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TKR Two new knees....yes, please

@becticu: I wish you had seen my face as I read your sweet letter. A smile, to a sad face and sigh, to a nod of understanding and empathy, to a smile of celebration. This is where you wish these temporary relationships on a forum could be more personal and face to face. I lost a dearly loved nephew to suicide just after my first knee replacement...you lost your sweet Mother-in-law. Hard, hard things to deal with. Not sure if the physical pain could even be compared to the emotional pain, but it all plays a part in what we are able to do.

First of all, I am so very sorry for your loss. I am sure that your family will absolutely understand that you are unable to make this trip, as much as you would love to. Perhaps they can live stream the service so you can watch from home. If you use a smart phone, perhaps family members could take and send pictures and keep you updated on the family times throughout the day. They will know you wanted to be with all of them. But you would probably be miserable if you tried to participate in everything with a new baby swollen and sore knee. I hope you feel peace in not going.

Yes, my husband is Pastor of Ministries (aka Executive Pastor) of a large church here....5 Easter services. Whew...but how wonderful! Glad to hear you made it to your services by the river. 8000...wow! Must have been glorious.

Well, I'm off to Easter dinner with the church staff. Called eat, brief fellowship, and head home to ice. Doing what I can, and looking forward to getting better every day. We can do this, you and I!
 
@becticu - I'm sorry you lost your mother-in-law. I'm sure your family will understand that you will be there in spirit with them for her memorial service.

@crstysue - What a beautiful, supportive post you wrote to becticu! Thank you.
 
I found this site almost 6 months before my rtkr. I read tons of threads and gleaned information that helped me in my recovery. You are doing fantastic and getting out and about so soon is truly a blessing!
 
Hi @crstysue, I hope you enjoyed your dinner last evening. When I read your story from the beginning I read about your nephew, I am sorry for your loss. I think that was what prompted me to write about my mother in law and missing her memorial service. My brain just forgot to mention to you what that connection was. One day this fuzziness will clear! I hope you have a great week!
 
No problem, @becticu. No one can remember everyone's stories. And right now, that brain fog is HUGE! It was so funny....when I was in the ER last weekend due to severe constipation, they actually gave me some medication before a specific enima to help me relax. Apparently, it relaxed me too much....I started to make comments that had nothing to do with anything. I caught myself one time and said, "Am I saying things that don't make any sense?" My husband laughed and answered, "yes." I did this twice during the evening. At least now my brain fog just interferes with my ability to concentrate on reading a book. I still try, but don't get far. I am sure it will clear up in time.
 
I would read the same paragraph over and over! Oh, and let's not take about my checking account! It took me months to straighten it out!
 
I need help. I am experiencing more pain than I have in a while. It's really affecting my walking, which had been coming along nicely. Now I hurt at this certain place just on the right side of my incision. At first I thought it was that I was over-worked at PT last Monday. But my husband presented a new thought today. Ever since I had to go into ER 2 weeks ago for severe constipation due to being on pain meds so long (with 2 back to back TKR's), I determined I would go off of both the oxy and Hydrocodone pills and just do tramadol and Tylenol. I have only been doing 1 Tramadol/2 Tylenol at about 9:00, 3:00, and 9:00....then nothing for 12 hours. I just didn't want to go through the constipation thing again. He reminded me that at this time on the last knee replacement, I was still on the Hydrocodone and doing well with the pain. Wow....he was right. Is it possible that I (who always tells people to stay on top of their meds) have not taken my own advice and have let the pain get on top of me??? Now that my bowels seem to be functioning well (I know, TMI), can I risk going back on the Hydrocodone for a couple more weeks before I start driving? I see my OS/ or nurse this Wednesday for my 4 week follow-up appointment, and I think this is my last week of scheduled PT. Do you think going back on this med could be beneficial in getting me back on track with my healing? I'm nervous about doing it, but I just feel like I've been set back or done some permanent damage. I was glad my husband helped me realize that maybe I'm just FEELING more of the pain than I did before because of not staying on them long enough. What would be your advice, Bone Smart advisors?
 
Yes, I think your husband is right! It's not yet a month since your second TKR and you do need some stronger pain relief. There's nothing wrong with still being on the hard stuff at this time, if you need it.

Even if you decide to stick with just the Tramadol/Tylenol regime, you need to take it four times a day, not just three. You need to keep up a regular dosage over 24 hours, and not leave a long gap between doses. As long as none of your other medications contain any Tylenol, it is safe to take a total of 4,000 mg in each 24 hours.

Don't skimp on your pain medication out of a fear of getting constipated. Instead, ask for a prescription for an aperient. I found that I needed to take one (regularly for as long as I was taking pain medications. Mine contained senna, but there are others available on prescription.
 
I know you said the Miralax made you sick, but perhaps you could take Senokot if you up your pain meds. Tramadol really didn't handle my pain at all, but I did take oxycodone regularly per the script for the first month.
 
I am doing sooooo much better. I think it was true that I stopped the stronger pain meds too soon in my healing process. It was understandable that I wanted to avoid them at two weeks post-surgery after spending 6 hours in ER due to severe constipation (from pain meds), but once that was resolved, I realized that I was experiencing way too much pain by being totally off of them. Once I started back on the Hydrocodone a few days ago, I experienced relief in less than 24 hours. I'm now doing so much better. I had my 4 week appointment with my OD nurse, and things look great. Friday will be my last day of out-patient PT, and then I will be on my own to do my exercises and continue to heal and improve my ROM. Because I started back on the Hydrocodone, I won't be driving. But I only expect to be on this medication no more than another couple of weeks. Then I expect my right leg will have improved enough to be able to handle braking and driving, and I can reduce the type of meds I'll be on. So basically, a couple more weeks of resting and staying home most of the time, and then I'll be at 6 weeks and able to drive and get out of the house on my own. We all look forward to having that freedom once again. So being patient for a couple more weeks.....I think I can do that!
 
I am so happy you are doing better! It was smart of you to restart your meds and you sound like you are headed in the right direction. Patience, patience....for all of us :)
 
What good news that you are feeling so much better!
 
I'm glad you started back on the meds and are getting some relief. It is true that pain will effect your recovery and ROM, so hopefully you're back on track.
 
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    benne68
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