TKR TKR Mon. July 21 at noon!

[tiredwife]

@DianeJ Yes iron causes nausea, I remember that from when I was pregnant, couldn't keep it down.

@marmora well, I see you feel well enough to get the sister to yell at you. That's doing pretty good!!

 

[DianeJ]

@kneeper Yes I was told to wear the darned ted hose for 3 weeks, day & night except for bathing & leg care. I had to wash them so left them off one day while they were drying. I did notice my knee swelled quite a bit that day so came to the conclusion they do help with swelling when I am up & about in the daytime. The ones they gave me at the hospital are so tight, when I tried to wear them yesterday they were painful & pressing on my staples! Ouchie! Threw them away. Now I have 2 pair supplied by the rehab - different brand & don't hurt! I am at the point thinking I might try wearing them days only & take them off for sleeping at night & give my poor legs a break! I am up & about a lot, walk to rehab & also to dining room for meals, i do my exercises I'm supposed to do on my own so not like I'm being a lay-about! Swelling seems to get some better every day. I ice and elevate after exercise & PT & whenever I need to! Going pretty good I think!

 

[bottomshollow]

@DianeJ, so keep up the good work and things will continue to just get better and better. I'm with you, I'd leave the compression hose off at night and as you say "give your legs a break".

Take care and keep us posted. We care.

 

[DianeJ]

It's been awhile since I updated, so thought I ought to do so. It is now day 15 - woohoo! Things are going well (knock on wood!), and had the staples removed today! What a relief! Incision looks great & healed nicely, but now I am sporting steri-strips instead. They did X-Rays & everything looks great. PT is going well with the exception of one day when an overzealous therapist hurt me & caused me great pain & upset me to no end, besides setting me back a couple of days. I was afraid damage was done & I was so scared!! I let her boss know what happened & I have not seen that therapist since. No excuse for something like that! Awful, awful. Anyway, onwards & upwards! Today I achieved 103 ROM & 2 on extension with my favorite therapist. I was elated! I am going home from rehab on Saturday. My daughter is coming to stay with me a few days. I can't wait!

 

[marmora]

@DianeJ
Trouble with getting on to BoneSmart forum seems to be sorted now.
Good to read your update. And it is great when the clips come out, knee feels more flexible. I had steri strips for two days with a small light dressings and they were taken off on Monday, so now no dressing at all and incision looking clean & straight.

Came home from rehab today after 14 days and know that you will be c
Also coming home on Saturday !

It's a great feeling being back at home.
Take care and the road to recovery still has a few more steps for us all.

 

[DianeJ]

@marmora I am so happy you are now ensconced at home! I can't wait till Saturday - my daughter is driving up from Indiana on Friday & she will take me home & stay several days. Looking forward to seeing her, too! At least by waiting till Sat. I am getting a full week of productive physical therapy in. I can't believe how much more I've been able to do this week as compared to last! My PT person is awesome & has given me so many helpful tips on relaxing muscles & soothing aches as well as excellent therapy. I am so glad I went to a rehab facility instead of going home right away. Feel like I'm off on the right foot with therapy. It was sure the right choice for me anyway! You keep up the great work & I will do the same! Yes, I agree we probably aren't done with some challenges in the coming days, but off to a good start!

 

[Roselover]

Just checking in on you @DianeJ, to see how you are doing. How nice that your daughter could come for a few days. I know you must really be enjoying her company. Post when you have time and let us know how you are doing.

 

[kneeper]

Good report!

 

[marmora]

@DianeJ @Roselover
Well we are all a few weeks now post-op (July 8, 17 21).
And our recoveries seem to be without too many upsets, so far !
Each day I am feeling a little stronger and can feel & see progress step by step and all those little steps add up by the end of each week.

Had my first PT session this morning with my regular PT and she pushed & yet was gentle and felt no pain. Gave me some new exercises to help to straighten the leg. Will see her again next Monday and also join a group post -knee classes for 5 consecutive Wednesday at the hospital where I had surgery.

Had a lovely treat this afternoon, arranged to have an at home gel nail manicure !
Now my French polished nails look very good when using my crutches.

Hope that you are both progressing and it's almost the middle of August and looking forward to how we will all be in the middle of September !

Take care,
Cathie

 

[DianeJ]

@Roselover @kneeper @marmora Thank you for checking in with me!! I came home last Saturday and my daughter has been with me since. It has been wonderful having her here to help transition me to home life again. She had to go home today, so miss her already!

I am getting home PT 3 times a week as I am not driving yet, and I have exercises to do morning & evening on my own. It's going very well I think - my therapist is quite pleased with progress! He has been transitioning me to walking with a cane - scary at first w/o the security of the walker! Yesterday I was at 119 on flexion! I was thrilled! My extension is doing well also. Still icing & elevating often of course as I learned right here on Bonesmart! I can't emphasize how wonderful this forum has been with answers & help with my questions & concerns. It is my security blanket for sure! I had a post-op checkup with my OS a week ago & all was well. They took xrays again so got to see my new knee. Looks great! I've still got pain of course, too, but know it won't last forever. In the last few days, the lateral side of my knee that was so dead feeling at first is starting to wake up so have some pain there too that I hadn't had before. Thought that was interesting. Anyone else have that happen?

So glad to hear of the journeys & experiences of my knee "buddies" also, and do so appreciate you all! Will check in on the rest of the forum now as I gave up trying for awhile when it was so hard to get on here. Glad things are up & running smoothly once more!
Diane

 

[marmora]

@DianeJ
Hi Diane, good to hear from you and so nice to hear that you had a lovely week with your daughter. And it is always sad when they leave.

My eldest son who has been living and working away from home for a number of years, currently 4.5 years in NYC, 2 years in Sydney and 9 months in the Philippines - always came home for about 10 days at Christmas and generally a week in the summer/ or we would go out to where he was. He has been transferred to the Dublin office of his company and is arriving back on Monday 18 August and then in work on Tuesday !

Middle son is am mired and living in Norway and youngest son lives and works in Dublin. So will have 2 sons living in Dublin - great. In September there is a family wedding, so Norway son & wife will be over, so that weekend all three boys will be together.

Glad to hear that your home PT is going well - envy you and lot of the BoneSmarties in the USA that have the option of at home PT and Nursing visits. Nothing like that here in Ireland or if there is the cost would be about $150.00/ hour for a home PT visit and not covered by insurance ( I checked it out ).
Your ROM at 119% is outstanding! I am hoping to make 100% when I see the PT on Monday.

The and BoneSmart mantra is the key to recovery and the help, support and friendship found on this site is outstanding and makes recovery a shred experience.

Take care and have a great weekend !
Cathie ​

 

[Jozilla]

Congrats @DianeJ sounds like you are doing very well. I will look forward to your posts and wish you continued success.

 

[DianeJ]

This coming Monday I will be 5 weeks since my RTKR! I actually drove for the first time yesterday to a medical appointment! Woo hoo! Such a freeing feeling to be able to do such a normal thing once again. I was worn out when I got home, but PT came then for my therapy, so no rest till that was over. Therapy going very well - I'm doing a lot of balance exercises now besides my strength & ROM exercises. I'm mostly using the cane, but still revert to walker during the night to avoid stumbles. I walk around the yard all I can, but it is such a hot stretch of weather right now, have to hibernate during the hottest part of the day! My pain is much improved so I'm tapering down on pain meds using the chart found on this website. I wasn't sure how to do it till I found that chart! I am so, so glad I found Bonesmart well before my surgery - I really don't know how I would have managed this whole experience without the knowledge, advice & support from all the generous bonesmarties!

 

[madinana]

you are doing awesome and that is what I kept saying to myself as I basically have had an excellent recovery keep the pain coming and remember and elevate and get rest also welcome to the other side

 

[Yorkimom]

Hi @DianeJ. You are doing great!! Driving for the first time gave me such a feeling of accomplishment. It's hard depending on others when you are used to doing things for yourself. Glad to hear that your pain is tapering off and can cut down on the meds.

 

[kneeper]

You're doing really well.

 

[marmora]

@DianeJ
Congratulations on driving !
I see my OS this Tuesday & will find out when - asI have a manual/stick shift care, the usual here sometimes is 8 weeks post-op.

You are doing fantastic !

Cathie

 

[DianeJ]

@marmora Thanks, Cathie, and good luck at your OS doctor appointment! Believe me, if I had a manual shift car, I wouldn't be driving yet either! That would be really tough yet. Hardest part is still getting in and out of the car!

It is amazing what different surgeons have their patients do - a friend of mine went home on day 26 after TKR surgery and rehab, and they sent her home without a walker or a cane! They wanted her to walk without assistive devices & she had only used a walker right at first in the rehab. They thought she would do better without the cane! She did fine and walked and walked a lot! Still walks a lot.

I wish I was in town so I could get out and walk more outside on stable surfaces. My road is a rock road so not great for out walking on a new knee! I walk around in the house of course, but my house is small, so wearing a path in the carpet! I also walk around the yard, but it is lumpy and bumpy so not the best either, but better than the road. Next thing I will be doing is driving to town or to a park so I can walk more as I know I need more of that!

@Yorkimom Oh, yes - it is very hard to depend on others when you are so used to doing things for yourself all the time! I am following the Bonesmart chart on tapering off the pain meds and I am down to 4 1/2 percocet a day right now so that is a good start! It will take 2 or 3 more weeks probably and that is if pain doesn't spike for some reason (hope not!).

 

[DianeJ]

Hmm. My OS just threw me a curve ball! I called for a refill for the percocet and he wants to switch me to Norco. Hopefully this goes well! I knew what to expect from the percocet, and now will have to see how the Norco affects me. At least this drug they can call in to my pharmacy instead of me having to hand carry a paper prescription in!

 

[tiredwife]

@DianeJ Hi, I think Norco is similar to Percocet just a step down. It uses hydrocodone I believe. It didn't work as well for hubby as Percocet.