TKR Woohoo! Now I've got two!!

[Jebsw]

The invasion looks really good,

Wow, that's an interesting Freudian slip! I meant incision.

 

[KathyH]

I think you could have been right the first time.

Kathy
xx

 

[Josephine]

My surgeon is kind - he uses hidden sutures that don't need removing and just puts Steristrips on top! I was also able to take a shower in hospital on day 4 - totally unsupervised, I might had! But then I had this nice plastic sleeve to put on over the dressing

 

[Jebsw]

Interesting about the hidden sutures. And it looks like the incision was much smaller than mine too!

I was given a shower after "The Long Night of the Roommate" as a kind of reward for having endured the craziness.

 

[Josephine]

That's not my leg! That's the picture off the website! Plus I cut the foot off as plastic underfoot in a shower is very dangerous. This is mine at 2½ years

 

[Jacky48]

Jeb, welcome to the otherside! I have no idea how I missed your post until now, but it certainly is not to be missed! You were very kind and enduring with that nut case you had for a roomy! I'm not a vicious person by nature, but after a couple of days of that behavior I think I would have told her, You know you are right! These people really don't care about you, they're just here to make you miserable!. That would have sent her into such a tissie , they would of had to put her in another ward, with padded walls! Then if I was discovered for insighting such an out burst from her, I would just say, oh my I don't know why I did that it must be all the drugs I'm taking! Oh well I probably wouldn't have, but it was fun to think about!
You really could write a book you know title being "The Roommate from Hell", everyone loves a good mystery and you sure kept us on edge with this one! I can only imagine what else that prima donna put you through!

I'm really glad you got your meds straightened out and you're doing better! Stay well and stay positive my BoneSmartie friend!

 

[kneeper]

Staples out and a shower--

 

[Jebsw]

Oh, Jacky, you have a wicked sense of humour (double entendre intended)!
Kneeper, I'm about to go to bed with dreams of showers dancing in my head. Yes, it's only eight o'clock, but I am still wiped out from yesterday - having someone else drive me to the hospital, being pushed in a wheelchair down the maze-like halls to the clinic, letting the nurse remove the staples while the doctor and I chatted. Then back home where I let someone make me dinner. No wonder I'm pooped today!

 

[Jebsw]

That's not my leg! That's the picture off the website! Plus I cut the foot off as plastic underfoot in a shower is very dangerous. This is mine at 2½ years

Well, that makes a lot more sense regarding the size of the incision. My bad.

 

[Jebsw]

My brother and his son came over this afternoon. My nephew leaves to begin university tomorrow, so I'm pleased he wanted to spend time with me. But my brother was just so...big brother know it all, even though he was trying to be helpful. I'm overtired from almost no sleep the last several nights, and it feels like everything hurts (yep, I got me them post-op blues.) but I just want to curl in a ball and cry. Then again, curling up would make my knee hurt more. so maybe I'll just go to bed and sleep. No wait, insomnia is having its way with me. If there were more emoticons, I could probably use them to silly myself out of this mood.

 

[Debbie_joints]

Oh Jebsw I am right there with you with us being only two days apart with our knees. I felt better today, but those blues sure were hitting the other day. Sorry you aren't sleeping well. I can't keep track, are you married? We tried separate bedrooms last night and I am afraid it worked. I hope it won't be for long, but for now, sleep is necessary. Another thing that made me feel a little more "normal" today is that I got to drive to town, with my hubby just in case it didn't go well. I hope tomorrow will bring a better outlook.

 

[Jebsw]

Hi Debbie,
Wow, awesome that you drove! Congratulations! Must feel great.

I think part of my weepiness today is from feeling so terribly alone, in addition to sheer lack of sleep. Never married. (do you know anyone? Soon I'll be able to say I love long walks on the beach... ). Before surgery I worried about this lack of support. I am usually okay alone in my "normal" existence, but I do wish I had someone to lean on and just talk to, where little everyday things weren't such a big deal to ask for help with. Could really use that right about now. For instance, I thought my outside hose was dripping, but asking my bro to do a two-second check turned into mini-lectures on how to fix things (yeah, cuz bending down is so easy right now, just like doing the steps to the backyard) and so on. I mean, I've lived on my own for many years, manage just fine usually, and am pretty good at fixing things...when I can walk. Argh I should be glad he came to visit, as he lives an hour away. I feel very ungracious.

Anyway, I'm ranting and rambling. Sorry. I do have friends and another brother who phone, but it's just not the same as having someone by your side. Little pity party happening here. Sorry. I'll go for now.

 

[Debbie_joints]

Jebsw, I totally know how you feel even though I have a husband, but that alone feeling. I have three adult children one that lives close by and he has come a few times, and my daughter and grandson was just here on Sat and that helped and my son that lives in CA called with the wonderful news that him and his wife are having a baby. But still the alone feeling and it is because we can't just walk out the door to fix that leaky faucet, to water the garden like I know mine needs, and my lawn, hoping it rains soon as husband doesn't seem to care. He will care when we have to reseed as I know it will die because we did this before. We have very sandy soil here, no water, it dies. So just because I have a husband I still have those alone feelings too and that is why we come in here and we can work on getting ourselves in a better place. It will make a big difference when you can drive. When does your doc say you can drive as I see your replacement is your right knee this time? Then a hole new world will open up to you again. Do you live in town where you can go outside and see people? We live in the country and have a long driveway so I can't go for a walk around the block. I haven't even been down the driveway yet as it is gravel. Hope you feel better today. You take care now.

 

[Jebsw]

Thanks, Debbie, you're sweet. Congrats on the good news.
I slept! And I intend to sleep some more. So I do feel a bit better today.
I haven't really even thought about driving yet, as I am still having a hard time lifting that leg with anywhere near the ease I'd need if I had to brake suddenly. I do live in a pretty nice neighborhood, but I guess I'm being wimpy because I'm worried about going for a walk alone. (not for safety, more in case I run into trouble.) Perhaps if I get a few more hours' sleep I'll feel up to going up and down my driveway, something to aim for.
Hope you have a good day.

 

[KathyH]

I think lack of sleep is the key issue here, Jebsw. It's such a vicious circle. I feel for you and it's one of those occasions where we wished we lived near each other so we could come over and give each other a hug and words of comfort We know we are going to have good days and not so good days - it's par for the course.

Good that you got some sleep and pray that you manage to get more

Kathy
xx

 

[Jebsw]

Awww, you're so sweet! Thank you.

 

[Dhare63]

Hi Jebsw, just caught up with your thread, what a story! Sometimes we cross paths with people who are so utterly clueless, that it's a wonder they survived this long!! A least you have a sense of humor and knew she would soon be out of your life!

When I had ACL repair done, I was in hospital with 2 old guys down the hall. The doors were always open and they argued nonstop. I knick named them Bert and Ernie. It was tiresome but made for cheap entertainment!

I hope you get to a point where your pain is more under control and you start to feel better. I know you have been through this before, but as you have said, just because you know what to expect, you don't always know. And trying to recover without a partner at home to support yo might start to feel a bit isolating. The good news is there are always like minded friends just a few clicks away.

Remember slow and easy, take your time, work on the ins you can and the rest can wait. I have complete faith that after these first few weeks it will all start to come together. In the meantime, let us k ow how we can help!

Be well!

Dawn

PS! Love your sense of humor!

 

[Jebsw]

Feeling a ton better this evening. I didn't even need a nap today.
Thank you so very very much for your kind words and thoughts. I know I'm still on the edge of uber-wimpiness when just reading the sweetness in them makes me teary. I truly appreciate the support.

Tomorrow is the first day of school here. It feels weird that I won't be back at work. That said, nasty and unethical, perhaps even immoral, stuff has been done in my prolonged absence that has me seeing redder than red, stuff that directly affects my career for the foreseeable future. So I am not overly sad to be at home, sitting in the recliner, popping pain pills, and watching daytime tv.

 

[RestAssured]

Your roommate from h*** is very entertaining! I had one across the hall for more than a week during rehab! The nurses tried to put a list of three of the toughest patients together (she was one) and give that on a rotating basis. I always got the great nurses, and she would scream for them to come to her room! They tried to sneak in, but no luck. She wanted, ice cream, jello, to get up, to have her pillows fluffed,you name it. So I decided to roll over and introduce myself one of the last nights I was there because she wasn't giving anyone any peace. Turned out, as I already knew, from hearing her loud conversations, she was a former teacher just like me. I went over asked if I could buy her a coke, and we talked for 2 hours until she fell asleep! She didn't have but one friend who had dropped by,and she lived 3 blocks away! The next day in therapy, she didn't want tobe isolated anymore, but wanted to join the group. Sometimes these people are just really craving attention! I even gave her my cell phone number although she hasn't called yet!

 

[Jebsw]

Wow, you're a good woman. And brave. I knew my roommie was also wanting attention, that there was fundamentally something amiss. But the best I could muster at that point was keeping my temper and offering help if no nurse appeared immediately. Worse, we found out when she was still happily high that we grew up on the same street, went to the same schools, etc., and we live just a few blocks apart now too. She wanted to get together after we were both on our feet. Now I desperately hope she's forgotten my last name so she won't find me. I feel guilty, but I just didn't have it in me to be that nice. You, however, were an angel. (of course, you could also leave and go back to your room. Just sayin')