TKR Widget1's recovery thread

[Legin]

Ty I had to state the condition as at the moment yours isn't totally like it and those conditions have to be met to have CRPS. I do think you need the pain clinic asbthey can put you onto things to deal with the pain but a diagnosis is needed. If a big lumax like me with only one braincell can achieve this just think what you can do I'm rooting for ya just shout if its to check or have a good rant at, I have very thick skin or is it just thick. But seriously tho shout if you need.

Legin THR Sep 14

 

[Widget1]

Legin, I definitely will follow through with the pain doctor. After reading his credentials I'm positive that he won't just randomly pick a diagnosis out of a hat and give it to me. I do need help with the pain, and will be grateful for his oversight.

Josephine and others - since the OS didn't call me back about a chiropractor I found one on my own. My appointment is Friday and the office is only a mile from me. After reading about all the conditions that are treated by chiropractors, I think I'll be able to have relief from another issue. Thirty years ago I was driving my brand new Saab on Presidents Day holiday to have lunch with some friends. I was at a stop light at the highway exit, and when the light turned green a truck in front of me went through the light. I made my way, and as I went into the intersection my car was t-boned by a punk driving a stolen Cadillac at about 70mph. I still don't remember anything except that brief millisecond when I saw the car just feet from me. The EMTs had to cut me out of the car and I was unconscious (and I'm ever grateful for the Saab unibody construction). There are only two things I still have from that day. One is a dent in my right thigh where I broke off the stick shift of the car. The other is frequent headaches and a diagnosis for years of having arthritis in my neck. Stress and tension bring on the headaches (like the one I've had since yesterday). I read on the chiropractors web site about treatment for neck injuries and headaches. Oh, I will want to do a jig (only mentally because my leg wouldn't handle it now) if the chiropractor is also able to help me with the headaches and neck arthritis.

FedEx delivered the pain cream this morning, and I like it better than the one I was prescribed last year after surgery and foot problems because this one isn't as gooey-sticky.

 

[Celle]

My chiropractor does wonders for my neck arthritis, so I hope yours can do the same, @Widget1 .
Of course, he can't cure the arthritis, but he has given me more mobility and less pain, and i'll settle for that.

 

[Widget1]

@Celle - thank you for that information! Do you also get massage for your neck? I noticed that the chiropractor I will be seeing has a massage therapist in his office (his wife). It would be such a relief to have that tightness and pain lessened, because invariably the neck pain radiates into my head and I get full-blown headaches. Thankfully only a few of the many each year turn into migraines.

I remember when I was traveling 100% installing data systems in hospitals, and was stuck in a small town in Louisiana years ago. After I was totally incapacitated with a migraine I drove my rental car to the ER in the 55-bed hospital that I had been unsuccessful in successful installation of data lines. The ER doctor gave me a shot in my abdomen, and then he and the nurse drove me the mile to my motel (one of them drove my rental car and the other followed). That is the only time in my life that I've had that degree of personalized care.

BTW, the motel had 10 rooms, and was the only motel in miles - that's how small the town was. Right across the street from the hospital was the slaughter house - grocery store, all housed in one small building. I was stuck in that town for almost a month. There were no restaurants, and on weekends I'd drive to a nearby casino because the casino had great food. The only place to do laundry was in bay 2 of the car wash. One bay was for manually washing vehicles, and the 2nd bay had one washer and one dryer. When the summer rains would come down, I'd have to leave bay 2 and go and sit in the rental car because I was afraid of being electrocuted. Once during my stay the town leader and others had a cookout at the motel. I saw them actually pull the road kill out of the bed of the pickup truck and toss it into the big kettle that was heated by a grill underneath. They served the "delicacy" on white rice and Bunny bread. I didn't want to seem ungrateful, so I took some, but only ate the rice and part of a piece of bread and then conveniently was able to toss the plate into the trash upside down. Those were the days that I'm glad are far behind me.

For years I've stated that I am a human barometer. Whenever the air pressure starts falling I can feel it in my neck and can predict the weather change before it's on the local tv weather Even with OA in both knees, the pressure change has an immediate effect on my neck.

 

[Celle]

My chiropractor also does the massage. He massages first, before he stretches my neck.

 

[PolarBear60]

I had terrible "tension" headaches that lasted for weeks when I was in my 20s. I went in for a routine physical at 27 and I mentioned the headaches in passing. The doc put me on a table. Held my head in her hands and commented that the bones in my head weren't moving. (Bones in my head are supposed to move? Yes.) She did a manipulation that left me feeling like my neck was on a swivel. I had three or four more sessions where she and her boss put me back in alignment, gave me some exercises, and I haven't had trouble with headaches since.


Jean

LTKR (Stryker Triathlon): 21 April 2015
Right Knee Arthroscopy: 25 July 2006
Left Knee Arthroscopy: 10 February 2005

 

[Widget1]

Wow - @PolarBear60 - that is amazing! Thank you for sharing!

I can't wait for my appointment on Friday (which was made after suggestion by Josephine to deal with my left leg and right foot), because now I'm so hopeful that I'll have an unexpected bonus in dealing with my neck/headaches. If not for BS I wouldn't have known about what a chiropractor can do, and may have very well spent the rest of my life with the chronic neck issues.

 

[PolarBear60]

In my case, it was an osteopath, which is a medical doctor who incorporates manipulation a into treatment practices.


Jean

LTKR (Stryker Triathlon): 21 April 2015
Right Knee Arthroscopy: 25 July 2006
Left Knee Arthroscopy: 10 February 2005

 

[kneeper]

Massage can be great for headaches--at least temporarily. I know I get into a cycle where hold a lot of stress in my neck and shoulders which can lead to headaches; then with the headache you unconsciously tense your muscles and on it goes...

 

[Widget1]

If I have any regrets, it's that I didn't know about BS until stumbling upon it during the middle of the night a few weeks after my TKR. When it comes time for my RTKR I'll certainly have a world of information in order to be a better informed advocate for my own care. If anyone mentions to me that they will be having joint replacement surgery, I will strongly suggest that they come here and find out as much information as possible before the day comes for their surgery.

After reading the BS mantra, I understand now that I was not following it, because I didn't know about it. I was put in a room on a different floor than the joint replacement center where I was supposed to be. My left leg had much padding/batting and was wrapped from bottom of my foot up to my groin. During my 4 days in the hospital not once was the leg elevated, not once was there any kind of ice, not once did anyone check under the wrapping, and I had no PT (other than being given a walker after repeatedly asking for one, and shown how to use it to get from the bed to the bathroom). I was not seen by any doctor during the 4 days of hospitalization until time for my discharge, when they had to find an ortho resident to discharge me. The nurses brought me medicines, and my vitals were taken and labs done. At the time of discharge the leg was unwrapped, and someone from anesthesiology came to remove the wires from the nerve block. A pair of thigh high TEDS hose was put on my legs, and I was told I had to wear them 24 hours a day (since I live alone and refused to go to a rehab facility). I did icing at home, but did not elevate my leg at all until weeks later after I read and re-read all the posts here about elevation and toes above nose.

The night before my one week post-surgery date I took off the TEDs hose and hand washed them, because the home care nurse was coming in the morning and I would ask her to assist me in getting the hose on my left knee. Since I hadn't seen the leg I was shocked at the appearance (I wasn't allowed to take a shower until June 20th). The bruising went from the heel up my leg, all the way to the groin, front and back. I am posting the one picture I took that wasn't blurry (my hand shook when I took the photos of the front and back of my leg). I stayed away from the incision and steri-strips, but religiously put lots of Arnica from my foot up to my groin area to try and have the bruises go away. The next morning the nurse helped me get the TEDs on my left leg, but from her disapproval at my taking the hose off when not being able to put them back on, I vowed that I would somehow get it on my left leg each morning for the rest of the 7 weeks I had to wear them.

Oh, I wish I had at least been checked on by a doctor while in the hospital, and that I would have known to elevate and do other important things once I came home.

 

[Pescara]

Good luck with the chiropractor. I'm sure they will help you. Let me know how it goes. I went to one after a car accident in 2008 and helped me a lot. I will go again when I can for my neck but it will be a long time before I can

 

[louie]

@Widget1 , I have been seeing a chiropractor, oh forever it seems. I have a slight scoliosis, and he keeps that from getting worse, and I just love him. I go and see him probably every 3 months or so, and usually I need it by then. I don't get the headaches anymore like I use too, keeping me in alignment really helps!
I must also say he helped saving my husband's life, cuz Gary was having really bad leg cramps, and at first went to see our primary, which we no longer go too btw, and he treated Gary for a muscle cramp. Anyways it wasn't working, and I called our chiropractor, and he checked him over and said that's vascular and get to the error asap. Well Gary thought he was loony, and never said a thing to me, and that night our chiropractor called, and told me the story, and we'll off to the Er we went, and Gary had a blood clot behind the knee, and it was big, and he had surgery immediately, and we are so thankful for our chiropractor!
Chiropractorso are really great, and they make you feel so much better!!

 

[Kssii]

@Widget1 I had to wear the teds on both legs for 24 hrs. a day for 6 wks. (with time off for a shower!) Fortunately I had hubby to help get them on at first but I got so I could do it myself--put the whole mess on foot and over heel and then stretched them up from there.

 

[Widget1]

@Kssii - Yes, I had to wear them on both legs also for just over 7 weeks. It just was very tough for me to get the one on the leg with the TKR, because the bruising all the way down to my feet hurt and that foot part through the heel was the toughest for me. I breathed a big sigh of relief when I could finally stop wearing them.

 

[Kssii]

Yes, the teds thing varies greatly with different doctors. Some people only wear them on one leg or only during the day or only during the night. Some only wear them for a few days or like you and me, for weeks. Most interesting of all, there are apparently no studies that prove that they definitely do any good at all. I hated mine but fortunately we had a really cool spring and when I finally did get rid of them, I felt sort of naked.

 

[Widget1]

@Kssii - Our temps during my recovery in June & first part of July were in the upper 90s each day with high humidity, and by afternoon "feels-like" temps were always in triple digits. All my afternoon distance walking (distance meaning 1 mile) with the therapist was done outside. Those TEDs hose felt like smothering garments for winter or something, and I'd ice both legs when I came back inside. I felt free, rather than naked when I could get rid of them.

 

[Legin]

Chiros are great I firmly believe in the core straight line of our bodies and if one part is out of kilter it affects the other parts and that's where chiros are the best. I was in with several chaps getting knees done and none of us were given teds. I was monitored as I have had DVT in past. Nor was ice offered but I knew of the aid it is because of sport. Anyway good luck

Legin THR Sep 14

 

[Kssii]

@Legin--yes, I would rather have not done the ted thing, but on the other hand, my OS is one of the few OS's who seem to believe in making haste slowly where TKR is concerned and told me my exercises were never suppose to "hurt!"

 

[Legin]

They should challenge you not hurt you

Legin THR Sep 14

 

[Widget1]

Oh, I am so glad that I saw the chiropractor, and it's truly better late than never. I was amazed at how out of alignment some of my body parts are!

I got a cool necklace from my friend in North Carolina who is a jewelry maker and creates everything from vintage or antique jewels, odd pieces, etc. It's a vintage glow-in-the-dark skeleton with blue jeweled eyes. If I take the head off I can pull out the secret message she wrote on a tiny piece of pink paper that says - I'm "bonely" without you!