Situation IS getting better:)

[emergRN]

Tez,

Sorry you had to be stressed out like that over your incision.  Personally, I think that that nurse should have just asked one of her coworkers to have a peek at your incision before verbalizing that to you.  Not smart!  Well, the good news is that you got to spend some time with your sister, and had a little bit of sweet afterward.

Do be careful with the bending for the next couple of days to make sure that your incision stays together.  Do it gently!  You did have a lot of drainage.  Did they put any steri strips on your incision after they took the sutures out??  I am a fan of absorbable sutures(when they are tied right, and don't work out of you...lol).

Thanks Tez!  I had the interview while I was in Vancouver, and decided shortly there after that this is something that I really want to do!  I remember waking up in that recovery room in November, and I was thinking that "this place is not a job. it's a situation".  I have managed to find an apartment very close to the surgery centre, so I will be able to walk to work!  It is going to be weird at first though!  I have been there twice as a patient, and now I will be working there.  At least I will be very familiar with their ortho discharge instructions..lol!  I have had docs look after me who I have worked with before, but I have never had a doc that looked after me, and then went to work with them.  It kind of makes me feel kind of funny! 

I guess the bonus of all of this is that I won't have to fly 5000km to see my OS.  Too funny!  This is very cosmic the way this is all working out...very strange indeed!  Like I have been saying, when things all start to happen like this, you cannot ignore it!  It is like this is supposed to happen!

Lottie and Brams...I saw the lovely pics of the beach on FB.  The landscape looks a lot like where my father is from.  The red cliffs and all!  I hope you gals are eating, drinking, and shopping to your hearts content.  I guess you can bond some more over epsom salt soaks at the end of the day!

Robin...thanks!  Have a Sam Adams for me as well!  It is so humid here tonight, I feel like making a margarita!  I would probably fall asleep in the glass!  Not much done on the house front today.  I am finding that since we have added stuff at physio, and the much added activity at home, that my knee is not liking it very much.  I was useless today, and I felt great when I went to physio!  I guess I am going to have to figure out a way to do what I need to do without setting myself back!  I cannot let that happen now.  The resignation letter is submitted!  If anything happens to me now, I will have to work, even if it kills me!

RK4..I guess it is the same old, same old for you.  That is really too bad!  Not what I was hoping for you.

I hope the rest of the gang are doing well. 

A..when is your allergy testing due to happen?  I hope you get some answers!

W

[Rknees4]

W so glad things are going your way.
As for me not what I wanted either but what I want and what I get usually aren't one and the same.
Tez Just bend the old knee slow and careful or put some band aides across it to help hold it together if they didn't put steri strips on.
I am with W I like absorbables as well.  They have always worked for me.
Well Everyone have a good evening.
Rk4

OH OH Tez is up.

[tez27]

Robin your right about PT for  now its all pretty easy stuff for the time being, then when the knee recovers from this op it will be strengthening for the next surgery, which I have done before so know exactly what I need to do there.
W they did put a couple of steri strips on part of the incision but kept them away from the inflamed bit which is crazy cos thats where the drainage was coming from but so far so good I haven't looked under the dressing but as far as I can see there is nothing leaking out so I think all is well its just all a bit painful tonight, could be a wee combo of everything that happened today and I'm sure it'll feel better tomorrow.
W as for the job it does sound like it was meant to be, I'm a great believer in fate and from what you have told us fate pushed you into traveling for your op and finding a place you would enjoy working in, as the wise Robin said you must be a bit scared and a lot excited about it all.
How have your folks taken the news? I hope they're ok about you moving away again.
Right I think I will try to get some sleep good night lovely people
Take care Tez

RK4 looks like we were posting at the same time I am so sorry you have been left with all this pain I think we all hoped you would get some relief from this last surgery, I just wish I could do something to help you feel better unfortunately all I can offer is a (((hug))) from time to time

[Rknees4]

Tez that old Scotish hug does wonders!!!
Sleep well.
Hey W
Rk4

[emergRN]

Tez..they did the right think in not putting the steri strips over the inflamed area!  If it is going to open up, it will do it from the inside anyway, not the outside!  You heal from the inside up to your skin!  Keep a close eye on it! 

Mom and Dad were very sedate when I first told them.  I told them over the phone when they were out of town.  After about an hour, the phone calls and questions started.  They are OK, and understand why I am doing this.  Dad and I have the same philosophy on this one!  You only go this way one, so you had better make the most out of it!  He says he still cannot believe that I am going!  He said he is going to miss me!  I think he is a bit sad, actually!  I do feel bad leaving my senior citizen parents.  I keep telling them that there is no snow in Vancouver(for the most part), and they can always come visit!

W

[tez27]

W I'm pretty sure your parents just want the best for you and even though they will miss you they will know its the right thing for you to do, sometimes we all have to do what's right for us even if its going to make someone else sad, I would hate to think of either of my kids moving away but would never stand in their way if I thought it was the right thing, and I deffo think this is the right thing for you.
Take care Tez

[Rknees4]

Hey Gang,
Just the usual in Rk4 land.
Tez hope today is better for the tez knee.
Take Care all.
Rk4

Hey Tez take your trammies and get some sleep.
Here is a hug from across the pond.(((((HUG)))))
Rk4

[FMRCathelete]

W- Congratulations!  I had a feeling this was on the horizon for you and am so happy you are embracing it!  I'll toast my Sam Adams with Robin's for you.  I'm sure your parents are sad & happy for you all at once.  Your Dad sounds as though he has a good perspective and is supportive.  Hope the knee has calmed down with some rest and you can ease back into the renovations soon.  I will have blood drawn this week & then it will take about 2 weeks to get results.  I am am waiting for one more piece of paperwork from OS to send in with the kit.  I have a former nurse I work with & she may draw blood for me so I don't have to go have that done.  It doesn't snow much in Vancouver?  Yet Whistler so close!  Sounds even better for you!

RK4 -Big hugs from me too!  I was sooooo hoping this would give you relief.  Are you sure there's not someone out there with a voodoo doll of you?  That's what I say sometimes when no one has an answer -not sure who it is, but I sure wish they'd quit!

Robin -I don't think anyone here would think you are a complainer.  We all have expectations after a procedure and even when we tell ourselves we'd be happy with x, we still want y & z pretty badly   I absolutely know the person who left the sharps container would feel like dirt if she knew I tripped over, so asked others not to tell her.  She has been one of the most empathetic people at work and brought me an ice pack afterwards.  The knee has recovered, but it did take a few days.

Tez- That nurse should have never said those things in your presence!  Glad you had your sister there and another nurse to counter and get you taken care of.  Take it easy with the PT until the oozing & swelling settles down. 

Lottie & Brams - Hope you are having an amazing time! I'm sure you'll both fill us in on your adventure when you can.  I am enjoying watching the games, though J is thrilled that the swimming is over, think he is sick of hearing about Michael Phelps (& seeing his Mom). 

Hello to everyone else!  Hope everyone is having a nice weekend and taking some time to relax.  Cheers-A

[tez27]

Hi folks....its very quiet on here these days I hope that means everyone is doing well and all the pesky joints are behaving, I am having another bad night, at least I dont need to worry about getting up for work in the morning, that helps!!!
I  have already asked for any info anyone can give me about getting an acl brace on my diary and thought I would see if anyone on here has any suggestions too, I am not sure if I will need one or not for going back to work but at the moment the knee is quite unstable and unless that improves I will have to think about getting something to help me stand all day untill my 2nd stage of the revision, I will discuss it with Paul and Mr B but I would like to have as much info as I can before I do, W I know you use a brace from time to time is yours especially for an acl deficient knee? if it is what type ect and was it made for you or an otc one? Anyone else with experience with this kind of thing??

Take care Tez xx   

[Rknees4]

Hey Tez
Sorry you are having another bad night with the Tez knee but remember it hasn't been that long since the surgery.
As for a brace I would get one special made if you can't find and OTC that fits really well. If you have a generic leg you should be able to find one that fits quite well if not I guess you have to pay the extra for a custom fit brace. Fit is everything the more comfortable it is the more likely you will be to wear it.

As for the knees. They are just as miserable as before surgery so that was a total waste of quad muscles. So I am quite down at the moment.
But tickled for W and her knee and new adventure.

A... as for the voodoo doll it is probably my sister in law she thinks the farm is all hers and would love to see me and mine just disappear so she could have it all..

W hope you are having a good weekend.
Take Care the rest of the gang.
Rk4

[Snowy]

Hey Tez - the best thing to do with a brace is to go and see a certified fitter and have them try a range of braces on you. There are a ton of ACL specific braces, and the only guaranteed way to find the best one for you is to try them and see what works best. I was extremely lucky in that the HQ of one of the major brace manufacturers, Ossur, is based locally, so I got the five star treatment - I went for walkabouts in all of their ACL braces, then had my leg put in a full plaster cast for the most accurate fit possible. The brace I picked was the Ossur Paradigm, which hit the perfect sweet spot between feeling super supportive and also being impressively lightweight. I honestly forgot I was wearing it most of the time.

Because you're not looking at protecting the knee during intense sporting activity, an off the shelf model should be fine. If you do decide to go for the full custom brace, it does have the benefit of a lifetime guarantee - which may be worth its weight in gold if your leg changes shape due to reduced mu scle mass after surgery. I definitely think you will see the benefits of having a brace to support while you wait for the second stage of the revision.

I would highly recommend Ossur based on my experience and the brace's performance, and I've also heard really good things about Townsend braces.

[emergRN]

Hey Tez,

I also have an Ossur.  I have the CTI and I believe Snowy has the Paradigm.  My leg changed shape after the last op, and if that happens within the first year, they will replace the brace for free.  I ended up with a completely new brace.  If you have any unicompartmental damage in your knee, you can also combine the ACL brace with an offloader.  This might help with work as well(if you are wearing down one side of your joint over another).  I also have the valgus built into my new one.  It fits MUCH better!

What ever you get, just make sure that it fits really well.  You almost need to forget that you have it on!  If you have insurance, I would go with the custom brace.  Standing on your feet for 8 hours a day is hard work as well, and you will be guaranteed the proper fit!

You can use it after your op for stability until your graft is good and solid as well!

W

[FMRCathelete]

Tez - sorry you're still hurting and not sleeping .  I think a brace is very wise & was a bit surprised they didn't plan to send you home with one (or one on order).  I haven't had ACL issues, but after my lateral release I had lots of fluid built up (had to be drawn out) as well as swelling and felt unstable for about 1 & 1/2 to 2 months.  I'm sure taking everything into account that feeling will get better, but with your line of work bracing is excellent idea.  If I worked in a different setting or with a less empathetic supervisor I would be wearing brace too.  On a different note, I learned today that we are all sleeping wrong.  Before the lightbulb was in common use, people had 2 separate sleep times -one from sundown til about 1-2AM, then 1 hour awake that felt like you had emerged from a day at the spa, then back to sleep until sun-up.  No wonder we all have sleeping problems, we've got it all wrong!  Oh well, life as we know it would never allow for such "nonsense"   Sending hugs from across the pond.

Snowy- Aren't you just excited to know that W is going to be a new "neighbor"?  I'm sure you've known for awhile now, but still it is always great to have more friends near.  How are you & J and the cats of all sizes?  Hope all is well.

RK4- At least you know who holds your voodoo doll -now doesn't she know by now that you're staying put come he-- or high water?  Sad when folks can't share. 

Well I get blood drawn in AM for allergy testing -just panicked as I had put kit in "safe" place & thought J took it to recycling as I couldn't find it.  That's me, hide things to keep them safe & then can't remember where that safe place was.  Alas it is found.  I'm not sure if I should, but I hope I am allergic to the metal or cement as at least it would be an answer.  I haven't asked yet what we shall do if it is, will cross that bridge only if needed.  We are having some beautiful weather & it makes me want to go for a long hike -we have many great trails nearby with rock formations & waterfalls & was a big reason why I moved back here.  Maybe next year.....until then I will just make J take me on motorcycle rides as often as possible!  cheers -A

[seerobinbike]

Oh, Tez. I hope that the knee is feeling a wee bit better every day.  Sorry that you had such a crappy night.  I'm glad that you got some good advice on the knee brace; I'm surprised as well that the hospital didn't send you home with one or offer up some suggestions.  Thank God for Knee Geeks!  Do you have a date when you need to be back at work?  (If you mentioned this somewhere, I'm sorry!)  Did you decide whether you guys might take off for a while before you go back to work?  Hugs to you Tez.  Big, Scottish hugs.  xx

Rk...Hugs to you as well.  Are the knees any better?!  You must feel extremely let down.  Hope the family is well and those cats are behaving.  I know ours aren't!  Rudy is trashing the house, the bad boy. We are replacing window blinds left and right because when he sees the shadow of a bird fly by, he jumps and takes the whole dang blind down with him.  I'd make him a barn cat if we had a barn. 

W...Hope the house is coming together for you.  You sound like you are working your butt off to get it ready to roll.  Take a day off and go enjoy yourself.  Life's too freaking short.

A...I'm happy to read that your knee did heal from the spill you took.  That's really interesting about the allergy testing.  I don't know how I missed that in your previous posts!  That would be sweet if that was the answer to your knee woes.  I want you to be able to hike those beautiful trails.  Any plans for the upcoming weekend?  Summer is flying by.  Life is flying by.

I'm doing pretty good and have been trying to really crack those personal training books so I can take the exam and have that behind me.  I also have to take some classes so stay certified as a massage therapist so I will be a busy bee in the next few months.  I found a cool one on kinseotaping that will give me CEU's for both massage and personal training!  I'm also due to begin a job with hospice.  It's a part time gig; I will be giving massages to patients of hospice and their caregivers.  It's a nice set up and it would be so rewarding!  I just hope I can do it.

Hope everyone else is hanging in there and being good!

Hugs, Robin xx

[Brambledog]

Hi gang!!

Sorry have been awolling for a few days - summer holiday itis reigns supreme, and madness mayhem and multiple moodswings are the result, lol  We have everything crossed that the weather is about to make a major moodswing of its own and cheer up a bit!!! It's been muggy today with not as much rain, and the forecast is better for tomorrow....so who knows?..... My youngest has a friend here for a sleepover for two days (I must be crazy), so a bit of sunshine is definitely in order!

The knee and foot have not been happy recently, so I'm getting a touch fed up with it all. Be interesting to see whether sunshine improves it or makes it even worse! Didn't help that I forgot some tabs on my seaside trip with Lottie  honestly, you'd think I'd know about that by now! The crips wasn't in good form anyway, and my stomach wasn't happy with some of the food (the joys of being a coeliac and trusting kitchen staff in restaurants, lol), so I wasn't on top form! Bless... Lottie felt a bit crook on the second day as well, so we were a right pair on the way home - didn't even stop for a Costa!!!!!! Must have been bad..... On the other hand the sea was lovely!!! We arrived, checked into our nice little rooms, and then bolted for the beach! The tide was in, but there was a little strip of sand, and I managed to be first off with my shoes and socks and paddling away. Lovely stuff. Managed to get the knees wet, lol, but waves don't do neat lines so I got a lot wetter than I meant! We stopp at a nice farm shop on the way back, and I managed to pick J and the girls up a lovely ham and chicken pie, and some gorgeous cheese and chutney.....nice tea!

Tez - I'm sorry you're not seeing a quicker improvement in your knee, but it will come eventually. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for you with the sleep thing though, must be horrendous. Hugs against the crappy nasty awful pain - I hope things improve quickly. x

W - I'm so pleased you are able to make the move to Vancouver!!!!! You obviously really wanted to move there after your last trip, and if you can do it, that's even better!! I hope it's everything you want it to be. Obviously there are always things that aren't so good, and I know you won't have found it easy to tell your parents, but it feels like a really positive move for you, and getting that job is just amazing! Well done and good luck with it all. Moving house is always stressful, but a few bottles of vino and some chocs will keep the whole process running smoothly....

Robin - gosh you are the academic gal aren't you?! I'm very envious, I'd love to get back to the studying, but what floats my boat costs cash! The course on taping etc sounds really good idea in terms of broadening your skillset - your order book will be filling up nicely... The work at the hospice sounds lovely, it'll be rewarding work and you'll know you're giving pleasure to your clients as well. Win win.

A - I've obviously missed some posts, so apols for being on the thick side, but what allergy tests are you having? Is it anything to do with the sharps incident you had? Hope the test itself goes ok and your results are what you hope.... I'm completely with you on the sleeping thing - we do indeed sleep all wrong. Time we had some help from the sleep experts to give us something we can work around modern life with!

Snowy - how is everything with you? Hope all is well there with life and the knees, lol, and you are able to enjoy some good weather.

Rk4 - sorry the knees are still a bit up and down Hope you get some sleep and the pain levels go down for you.

Anyone I've forgotten, sorry!

Right, off for some more tutoring, it's far too hot for concentration - might just take some ice-creams and we can bunk off and sit on the patio!!  Of course I wouldn't do that, I'm far too professional.....lol.

Take care everyone and hope those knees and whatnot behave for you.

Brams