Arthroscopy, TTO and MPFL recon surgery on the 11th April 12...excited! lol

[helencatherine]

2 week PO!

Hey x it's now been two weeks since I had my op, I'm due to speak to my surgeon this afternoon for my first check up :-D I'm strangely looking forward to it lol.  So far my pain is controlled, I'm currently still taking meds approx every 6 hours, 2 paracetamol, 1ibuprofen and 1 dyhdracodiene.  If I go more than 6 hours I know all about it! As long as I'm ontop of my meds my pain levels are minimal, on a bad day cu around a 4 most days it's very faint at around a 1 or 2 :-D

Moving around has become a lot easier.  I'm managing to lift my casted leg on it's own for a couple of seconds to move it onto sofa but that's about it lol, the toilet run is now a lot easier and painfree! I rest my operated leg on my crutch lol. I bought a helping hand grabber thing which makes picking things up really easy.

I do at times have bad moments.  The spasms I get hurt, I also get sharp pains in my calf and on the inside of my knee. My foot is also swollen and at times looks a different colour, it also gets very cold. I.tethad my foot checked and given the all clear :-)

I'll update later once I've spoken to surgeon xx hopefullm I'll be out this cast! Lol

[helencatherine]

  My cast is off! YAY! Now the hard work begins lol

My leg somewhat resembles a half eaten chicken leg....my quads have deteriorated, my hamstring now looks like a cheesestring lol I have no sensation around the scar sites which I may add are really very tidy and don't even get me started on how dry my normally well moisturized leg is lol....then there's the swelling, hmmm fun times.  I am now just relying on physio and my crutches.  I have no leg brace to protect my leg when i'm sleeping, it's just me, my leg, crutches and trusty painkillers, bring it on that's what i say!

I am absolutely terrified of my knee at the moment, each tiny movement I make I worry frantically that i'm going to end up hurting myself.  I'm sure given a little time my confidence will come back I had the cast removed, the surgeon then explained that I have two screws and washers in the shin area plus a disolvable screw in the mpfl area.  My stitches are all internal so I don't have the added worry about having them removed of which i'm greatful for lol.  I was sent to physio to discuss my therapy plan.  Spoke with a lovely guy who's given me some simple exercises to do over the next 10 days to work on my hamstring and quads.  I've also to practice a little weight bearing by stepping out on my operated leg but taking the majority of my weight through my crutches...it's scary, but i managed it with a little oohh aaa omg ouch ugh oh god no lol pathetic i know...but it helps me through the physio lol.  My phobia of the dreaded toilet run is back!  I have no idea how the heck i'm going to manage that now, i'd just adapted to my life in a cast lol now i need to learn how to negotiate my super leg in the making lol! 

I'm going to try post some pics nothing too graphic at the moment as I still have small dressings covering the surgical wounds I'm just so glad to have that damn itchy cast off at last!

[yc_angel]

Congrats on getting the cast off....i can so totaly imagine being freaked out by the leg....I am the same with mine lol....I hope every thing goes well...take it easy and hopefully the leg wont give you much trouble.

Xx

Angel

[helencatherine]

My Cast






Maisie the hairy hot water bottle lol



Cast off

[helencatherine]

16 days PO no cast, no leg brace :-)

Wow what a difference a day makes lol!  I had a pretty decent sleep last night but woke up this morning with a higher level of pain than I normally would have woken in wearing my cast!  now that I don't have the safety of my cast I'm totally on edge worrying that'll I'll bump it lol.  I've mastered the technique of using my good leg to help move my bad leg so I'm a bit more confident in moving on and off the sofa, toilet etc.

Knee - My knee when I woke was very stiff and very painful, this has eased off considerably thank god. I have no bruising at all however I do have a fair amount of fluid. My foot is very swollen and gets worse when I'm moving around but I have noticed that if I get up and move around it helps with relieving the stiffness and cramp that I seem to get if I sit for too long.  When I'm sitting or laying down I'm still elevating my leg and using packs of frozen peas wrapped in a plastic bag then put in a pillow case to ice my knee, shin and foot, it's such a lovely feeling lol. The spasms are still going strong but not as often but still as painful :-( getting used to them though, it's best to breathe slowly through them. I'm not sleeping with a brace on, In fact I don't have one, I'm using nothing but my crutches lol I was alarmed by this at first but now I realise that this is it. . .i just need to re learn how to move my leg.  I refuse to be frightened by it or intimidated by the lack of function I have now, it's my leg and I'll proper look after her until she's better :-)

Physio - I'm currently doing just a little physio, nothing too drastic.  I have a few exercises to do to help strengthen my quads and hamstring, mainly moving my toes towards me so it engages my quad and seated hamstring stretches, it feels lovely to stretch my leg and not in the slightest bit sore during it.  I'm also working on my ROM by sitting on the edge of my sofa and slowly sliding my heel towards me on the floor, so far my bend is pathetic lol but it's there and I'm determined to work it but I'm also going to do it sensibly and not push myself too much.  I'm next due to see the physio in 9 days so I'm going to keep at it. Increasing my reps as I go :-)

Pain - mornings are terrible but quickly controlled. Spasms are there but mostly when I'm resting, especially when I'm trying to doze off lol, they're annoying but I find that breathing slowly through it helps with the pain and panic :-D.  I'm taking medication approx every 5 hours now, I do my physio after popping my painkillers thereafter I always ice.  I'm currently taking 2 paracetamol,1 ibuprofen and 1 dihydracodiene, this has my pain controlled and at it's worst it's around a 6but that's normally first thing in the morning, during the day I'm pretty much pain free when resting and around a 2 when moving around :-)

That's my rant for now guys lol x take care x x

[Lorikeet]

You're making progress by the day, aren't you? You'll probably get used to the new state of everything in a couple of days and work out ways to manage the most needed movements. I've been using my good leg for a lot of movement but was told today I was "cheating" by the OS...I'm off to the physio for the first time tomorrow so will be interesting to see what she has me doing. I've not done so much bending with my leg on the floor but have done heel slides on the bed. I find it easier if I use my hands to pull my knee up a few times before doing it on my own. I hope you get some let up on the pain. Mine has been pretty minimal since the second weeks but I sometimes will take something at night if I've had a lot of swelling or if my knee is really aching.

[helencatherine]

Hey

Just a wee update and some pics of my sexy knee lol


Knee - My knee's still puffed up and swollen. I'm now aware of more sensation around my kneecap, at times it almost feels hmm what's the right thing to say, jelly like? almost as if it's floating? probably due to the fluid around it etc.  Each tiny movement I make is painful, but not overly painful...it's manageable, unless i misjudge my footing and take a stride too long lol then it feels as those my knee joint's floating in mid air!  I know, i'm utterly terrible at explaining this...hopefully someone will understand my explanation haha   My calf muscle hurts, sometimes it's mild and other times it's very sore.  I went to the doctors to have this checked today and also the fact that my foot seems to turn blue even if i'm only up and around for a few minutes, I was told to keep an eye out on it and go back if i have further problems but as for now everything seems to be healing the way it's meant to I'm still suffering from the painful spasms in my knee joint when i'm resting.  It mostly occurs when i'm trying to doze off during the day or when i'm trying to fall asleep at night, i've now developed a fear of going to sleep due to the pain and fright these spasms cause the doctor prescribed me some diazepam to take last thing at night, i'll try it later on and let you guys know how I get on.

Physio - I'm religiously sticking to my physio which I normally do ten minutes after taking my painkillers.  Still only doing little exercises, nothing too strenuous, simple quad, and hamstring stretches and i'm now also taking tiny baby steps with my bad leg first when i'm walking with my zimmer frame although i'm not allowed to put much weight on the leg, my arms do most of the work   By the end of this whole experience my right leg will be super tones, my right bum cheek will be solid as a rock and my arms will be like arnold swarzeneger or however you spell it lol!

Pain - My pain has gotten a little worse over the past few days, I think it'd due to the fact that i'm doing the physio and it's trying to heal....no pain no gain apparently!  My foot's still very swollen but pain free, just uncomfortable.  My pain in my knee joint at it's worst is a 9 and at it's least only a 2.  I'm managing to kinda control it but it fluctuates depending on how many times a day I do my physio.  Previously I was taking meds every 6 hours and was in control of the pain but now i'm having to take my meds ever 4/5 hours and i've had to up my doze of dihydracodiene to 60mg when the pain's at it's worst.  At the moment i'm taking 2 x 500mg paracetamol 4 times daily, 1 x 400mg ibuprofen 4 times daily, 1 - 2 30mg dihydracodiene 4 times daily and 5mg diazepam once last thing at night. 

Here's some little pics of my war wounds







take care guys x x x

[yc_angel]

Hey helen,

Im amazed at how good your doing without your brace.....its awsome....and your leg looks pretty much like mine...all swollen and puffy with no recognition there was ever a knee there but your scars are different than mine....

The discription you gave was kinda accurate...the kneecap does feel like its floating somehow..its just a weird sensation..

Continue the good work with the PT and I hope the pain stays manageble...though i think i'm going to have the same problem with the pain as you when i start PT.. .

Xx

Angel

[helencatherine]

How guys x just a bit of an update since I haven't posted in a while!

My scarring looks amazing, I'm very very happy with how it looks :-) physio was going a treat, I went from a 22degree bend to a 55degree bend in ten days, my spasms were and still are under control, then along came yesterday. . . Just when you think everything's fine. .toy leg turned blue/purple it was ice cold and I had little sensation, now I'm resting in my hospital bed awaiting an ultrasound scan to determine if I have dvt!  My physio came to visit me, he's stopped all physio for now, I'm only allowed to go to the toilet and back, I'm gutted that this is unfolding! I'm so tired I can barely keep my eyes open.

On the plus side, I'm glad I took lots of pics of things I wanted to sell in my house so I'm putting it all on eBay from the comfort of my lush hospital bed lol

[lululocket]

Hi helencatherine,

Sorry to hear about the change  Just posting to say keep going - DVT is pretty well understood and I hope that you get some sleep and feel better soon.

Lulu

[helencatherine]

Little update guys!  I have no DVT! ! ! I'm utterly exhausted by this experience.  I've spoken with my physiotherapist who's happy for me to restart my physio but take it gently and only ice my knee twenty minutes  in two hours :-) just waiting on my discharge letter then I'm hobbling out of here back to the comfort of my sofa lol

[helencatherine]

Hey guys x

Well I'm sitting outside today resting my leg :-) it feels nice to be out in the warm sun getting peace lol.  Just a few updates for those that are wonderinp what's going on now lol

Pain - I'm mostly pain free as long as I take my meds every 4 to 5 hours, if I don't I soon know all about it. Keeping it iced but only twenty minutes every two hours as per physio's advice after the dvt scare. Still wearing my compression stocking, it's quite sexy lol also relieves the pressure in my leg.

Knee - it's looking pretty good, scars are healing nicely, I'm gently rubbing vitamin e onto them and also Vaseline. I've been told to keep them out of the sunlight as apparently it makes them redder. My blueish colour has eased off. Also so has the bruising, I'm happy with my progress.  I did however suffer a set back what with the dvt scare my physio had to stop but I've been advised to gently restart my physio. I'll find out on Thursday if my Rom has been affected, hope not! I had gotten to 55 degrees bend in ten days!

I can't seem to stop sleeping! Does anyone else have this? It's annoying! Also my left arm and hand keeps going numb, any ideas what's causing this? I'm still sleeping on my back, to scared to try any other way lol

Anyways, going to enjoy this lovely weather a little while longer have fun!

Helen x

[Fogie]

Hi Helen

I too can sleep alot & also still lie on my back even though I don't normally sleep that way & I get a little pain in my lower back every morning when I wake.  I am 5 days behind you & I am still in my immobilizer.  I will be changing into a Dunjoy brace next week.  I just wanted to say thanks for sharing & well done on your 55 degree bend.  Take care.

Fogie

[helencatherine]

Thanks fogie x


I seem to sleep forever lol even the slightest effort of doing anything tires of out lol.  Unlike yourself I'm not in animmobilizer or brace, I have nothing. . . Zimmer frame, crutches and now my trusty white support stocking to prevent a clot lol it's difficult, but I'm getting there slowly but surely, it's very frustrating, I seem to be taking it out on everyone since I don't feel very independent at the moment, almost feel useless and it's not pleasant! 

I have the physio tomorrow so we'll soon find out if my Rom has taken a turn for the worst following my dvt scare.  Will update tomorrow x

Take care x

[Lorikeet]

I'm glad it didn't turn out to be dvt you had but it sounds like it was awfully worrying. I can imagine your body is trying to recover from that and sleeping is a good way of making it rest so I wouldn't worry too much about the extra sleep. I find I am also wanting to sleep quite a bit more but I think this is more due to inactivity now than recovery from surgery. If your ROM has been negatively affected,  I bet it's just a temporary setback. I found that once I had the ROM, I didn't lose it...just sometimes the swelling makes it harder to bend than others.