Revision TKR Sondrals’ Revision

[sondrals]

@sistersinhim im waiting for a call from the surgery scheduler Monday. I will have a pre-op appointment but that’s probably all.

I should clarify it’s my unoperated knee the kneecap is out on, but my operated knee... well that’s why I had a replacement. So apparently whatever has caused that over the years happened to both legs not just one as we thought.

 

[sistersinhim]

Great that you have the ball rolling on the old knee now. I can relate to what you're going through. My kneecaps would pop out of place, too. It was a big ouchie.

 

[Rather]

Kind of shocked, he agreed so fast it surprised me. Soooo guess I’m doing this again!

Good for you! I originally wanted to do both at once because they both hurt, but my preferred surgeon won't do that. So I went with one, wondering if I would have the guts to do it again. By 3 months post the first OS, I was ready to do the 2nd because the difference in pain between bionic and biological was significant - in other words, I wasn't even realizing all of the benefits of the first surgery because the other knee hurt so much all of the time.

To be honest, going through the first 2 weeks again has not been easy. But I can now see some improvement in my recovery and I try to keep focused on the reachable promise of walking and climbing stairs without pain. And I am glad that I didn't wait any longer to do this again.

 

[luvcats]

I knew going in that both my knees were destroyed and they would both need replacing. My surgeon doesn't do bilateral, but he did allow me to do them 9 weeks apart. On one hand, that was amazing because fixing one just made me really, really want the other fixed to. But doing them so close together meant a very, very long recovery period, since it basically never stopped. 12 weeks will let you get a little further in healing on the first leg and give you a small break before you dive back in.

I don't regret a single choice. I'm very, very glad I got them both done.

 

[sondrals]

To be honest, going through the first 2 weeks again has not been easy.

I'm kind of nervous about this part, I think I may have blocked what the first two weeks was REALLY like. I just want to be able to walk, I miss being independent and free. Some days I feel like chucking my cane at people but I think I'd get in trouble for that.

 

[sondrals]

12 weeks will let you get a little further in healing on the first leg and give you a small break before you dive back in.

I'm just now finally starting to trust my left leg and start to use it properly again. I'm hoping in 4 weeks I'm feeling better about it, right now it makes me a little nervous just having it to rely on. But in all reality... I can't imagine my right leg is actually stronger or more stable given it's current situation, it's probably all in my head.

I don't regret a single choice. I'm very, very glad I got them both done.

I'm so glad to hear that. I'm hoping I will feel the same. Right now I'm kind of at a 50/50 opinion of it. I had no chance at ever walking normally again if I didn't do it. Yet I still can't walk normally anyways, but I still feel there's hope. I think last week I turned a little bit of a corner, things feel more normal in my leg. Though with the increased use, my calf and behind my knee have decided to be sore, can't win for losing!

 

[sondrals]

Sitting at work waiting anxiously for the surgery scheduler to call.

My boss gave us Friday off for Alaska day, I went back to bed and slept until almost 1. Is that normal? I'm SO tired lately again. Part of it may be the weather, it's getting darker and colder here so I mostly just want to be in bed under a warm blanket. But some days I feel truly exhausted, like bone tired.

I started back on my "diet" today too, I've gained 7lbs but I'm still maintaining that my new knee accounts for 5lbs of that! That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Now that I'm more able to cook meals for myself it's easier. I discovered it was really difficult to explain my way of eating to people who were preparing meals for me. Even my bf who I've lived with for 10 years and is fully aware of how I eat, struggled to make meals. And I got addicted to peanut butter toast with honey which is generally not on my eating plan, but it is so yummy. So the time has come to get back on track and hopefully shed some of the added weight before surgery again.

I also may have decided that I'm now living in yoga pants until next summer. They're surprisingly comfy, I can't tolerate my jeans on my scar still and well they're a bit snug right now . I really actually kinda miss my shorts but with the temps hovering around 30 they're probably not a great idea. Not sure what I'm going to wear for this next surgery because temps will be much lower than they are now even.

 

[sondrals]

Well I’m at the emergency room, my calf swelled huge last night and the back hurt so I am concerned about a blood clot. I guess I’d rather get checked and be safe than wait and have a bigger issue

 

[Carole4815]

Oh no! I hope it is not a blood clot. Thinking of you, and hoping for the best....

 

[Celle]

I'm sorry to hear you have calf pain and swelling. It was a good idea to go to the ER to get it checked. Do let us know how you get on, won't you?

 

[sondrals]

I have a DVT in my calf, I’m really panicking now. I don’t know if they will let me do my other knee now. I got released with blood thinners for 3 months

 

[Jockette]

I’m so sorry to hear this.

 

[Celle]

I'm sorry to hear you have a DVT, but what a good job you had the sense to go to the ER.

I have a DVT in my calf, I’m really panicking now. I don’t know if they will let me do my other knee now. I got released with blood thinners for 3 months

Let your surgeon know what's happened and he/she will decide. Part of that decision may depend on how you recover from the DVT, but there are ways of still having a knee replacement, even if you have a prior history of a DVT.

 

[sondrals]

I’m SO glad I listened to my intuition that something was not quite right. I haven’t had much swelling in a while and to have it inflate like a balloon really seemed wrong.

Called my primary care doc to follow up tomorrow because of the dvt and the surgeons office. The surgeons office was just getting ready to call me to schedule but they needed to check with my surgeon about if the dvt would potentially delay that. Got a call back And they said no problem with moving forward with surgery in December. So I have a surgery date of December 10th. Was hoping for earlier buuuut as long as it’s before the end of the year I’m happy.

not only was this scary but now I have to wear the dreaded compression stockings again

 

[Jockette]

not only was this scary but now I have to wear the dreaded compression stockings again

I would think those come in sizes, so make sure with a professional that you have a correct size, especially if yours are super tight and uncomfortable.

While I couldn’t get mine on by myself, and my husband struggled to get them on me, once on, they were relatively comfortable. Plus, my surgery was in March and I wore shorts most of the time, so these gave me a bit of warmth, especially going out for appointments.

 

[sondrals]

I would think those come in sizes, so make sure with a professional that you have a correct size, especially if yours are super tight and uncomfortable.

mine are knee high and seem to always want to roll down and pinch. I might need to go over to the medical supply store and inquire about getting measured to make sure I have the proper size

 

[sistersinhim]

Thank God you went to the hospital and that DVT was discovered!

 

[sondrals]

My surgeon's office called today, he wants to see me Monday. I am in a complete panic that they are going to say now I can't have surgery.

I go to my regular doctor today, I guess I'm going to talk to him about the depression/anxiety I've been experiencing, it's getting to critical mass I think.

I can't express myself to anyone around me, I have to pretend everything is ok. I'm terrified all the time because I can't walk properly yet. Somedays, like today, I feel I made a huge mistake but I don't know I had any other choice. It was get it replaced or really never walk again. I'm kind of in the same boat on the other leg as well. Live in pain, or replace it. And now... replace it may not even be an option. I can't afford to pay another huge deductible and out of pocket max next year.

I'm generally pretty "put together" but between the mom thing that happened right after surgery, my bf's behavior sometimes, getting a DVT, struggling with walking I think maybe I'd be better off in a hospital for a while. The dumb thing is I can't even get help because I'd lose my job if I did, which means my house is gone, my dog, everything. I feel kind of lost because I don't know what to do anymore.

 

[Celle]

@sondrals -
It must all seem quite overwhelming right now. You have our virtual support and I know you'll get through it all.

Try not to think of the worst that might happen; take it one thing at a time, not in one big package.
Your surgeon is doing the right thing in seeing you and assessing the state of you calf and its DVT before committing to a surgery date.
Most DVTs resolve without any further complications and he will make sure you are covered for another surgery with a suitable regime of anticoagulants.

It's a good idea to talk to your regular doctor about how you're feeling. He/she may be able to help, with a short course of anti-anxiety medication and a (hopefully) sympathetic ear.

 

[sondrals]

@Celle - I just wanted to say thank you. You don't know how much it means to have someone listen to me. I don't have a lot of friends and this has been a really difficult thing for me. The surgery I think went well but I'm still struggling with walking and such. I'm scared I won't ever be able to walk again. The DVT has scared me very much so and I feel like I have done something wrong to cause it.

I had an appointment with my regular doctor, he did exactly that, gave me a anti-anxiety medication and wants to see me back in 2 weeks to see how I am doing. I guess breaking down sobbing in the doctors office kinda makes them pay attention. We also discussed my surgery and he looked at both my legs, he said I would have been a perfect candidate for bi-lateral replacement but not a lot of doctors up here do it. He thinks the state of my right leg is hindering me some. We talked about the DVT, he said he wouldn't delay my surgery since it's already scheduled a bit out, in December, but it is ultimately up to my surgeon.

He also gave me a prescription for compression stockings so I went to the medical supply store here, they measured me so I got the proper size. Apparently I have short legs and they keep giving me regular length ones which explains why they're always rolling down on me. I got a nice pair of merino wool compression stockings (gasp $$$$$) from there then ordered a couple more pairs on amazon where they're considerably cheaper. I don't like how they feel in my shoes so I take my shoes off at work and wander around in just my socks (thank god for small offices and forgiving co-workers).

Now I just have to wait until monday to see what the surgeon says.