Moving on

Hey Everyone-

I'm now in the maintenance phase of my adventures in TKR so this will be my last post about my left knee bionics.

Here's where I'm at now.  I've started back to work part time from home.   Next week I'll go into the office for half a day and work from home the other half.  I'll do that till 12/1.  Thanks Dr Savage for the excellent return to work note.

People asked if I was getting stir crazy.  I wasn't.  I have to go back to work because I was never going to get out of the taco bed!!  I would wake up, drink some coffee, watch a little TV, do some PT, take a shower (optional), play on my Nexus 7 tablet, read, take a nap, do some PT, watch a little more TV, read....see a pattern here?  I didn't think I'd like laying around but I do!  Who knew?

To anyone out there that decides to go through this let me sum up what made my recovery successful, so far:

1. Support from my husband.  Chuck took care of everything for me.  It was clear that for two weeks, at the very least, I needed help.  Toward the end of the third week I stopped needing so much help.
2. I did what the doctor and physical therapists said to do.
3. Perform PT everyday!  I skipped a day of PT once and I can tell you it made the next day a bitch.
4. I slept.  Especially during the first two weeks and even into week four.  It seems that during this past week I stopped being so tired and could stay up all day without a nap.  I still went and laid in the taco bed but I didn't sleep. 
5. For the first time I had patience.  This isn't a short process and I knew that going in.  I know it'll be a year before my left knee is completely healed.

I would like to thank everyone who came to visit, sent good wishes, played Dice w/Buddies or Draw Something, texted, emailed, sent cards and called me.  It was great to hear from you and it kept my spirits up.

Don't forget about the folks on the east coast.  Their world is going to suck for quite some time.   

Till the next time-

debie@TbedB

Day 28

Good Sunday PM-

There's 44 seconds left in the Cowboy game and the Cowboys, theoretically, could pull off a win against the NY Giants...

Let's see, the last update was Thursday evening.  That's because Friday sucked.  It started sucking from the moment I got out of bed.  I already knew laying in bed I was kind of sore but when I got up I found out I was really sore.  I mean everything on and in my left leg was tight.

PT did not go well.  My range of motion was limited and I had problems with the exercises. My therapist asked if I was getting sick, like the flu, because I looked pale.  I suggested it was the lighting but she didn't think so.  Awesome.

We talked about what I did Thursday and it appears that my lunch outing was too long for me.  I am not supposed to sit, with my legs underneath me (and bent) for an extended period of time.  She reminded me that this is why she told me to be careful because doing too much causes set backs.  I was sent home a bit early and told to ice up and take a pain pill and cancel my lunch outing for Friday.

Chuck and I still met Chris Jackson at Doc's for lunch...but we sat at the tall tables so I could stand up off and on.  It wasn't crowded so we got our food fast.  Oh, and I took a pain pill because Chuck drove.  Awesome!

The Cowboys lost in case you didn't already know that.  <sigh>

Today I had to euthanize our Betta fish, Monsieur.  He had been laying around the bottom of the tank for the last few weeks and the medication I'd been putting in the tank stopped working for him.  He quit eating this past week.  I Googled "how to euthanize your fish" and found that the most humane way to put a fish to sleep is to use clove oil.  Who knew?

I bought a small bottle for about $6.  The deed took about 30 minutes.  He went pretty painlessly.  No swimming about frantically he just went belly up.  I read a couple of things that said the fish could revive after being put to sleep so just to make sure he didn't wake up I took him out and observed that his gills were not moving then he was transferred to the freezer.  Another method said to submerge them into Vodka to ensure death but that seemed like a waste of liquor.

So long Monsieur.

Today I walked 6 blocks, rode my stationary bike and did a bunch of the exercises, including the one I hate.  Here's the hated exercise:

This is called "Stretch Knee Ext Supine" and that stands for "S&^t, this hurts!".  It doesn't seem like a hard exercise.  This picture doesn't show it but be sure to tighten only your knee muscles (not butt or thigh muscles) and then press toward the floor.  If you're feeling really rambunctious add a one or two pound weight on your knee!  I hate all 45 reps of this.

I didn't wake up at 2:00 a.m. and take the base-line pain pills this morning.  I'm thinking sleep is better.  Today was the first day that I didn't take a nap!  It's not because I didn't want to but because I made myself stay awake.  I'm on my way back to the grind.

One last thing.  I love our hot tub.  

Have a good week-
debie@TbedB

Day 25

Good Thursday Evening-

Today has been a different day. 

I had another doctor appointment today and it was at 8:00 a.m.!  Yesterday was the earliest I've had to get up and be somewhere.  Today beat yesterday by an hour.  Oh, and I drove myself to the doctor's office during the morning rush!  Ah, nothing gets you on your game than everyone trying to merge at 360 and Lamar!

If you've been keeping up then you'll remember that I visited the doctor last week for my first post-op visit.  Well, I didn't take my list of questions and I was almost out of pain medication.

Here's a brief run down of my visit:

• I can use their heated pool for therapy
• I can get in our hot tub
• I can get a pedicure
• I can wear a brace on my right knee while I'm walking
• I got my return to work note
• I got my pain meds
• The puffy spot under my left knee is normal because most of the work occurred in that area
• I got pictures of the post-op x-rays for you to look at!!

Front View

Side View

There it is folks!  That's my bionical knee!  I will set off some of the airport screens but not any that have the full body scanners.  I'm supposed to get a card so I still need to check into that.  I'll be a card carrying TKR person.  

I met my co-workers at Texas Land and Cattle today.  I also drove myself to the restaurant!  It was great to see everyone.  They also bought my lunch!  How awesome is that?  We had another reason to celebrate.  One of my co-workers has been working on getting his green card for  about 11-10 years.  We started working on getting him into a different queue about 1.5 years ago and everything fell into place and he finally got his green card this week!  I would tell the story but it would take too long.  I'm happy for Khatir and his family and that this project is complete!

Nancy asked that I text her when I got home.  She's a mom!  So, I went home, texted Nancy and took a nap.  <sigh>  It's who I am and what I do.

I'm putting off a PT session by claiming to be blogging.  I need to go bend my bionic knee.  

TGIF-

debie@TbedB

Day 24

HHD!  (Happy Hump Day!)

I started going to out-patient PT Monday.  Monday consisted of measuring and discussion of pain levels, etc., so it wasn't too intense.

I had an appointment at 9:00 a.m. today which meant I had to set my alarm!  Not so much to wake me up but to remind me I have somewhere to be.  I'm getting faster at getting ready.  I have longer intervals of getting ready and shorter intervals of resting.

Today the therapist measured my flection before and after the session.  The first measurement was 95 degrees. The measurement after the session was 105 degrees.  According to MeMe, my physical therapist, she said that this measurement was normally achieved at the end of PT and not after the second session.  Cool, huh?

My therapist also said that I needed to be careful not to push my knee too hard because I do not want more swelling.  Anymore swelling will hold back my recovery.  I'm working on more but shorter PT sessions at home.  I'm trying to make it fun but it still hurts and I hate the exercise I have to do the most of.  Grrrr.

We stopped by Starbucks on the way home and I had a delicious coffee.  As soon as I finished it I took a nap.  Go figure.

Bottom Line: more frequent but shorter PT sessions and naps still required.

Onward-
debie@TbedB

Day 21

Good Sunday Evening-

I haven't had much to say for the past few days because there hasn't been much to say.

Except for Saturday there was the usual round of physical therapy and walking.  The only difference is that I'm adding 10 minutes of stationary bike to the end of the PT sessions.

There were a few highlights during the past few days...

Friday my little tiny baby, Max, came over.  We hung out for a bit then Max drove me to Macy's where we bought my sister a birthday present.  Then it was off to the bank for some cash then over to Central Market for some treats.  While we were at Central Market we ran into a couple of Max's buddies, Chris and Josh.  It was good seeing the boys which is what they'll always be to me.  Tree climbing boys.  It was nice hanging out with Max.  It's been a long time since we just passed time together.  This was the longest time I'd been out of the house since the surgery.

When we got back my sister called and wanted to hook up for dinner and offered to buy!  Chuck and I were good for that so we met her at Tres Amigo's on Slaughter Lane.  The meal was alright, but not as good as it usually is and our waiter wasn't very good.

As usual, there was someone there that knew my sister.  When we left we stopped by their table and the husband had his knee replaced about a year ago.  He bent both knees to his chest to show me his progress and what I had to look forward to.   He then he proceeded to pull up his pants leg to show me his scars.  I wonder if that's what all TKR patients do?  Show off their scars and their progress to those of us who are contemplating or have just had the procedure done.  Is it because their life is so much better now that they aren't in pain with every step?   Will I be like that?  I don't plan on pulling up my pants to show off my scars however if someone really, really wants to see it then maybe.

Saturday I never got out of bed.  I started feeling bad Friday evening and it just got worse.  It was some kind of stomach yuckiness and it lasted about 24 hours.  It was over a little after midnight Sunday morning before I felt better.  Probably some germ got me while I was out.

Got up today and did the PT routine, showered and hung out.  Then I did the most exciting thing.  I drove myself to the Starbucks for a coffee!  That's right I DROVE myself!  Freedom!!

Today is also my sister's birthday so we hooked up at the Longhorn Steak House for a birthday dinner.  Max and his girlfriend, Kathryn joined us and then everyone came over to our house for ice cream cake and a round of Farkle.  As fate would have it Gail won.  We figured it was right since it was her birthday.  It was a nice evening.

This is all that's been going on at the South Austin Rehab House.

Tomorrow I start out-patient PT.  We'll see...

Have a good Monday-
debie@TbedB

Day 17

Happy Humpday-

On this day in 2011, Marieta Hutchinson had her knee replaced.  A couple of weeks ago she stopped by with her new boots with 2 inch heels on.  She looked great!  Congratulations Marieta!!  You've been an inspiration.  Thanks for helping me to go for it!!

Other news:  I went to find another pair of VSC (Victoria Secret Compression) stockings.  There was good news and bad news.  The good news is the place where these are at is at the Southwood Mall so it's convenient.

Here's a bit of Austin trivia.  In 1966, Southwood Mall was the first indoor mall in Austin.  The only other malls that in town were Capital Plaza and Hancock Center.  Does anyone remember any other malls at that time?  Is anyone old enough to remember this time?

Southwood Mall was awesome!! It had a Handy Andy, Sears, Slax (a men's store), Yaring's (the best women's wear store in Austin, EVER), Woolworth's (with a soda fountain), Sears, a hair salon, a barber shop, a library and Winn's five and dime.  There was an insurance office that was a loft that you got to via a wrought iron circular staircase.  There was also a fountain.  It was very groovy in the late 60's and early 70's.

The ceilings were blown in, probably with asbestos.  It was fun to get a super ball from Winn's and bounce it into the ceiling because if you bounced it hard enough it would stick!  The ceilings had many colorful circles in the middle of the mall.  We would wait until there was no one around and bounce the balls as hard as possible.  Sometimes they'd stick, most of the time they wouldn't.  Can you imagine being in Barton Creek Mall with no one around?    

Now Southwood is ugly and nasty.  I think the problem with this mall was that it was too small.  It couldn't compete with Westgate or Highland Mall.  It just finally imploded.  It's no longer a mall and it looks like a strip center. 

We went into Med Express and found out that getting another pair of stockings was going to cost $160.00.  We decided that one pair will do! 

To sum it up; medical stuff is expensive and it's Marieta's one year anniversary of TKR!

Happy Thursday-

debie@TbedB

Day 16

Good Tuesday Afternoon-

A notable anniversaries for today: 

• Marie Antoinette lost her head on this day in 1793
• In 1962 John F. Kennedy was informed of the Soviet nuclear missel silos in Cuba 
• Jessica McClure was rescued from a Texas well in 1987 after spending 58 hours trapped

Today was my first visit with the doctor since the surgery.  Doctor Savage gave me an excellent report!  He said that I was above the curve on recovery that my flexion awesome.  He said that he would normally expect this level of progress at 3-4 weeks of recovery, not at 2!!  He said when I start going to PT next week to carry some of his business cards because there will be people there that had surgery at the same time that are not doing as well as I am.  

The steri-strips were removed and I can now use the lotion that Marieta gave me to massage my scar.  It's vitamin E lotion and the doctor said to massage the scar about three times a day for a few minutes at a time.  I'm suppose to massage in small circles.  As I understand it I'm trying to keep the top layer of skin from sticking to the lower layers, or something like that. 

I have to wear the Victoria Secret Compression Stockings for another 3 weeks.  I asked if I needed to wear them on the right leg (the leg that still has the original knee) and he said that I did.  He said that half the time blood clots occur in the limb that didn't have surgery.  He gave me a script for another pair and I'm hoping they come in black or fishnet!

I forgot to ask about the pool and hot tub.  Can you believe it?  I'll be in next week so I'll ask...

The elbow nose is bursitis.  The doctor said it was probably caused by my leaning too much on my elbow.  Chuck reminded me that I lean on it when I'm in the chair and I caught myself this afternoon leaning on it while in bed.  He offered a steroid shot and something else or I could just quit using it and it'd go away.  I opted for the quit using it.  I've had enough shots for a while. 

I told him that I don't have any stamina and he said that is because of the anemia from blood loss and that my body is focusing on repairing the knee.  He said it was to be expected for a couple more weeks.   He asked how my sleeping was going and I said that I wake up every few hours and he said that was normal, as well.  He said I'll get eight hours of sleep just not all at once.  He said taking naps during the day is okay.

The doctor said his part was done and now the rest is totally up to me.  However,  if I keep on the same pace I should be ready for knee two in no time!

Since I got such a good report Chuck and I went into the Starbucks and hung out for a bit.   Then we went to the Petsmart and I roamed around the store.  We made our purchases and when we started to leave in walked Betsey and Cathy, from work.  I should have asked if they were there to fill up the snack shack.  :)  

They were surprised to see me and said I looked great.  I really appreciated the compliment.  I didn't feel like I looked great but I feel alright.

A mention about riding in the truck.  It's uncomfortable.  I pushed the seat all the way forward and put my feet on the floor that angled up.  That helped.  Chuck thinks a pillow will help so tomorrow we're going to give that a go.

Today was the most I've walked since the operation.  After we got home I crashed and woke up around 2.  Just in time for Terri, the PT, to come in.  

She was excited to hear the good news from the doctor.  In her opinion, she thinks the physical therapy and the home nursing staff (Chuck) are the reason I'm doing so good.  I think she may be right!  This was Terri's last visit.  I'm going to miss her and I appreciate all the work she did with me.

Onward-

debie@TbedB

PS(Did anyone catch the last half of the Denver game last night?  What a come back!  Take that Phillip Rivers!)