TKR Zanza's TKR

[Zanza]

My doctor ordered the antibiotics prior to dental work too. Its only for a year and I think it's worth it. My son in law's father had a heart infection from dental work and couldn't attend his wedding. To me it's worth it especially since I don't plan on spending a lot of time at the dentist. Congrats!! I can't wait to get that news!!

Thanks! As to the dental work, that's what I'm talking about. I've read some of the threads where people got infections, and as far as I am concerned, a dose of antibiotics before dental work is way better than risking an infection in the knee. And mouth bacteria causes nasty infections. There was an actor, Andy Hallet, he played Lorne on the TV series Angel. Real nice guy, very enjoyable to watch. He got a dental infection and it went to his heart and killed him. He was only 33.

 

[Zanza]

I thought I was doing fairly well going back to work but I'm so rundown that I develped canker sores and now my whole mouth is so sore that it hurts to eat. My knee is holding up fairly well, but there is still a problem with that little kid. I'm on the move all over the campus dealing with a five year old who doesn't want to be in school and it's tough. I hope this week will be better. Has anyone else had stress-related canker sores? Any tips on getting rid of them will be much appreciated!

 

[Layla]

Hello Zanza,
I just read through your thread with interest. It sounds like you need body armor to go to work each day! Some of the encounters you described sound frightening and definitely stressful. I hope you get the restorative rest you need and deserve. May this week at work be a peaceful one.

Thankfully I don't get canker sores, but have read of many natural remedies of which the internet is full of. If the canker sores are a regular occurrence and you're not already taking a good pro-biotic, that may help.

Some interesting remedies I read online that may be worth a try - Aloe Vera and Baking Soda Mouthwash. Applying ice may help.
Apply Vitamin E which contains high antioxidant properties. Gargle with salt water (relieves the pain)
Apply Tea Tree Oil (a natural antiseptic) Apply Hydrogen Peroxide (disinfectant)
Avoid drinks with high acidity (citrus) This is only a handful of natural remedies. If you do a quick online search, you may find many more that contain items you already have in your home. Good luck.

Wishing you speedy relief and a happy Sunday!
@Zanza

 

[Zanza]

@Layla I admit there was one school site where I wore shin guards under my pants because that was a favored target for the kids to kick. That was a pretty intense school, though, all behavior issues and the last stop before juvenile detention. I'm glad I don't work there anymore!

Thanks for the suggestions. I have been looking online and salt seems to be a favored remedy. I tried it but it was really too painful. Thank you too for the good wishes.

 

[Flashlight]

Call your dentist and see if he will call in a special mouthwash to help you. I read where it is caused by stress too. Also read where yogurt might help.

 

[Claire56]

@Zanza I went through chemo several years ago and was told to rinse my mouth with a solution of 1/4 tsp baking soda and 1/8 tsp salt in a cup of warm water if mouth sores were a problem. I did it about every couple of hours. It did seem to work and I found it soothing.

 

[JaneN50]

When my son was suffering from sores in his mouth after chemo pineapple juice made a huge difference. He used it is a kind of mouth wash before swallowing

 

[Zanza]

So I'm at four months and my knee is a lot less swollen, but it's so stiff and it aches quite a bit. It doesn't help that I have to walk so much at work. Still, I feel like I'm doing better than I was. I'm able to get around at work, although it's not pleasant, not at all. Most of the people I work with are being kind and supportive, so that's a plus.

I just realized that there was a goal for me to have 120 degrees flexion at eight weeks because Kaiser will not give a work excuse past eight weeks. I'm just so exasperated with Kaiser; first they wouldn't replace my knee even though my whole life was going away, then they want to rush you back to work when they finally deign to do the surgery.

 

[Jockette]

I’m sorry that your insurance wants to dictate your recovery. No one should expect you to be at a certain number by a certain date. As individuals, we don’t all fit into a cookie cutter mold.

I hope that when you get home from work you are able to rest and elevate, to help recover from your day. I’m glad you have considerate coworkers.

 

[Zanza]

I'm almost to 19 weeks and I'm feeling discouraged. I have to work, and I walk way more than I'm comfortable with. I simply couldn't afford to stay at home any more, but an elementary school is no place for a healing total knee replacement. I know I'm overdoing, I come home so stiff and achy in that knee, and there's still the occasional sharp pain. I wish the insurance would be more reasonable. Kaiser won't give you time off work for more than eight weeks. My only consolation is that the main little guy I work with has settled down, so at least there's no more kicking and hitting and biting. And Thanksgiving is coming up and that will be a nice break too.

 

[sistersinhim]

God bless you. I can't imagine having to work under those circumstances. The Thanksgiving holidays will be a blessing for you. Don't worry about cooking or cleaning. Just let your poor knee settle down and let it get the much-needed rest it needs.

 

[Jockette]

Sending hugs and prayers that something will work out for you. Your job is definitely not helping your healing process. I hope it doesn’t cause you any long term issues.

 

[Zanza]

@sistersinhim Thanks, I sure plan to rest up a lot!

 

[Zanza]

@Jockette I know, I'm worried about that myself. I wanted to have a good outcome and now I'm afraid that all this strain is going to prevent me healing the way I'm supposed to. All I can do is keep with it and hope for the best. Thanks for the good wishes.

 

[Zanza]

Nineteen weeks today. My knee is still stiff and kind of achy, and a new thing is that it hurts to stand up from a chair. It doesn't hurt the knee, it hurts the front of my thigh. Actually it hurts the front of my thigh on both legs. And the stiffness makes my back and hip hurt. Does this ever end? I know it takes at least a year for things to settle down but it's very discouraging to be so many weeks down the road and still have pain and stiffness.

 

[sistersinhim]

I know this recovery seems like it takes forever, but it really doesn't. It will get better in time. Just look at your improvements from the last few months. You are getting better!

 

[Jockette]

With the pain/discomfort you still have, and your physical job, and only being one third through this recovery, you need a lot of downtime to compensate for what you do at work. I suspect you are doing way too much in the course of your whole day, which is not helping your recovery.

You can’t keep up a really active schedule with the pain/discomfort you have, and expect your knee to stop hurting. It needs time and certain conditions in order to heal well. A few of those conditions are, resting, icing and elevating. Icing could be the least important at this point, if you don't have a lot of swelling.

When you are not at work, let some things go so you can take time to rest and elevate as much as you can. If you think you can’t do that, it might be more important to realize you can’t afford not to, if you want a good outcome. Don’t look at resting as doing nothing, look at it as giving your knee the best opportunity in which to heal.

 

[Zanza]

I'm closing in on six months and it's really a mixed bag. My new knee has made a difference. I don't have that grinding bone on bone pain anymore, and I can make it through a work day. In some ways I feel worse than ever, because I now have a bad pain in the front of both thighs when I stand up. I've kept up with my physical therapy exercises, I take some Tylenol and Aleve everyday, and I take a muscle relaxer at night to help me sleep. It's really discouraging because I thought I would finally start to feel better, then this new problem developed. My knee is still stiff enough that it's an effort to walk and that hurts my back. I have a bad back from spinal cord damage. Now I dread sitting down because of the bad pain in the front of both thighs when I stand up. Does this misery never end? I'm sorry to be so grinchy at Christmas time but any tips would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Zanza]

I just got diagnosed. No wonder I've been so stiff and sore for years. I got my new knee in July and I was starting to worry that it was failing. Now that I'm being treated for the PMR I feel a lot better but I still have questions.

 

[Jaycey]

@Zanza So sorry you are dealing with polymyalgia rheumatica! We have had several members who were diagnosed. If you plug polymyalgia rheumatica into our search tool you will get a list of threads with content on this diagnosis. Most all the members are no longer posting however.

I hope your thread title brings members here to give you input. Meanwhile, has a treatment been recommended?