KEEPING SPIRITS UP - ONE MONTH POST-OP

I know that I have had an amazingly positive experience with my bilateral total knee replacement.  I planned well, got onto pretty good shape ahead of the rigors of the recovery and have a good support circle.  I seem to be hitting all the markers per the PT staff, I have been reducing my pain meds but feel free to take more if it creeps up. We have even had a couple of weeks of temps in the 70's so I have gone outside to sit in the warm sun with a book a few afternoons.  Still, one month in,  I am tired of the whole thing and having to make a real daily effort to keep my spirits up.

One of the ladies in my class summed it up - we just want normal again.

That is gonna take a while!  It may be 2 months before I go back to work, but it may be 6 months before I can bend my knees without some pain.  Each little moment when this experience is not uppermost in my mind is great - then there is a reminder laying in wait!  Yesterday I went to stand up without thinking and without using my arms to leverage myself up and I thought I was going to pass out it hurt so much.

There is some distance to go.

On the other hand - I am up on this bike!!!!

DAY TO DAY RECOVERY - ONE MONTH

The average time time off work for total knee replacement patients returning to a desk job is 8 weeks.  Some say longer for bi-lateral replacements, but not all.  I plan to return after 8 weeks with some possible accommodations.  Maybe a shorter day, longer, more frequent breaks - not sure until I get back to it and see what weaknesses remain.

The biggest mystery of all with this surgery was what the heck will I be doing all day, every day after the initial recovery period.  I can't drive. Not sure what my capacity for housework or yard work might be.  Not making any money so online shopping must be avoided.  Just how much TV and reading can I handle?

So here is where my days are right now.  I can shower and dress myself but it takes time.  I can spend short periods in the kitchen but find it hard to carry anything of any weight even a few steps without support - so just moving from stove to sink to drain water from potatoes felt a bit perilous.  I keep my meals simple, break down the tasks and leave many of the dishes for my spouse to deal with.

I am supposed to save my energy for doing my PT exercises several times a day, so going out for recreational walks is not recommended.  My walking is just around the house, standing at short intervals for meal prep, folding laundry, wiping down a counter and the occasional foray into the world.  Today we will go to Sports Basement to buy protein bars!  WooHoo.

I do about 4 different rounds of my PT exercises and stretching and then get my ice machines strapped on - that lasts about half an hour.  So I figure about 2 hours a days just on icing.

 I can only sit for 10-15 minute intervals to write notes, read the paper or use the computer, then I haul myself up and move about for a while, then sit down again.  These short blog posts take an hour or so to write.

I expect that my stamina will continue to increase and I will be able to spend more time sitting, standing and be be to add in exercise time on my bike which has been set up on a "trainer" in the living room just waiting for me to be able to climb on and put it to use.   Maybe tomorrow will be the day...

FINALLY A CANE

I have been wanting to move on from the walker since week 2 - just a matter of graduating from the clunky equipment to something more subtle.  Not that I didn't NEED the support and ease of the walker, but once I started taking multiple steps without any aid, it seemed like more than I really needed.

Then we went to the store and I was so glad I had the support of the walker.  I am accustomed to moving swifty and surely around the store. Not the case when shopping with my spouse.  I am following my list and simply needed him to follow me and put the items in the cart - but he kept wandering off  and playing with stuff he found on the shelves.  Sigh. Can't wait until I can drive again.

The only other thing I find I miss abut the walker is the bags we had attached for my stuff.  I could easily transport my phone, Kindle, cup, notebook, etc. Now it takes more thought and balancing than I am sometimes up for.  Might have to start wearing a little back pack around the house!

THE DREADED FIRST 2 WEEKS

If you do any research about total knee replacement the time frame emphasised over and over is he first two weeks.  It is built up as a frightening period of time which, once survived, might need to be forgotten like a difficult birth.

For me, it went by in a bit of a haze - probably due to the opioids but also because I had truly loving and excellent caretakers surrounding me.  What I can say is that each day there is a tiny but noticeable improvement. Each day while people are fetching and carrying and hauling me in and out of bed and up out of an ill chosen seat, I can tell I can do a bit more for myself.

The pain meds kept the throb to an ache, the brain kicked in enough to learn to lever the legs up onto the bed using a strap and when the home health tech arrived to do some PT, I was excited to have something definative to do during the day to aid the recovery.

My son's fiance is a nurse and she not only had the kindest touch but a grasp on what was needed to get things organized and tracked properly.  She created a notebook with each day scripted out for meds, other supplements, PT, icing, water intake, etc.  this helped keep track of when meds were taken and what needed to be done each day. I was also on a good schedule for my nutritional needs - and though my appetite was not that good and I felt some nausea most nights, I think I did ok with my bariatric surgery requirements.

At the end of the two weeks, I was so much more self sufficient, I could shower and dress myself, get around the house, and with thought and time, even make myself a cup of tea and get it to my seat. Hey -I am using  walker and there is a step and a water cooler in another room involved in this process!

ONE WEEK WITH NEW KNEES

This was drafted 2 weeks ago today ....


At this moment a week ago, I was maneuvering myself into a car to be taken home after getting both knees replaced.  My surgery began at about 1:30 pm on Wednesday , January 10, and was completed with nerve blocking catheters in each knee by 4 pm. I was wheeled into a large private room, given the once over, some food and a couple of aids hauled me to my feet.  I got dizzy and threw up the food and was put back to bed!

Day 2

In typical hospital fashion - not much time went by during the night without a check-in or new medication interrupting the possibility of sleep. My darling future daughter in law stayed with me in the room and kept me company through the night, including assisting the duty nurse help me with a personal issue which I will not chronicle.

The morning brought another try from the PT department.  I shuffled a few steps and got dizzy again - upon hearing I had not eaten in over 36 hours they determined that was needed and scheduled to come back after lunch.  If they brought me breakfast, I don't recall, but a few bites of a chicken sandwich and some tea and I managed to get up, walk with the walker and go up and down a step and was set for discharge.

By mid-afternoon I was tucked into my bed - family standing by to help with my every need - let the healing begin.

20 DAYS - 2 NEW KNEES

When I first met my surgeon,  I was hoping that there were some alternatives to try to keep me active and avoid replacement for a few years more.  All of the alt medicine things I had read about and had not already tried were discussed and it was clear that there are no new therapies to swap in at this point.

My question as to whether he would do both knees at once was answered with an immediate yes - that my history and level of fitness made me a candidate.  I spent some time researching and thinking about it. I really did not want to go through it twice, but also didn't want to aim too high if it was going to be much more difficult - why set myself up for failure?  The majority of the literature, both medical and anecdotal, suggests that the first weeks are harder,  but the recovery period then levels out and is the same for two knees as it is for 1.  The therapies and the time invested is
not that different.  So why go through the cost, time and pain twice?  I was in for 2.

Turns out there are not that many of us who do this - at least according to  my little post-surgery circle.  The hospital staff, the nurses,  in home and clinic PT techs all say the same thing - they have only seen 1 or 2 others.

I have no way of knowing if my first couple of weeks was more difficult than it was for others.  I had

It took a village!

excellent care from my family, no excessive pain, seemed to get around just fine and kept being told how well I was doing.  Now, I have a bit of comparing I can do in my PT class and I seem to be doing better than some in my group but only by degrees - which they measure all the time to check our progress toward flexible joints.

The one person who was suffering loudly was a man who had 1 knee done in May 2017 and the other one a few weeks ago - he was miserable. Glad I did it my way.

NINETEEN DAYS IN - REGAINING MY BRAIN

It looks like this account is going to be one which moves back and forth in time.  Meds, discomfort and lagging energy keep me from  being able to manage a keyboard  or concentrate long enough to complete a post, so I have a few lines down covering the past 19 days.

Today I had my first physical therapy gym class - a sort of circuit class with others in various stages of recovery from knee replacements.  I am the only bi-lateral total knee replacement in the group - going for 2 is a rarity according to the PT staff I have met. My flexibility is very good, got my knee flat back which is a goal and still working hard on the rest of the of the bendy stuff.

Ice machines strapped on - feels so good!

What people mean when they talk about the pain of knee replacement is the achy/stiff feeling of the knee and surrounding tissues..  There is occasionally sharper pain, but the constant ache and stiffness is what causes sleeplessness and for me at least, around the clock restlessness - the need to stretch, bend and move to relieve the ache. I have been reducing the use pain meds - Percoset - down to just a few a day. And use my ice machines 4-6 times a day.

But I managed to comlete this whole post - so fewer pain meds are ging me my brain back!

HOME PREPPED

I think I finally checked off the last items on my per-op prep list.  The runners are off the floor to make way for the walker which was delivered this week.  I also installed a couple of raised toilet seats - with handles - very fancy.  Tom said he was going to trick out the walker with decals and a bell, but that hasn't happened yet.

I hope to be rid of it a week or so after surgery anyway.

The house is clean - the laundry done.  Lots of comfy clothes up front in the closet for the long recuperation.

The freezer can't hold a single additional item, the pantry is stocked and a list of about 20 meals is written out with ingredients in house. There is even chocolate chip cookie dough for Tom.

 I am very fortunate that my son and his fiancee are coming for the first 10 days to take care of me - she is a nurse about to embark on a doctoral program, so I was lucky to catch her during this particular week.  She has already been giving me advice and lots of lovely gifts of comfy and practical post-op goodies.  As the doctor said to me during my pre-op exam - my son chose well...Not that he's not a fabulous caretaker, himself. 
My youngest daughter is going to take over after the kids return to Reno around the 19th.  She will be with me for about a week - then my husband is up to bat.  Hoping I will be pretty self sufficient by then...He is accustomed to being taken care of by me - this is the first time the tables will be turned.

I find I really, really miss my Advil - didn't realize how much my knees and feet hurt without  anti-inflammatory meds.  It has been hard to sleep with the pain and mounting anxiety. Having my prep done will help my monkey brain settle, I hope!

I have two more days at work and should hear from the surgery scheduler tomorrow about my time on Wednesday. So this is happening.

HAPPY NEW KNEES 2018!

I have been away from blogging for a long time - a combination of tired of hearing my own voice and just plain tired after full time work with commute.

However, I am embarking on a huge challenge in a few days and thought it might be a good time to

December bike outing to Monterey with Tom & Maggie. Can't
really see the bow legs that well in this photo...
I have learned to turn from the camera!

get back on the internet to share my story.  I am going to have both of my knees replaced - yes, at the same time.  Many think this is fool hardy, but I feel up to the challenge.  I have not been able to find much out there about undergoing this surgery and recovery - so I am taking the opportunity to get back into writing with my story.

As my long time "internet friends" know - I had bariatric surgery 5 years ago - I lost 130 pounds and have changed my life in many ways large and small.  I have maintained the weight loss - gotten very into cycling and my doc said I am someone he would allow to do bi-lateral total knee replacement for.  Others in my required "joint class" were jealous, but I explained the circumstances and my hard work to get into shape for this and they were understanding of his decision.

I was also called "young" by an x-ray tech - which blew me away - at 64 I guess I am on the young side for this surgery, but my knees have been bone on bone for about 10 years - I have the bow legs to show for it!!  I hope that I will re-gain the height I have lost when my legs are straight again! See how I am standing on a rock in the photo?

So watch this space - unless I am completely out of my mind with pain and regret I will start posting sometime after  my January 10 surgery date...

SPRING SURPRISE

During a warm week in late March, I was doing some garden cleanup, weeding and such.  I was rummaging around my little potting bench looking for the nasturtium seeds I had harvested in the fall when I moved a plastic bag which had been shoved to the back of a shelf.  Out burst a little bird squawking at me.

 I was startled, then curious.  Why was there a little bird hiding in a plastic bag?
 Apparently it made a nice nesting spot because there were 5 jelly bean sized eggs in a tiny nest inside the bag.  I pushed it back as best I could to it's original spot and vowed to leave it alone.

Yeah, right.  I was peeking in every few days to see if the mommy bird had returned and then to see the progress.  I was alerted to the baby birds by the most adorable peeping comping from the bag - that time I did not peek.  But a week later I couldn't help myself and took a look at the ugly little things (Wiki calls them naked and helpless) squirming around in the nest.  Then I kept my vow for another week or so.

Last Sunday I was working in the yard and saw the mommy bird fly out and took another peek.  I startled one of the babies which caused it to hop out of the nest and flutter and hop into the nearby bushes.  I felt terrible.  Had I doomed this little bird which obviously could not fly back home?

I fretted all afternoon until I noticed that the adult birds were hopping and flying around in the bushes and soon there were several (I couldn't count how many) little birds hopping and trying to fly around in the bushes.  They were all peeping and the sound was just so joyful.  They all seem to have made their way back to the nest and I SWEAR I will not interfere again.

I determined that they are House Wrens and that they babies should be leaving the nest within the week, and they did.  So glad my curiosity didn't do any damage, though I miss them!