4 Months

Today was my 4 months visit with my orthopedic surgeon.  We were both pretty excited about my progress and my new lease on life.  He hopes these replacements will last my lifetime, but I will go in every 5 years to "check the tread."  He says that any problems I develop will cause pain, so unless I experience pain, I don't have to see him again for 5 years!  Hot dog, hallelujah!

The X-rays on top are before surgery.  Notice the insides of my knees where the bones are sitting on top of each other--"bone on bone".  The X-rays on the bottom show my replacements on the insides and the lovely gap between the bones.  Thank God for technology and good surgeons.

GRADUATION (16 weeks)

Today I "graduated" from physical therapy.  It was a four month program-- longer than the 6 weeks I was told to expect.  I still have a ways to go, but I'm going to be doing it on my own except for occasional "tune-ups".  Periodically I will probably have to return to work on the extension of my left knee.  I was sent out with a couple of pages of exercises to increase the strength in my quads and with a T-shirt.  Some days I get really tired of most of my day being spent going to the pool or the gym and recovering afterwards from such activity.  Then other days I see the benefits of said activity, and I rejoice.  Like last  week.  We went to New Orleans to see the WWII Museum, and I thoroughly did that museum.  We got there at 1030 and shut the place down at 500.  Granted, I sat on every bench in the place, but I never would have even considered going to a museum a year or so before my surgery.  I did hurt a bit that night, but nothing that ice and naproxen couldn't help.  The next day we went to the aquarium, but I fizzled after about 2 hours.  I watched the penguins for a long time while my guys saw more of the aquarium.  Secretly, they were probably very glad that I was not up to my usual museum compulsions, i.e., no sign left unread, no exhibit not viewed.

$140,083.96

I still have my 4 month check up visit coming up and my last physical therapy visit, but this is the grand total so far for 2 new knees.  WOW!  I'm sure there is all kind of social commentary that could be made about the cost of health care, blah, blah, blah.  I am very thankful for my husband's job and his medical insurance.  I have a lot of reasons to take care of my new knees, but now I have 140,000+ more.

In the best case scenario, my new knees should last about 20 years if I take care of them.  The analogy was made that my new knees are like a new car and a teenage driver.  If the car is driven reasonably and carefully, the car will last much longer than if  the car is driven "hard".  With my new knees, I cannot run.  Not a loss.  With my new knees, I cannot play basketball.  I'm too short anyway.  With my new knees, I cannot play singles tennis.  I can play doubles tennis, but I didn't do that anyway. Of course, contact sports are out, but I'm too old for those anyway.  So activity wise, my knees should last.


Now, the biggest problem as I see it--my weight.  I lost close to 18# before my surgery.  Immediately after my surgery I lost tons because I had no appetite.  But about 6 weeks after surgery, my appetite returned with a vengeance, and I catered to it since I had lost so much weight.  Now it's time to rein it in, and get back on the program.  I am back at Weight Watchers, and now everyone knows it, and I will be more accountable.  You see, in the past, joining WW was always something I did quietly.  That way, if I failed, no one knew it. I cannot believe I am going public with this, but maybe that's just what I need to do.  I really believe that with lifestyle changes over time, I can do this.  I also know that if my vigilance to good choices is meshed with real life, I will be more likely to stick to my weight loss goals.  Give me a couple of years because I have lots to lose and lots of life to live in the meantime.

Yoga--check (14 weeks)

For the past 10 years, I have done a yoga routine nearly every morning. www.gaiam.com/product/am+pm+yoga+for+beginners+dvd.do My muscles tend to be tight, and yoga has increased my flexibility remarkably.  Towards the final days before my surgery, I had to modify my routine so that I did not have to get up and down from the floor so much.  I did all positions on the floor before doing the ones that got me off the floor.  Obviously, I have not done yoga since my surgery before today.


You probably don't remember, but before my surgery I posted what my goals were for 2 months post op, 4 months post op, and 1 year post op.  Next week I  will be 14 weeks post op so I am quickly approaching my 4 months anniversary.  My 4 month goals were

1.  to get back in the pool and on the bicycle--check (didn't dream that they would have me on a bicycle before I even left the hospital!)
2.  to be able to get up and down off the floor

I have had a terrible fear of falling and not being able to get back up. ( sounds like a potential commercial!)  First of all, I have heard that falling on knee replacements hurts way more than falling on your natural knees.  Secondly, I felt pretty sure I would never be able to get back up since I have 2 affected knees.  So last week I asked my physical therapist to teach me how to get up if I were to fall.  She said that they always teach that to amputees because they will fall someday.  I then felt a little bad that I was so concerned since I at least had 2 limbs to work with.  We went through the motions, and I realized  that I could do it if I had to do so.  Since then I have been wanting to try to do my yoga routine, but I didn't want to do it the first time alone in the house.  I wanted someone there if I needed help, but our schedules never synced.  So this morning I worked up the courage to get myself down on the floor--probably the scariest part.  Was I going to have to stay there until someone came home?  Oh wait, I would have to pick up Rick and Brad today; no one would be coming home.  Silly me, I forgot to bring a phone down on the floor with me.  Slight panic.  When it was time to get up, it required a lot of forethought and getting up the nerve to put my weight on my knees in a kneeling position.  But I did it!!  And I was grossed out at how tight my joints and muscles had become since the day of my surgery.


Having done this yoga routine for 10 years, I could do it without thinking.  Just go on automatic pilot and let my mind wander.  It was disconcerting today that I could not remember the order of the routine.  That's one of the things that I have noticed since my surgery.  My brain is still in a fog.  I don't remember with certainty things that I think that I should remember.  I'm not always sure if something really happened, did I think it?, or was it a dream?.  I still have trouble with concentration. I can no longer blame it on taking narcotics, so it is a bit of a concern.  I know that I have improved brain-wise in the past few weeks, so I am hopeful that I will continue to progress in this area.

NEW KNEES--THE GOOD ONLY! (12 weeks)

It has been a fantastic past few days.  Monday began my 12th week post op.  On Sunday, I did a HUGE grocery shopping--the cupboard, frig, and freezer were bare, and we were tired of eating out.  Granted, my husband pushed the basket and loaded and unloaded the car, but I spent well over an hour walking around the store and picking items. Then I had to put everything up once we got home.  MAJOR milestone.  Then on Monday I returned to my water aerobics class;  it was so great to see all my water friends.  I could not keep up with them, but I gave it the college try, and even stayed about 45 minutes after class to do specific physical therapy exercises.  It did NOT kill me or wear me out.  Tuesday I went to physical therapy and for the first time was able to balance on my left leg.  My left leg is what is holding me back.  In the hospital I was literally dragging it around--really kind of scared me that it was so affected.  The left leg has caused me the most pain and is an albatross as far as weakness is concerned.  Balancing all my weight on the left foot was so EXCITING to me and my therapist! Then I went to the walking track and did my four laps 2 or 3 minutes faster than the last time.  WHOO HOO!  I even came home and did some cleaning around the house which was amazing.  Today after water aerobics, I even went shopping to 3 stores. It was FABULOUS to not hurt with every step!!!!  It has been probably a year since I went shopping; if it couldn't be bought online, I didn't need it!  


I have really needed all these positive experiences.  The progress is so small on a daily basis, and it so wonderful to see all my hard work pay off in such a big way.  Oh, and thank you, Dr. Tabor!


(If balance is an issue for you, doing it in the pool is great.  It's a lot harder than on land, but it doesn't hurt.)

Practical Matters

I have been thinking of some practical things that might help someone who is following me in this knee replacement journey.  I am venturing farther and farther away from my home these days, and it requires some forethought.  First, I have to be concerned with the seating.  If the chairs are too low, it is really uncomfortable and sometimes painful to get up.  In restaurants, I have found that a chair is better than a booth.  The chair needs to have some working room around it--don't choose one too close to someone at another table. Sometimes a flattish pillow that will raise me up about an inch will be all that I need for some chairs.  That can be carried around in a tote.  Also, there is the commode issue.  For us ladies, a commode too low in public presents the same kind of issues.  At home I have a commode chair that fits over my commode with handy arm rests to use for getting up.  My literature from the hospital said that I would need that chair for 12 weeks.  I'm thinking that timing will be about right, but until I no longer need it, planning is involved.  I don't venture too far from home--it's not unusual to come home for a pit stop before finishing my errands or whatever.  I never leave the house without visiting the bathroom first.  If in doubt, I'll check the bathroom facilities for placement of handrails and the height of the commode before spending too much time in that establishment.


Have I told you more than you wanted to know?

Learning to walk (11 weeks)

Check out my walking sticks--a few seconds walking slowly and listing to the side solo, then using my walking sticks!  My therapist wanted me to walk with these to increase my cadence and create a more normal gait than the one I have with a cane.  It does feel more liberating to use them although I feel really ridiculous in public.  Going out in the snow made me feel really silly; it was as if I thought the snow might get deep enough to need them! 


This is an old story, but I think it is significant.  Before my setback with physical therapy, I went to the Y at St. Francis Hospital one day to use the machines for my core and upper body.  As I strolled in with my walking sticks, there were a bunch of older men on most of the machines I wanted to use.  I walked determinedly to an empty machine in the midst of them, and one guy speaks out with, "Are you going skiing?"  I turned to him and announced very excitedly that I had 2 new knees.  Then the room erupts with, "We do, too!!!!"  I became an instant member of a knee replacement club!  Everyone wanted to tell me his story, tell me how to use the machines more efficiently, blah, blah, blah.  My son had driven me there, and he was astounded at the camaraderie that had developed.  There was one man on the elliptical going 90 to nothing that had had 2 knee replacements at the same time like I did. ( most of the others were spaced out by several months)  He became my instant role model.  Recently when I was in so much pain and discouraged, I told my husband that I wanted to be like the man on the elliptical.  He wisely said, "Let's see, he had his surgery 4 years ago.  That's 52 weeks times 4--so he's over 200 weeks post op, and you are, um 6." Lesson learned.

Patience is not my strong suit (9 weeks)

Towards the end of last week, 8 weeks post-op, I really began to pick up in what I could do.  We foolishly got involved in a remodeling project that created so much dust in our house.  We were completely surprised by all the dust that was created by replacing floors.  We knew refinishing floors caused huge amounts of dust, but removing flooring and replacing it was just as bad.  So now I am faced with removing massive amounts of dust on everything in every room!  I surprised myself by how much I got done.  What I accomplished is only a drop in the bucket, but before last week, I usually worked for 10 or 15 minutes followed by a 30-45 minute rest before repeating.  I also went 3 whole days without narcotics.  Another biggie.  My toddler gait became a little less wide spaced, and I was really cruising in the house.  I was feeling pretty good about my knees and my progress.


Then yesterday, I ran into a friend who had a total knee replacement 3 weeks after me.  She was walking GREAT and gave up her narcotics long before me.  I was thrilled for her.  But then....I went home and got into a funk because I was hurting and needing my cane and was feeling sorry for myself. I wanted to be doing as well as she was. I finally gave in and took a pain pill last night and life looked ok again.  Guess if I still need pain pills, I should not be resistant to take them.


Today at the pool, a man started up a conversation about my "fresh scars".  He wanted to know all about my whole experience, including measurements of flexion and extension.  He then told me how great I was doing.  He, too, had had knee replacements, and he said that he was at my level at 9 months, not 9 weeks.  Guess this man was placed in my path to remind me that we all heal differently and at different rates.  I will continue to try to be patient with myself.

I'm on my way! (8 weeks)

This week marks  8 weeks post-op.  My 2 month goal was to walk unassisted in my house, and I have reached my goal!  The other day I was getting out of my bed, and I looked around and wondered, "Where is my cane?  Surely I didn't leave it in the kitchen!"  So I got out of bed, toddled to the kitchen, and hallelujah, there was my cane resting against the counter!  Since then I have consciously walked around my house some without a cane every day.


Today I walked 3 laps on the walking path in 11 minutes.  Before my PT setback, I had walked 2 laps in 10 minutes! I am feeling again like I have turned a corner.  As long as I can keep my physical therapist from knocking me down, I feel like my progress is going to increase, not necessarily exponentially, but certainly at a steeper rate.  Yay me!!

A reality of rehab (7 weeks)

It's been almost a week.  Last Friday at physical therapy, my therapist worked me really hard.  I knew I was in trouble when I could hardly walk out of there! I could not wait to get home and get in bed to wait for the throbbing to go away.  For the next 4 days, I could barely walk.  Both knees hurt with every step I took.  If I had been sharper, I would have reverted to my walker, but that thought never occurred to me.  I miserably walked around with my cane and left my walking sticks by the wayside.  Going back to the cane was a real psychological setback. (I just realized that I have not mentioned my walking sticks prior to this--I'll post about them next.)  I was in significant pain for a full 4 days, and the past 2 days have been less painful.  I saw my PT yesterday, told her I was not a happy camper, and she said, "that's not supposed to happen, but sometimes it does." Makes sense that I have to be tested, but I truly feel like I was set back 3 or 4 weeks.  The real bummer was that that very morning when I awoke, I realized that I had slept all night for the first time since my surgery!!  I was elated and felt like I had turned a corner in my recovery.  I was delighted that I had slept all night because I had not been bothered by pain. I went bouncing into PT and announced to everyone who came around that I was a new woman and that I had slept all night.  I haven't had a good night since.  I'm still taking 1 or 2 pain pills every day, and I'm really surprised that I didn't take 3 or 4 every day last week.

Trying to get straightened out (5 weeks)

I haven't done any posting about my pool exercise.  I've been going to the pool sporadically over the past 2-3 weeks.  When I left the hospital, my doctor in rehab really encouraged it as the best way to rehab.  It requires a lot of energy to get dressed, get there, and come home and shower, but afterwards I'm always glad I did it.  Exercising is tons easier in the water because the pain is so much less.  I do my regular exercises, plus others I have learned in the past from water therapy for a back injury. My biggest problem at the present is my extension or straightening of my knees.  The right is not so much a problem, but the left one is.  I have really worked on the straightening exercises that are no fun on land, but are so much easier in water.  I have been using a noodle under my heel to extend my leg and stretch really good behind my knee.  I have also spent lots of time walking backwards in the water.  My therapist was real pleased to hear that I had been doing that. (I read about walking backwards in my knee book that I recommend.)  Two days ago, my therapist did a lot of stretching of my left knee that was definitely not fun and left me hurting the remainder of the day.  So I was motivated yesterday to go to the pool and work especially hard on straightening my knees.  Today I was rewarded with great measurements.  The right knee measured 4 degrees--0 is the goal.  The left knee measured 7 degrees-- down from my last measurement of 15!!


I belong to the Y, so I am using pools that belong to the Y.  I have since learned that the Church Health Center has a heated pool that is therapeutic for arthritics.  The Y is 84-85, but the warmer pools are about 5 degrees warmer.  I would choose the warmer pools if I had a choice.  By the way, my husband wanted to do a video to jazz up my blog.  No way my blog is going to sport me in a bathing suit!

STOP THE PRESSES!

A few years ago, my mother had back surgery.  I had read that satin sheets would make moving around in bed easier following surgery, so I purchased a set for her.  Before my surgery, I thought about borrowing them, but I didn't.  I used them last night, and oh how I wish I had been using them the whole time!!  Impossible and near impossible moves were totally possible--even without all the grunting and groaning.  They are expensive, but it will be well worth the expense.

Another small advance

Yesterday I returned my Continuous Passive Motion machine. (CPM)  It's a nifty machine that sits on your bed and bends your knee slowly and for the most part without pain.  I began at around a 75 degree bend and gradually increased it every day.  Yesterday I had reached 110-115 degrees on the left knee and 125 on the right.  The amount of bend with the machine measures about 15 degrees less when bending on your own, but still, it feels great to see the progress.  I was supposed to spend 4 hours in the machine with each leg.  That's a lot of time on your back watching TV!    I am a bit apprehensive knowing that now all the bending is up to me.  Today the PT worked on my knees, tugging on them and bending them for me, and I felt better that it was probably not all up to me after all.  After her stretching and tugging, I measured 107 on the left and 117 on the right!


I'm thinking I'm going to spend some of my new found time doing some walking now.   The notes I got from the St. Francis class said by 5 weeks I should be walking 8 blocks--not even close!!  One half block, maybe?  I also plan to use the walking path at church since I am a bit leary of twigs and leaves and pine cones and other such items that could cause me to end up on the ground.  Besides the pain that would cause, I truly don't think I could get up!

4 weeks

Yesterday I had my first post-op visit at 4 weeks.  I was taken for X-rays which was ok until the tech repeated the right knee 4 times.  OK, I'm beginning to get nervous because this is my good knee, the one that bothers me the least.  Is is not so bad because it doesn't even work correctly?  She goes and gets the doctor.  He says, "She's too relaxed.""  That does not sound good.  What pain is he going to inflict on me to decrease my relaxation??!!  He comes in and positions me in an awkward position, they get the X-ray, and all is good.  I was given the freedom to do anything I feel like doing.  He felt safe saying that--heaven knows I won't be doing anything daring.  I also started learning to walk at PT.  At home I am giving up my walker and using a cane.  This has really slowed me down. (My door frames and floor moldings will be happy; I have really beat them up with the walker.)  Prior to surgery, I used my cane in my left hand for 2 years.  Now I have to use my right hand because my left knee is the weaker knee.  So every step is an effort of concentration and exaggerated motion.  When I think about what I was like 4 weeks ago, I realize I have come a long way.  Four weeks ago I was literally dragging my left foot.  I could not move it from side to side or pick it up in any way.  Two days ago I threw my left leg up on the bed, and my husband and I both dropped our jaws at my feat. At the end of each day, I write down any minor improvement I noticed that day.  Most of them have been miniscule, but at the end of the week, they add up to something noticeable.  On the days that I feel discouraged, which is more often now--I think I am getting weary-- I can look at my lists and see the remarkable progress that I have made.  You may remember that my 2 month goal was to be without assistance in the house.  I'm feeling pretty sure I can accomplish that in one month now that I have graduated to the cane already. Now my doctor wants me to work on giving up pain meds.  Since I am now off blood thinner, I can take NSAIDS.  I started out with 2 after breakfast and will take 2 with dinner, then save my narcotics for the break out pain.  Let's just say that the pain broke out sooner than I was hoping.  I am to keep records of how many pills I take over 3 days.  If I took 11 pills over 3 days, then the next 3 days, I am to take 10 or less. Sounds reasonable, but scary, too.

One Word (3 weeks)

CONSTIPATION.  I guess this goes in the ugly category.  This single word will forever strike fear in my heart.  Of course, my southern upbringing and the fact that my mother will be horrified that I am even bringing this subject up will temper what I have to say, but since I am a nurse, there are no topics that are off limits to me.


What a miserable day I had yesterday.  ALL DAY.  I knew that constipation was something that could happen because of the narcotics I am taking.  But I really didn't think it would be a problem for me.  I am so regular, you could practically tell time by my regularity.  I knew to drink lots of fluids.  But drinking fluids in the hospital required getting out of bed, and that was painful, it required calling someone every time I needed to use the commode chair and losing all privacy.  I knew to eat fresh fruits.  In the hospital, I rarely got fresh fruit, but I always made an effort to eat all fruit I was brought --even the nasty, gritty canned pears.


After I got home, I ate and drank even less than I did in the hospital.  I started taking Colace as a preventative. The bottle said 1-3/day.  I took one.  I am now taking THREE.  Yesterday required 2 enemas, and I still was contemplating the ER because I knew I was in serious trouble.  Today I am reminded of the momentos from my first delivery--painful hemmorhoids.


 Do everything you know to avoid this condition. Being more active would help, but doing 8 hours/day in the CPM limits that for me.  I have since learned there are abdominal exercises to do. I don't mind telling you that I have been affected by this physically, emotionally, and psychologically.

Pain, pain go away! (2 weeks)

This is for the 2 people I know who are following me in this journey later this month:


Here is what I have done for the past 2 days.  When I woke up, I  had mild pain, and I took one pain pill anyway.  I can take 1-2 pills every 4-6 hours.  So, every 4 hours, the pain was just beginning to creep up, and I would take one pill. I had 2 pretty good days because my pain was never uncomfortable, and I didn't mind moving around as much because it was not as painful as it has been.  I guess everyone has to figure this out for himself, but moving more freely because I was not guarding against the pain was so liberating.  So all day the past 2 days, I basically took one pill every 4 hours, then 2 at bedtime.


This morning when I woke up, I felt really good.  I had slept like a rock, I had no pain, and getting out of bed was miraculous compared to the past 2 weeks.  I thought this was going to be a really good day.  Did I immediately take my pain medicine? Nooooo.  Did I let the pain get ahead of me?  Yesssssss.  So I spent the rest of the day feeling sorry for myself and  being weepy because of my pain.  My new regimen for the duration will be one pill upon awakening, and paying attention to the clock and my pain level as the day progresses. Paying attention to the clock is more important than to the pain level. I figure eventually 4 hours will turn into 5, then into 6 hours.  

The Grass is not Greener on the Other Side

I've been home almost 3 days.  Coming home was difficult.  While in the hospital, I fantasized about how easier some things would be, and how happy I would be to be home.  It's a whole lot harder;  I've had more pain.  The actual trip-- preparation, leaving, and getting into the house were hard. I was thoroughly exhausted and having more pain than I had expected.  Even though I have great help at home, I am doing a bit more for myself and covering more territory than I did in the hospital.  I figure that contributes to my increased pain. It is hard to make myself do my exercises, but I can plan for my coordinating my pain pills and exercises better.  The day after going home, I went to physical therapy.  I was a bit apprehensive since this would be my first male therapist.  But after Slayer, this guy was quite manageable.  He even massaged my knees, which helped loosen things up in there so much!  After therapy, I was focused on how much time had to pass before I could take more pain medicine, and totally forgot that ice would have given me much relief.  I may have to resort to posting notes around to remind me about pain relief.  Things that I know just don't come to mind when I am in pain! 


Since I have to be on the CPM machine to bend my knees for so many hours, I spend a lot of time in my bed, rather isolated. Last night I went TV shopping online to buy a small TV to help pass the time while on CPM.  It was a planned purchase to be done before my surgery, but it just didn't happen.  I decided that I did not have to thoroughly research this purchase--it was not like I was spending a ton of money for a decision that I might regret.  So I made the purchase at Best Buy, and because of Christmas, they were open until 11PM,  and I sent my guys out to pick it up.  Easy as that.


Before leaving the hospital, the doctor told me that getting back in the water would be the best thing I could do, and it would speed up my progress.  I've decided to continue to be recovering from 2 major surgeries the remainder of the week-end, then go back to the pool and machines next week.  Just getting there will require more energy than I have now, much less exerting energy to do the work.  I may just be talking big.

WOO HOO!!!! I'm going home tomorrow!

I am surprising everyone by going home tomorrow.  This is not to brag one bit, but it has become very clear to me that I was more than prepared physically for this surgery.  Not one person I encountered did not not comment on how well I was doing, especially since I had had 2 knees done.  I kept hearing it over and over, and it made no sense to me.  It was very painful to stand,  it was very painful to walk, I felt like my mother-in-law in her last days, crouched over a walker.  It was very difficult to get out of bed, so I could not imagine that I was doing better than anyone else. As the days passed and the staff and I got more familiar with each other, the stories about others became more animated.  I told them that the pain is very real; maybe I was just more proud.  I had someone at 5:00 in the morning tell me that she had been watching me, and she could not figure out what was different about me.  I proceeded to tell her that I could tell her what was different--about how I spent the last year getting ready for this and what all that involved. Next thing I know, I'm having to talk about it with everyone else working that shift because she has gone back and told them about it.  If I have truly been the star that this staff has led me to believe, it's just wrong that everyone is not required to do prehab prior to surgery.  This has not been easy by any means, but according to everyone who has worked with me, I have made it look that way.  (By the way, I have always considered myself a baby when it comes to pain, so I don't think it's because I had a high pain threshold.)


So I have 3 more hours of therapy in the morning after a real shower.  Then I'm planning on pizza for dinner!

A taste of rehab (1 week)

 (Just read my last post and got tickled at all the mistakes.  Will try to remember to correct them.  I have so many postings in my head-- just hope that I can remember them.  Obviously they will perhaps be out of order.


I have had a good hospital experience thus far.  I spent Monday--Thursday in luxury accommodations.  Wood floors, flat screen TV, wifi, 4 month old bed, and Rick had spacious accommodations in the suite side.  It was impressive and definitely a selling point for the hospital.  The nurses were serious about pain control, so all calls were answered promptly.  Nursing care was efficient and professional. I did have one humiliating day, and I'm still thinking about reporting on that.  Then Thursday, I was transferred to the inpatient rehab unit.  Ugly, dark, and depressing.  It really affected me emotionally.  But the staff has been fantastic and more than made up for the dreary surroundings.


Friday I had an hour and an half of occupational therapy, an hour and an hour and an half of physical therapy.  Thoroughly exhausted me.  Saturday was unbelievable.  Same 3 hours of therapy, but intense.  I cannot go home until my knees bend to 90 degrees, plus I have to master some stairs, and walk a required distance.  The physical therapist proudly told me her nickname was Slayer.  Masochist would be better.  She inflicted great pain, all the while smiling, and asking if we were having fun!  She bent my best knee, the right knee, to 95 degrees, so I guess the right side of my body can go home.  The left knee which is the most painful, sorest, and stiffest, she managed to bend to 82 degrees.  It was truly awful.  I was convinced that my stitches would be busting any minute! Then in OT I had to pedal bike pedals with my arms for 20 minutes, lift 10# weights on a pulley for 180 times, work a rickshaw for 140 times, biceps curls (60), and several other exercises.  Then back to the room to bend each knee for 4 hours on the machine.  When I moved to this unit I was depressed about having Sunday off.  By noon Saturday, I was THRILLED that Sunday was a day of rest.  They let me eat breakfast before bathing, let me snooze before bathing, and the best thing-- put pj's back on instead of dressing!!!  Basically spent 8 hours in the bed on my machine bending my knees.  I would like to tell you that I am ready to get back to work tomorrow after my day of rest, but that would be a lie.  But I know that the work will get me closer to home, and I'm ready for that.

Last month I had surgery

Here it is the first day of December.  Doesn't seem that long ago that I had surgery.  Actually it's been 2 1/2 days.  Surgery went without a hitch as far as I know.  I had a spinal which was interesting in itself.  I was also sedated, but after the first knee the nurse anesthetist brought me back to consciousness, so I was in and out hearing what was going on, even talking some, not sure I made any sense. Recovery was a blur, but once I went back to the room I didn't have to deal with the wooziness of general anesthesia.  There was some concern since it was unknown if I were having partials or total knee replacements, and the time involved was different.  So I got a "super" spinal that kept my lower body numb for about 10 or 12 hours.  I also got femoral nerve blocks to help with the pain following surgery.  The right one worked GREAT, and I have not had one bit of surgical pain in my right knee.  The left knee worked some, but I had had 2 really bad episodes of pain.  My left leg was hurting in the OR and continued all day.  By 6 PM, I finally had the wherewithal to realize that this was not normal, and that this block was not working.  I had been using my pump all day, but it continued to get worse.  I let them know that I had to have more help, so I got Toradol and percocet.  It took a few hours to get the pain under control after that episode.  Then the next night, the back of my left knee was uncomfortable, so I stuck my ice pack under my knee.  Well, my knee pain was getting worse, and I'm thinking maybe I shouldn't have put the ice on it.  The moral of this story is don't wait until you figure out that this is a different kind of pain episode than you've ever experienced, that you must get on top of the pain.  As a migraineur, I should have known that.  Pain will not win over me again--there is no virtue in not taking pain medicine.  You must stay on top of the pain.  Today I learned that if you can take 2 pills, you should.  I don't like the woozy feeling it gives me, so I was just taking one because I was going to physical therapy and was not really in  pain at the time.  Then after a rather grueling physical therapy session, I needed that pain medicine, and they would not give it to me "because that is not the way they do it."  Some people just can't think out of the box.  Lucky for me my doctor called the floor at that time , and they talked to him, and I got a shot of morphine.  (Great, the hospital just lost power. Wonder what kind of experiences that will bring?)


Oh, the biggest shocker came yesterday when someone from rehab came to talk to me about 1-2 weeks of inpatient rehab.  I must admit, Rick looked pretty excited at the prospect.  I will find out tomorrow or Friday if my insurance will pay for it. The doctor in charge today said that almost all double knees qualify for rehab, but it's not a given.