Jessica is now Bionic -post op diary from Austin, TX

[esther_bunny]

Hey guys!
 I'm here. Wasn't feeling well yesterday and so I slept all day. Not good for the knee I know. And today we found a stray pug on the way home from PT. Brought it in and have it in a large crate. Poor thing is blind and we are taking it to a no-kill shelter tomorrow. He ate a little and drank a little but is sleeping now.
Got back to 132 in PT today but I feel like even with the icing and the CPM the Nucynta just barely dulls the pain. Just enough so I can't get comfortable. I'm wondering if there is something I can take a long with it or instead of. When I had the hydrocodone I was taking that with the nucynta and it was working great. I know they are leery of prescribing too much hydrocodone b/c of the addictiveness of it but I just don't know what to do.

Being housebound is driving me crazy. Going out to dinner with friends tomorrow night.

[Brambledog]

That's a very decent thing to do, well done, I'd have done the same, poor little dog. Hope he gets lots of love and care at the shelter.
Sorry you're still in so much pain, it's so draining to cope with. I don't know enough about all the different drugs, but might be an idea to ring your doc and ask for their advice - they should at least be able to keep you comfortable. If docs won't play try your local chemist, they can be very good about stuff like that.

Good luck with the pain and the pug. Take care of yourself and hope things improve soon.

Brams 

[LindaM]

Hi Jessica,

I hope you are feeling better today.  You deserve to have adequate pain relief.  Excess pain delays healing, you need solid sleep to be able to function.  Don't be put off on the hydrocodone, be firm and explain that your scar tissue release is just like a second surgery and you need the same level of pain relief that you did a week out of the original surgery.  You can't do all your PT full out if you are hurting too much, and you need to, especially now after the release.  If your surgeon is reluctant,  go to your regular doctor.  They know you a lot better than your OS and will know you are being honest with them.

Good luck.

Linda

[seerobinbike]

Hey Jessica,

There you are!  Sorry that you have been feeling sick!  (Like you need more problems right now, huh?!)  Cool but sad story about the dog.  Very sweet of you to take care of him.

Hope that you had a good dinner out with friends.  I totally hear you about being housebound.

Crap that you are having so much pain after the manipulation but you kind of figured this.  Have you spoken with the doctor about your pain levels yet?  I hope you are feeling better today and will continue to.

Be well, Jess.  Robin

[esther_bunny]

hey robin,
did you send me a message? i can't see where to get it.

[seerobinbike]

Hi Jessica,

Hope you are doing o.k. and that your lack of posting means something good!  How's the knee doing these days? 

I did send you a message.  You should have been able to read the message when you opened your e-mail.  Hum.  I shall try once again.   Take good care and hope all is well with you and your sweet pup!

Robin

[esther_bunny]

hey guys!
 Sorry i haven't been around much. I haven't been on any of my usual online forums much lately. I was reading (finished The Hunger Games-excellent, and started reading, First Grave on the right). I'm such an avid reader and post surgery I just couldn't concentrate enough to read but now that I can, I am.

In other news, my right knee has 140 degrees of flexion, same as the left! And this is only 16 days post manipulation.
My balance is laughable though. Today in PT I had to stand on my right leg, bend the left one up and bend over slightly. You'd think I was a drunk trying to take a sobriety test 

Yesterday my husband and I went to Walmart for some things and walking on the hard floor for an hour killed me but that's ok.

I can go up and down stairs like a regular person, I can sit with my right  leg curled under me (fave sitting position), and most of my pain is now only at night or after PT (more soreness though).

You guys don't understand how happy I am. I went through this and 2 months before this I had Bell's Palsy. Also had to deal with my alcoholic brother threatening my husband's life this past weekend. My brother is just jealous that I have what he wants (a great marriage and a house). I'm still dealing with my alcoholic father the best I can and have gotten over the disappointment of him not coming down to help out during the manipulation.

They say God only gives you what you can handle and let's just say I have kicked some major butt.

The countdown to going back to work begins. I go back April 2 or 3 (whichever is a Monday) and have a feeling I'm going to be laid off (super long story). That in itself does not bother me. I'll sign up at all the temp agencies and go from there. I've also decided that I want to go back to school. So yay!

My life seems to be turning around for the better.

My mom is coming down this weekend so we can celebrate her birthday and she's going to cut/color my hair. Yay!

I'm thankful to have this forum and the friends I have met on it, we are all awesome troopers!

[captainruss]

Jessica,

Tell you brother he might get a visit from some of your one legged (KG) friends.  We can only fight one legged, but we take pain like no one on earth.  I am excellent at hitting peoples fist with my face until they give up!  Nothing hurts worse than this ole peg leg....so I ain't skeeered!!

Have a good time with your Mom!

Russ

[LindaM]

Hi Jessica,

Hurray for you!  Do you know how awesome 140 degrees is?  I have a new PKR that is made for 130 degrees and I made it to 131.  My PT said I will probably be the only one in the year that will make it that far and he had none last year at all.  And you have 140 just two weeks after having your scar tissue done!!!

You know what they say, you can choose your friends but not your relatives.  You have overcome the hardest family issue by picking a terrific husband having a good mom and mother-in-law and the rest of them can take a hike.  Hope your weekend is terrific.

Linda 

[seerobinbike]

Yes, Jessica. I echo everything that Linda said!  I'm sooooo happy that you've done so incredibly well after all that pain and the microfracture.  You certainly had me scared!  140 degrees.  Whoa, girl!  Don't worry too much about the balance thing; you will definately get there if you are doing stairs properly and bending the leg underneath you.  Wow.

Glad that you have had time to do some reading. I shall have to look into some of the books you've recommended.
I go though phases and haven't read any new or good books recently. 

Have an awesome time with your Mom this weekend!!

Robin  xx

[esther_bunny]

Awww, you guys

Russ, I really can't believe my brother did that. He called my husband a "no talent hack". My husband plays the piano and entered the Pulitzer competition. He has more talent in his eyelash than anyone I know. He's just jealous but he's permanently banned from our house now for sure!

Hey Linda you made it to 131, that's awesome! You know I had no idea that the replacements were made for certain degrees or how they do them. My doc said he didn't have to put in the polymer/plastic bit so that might have made a difference?

Thank you all for your kind words and support, I actually got teary eyed reading your posts. I wish you all well.

I'm truly glad that there are forums such as these. Can you imagine having a PKR or even a TKR and no one to talk to about it? I think we'd all go mad 

Robin, I don't know if you're in to Anthony Bourdain but my friend dropped off his book, "A Cook's Tour" to read while I recover. I haven't started it yet though. Besides the books I have been reading lots of Vogue, Architectural Digest, Bust, Readers Digest, and The Smithsonian. I love magazines. And as much as I hate to admit it I have read some "trashy" magazines (the gossip ones like OK! and Star) but only b/c the take minimal attention but I think I'm over them at this point.

Hearts and hugs to you all, Robin, Linda, and Russ!

[captainruss]

Anything you can get to take your mind off.

[LindaM]

Hi Jessica,

How very cool to have a talented musician for a husband.  No wonder your brother is jealous.  His comment sounds like a little kid's sour grapes. 

Technically my partial can go to 155, but you would have to be extremely thin because the practical limit is when you are thigh to calf and there is no more room to squish!  Supposedly it is okay for yoga, but I haven't found it comfortable enough kneeling to go back to a class.  I can spend very limited time on my knees and getting up and down quickly from kneeling is tricky so even pilates class is out.  I just do them myself at a slower pace at home when I can and kneel on a very thick cushion.

Yeah, we make a good support group for each other.  It makes me wish I had taken the initiative to be a member back when I had my first surgery.  i had a lot of questions and might not have been so patient waiting for the arthritis to resolve (which it never did) if I had talked with someone.  Oh well, water under the bridge.

Have a great rest of the weekend gang.

Linda

[esther_bunny]

Linda,
 I'm sure if I was skinnier mine would go past 140 but I'm chubby  . Maybe one day. My true love is swimming but I can't afford a membership anywhere right now and our HOA only has the pool open in the summer. But I'm not giving up my kickboard just yet, maybe I'll find a way to get back in to the pool.

[LindaM]

Good morning Jessica,

Swimming will be a little different when you try it.  The weight of the knee is different and so is the movement.  You really don't notice it for walking, but some of the kicks for different strokes have to be modified a bit.  I had to do some adjusting last summer when I tried and wonder how it will be with two partials this year. At least we just have partials.  My sister with her two TKRs says her legs just sink.

Now only 12 weeks to the end of school and the swimming season.  I can hardly wait.

Have a good one.

Linda