Entry 10, Three weeks tomorrow

Greetings, Just a quick update -- I am now walking around the house without canes and can go up and down the stairs one step after another!! (Using a cane and the handrail of course!) Mom and I went shopping again yesterday - and I felt pretty good afterwards. I am using tylenol extra strength for the pain and seems to be working fine. Also using Celebrex and lots of ice! I don't seem to feel much pain, just some stiffness which I can work out with some walking and stretching. My incisions are starting to look better, the right one is just a line but the left one has some lumpy bits. I have started using Bio Oil on them and massaging them. Feels a bit weird because they are really numb!! We are planning the big journey to the farm this weekend, 3 hours in a car -- I'm a bit worried about sitting for that long. We will probably have to stop a few times for stretching. That's it for now, laters....

Entry #9, I'm shopping again!!

Thanks everyone for your kindness and support. I am now day three without narcotics to ease the pain. I am using tylenol extra strength. 2 pills every 6 hours or so. It seems to do the trick. I still have pain and stiffness but it's bareable. Since being off the percocets I have my appetite back and can enjoy the taste of food. I do notice that I feel very cold during the high pain times, but once the tylenol takes hold I warm up. Today we went shopping at Walmart and I used one of those electric carts. Fun to drive but not very comfy. After that we went groceries shopping and I decided to use the canes and walk around the store, but I had to let Mom finish the job while I found a chair to rest in. When I got home I was pretty sore and exhausted. I had to take a couple of tylenol and laid down for about an hour before I started to feel better. Seems like such a simple day but it's big for me. I am hoping that Tylenol will continue to hold my pain at bay. I've been doing all my rehab exercises everyday. The toughest of them is almost like some sort of torture - You loop a long belt (I use my dog's leash) around your ankle, feed the end under your chair and over your shoulder, then pull like crazy to bend that knee under the chair. Yep, it hurts but my knee is bending well so that's the big payoff. My knee still isn't completely straight on the extension but I'm still working on it. My doctor and the rehab hospital suggested that I may not require further physio until later on if I keep up their exercises on a daily basis. I am hoping to do this so I can save up the physio time (our insurance covers only so much per year) to really build strength and stamina, the big thing is to not develop scar tissue and keep these babies moving. I'll keep you posted.

Entry 8: 2 weeks post surgery

Hi Everyone,
Well, surgery went well on October 16, 2009, I was in surgery for 4 hours and have two brand new knees. The left one required more work and some screws than the right one, but today I have no pain in the actual knees. Just the swelling and pain due to bruising. I spend 3 days in the recovery area of the hospital and then 5 days in Rehab. I left the hospital last Friday the 23rd. My knees had the same flexion - 110 degrees and 3 degrees straight. I had my staples removed on Thursday, Oct. 29th, 13 days after the surgery. That's when I decided to get off the percocet. And today, 2 days later, I am totally off them. I live in a 3 story townhouse so I decided to rent a hospital bed to sleep on the main floor. This is something I would recommend. I have been well cared for by my mom who got here last Sunday and she has had lots of experience with this as she also has two new knees (3 years old and done 5 months apart) She's been very encouraging and makes certain I do my rehab exercises every day. I have been able to go for short walks (very short) with Mom and our dog outside with two canes. I stopped using the walker after my staples were removed. I would probably use the walker for uneven ground like when we go to the farm. I have to go up one flight of stairs for a shower so make that journey every 2 days. I have a seat for the bath tub and sit under the shower on it. That works pretty well. I didn't require the extended wash sponge I bought. I can get dressed easily on my own. Sock and shoes - no problem. I do seem to get pretty tired at times so I just sleep quite a bit still. Still, I am pretty pleased with how things are going. Two weeks after surgery and progressing a little every day. Oh --and my legs are completely straight!!! It's awesome, no more knocked knees. I'll keep in touch.

Entry 7: Op-Day minus 1(October 15, 2009)

I am soooo excited to be getting two new knees tomorrow. I have been on http://www.bonesmart.org/ lately, I wish I would have found this forum earlier but it has been a real boost for the past few days. I had all kinds of fears, questions, and worries about which knees I'm getting but now I'm just happy to be getting new ones. I am prepared to do the hard work, I have a little idea of how it will be having had ACL repair and arthroscopy a few years back. I realize this is a much bigger hit, but I am actually looking forward to the rehab. I informed my husband that today will be the last day for the housekeeping department, so he had a good laugh about that. I have a list of stuff to pack - there was a time when hospitals supplied crutches and canes, etc. Not anymore. Will I be awake enough to play my Nintendo DS games, sudoku or read a book? Oh, and don't forget that everything has to be labelled. So today is the big packing day, getting in supplies for my hubby so he doesn't starve. (He'll probably eat out anyway) Am I forgetting anything? Well, I'll find out soon enough. See you on the other side......

Entry 6: Pre-Operative Program

This is the last time I see the professionals prior to my surgery date which is October 16, not the 13th as I was originally told (or perhaps I wrote it down in error). I arrived at the hospital at 10:30 am, and was directed all day to the different departments for interviews. First, I saw the anesthesiologist, and was informed that I am a good candidate for an epidural anesthesia, so I would not have to have a general which tends to be more difficult upon recovery. They will give me a powerful sedative so I will not be awake during the surgery but I will not require a throat tube for breathing (yeah). Next stop was the lab where they took 6 vials of blood and did and
ECG of my heart. Everything looks good so far. At the Xray department they placed a measuring device beside my knee, and took what they called 3-foot xrays. These xrays with the measuring device are to help the doctor pick the correct size knee for me. The knee of choice is a Sigma, of which they assured me they have a huge inventory of all sizes and I will be fitted appropriately. I then saw a medical doctor who asked all those questions regarding my health and background. Again everything is still a go. Finally, I saw a nurse who explained all the procedures for recovery and she told me I would be on surgery floor for 4-5 days with the epidural being removed on the 3rd day. Then I will go to the F.I.T. floor for up to 7 days for rehabilitation. The 30 stairs to my bedroom concerned her and suggested I stay on the main floor of my townhouse for a while before attempting the big climb. We'll see... She gave me some medicated soap with which I have to shower for the 5 days prior to the surgery. Very specific instructions were included with the soap. Oh, and no shaving of the legs from now on (no problem there!!). A blood thinner will be prescribed and this helps reduce the chance of blood clots. And that was about it. So, as far as I know, I'm off to surgery at 6:15 a.m. on the 16th.

Entry 5: The wait is now getting to me.

Well, I still have three weeks until surgery day, October 13, 2009. I have had my blood work done and haven't heard anything so I am assuming that I'm still good to go. I have been making the best of everyday to get things done before the big day. I managed to ride my horse, Cody, three times last week while I was at the farm. I wonder if I will be a better rider when I have no pain, and if my new knees will let me put my foot in the stirrup to get up in the saddle. (I'd hate to have to use a mounting block). I went golfing once for nine holes and again thought about being able to walk the course instead of using a power cart ( I hope it will improve my game). This got me wondering if I'll be able to resume all the activities I have had to stop, will I be able to do yoga, pilates, ride my bicycle, go curling, walking in the woods with my dog? I started to think about whether I can start doing things I'd like to try, like spinning class, dance classes, and even more simply will I be able to get up from the dinner table and walk away without limping and nearly toppling over? We have to go away for a conference and when we return I'll have very little time left for preparing. I keep exercising my quads and I think they are getting stronger. I'm still about 7 pounds over weight, but I've always struggled with that. I know it would be best if I can lose it before surgery. My pre-op appointments have been scheduled for October 3, 2009 and I'll be at the hospital all day for that. Until then I'm trying to get my books up to date and housework completed (hahaha - like that'll ever happen!).

Entry 4, Only five weeks to go until surgery

I have been preparing for my surgery, started taking the iron supplements and I have started pre-surgery physio to strengthen my quadracepts. My therapist felt the quads were my weakest muscle and since I can't do regular strength training, she is doing something called 'Russian stimulation'. Electrodes are placed on my quads which contract my muscles for a period of time and then releases them. This is supposed to build up the muscle 70% faster than with weights alone. This was a big day, I had to fast since last nite so I could have 5 vials of blood drawn for tests, pee in a bottle and have an ECG, as well as go to physio. My therapist has informed me that post surgery I will not be able to climb stairs for 6-8 weeks and suggested that I get a hospital bed to set up on the main floor. I was soooo hoping that I could walk up the 30 stairs to my bedroom after I get home from the hospital but I guess that's just not realistic. So I visited the Shoppers Home Health centre and of course they rent beds, walkers and they knew exactly what I'd need for after surgery gadgets etc.

I found a great website to see a virtual knee surgery. Check out : http://www.edheads.org/activities/knee/knee1/index.htm