TKR Toni Lee Recovery Thread

Thank you everyone! I've been following all of you on your recovery threads but I've posted little. Just don't want to sound like a whiner. We are all in this together.

@Pumpkln I must thank you for your info. I've been practicing your gentle ROM exercises and I'm doing well. Thank you everyone for understanding.

So, an update..after a few more horrible nights on Thursday, Friday & Saturday, I decided to change things up a bit 'til I see my OS tomorrow, the 12th @ 1:15 pm. Feel I'm sorta in a holding pattern 'til tomorrow, so I thought "no harm, no foul."

~Well, of course we are having an early, HORRID, Michigan winter snowstorm here with about 5" of snow on the ground already and more heavy snow predicted 'til 11:00 pm tonight. I went onto my front porch and let out Ernie (on his 50-ft cotton web lead)...held onto my walker & the porch rails for dear life. MANGED TO SWEEP SOME SNOW OFF THE PORCH STAIRS!! It's treacherous, so I cancelled PT today (was scheduled for 4:00 pm).

-I cancelled PT 'cause the gal who has helped watch my Ernie during home-based PT couldn't do so today. I primarily cancelled because Ernie is wonderful & happy & loving & friendly little guy. However he is very over-exuberant with visitors, especially strangers. With the wetness, the snow, the ice, the leads, the collars, the commotion, the walker, etc I thought it was best to cancel.

-DH is taking tomorrow off from work 'cause it's just too treacherous for him to be driving all over southern Michigan. I do NOT want to miss, or be late for my first post-op OS visit tomorrow. So, I'm relieved DH is taking off the day.

-Finally couldn't take it anymore; so yesterday (Sunday) I tried something different. I took my Senna, aspirin, venlafaxine, whatever in the morning @ 7:00 am, along with acetaminophen 1250 mg (two Extra Strength Tylenol). Did the acetaminophen again @ 3:00 pm and 11:00 pm (bedtime). Took oxycodone 10 mg po around 11:00 pm, which seemed to significantly help my nighttime pain...that of course with ice, elevation, etc. Woke at 5:00 am and took another oxycodone 10 mg po, iced, elevated. Woke again at 8:00 am and took acetaminophen 1250 mg, another 1250 mg just now at 3:00 pm. And while I still have pain, the increase in oxycodone DID seem to help my nighttime pain a whole lot. The routine acetaminophen does seem to be keeping my daytime pain just at bay...certainly while I'm rested, relaxed, iced, elevated.

Feeling encouraged.

Gotta say...I do have what seems to be an every evening/every morning crying spell, which seems to relieve fear, frustration & TENSION. Isn't that odd? Think I'm gonna post a separate thread about this to see what others have to say.

Cannot wait to see what my OS has to say tomorrow. Hoping I roll in there in a (relatively) good mood.
 
@tlfiore omg everything in your post applies to me!! Snow coming here to SW Ohio and people here lose their minds, I have PT at 5:00. DH is taking me. Nighttime is the worst, I want to cry all day. I totally feel you!!! That being said today has be ok so far. It was warm here this am so I went out and cleaned up the yard, hasn’t been done since before surgery (I have a 60 lb standard poodle) so that was fun. Now the temp has dropped and the rain is starting. I want to stay home but I need therapy today. We will get thru this. I can’t wait to hear about your follow up tomorrow.
 
OMG... @flacie1 I knew it! We are practically neighbors! Where are you in SW Ohio??? My husband and I moved here to Michigan in 2005/2006 'cause he got work with the big utility, DTE Energy after working contractually for them for years. I was living in Manhattan at the time, working in East Harlem and the South Bronx. We moved to a very small town in Southern Michigan about 25 miles northwest of Toledo called Tecumseh Michigan in 2016. We lived near Detroit from 2006-2016.

I was born and raised in Providence Rhode Island but haven't lived there since I was 20 years old, or so. Have lived all around but lived in New York City from 1993-2007, or so. My husband grew up outside of Newark New Jersey.

@flacie1 CLEANED UP THE YARD? Don't worry me, woman! That's a bit too much. Please do not push & over-work yourself.

And you have a standard poodle! What wonderful dogs.

Be careful with your drive 'cause the snow is moving through, southwest of here, down towards Indiana, Ohio, etc.

Would love remaining in touch, becoming friends. Wouldn't that be awesome??
 
I’m also located in Michigan and having to deal with the snow. My wife went out and used a shovel to clean our walk way. She has never had to do the snow before and it bothers me to see her doing my job. Hopefully, I can recover quickly and be able to help like I’m supposed to.
 
And while I still have pain, the increase in oxycodone DID seem to help my nighttime pain a whole lot. The routine acetaminophen does seem to be keeping my daytime pain just at bay...certainly while I'm rested, relaxed, iced, elevated.
Great news! I too am able to get by with Tylenol during the day, recently added ibuprofen due to the Gout but it is much better. I was taking the oxy at night the first week and it worked well for me alternating between oxy and tramadol. Now, I'm just doing the Tramadol and Tylenol schedule during the night. We all have to find that balance in those first weeks.
On another note I certainly don't envy that weather. I live in Florida and this is our good time of the year. I hate the hot summers but cooling off nicely now. I spend a few weeks at Christmas every year (in an effort to get my cold fix) in Baltimore and by the time I leave I welcome my Florida weather! Be careful that ice is scary and I know Michigan gets very cold. Good luck tomorrow!
 
Would you believe that arctic front made it all the way down to Texas today? I woke up to a windless 65º, but by about 1 pm the wind started blowing, and by 2 it was howling and still is with strong gusts. I imagine the blue cold front line on the weather map is practically vertical, extending from MN straight down to TX! 'Course OUR temperatures won't fall anywhere near y'all's-- presently down here it's 41º.
 
@tlfiore what a small world! I’m in the Cincinnati area...born and raised here but all my extended family is on the east coast. Mom and dad are from New Jersey so I have relatives all over New York and New Jersey. It’s been a while since I’ve been out that way. How I wish sometimes inwould have grown up there.

My yard is tiny so I didn’t have too much to navigate. We have had smaller poodles in the past due to DH’s allergies, I grew up with St Bernard’s and Great Pyrenees dogs. So when we lost our last little dog I told DH we were getting a big dog. I wanted an Irish wolfhound but our house is too small. So a standard poodle it was. They are not dogs, he’s my Velcro dog.

Made it tomtherapy and home and DH took DS to archery practice. It’s atill snowing but with the warm temps we had it hasn’t turned into much of a nuisance.

Would love to stay in touch after we complete our knee journey!!

@Mydogray I know it’s hard watching our significant others doing the things we normally do. DH has done a fabulous job taking care of me, our son the house the dog on top of everything he already does. You’ll be back to your chores soon enough. Enjoy the rest, you’ll be shoveling before you know it.

@caredFL yes, I think I would prefer living in a warmer climate. My sister is at Marco island right now....I’m not too jealous. She has to go back home to Minnesota in a few weeks.

@Sky blue crazy how much the temps can swing Texas sounds like a warm place to me.
 
I’m also located in Michigan and having to deal with the snow. My wife went out and used a shovel to clean our walk way. She has never had to do the snow before and it bothers me to see her doing my job. Hopefully, I can recover quickly and be able to help like I’m supposed to.

This post made me feel so sad. I do tons of outdoor (yard, snow removal, tractor work) tasks & chores around here (on top of all my other chores & duties) and my husband walked into it all tonight (on top of everything else he's been managing). My husband does not have great coping skills, or a very high frustration tolerance to begin with. If I were without surgery, all these leaves would have been raked & bagged, right now Ernie and I would be outside with a snowblower.

It's tough, I know. I'm trying to let as much go as I can. I know how you feel not being able to "do" your ordinary stuff. You'll get there. I find it almost unbearable watching others do stuff I want to do. It's odd but occasional sadness seems to be a huge part of this process. We all feel helpless that we cannot due what we are used to doing. With that comes some grief for losing that part of our capabilities currently...at least for now, on a temporary basis.

We'll get through it.

Oh...as an aside...there are several tweens and teens left on our street. A few of the kids just came through to see if I needed help. I gave the oldest boy $20 and asked if he could just shovel our walkway out to the street, shovel the short paved walkway to the driveway.

I'm out with Ernie on a 50-ft cotton web lead and my walker, trying to sweep some heavy wet snow off the porch and front porch stairs. :rofsign:

It's heartwarming to know there are still some wholesome and kind kids around. It's one of the many reasons DH and I love Michigan...the values.

Hang in there and keep posting!
 
And while I still have pain, the increase in oxycodone DID seem to help my nighttime pain a whole lot. The routine acetaminophen does seem to be keeping my daytime pain just at bay...certainly while I'm rested, relaxed, iced, elevated.
Great news! I too am able to get by with Tylenol during the day, recently added ibuprofen due to the Gout but it is much better. I was taking the oxy at night the first week and it worked well for me alternating between oxy and tramadol. Now, I'm just doing the Tramadol and Tylenol schedule during the night. We all have to find that balance in those first weeks.
On another note I certainly don't envy that weather. I live in Florida and this is our good time of the year. I hate the hot summers but cooling off nicely now. I spend a few weeks at Christmas every year (in an effort to get my cold fix) in Baltimore and by the time I leave I welcome my Florida weather! Be careful that ice is scary and I know Michigan gets very cold. Good luck tomorrow!

Ugggghhhhh...I hear you, I do. Well, we have spent some time in Sebastian and mostly Vero Beach Florida, with the thought of possibly retiring there. DH has a few friends from his work at DTE Fermi who just retired to the Vero Beach area. I love it there, I do!

We moved to this little town just 3 years ago thinking this would be our forever spot. Previously, we lived in the metro Detroit area. I go back 'n forth with it all...makes DH crazy. When we have this kind of weather, I feel insane and think, "Why on God's green earth am I here?" Then there are times I feel calmer and I think I can manage it all.

Yes, Baltimore! I have a cousin and his family living there. I'm a Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, East Coast, New England girl, so I get snow...but. IMHO, this is an extremely early, heavy, deep winter snowfall even by Michigan standards. Because we do not live within lake effect snow areas, the snowfall is ordinarily not so bad.

But I LOVE LOVE LOVE Florida, I do. Just not sure I could live there 24/7/365. :unsure:

Where in Florida are you living?

And thank you for the well wishes for tomorrow. Cannot wait to see my OS and get his feedback about it all!
 
@Sky blue YIKES...I feel so out-of-touch, and I am. I've been so homebound with this recovery and so no wanting to, or being able to leave the house, I had zero idea a huge winter front was bearing down. Husband said the weather folks kept waffling about how bad it would be, where it might go.

I missed it all.

Please stay safe and warm!
 
@flacie1 seems like you have turned a huge corner! I cannot believe how much you are getting around! I am so happy for you!

Hey, "Marco Island to Minnesota...not good...YIKES!" Talk about warm & cozy to not.

How did your PT go? What are you doing these days? Do you think PT is helping you?
 
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@tlfiore i tho I I’ve tirned a huge mental corner. Im
Sore after therapy. Came home and iced, now I’m in bed with the dreaded compression cuffs on. Therapy went well. Had some improvement over last Friday. But the soreness makes me feel like it wasn’t worth it. Lol.
 
Good morning, friends. I hope most of you slept well and are feeling alright. Here it is another day.

So, I'm crying a lot. Every morning, at least one time per night. Serious crying outbursts & spells with tension, headache, shortness-of-breath, many tears.

Every time I think I've turned a corner, I remember I'm on a rollercoaster ride AND I'm only 13 post-op days out. Trying to remain positive. I think I'm doing well. Not comfortable talking with the professionals. Feel there is no one I can be truthful & honest with. Feeling embarrassed.

Awful terrible night (again) last night. Off to bed at 11:00 pm. Second day of Tylenol 1250 and oxycodone 10 mg @ 11:00 pm, elevation, ice. Unable to sleep well; couldn't get comfortable. Dozed on 'n off until 3:00 am when I just couldn't remain in bed. Got up. Did a load of laundry (in my basement), fed cats, cleaned around a bit, washed a few dishes. Back to bed around 5:30 am with oxycodone 10 mg. Woke around 10:00 am with headache, knee/leg pain. Took Tylenol 1250 po. :cry:

Just when I think I might have it, something reminds I do not. Feeling like a failure. Feeling I am behind in my recovery, especially in the PT department.

Seeing my OS at 1:15 pm. DH took the day off because we had about 6 inches of snow here in Southern Michigan and the roads are crazy bad. Cannot wait to get to OS office. Gott keep myself focused 'cause as it stands, I do not feel I have a good rapport with my OS. It's difficult for me to confide weakness, or personal stuff to others on a good day, let alone a bad day.

It's hard enough for me to confide in the few people who care, let alone someone I barely know. Doing so makes me feel vulnerable, crazy and weak.

Agenda is:
1-Re-evaluation of pain management, especially before PT and nighttime/bedtime.
2-PT update and my ROM/movement progress (or lack thereof) so far.
3-Bowel/irregularity & regime.
4-Anxiety...if I can be so brave.

Wishing you all a better day, a day that feels hopeful & manageable. Wish me well!

I'll check in when I get back from the OS. Gotta leave soon 'cause with this weather and with these roads, the drive will take about one hour each way from home to hospital.
 
Wishing you all a better day, a day that feels hopeful & manageable. Wish me well!
Safe travels and a productive follow-up visit with your OS. :beg:I will be off for my out patient PT evaluation visit this afternoon and hoping it goes well.
 
Hope your follow up went well and you guys had no trouble traveling back and forth.
 
I hope your OS visit was productive and helpful!? I can say that the tears, anxiety, coping, pain, sleep deprivation, and long stretches of mid-night awake time are exactly what I have and periodically still experience. I don't know if you've seen this before...I just posted it on flacie 1's recovery page, because it is such a great visual for us.

1573657705053.png


I don't want to minimize all of the angst you are experiencing, but it really is an emotional and physical roller coaster, that gets better in small increments. I relate it to turning a big ship (like an air craft carrier!) It is a wide, wide, wide turn and sometimes we don't even know we're turning, but we are and at some point we begin to see the progress.

Try not to view yourself as a failure, this is the classic journey of ups and downs....with successes and not so good times....but we all do follow an upward trajectory :)
 
PS I'm enjoying your Florida talk...It is one of the few states I've never visited, but we have a son in Pensacola, and we are planning a trip next spring/summer to visit (when knee is good and weather still not too humid!) I can't wait!
 
Thank you so much everyone! I've been thinking about everyone and hoped to post sooner. This is the first I've felt capable of doing so.

Well, a roller-coaster indeed. I follow all of you and I can see that none of us are on a straight and upward course, right? I've never experienced anything quite like this because most of my many other issues resolved straight and away. This recovery is unreal! I was feeling tired due to my first journey outside yesterday since surgery (to see OS). However, after OS visit on Wednesday, I felt like a million dollars 'til 5:00 am this morning. Feeling so tired right now because while I had a pretty good day yesterday, today has been nothing but woe since 5:00 am. But it will be okay.

Good news:
-I saw my OS yesterday and he was totally pleased with my progress so far! I was beyond stoked because I've had no one to evaluate/view me except for the home-based PTs. My OS's PA (Morgan) came in to complete my first follow-up, and she was very thorough and understanding. I like this gal a lot more in-office than I do in-hospital. I told her so and we laughed. Morgan acknowledged how the inpatient setting is such a different beast and brings out a totally different side of her.

-So, everyone is THRILLED with my knee ROM, flexion, extension-hahahahaha! Wah-wah's...flexion 90 degrees-hahahahaha...right! Extension 0 to -1...right! Morgan and I had a long chat about PT and all. I'm scheduled to end home based PT Friday, the 15th with one session today at 4:00 pm and my discharge session on Friday at 4:00 pm. Had the discussion about the balance between ROM & movement versus stretching and moving the tendons, tissues, ligaments, etc...yet not pushing to the point of pain. We'll see.

-As an aside...and I'm NOT a gloater, nor do I ever wish ill on others...that's not me...but Morgan said, "Their office (this orthopedic group serves a huge volume of patients) has been hearing some pretty disturbing and off-putting interactions that are occurring between local PTs and patients, especially about MUA (manipulation under anesthesia) and lack of numbers. Apparently, the docs and PAs are none too thrilled.

-So, OS wants me to continue oxycodone 5 mg PO during the day, increase to 10 mg PO before PT and bedtime. Theory is I've not utilized the oxycodone in the most effective way. So, my pain all catches up with me and intensifies at night. PA was thrilled I added on Tylenol 1300 mg x 3 doses daily and wants me to continue that schedule. With my bariatric surgery, I am not a candidate for NSAIDS of any sort.

Interestingly enough, OS ordered Vicodin for me, 20 tabs, same schedule as oxycodone but (of course) stopping the oxycodone IF I still do not have good nighttime and PT pain relief with oxycodone. I imagine the RX is for lower tab does (hydrocodone 5 mg tabs and 325 acetaminophen). Of course, I have to adjust my Tylenol intake accordingly if I switch over to Vicodin.

-Senokot is to be played around with 'til I find the balance. I mail-ordered Equate Maximum, which has Senna 25 mg/tablet. Been taking two tabs morning and night for a few days now. We'll see.

Now, the unsettling news:
Everyone, you know how difficult it is for me to open up and not fear shame, doubt, rejection. Well, truthfully, I have been in a very challenging & trying marriage now for nearly 17 years (second marriage); been together 22 years. I conceal a lot 'cause I have lots of shame.

With that said, I ask my husband for some water to take Tylenol with this morning at 7:00 am (after I took oxycodone at 5:30 am). I was pretty groggy, so I spilled the entire glass of water & the Tylenol onto me, as well as the afghan, the coverlet, the sheets, the mattress, etc.

Got yelled at, hollered at and called every berating name in the book. Crumbled into tears.

When my husband left, I stripped my bed and I'm now on my 3rd load of laundry since 7:00 am (laundry is in the basement).

Cannot tell you how emotional anguish has exacerbated all my physical pain.

Thank you all for listening. It's hard for me to share this.
 

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