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TKR Sleepilu in recovery

Just cooked a stew, sat for potato peeling!
I'm not over doing it and I am taking pain meds regularly .... I just thought i'd try to lose the tramadol for a night.
I have booked the next free 5 minute phone appt available (but that's not until Thursday) to discuss meds with GP. I will have to cope til then, we may have a national health service here in the uk but it's tragically underfunded and understaffed, @jarabas, no such thing as a care team here, you have your surgery and get booted off home. No ongoing support!
 
Managed almost 8 hours sleep for first time in almost 6weeks. It felt amazing and I'm hoping for a repeat tonight!

Warmed knee and calf at bedtime until felt snug. Moisturised wound, no cling film.

Took 50mg Nytol and 2 x 30/500 cocodomol. Woke after 3 hours with pain, took a single cocodomol and sleep for another 5 hours. Bliss!

Recovery is slower than I'd ever imagined. Each day like Groundhog Day but clearly making progress when I look back over how things have improved on a weekly basis. I'm due to see the consultant on Thursday for 6 week check. Hoping to hear that I'm on track.

Taking a lot of comfort from other forum members who are talking about their recovery rate down the road from me.


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So 6 weeks and a day ....
I have slept so much better in the last 4 nights than the last 6 weeks which is a hugely beneficial to coping with the days.
And today for the first time I realised when I was walking around the house with both my canes, that I wasn't actually leaning on them or dependent on them for balance, but that I was actually standing on my my own 2 feet and walking unaided. The shock of this realisation almost caused me to fall over!

I am a born again toddler. (Gosh I hope you US guys have the same definition of 'toddler' as in the UK!!)

Is that a teeny weeny glimmer of light at the end of a very long tunnel I see before me?
 
Yes we do have the same definition I think: a child who has just learned to walk, and sometimes lurches and sways in their excitement to get going! It is like learning to walk all over again, but unfortunately most of us TKR patients are not as close to the ground as actual toddlers, so falling is more serious. Lovely to hear your news.
 
I'm trying not to think about the possibility of falling!!


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It sounds like you're doing really well @sleepilu . I too am sleeping like a log! I think I always overdo things at weekends when my husband is home and subsequently pay the price on a Monday. We are both conscious that I'm stuck in the house through the week so try to get out together somewhere. I need to try and balance that a bit better! I'm back on full med doses (evenings only) and now sleeping. I will gradually cut down each one a bit at a time till I did the right balance of meds and sleep. Sleep is so important to me!
 
Hi sleepily, had my RTKR 1 week after you. My recovery has been much the same as yours so far. Things are slowly improving, trying to be patient with all of this. Had my other knee done 10 months before, so this feels like its been going on forever! Glad we only have 2 knees!!! Luckily I had 3 days in hospital & another 7 days in rehab. Then 2 days after coming home started outpatient pt. Lots of aftercare here in the US, thankful for that. Recently my knee has been terribly itchy, especially in the morning. Hoping this is from healing & nerves regenerating. There is always something going on with this, isn't there ? I have only walked outside to go get my mail last couple of days, felt good to do just that. Will try to shower without seat today, hopefully that will go well. Hope you have a good day.
 
I've been out for lunch! A friend drove us to a lovely country pub on a bright wintery day. Saw a robin. And I wore a pair of ankle boots that I couldn't get on on my last jaunt outside a couple of weeks ago!

Such great delight taken in seemingly small things.

With boots with an inch heel my canes seemed far too low, kind of hunched over, does anyone have a formula for the right length of canes?


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sleepilu said:
I've been out for lunch!
Click to expand...

sleepilu said:
Such great delight taken in seemingly small things.
Click to expand...
This is what it is all about---little forays into the world that establishes the normalcy that we all crave so much---we see it and we know that we are making slow progress, but it is progress all the same.
 
Those first trips out make us almost feel normal again! Glad you had a good time. I'm not sure about your canes but you might try adjusting them approximately them an inch higher than normal if you have adjustable canes. If you still have PT they were the ones who originally adjusted them for me.
 
[Bonesmart.org] Sleepilu in recovery
I found this on the internet, and many other sites suported it and said much the same.

And here is an article by Jamie:
Canes: make sure your cane/walking stick is the correct height
 
Thank you all.
My canes aren't adjustable, they measured wrist to floor in hospital and provided me with a wooden pair. But I had bare feet then! I will remeasure with my boots on!


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Glad to report I survived my shower without the seat in there with me. One more step to normalcy!! I asked my therapist about the intense itching I sometimes feel. Says incision and knee look really good, itching must be from all the healing going on. Eucerine cream does help a bit. Since I am at 6 weeks now, I plan to try driving this weekend. Probably just around the block to be safe. Getting tired of being cooped up in the house and needing to depend on other people. I'm sure we all start feeling this way at some point.
 
The jury's out regarding driving. I just don't feel ready yet, so no point trying yet. I think I'll know when it feels ok to get behind the wheel.

But oh I am looking forward to clawing back some more independence when I do!

I've been thinking today about all the bilateral tkr folk. How on earth do you cope with stairs if you haven't got a good and bad leg to put forward?!


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Driving wasn't too bad with the left TKR. My OS OK'd that at 6 weeks and I was sooooo happy. Just being able to drive myself back and forth was PT was great. With the last few surgeries I haven been able to. Having to keep the knee immobile for long has been the pits.
 
I need an automatic!!

@pegGar. Is that a bullmastiff you have there?


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Having an automatic, a small suv ( easy to get out and into) and electric seats so I could push them back and forward easily let me be out on my own at 2 weeks. I had my three dogs in the car and went for a ride when I was getting cabin fever.
 
@newlybionic. <sighing with envy>

Aaaarrgh! All this talk of sleep and guess what? 4.30am and still wide awake!


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