I am finally at a point where I feel human again and like I will recover. Today was Day Eight of PT(3 in Ohio/5 in Louisiana). I also do exercises at home on weekends so I don't go 2 days without working things. I am off the blood thinner as of today(on baby aspirin now)and those danged portable compression things 24/7. Boy is it hard to get comfortable in bed and sleep with them going off constantly and blowing up and deflating around my calves. The noise from that can get deafening at night. And not being able to get myself to the toilet has been loads of fun for Hubs too so he's slept even less than me.
And I can finally sleep through the night! This is a BIG thing. Sleeping on my back is so foreign to me but I can dose off in that position for awhile. I am a stomach sleeper so once Hubs could roll me to my side and I could tip myself over into my front I sure felt a lot better and got quality sleep.
Nothing keeps you from feeling your best(or at least human)like not being able to sleep.
Today I was able to get myself out of bed by myself and get to the bathroom AND I can get both my legs up back on the bed to get back in bed. You don't realize how much little things like moving just a bit are so hard after surgery.
My surgical glue is beginning to fall off too so I'm keeping the incision covered except for showering so I don't get an urge to start picking it off and helping it along. lol
I am still tired, especially on days I have to go to PT plus have other doctor appointments. I had a wound check last week and an appointment with the new PCP this past Monday.
My PT place is very small without a lot of bells and whistles like the PT attached to the surgeon's facility in Ohio. It doesn't have all the fancy machines nor the big sports team's type icing machines(boy, I could use those some days!)but we are getting back to normal.
I've lost a total of 53 lbs. since before the cruise in May. I had planned to "on purpose" loose another 20 lbs. after surgery so I have another 17 more to go to reach that goal. That, along with PT should keep me busy for some time to come.
Thanks for everyone chiming in with their knee replacement experiences. It does help keep me motivated and on track that this isn't all there is and that things will get back to "normal" one day. I do still need that $&*^#&$ walker for stabilization so that may be awhile before I can ditch that. I have learned to dislike our master bathroom as it has a separate "potty room" with the toilet in it. The walker won't fit in that doorway so I get to practice "crab walking" sideways into that cubicle where my nose almost touched the door frame as I sidle in. Boy, is that fun.....*snort*.
I will be so grateful once I can walk into a store again or even ride one of those danged scooters around the store. Sitting home is so lonely(well it's been noisy the last 2 days as the handymen were here working in the kitchen-between saws and barking dogs)and I can only watch so many bad Halloween type movies on the local tv station. 8-)
Sluggy
Hi Sluggy,
ReplyDeleteSounds like things are coming along nicely. Yeah, the first 2 weeks, as I warned you, are brutal, but as you are seeing from then on, the progress is amazing. Keep up the goos work with PT and your home exercises. I didn't like the walker either, but learned to make friends with it. I remember thinking how remarkable it was to be able to go to the bathroom by myself---major accomplishment! You will be tired for a long time to come. The end of November will be the 6 month mark from my surgery and it has only been in the last 3 weeks that I have not come home from work (part-time) and taken an afternoon nap every day. Everyone warned me that the lack of energy and fatigue will be just abou the last thing to go. You rock, giril!!! Keep going and moving as much as you can.
Good to hear that you are on the mend. You will be surprised to see how much more you will be able to do once you fully recover. Losing all that weight will also help your mobility.
ReplyDeleteLinda Practical Parsimony here.
ReplyDeleteIt is good you are getting better. The walker did not seem to help in 2001 when I used it because I was taking pain pills too. One day, I was standing in the den, standing still, not even thinking about walking. I fell to the side, just fell over. I quit taking pain pills and had no problem after that.
I put the oxygen generator in another room because the noise of the air. It helped a lot. Maybe you cannot do that. It could have gone in the closet, but I would have tripped over the tubes.
When I could not get the walker into the bathroom at home, I kept one of the four-footed canes inside the bathroom door and used that to get to the commode. The clawfoot tub helped me rise.
It sounds like you are coming along well with your recovery.
Great to hear this good news!
ReplyDeleteSo glad you are recovering so well! It was so good to see your photo last post, the weight loss is fabulous. As is the view of you standing up! Congratulations on all accounts ;). My grandmother once said about her walker “you never know how wonderful these things are until you need it”…we always kept a walker in our garage so we could still get around when something happened! Hope you will come to a better view of it as a temporary yet wonderful pal. Hilogene in Az
ReplyDeleteHi Sluggy, this is Chris. Thanks for the update, sounds like things are getting better. Glad to hear it. Continued prayers for your recovery.
ReplyDeleteI rented a Nice machine for my last knee replacement...a bit like your compression pump, only it compresses and ices at the same time. I used it for the first few weeks after the surgery. I also ordered a blowup wedge to elevate my legs...super inexpensive and that helped so much with the swelling.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you're doing great!!
Nothing like a faceplant on the mattress to sleep. I've had several "wrecks" and had to back sleep or sorta side sleep with no success. The first time I could roll to my front I have had the hardest, most refreshing sleep ever.
ReplyDeleteFANTASTIC!!!!!! I'm so glad you are across that first hurdle being glad you did it! Do you have a cane for next step? You should be off the walker soon-I know your PT is watching your stability. I am a "sweller". I used my ice machine for 5 months with each knee. I am 2y out from #2 and I can tell you, they are perfect and I can do anything I want to! In January I did start a senior exercise class focused on balance and it has helped tremendously-that was my missing link.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy that low/no pain walking. I relate to that. I felt less pain 7d after surgery than the morning of. You have to have that bone on bone joint pain to understand it!
Keep up the great work!!!!!
Jre thanks this gives me hope, I get my right knee replacement on November 14th and I am terrified! But this complete bone on bone pain is miserable! I’m going to call my clinic and ask about this ice machine thing? I am concerned because I live alone and the bathroom?….. my daughter is going to help but I hope it’s very short lived as everyone is so busy, I just want to be independent.
DeleteYou sound a lot better! Yay for sleep! Hope you feel stronger each day.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear you are on the road to recovery. Take care.
ReplyDeleteSo glad to hear things are progressing well. Cindy in the South
ReplyDeleteHubby just asked yesterday how you were doing. I thought that's strange for him to remember I said something about you being up here in Ohio for knee surgery.
ReplyDeleteSeveral around us that had knee replacement said to also walk backwards daily. Two friends walked with a limp and the first thing PT said was to walk backwards that the limp was a learned behavior that had to be unlearned.
Not getting walker in to potty... that's Hubby's parents and both of my parents. First thing we did here was make sure all doorways were big enough for wheelchair.
Sounds like things are moving along nicely, so glad your knee is feeling better than it was before. I had shots in my knees on Thursday and they've already helped me. I dread the day I have to go through what you are going through right now. My heart goes out to you.
ReplyDelete