TKR Timetolive's Nov 9th TKR Post -OP<<

[macduf387]

If there is not a booth stretch your leg onto a chair opposite you perhaps take a small cushion just for your heel. Your leg will be propped and you can practice straightening your knee at the same time.
In the car I have been traveling in the front seat with the seat all the way back and I take a cushion and place it under my ankle it's been quite comfortable.

 

[Timetolive]

Thanks @KarriB and @macduf387! I am showered, and I have on SLACKS!!! I couldn't bear to go out in the shorts to a restaurant - and it is 52 degrees! This is the first time I have had slacks on since surgery. They are nice and soft, so hopefully Ralph will not get any more irritated. Happy to report the 12 pounds I have lost make plenty of room for Ralph's cranky self!

 

[Timetolive]

Crankypants Ralph swelled as much as he could, but by golly, we had a meal out! My daughter had to help me get the foot in the car, and my Darling held my hand as I used the cane (well....that was just for fun ) , so we made it just fine. I was able to prop the foot on the booth seat opposite until I got a charlie horse in my hamstring. See......even a CHARLIE horse uses a male name - so Ralph is perfect for a knee! I used the ice packs while I was in the car.

I sat in the car while they put the flowers on the graves and while I was there, a male and a female bluebird flew up and sat on the tombstone in front of me...gave me a real good tug on my heart. I do miss my parents so very much. We were/are an extremely close family. I was and continue to be loved and blessed.

 

[macduf387]

I hear you those Charlie horses are a pain in the butt
So glad you had a good outing I have also lost both my mom and dad my dad just 18 months ago and it still hurts but I take pleasure in knowing that they are together again and watching over our family. Family is so special.
God bless you

 

[jojo9610]

I'm so glad you were able to get out of the house for a while even with a few hiccups. It makes such a difference. We drove around looking at Christmas lights last night for a couple of hours. It was nice just getting out of the house.

 

[newlybionic]

I'm glad you got out for a meal out with your family. Did you get Buddy a children's meal? The firsts of all the normal things we begin to do are very important milestones. The bluebirds must have made for a wonderful feeling that your parents are still looking down on you and your family.

 

[KarriB]

Glad you got out for a bit! Any bit of normalcy is wonderful! Rest, elevate and watch It's a Wonderful Life tonight. It's on NBC tonight in Pittsburgh.

 

[Vangheluwec]

Glad to hear you got out for a bit. It feels so much better even with some of the issues of it. Have a good night hopefully you get a decent amount of sleep.


Sent from my iPhone using BoneSmart Forum

 

[smarttoys]

I'm glad you made it through your outing mostly unscathed. I also lost both of my parents. My mother last March. It will probably be awhile before I can visit their graves again. Hopefully in the spring.

 

[Timetolive]

Blessed Sunday to all! Thank you all for the encouraging comments. Mr. Crankypants Ralph decided we would rest and ice today. We are in a battle of "Who's Boss?" I think Ralph wins hands down today.

@macduf387 and @smarttoys, I am sorry for your losses. Losing your parents is very hard and takes time to sort out. To all others missing their parents, I hope your memories will bring happy times to mind.

O.K., I am calling on the great @Josephine! After my shower, I had finally had enough with a toenail that was irritating the devil out of me. In my contorted postion, I not only cut the nail, but also a small part of the toe at the side. It bleed, but not excessively. I poured Peroxide on it, then applied neosporin on it, and then a bandaid. Did I do right?? What should you do when you cut yourself? I am so afrad of getting an infection with all the other things going on with the knee. Thank you in advance for your expert opinion!

My daughter is coming over to help clean (what a Darling!!) and cook for us today. I am getting spoiled! I hope everyone has a beautiful day of peaceful knees, calm minds, and !!

 

[newlybionic]

Hooray for daughters! It is a beautiful day her in northeast PA. I also cut a bit of my skin while cutting a nail. I just washed it and put a bandaid on it and it healed just fine. I hope Ralph gets some rest today and is as good as new again tomorrow.

 

[Thesoutherncook]

Resting here while Grandarlings nap! Hurraahhhh! One more day and a wake up! Buddy has certainly had a workout! I sat on the floor to read to the 2 yr old AND got up!

 

[GottaGo]

That's awesome!!

 

[Celle]

I think you did just fine with the little cut on your toe. Probably a good wash with soap and water and then a band-aid would have been enough.
Go easy on the Neosporin. It's an antibiotic and you don't want to risk developing antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

 

[macduf387]

Wow way to go @Thesoutherncook thats great you got off the ground so happy for you.

@Timetolive so Ralph is acting up well that's what Sunday's are for relax relax relax . Mine is also being temporamental today grrr the sea saw effect right. At least you don't have to cook food always tastes better when someone else cooks it. Hang in there tomorrow is another day and we will be one day closer with our recovery. It's a beautiful day here in San Diego 70 degrees which is cool for us spoilt Californians.

 

[Timetolive]

Yes! Daughters are great! She also helped get the Christmas tree and the decorations all up. Now, if we can keep GiGi out of the tree, we will be doing good. GiGi is our wild child 14 pound cat that thinks she has to run full speed ahead at all times.

Helen, @Thesoutherncook , I AM IMPRESSED!! You go girl! I can't even THINK of getting DOWN to the floor!
Have a safe trip home. I hope you don't have too much planned next
week other than recuperating!

Marian, gottago,and Madeleine, it is a beautiful 56 sunny degrees here in NC. I did walk outside for a few minutes. It sure is nice to get some fresh air.

@Celle, thank you. I really appreciate the help.

 

[Josephine]

I poured Peroxide on it, then applied neosporin on it, and then a bandaid. Did I do right?? What should you do when you cut yourself?

I'm echoing Celle! If you were in the shower, you were in as clean a place as you could be! Don't get obsessive about cuts and grazes, sore throats or any other kind of mini infection. Those aren't the kind of things that cause peri-prosthetic infections! Peri-prosthetic infection - also known as late onset infection

 

[Timetolive]

Good morning. Today is the 4 week anniversary of the start of my new life. It has been an interesting journey with some hiccups (literally ) along the way, a few detours (thanks Xarelto), and a new appreciation for my husband, daughter, good friends, and neighbors. I also have a new appreciation for the internet and this forum that allows us all to share our gains, our frustrations, our misery, and our funny adventures with new knees. As I look at my leg today, it is still bruised and swollen, although much better than it was. My incision has three little scabs that want to hang on, but that is ok - Mother Nature's bandaids. If someone asked me what TKR was like, I would have to say it is HARD. We all worry about choosing a surgeon (very important), when we should have it done, and where. We give little consideration to the recovery. In this day of quick fixes, popping a pill, and modern miracles of medicine, we lose sight of the fact that our bodies need time to heal after such an assault as knee replacement. Recovery is hard. Recovery is slow, painful, and perhaps gives us a time to appreciate just how miraculous our bodies are at healing themsleves. We just need to be patient. One of my shortcomings. I know I will get through this in God's time, not mine. My life awaits and I eagerly look forward to it. May each of you find the appreciation of your new knee and see the joy in life.

 

[jojo9610]

@Timetolive today is my 2 week anniversary and I couldn't agree with you more. This forum has become a lifeline at times. I love reading about everyone's journeys. They are all so different but we all have the same goal. My husband has been my hero during these past two weeks. He makes sure I don't want for anything. The cooking, cleaning are always done. He continuously fills my ice machine. He even surprised me by putting up the Christmas tree before I came home from the hospital. @Timetolive Patience is not one of my virtues. I need to read and reread what you wrote. Thank you for such kind, wise words.

 

[Timetolive]

Thank you @jojo9610. I am also blessed with a wonderful husband.

I thought I would post a picture of the leg today since it has been 4 weeks. I feel like I can finally see some improvement in the bruising. The leg is still very tender, although the heat and massage seem to be doing the trick in breaking up the blood in the tissues. You have to ignore the colorations between the pictures - the darker one is in natural light - that is the true color of my leg. You can still see the swelling by the puckering on the incision photo.