. Unfortunately l wasn't able to post a link. I've used it today and I find it excellent, no tight band at side of my knee.
 
Ten weeks out today. I have not gone back to formal PT - in fact I never had outpatient PT, as after my eval I never went back. My insurance will pay for 35 more sessions this year, so maybe in November and December I will take advantage of that. I did walk up 4 steps at my office yesterday, the handrails bearing much of the load. And then back down. The shimmer of electrical feeling that my IT band exudes shined a little brighter last night because of it, but no big deal. Will do a few more stairs from time to time.

My new knee is serving me well, and I want to keep it happy. Two weeks from today it will be my good knee when my LTKR is done.

Am off all meds, finally, and can sleep without Tylenol PM. At least I will be able to give my body a couple of weeks off before the new onslaught of pain meds begins again.

Down 21 pounds since my RTKR. Wonder if I will lose any more with the LTKR? That would be nifty!

Big audit at work next week, so will be keeping busy. Hope all my fellow bonesmarties have a wonderful day. It is almost the weekend! Hooray!
 
Will be keeping you in my thoughts between now and October 1, and sending get well wishes. Amazed that you're only taking 2 1/2 weeks off before going back to work. I think I was still on pain meds every 4 hours and icing about 22 hours a day 2 1/2 weeks out from my TKR. Everyone's recovery is different, I know, but every knee's recovery is different, too. Please let your new guide its own recovery.
 
@Slainte - I am 11 weeks out tomorrow, and I don't think I could face another one of these in such a short timeframe. You have my respect and admiration, and my very best wishes for an uncomplicated and relatively easy second TKR. You are one brave lady.
 
Rob 68 said:
@Slainte - I am 11 weeks out tomorrow, and I don't think I could face another one of these in such a short timeframe. You have my respect and admiration, and my very best wishes for an uncomplicated and relatively easy second TKR. You are one brave lady.
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I couldn't agree more. I am 10 weeks post-op today and just starting to sleep and feeling somewhat "normal." My brother-in-law did his knees 7 weeks apart and it worked great for him. I sometimes wish I had planned to do it that way, but instead I am probably looking at next summer for my sevond knee when you will be out kayaking. You have done so well. I am sure the second one will go well too.
 
I am looking forward to the vacation! Two and a half weeks of elevating, icing, medicating. Sounds like a slice of heaven. Then back to working and being very tired. I hope that by the new year I will be able to get to the gym and work slowly on getting in shape for the summer. My fused left ankle is pretty unhappy these days, so not sure what can be done to shore it up. Will be seeing a doc about that soon. Nifty to live in a time where so much can be done to help us rebuild our worn out parts. But I am ready to stop recovering and start living! I just keep telling myself that this time will pass, and I will be better than I have been in a long time. Already am, in fact!
 
11 weeks out today, and am sitting in the lobby of the hospital waiting for a nurse to run me through the pre-op admission process for my LTKR one week from today. This is a fairly small hospital, and the lobby doubles as the surgical waiting room. So have lots of nervous company. There are video screens with numbers representing the patients, color-coded to indicate whether the patient is in pre-op, OR, or recovery. Scrub-clad doctors come out periodically to update the waiting friends and family. Interesting place to people watch. I am facing the front door, and find myself watching how people walk. Does their knee hurt? Do they realize how lucky they are if it does not? I have reached the point in the waiting game where the days that dragged by have suddenly sped up to the speed of light and I feel like I won't be ready by next week. Will be so glad to be on the other side again.
 
Hope all your pre-op goes great. It is interesting place to people watch. During my preop, when a couple would come in, I would sometimes guess who was the patient and I was wrong a couple of times. The caretaker would have a more pronounced limp than the patient.

Good luck. Hope it's a fast process!
 
Slainte said:
11 weeks out today, and am sitting in the lobby of the hospital waiting for a nurse to run me through the pre-op admission process for my LTKR one week from today. This is a fairly small hospital, and the lobby doubles as the surgical waiting room. So have lots of nervous company. There are video screens with numbers representing the patients, color-coded to indicate whether the patient is in pre-op, OR, or recovery. Scrub-clad doctors come out periodically to update the waiting friends and family. Interesting place to people watch. I am facing the front door, and find myself watching how people walk. Does their knee hurt? Do they realize how lucky they are if it does not? I have reached the point in the waiting game where the days that dragged by have suddenly sped up to the speed of light and I feel like I won't be ready by next week. Will be so glad to be on the other side again.
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Will join you in spirit, my dear, but not quite ready to go the whole route. I know you will fly through this like Lucky Lindy through the Atlantic fog. You know we are all in the plane with you. Buena suerte, mi amiga.
 
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