Bad Knees

[texbaylea]

Vernon, I wish I knew more about the pending reduction in medicare reimbursements. I don't really know just what effect that will have on us. Having a knee replaced is certainly no fun, but not just real bad, either. Perhaps my biggest problem is sleeping here at home. The knee gets to aching if it isn't moved for awhile; not a severe pain, maybe a 2 or 3 on a scale of 1 to 10, but just enough to keep me from sleeping comfortably for any length of time.

Bird - I was able to get a hospital type bed under medicare and that has helped with just the type of ache you have described. The position change every couple of hours helps but having sleep come in short periods is not good for overall health. You do what you have to

Vernon

 

[Bird]

Bird - I was able to get a hospital type bed under medicare and that has helped with just the type of ache you have described. The position change every couple of hours helps but having sleep come in short periods is not good for overall health. You do what you have to

Vernon

Yeah, Vernon, I've no doubt at all that a hospital bed would let me sleep better. I go back and forth at night between the bed and my recliner; only rarely sleep more than an hour at a time and never more than 2 hours. But I'm not going to try to change beds; just try to get over this sore knee.:laughing:

 

[texbaylea]

Yeah, Vernon, I've no doubt at all that a hospital bed would let me sleep better. I go back and forth at night between the bed and my recliner; only rarely sleep more than an hour at a time and never more than 2 hours. But I'm not going to try to change beds; just try to get over this sore knee.:laughing:

Yeah - plus you have to watch the amount of hydrocodone/APAP you take More than 6 in 24 hours put you over the recommended limit of acetominophen. The usual tablet is 5/500mg but you can get 10/350mg tabs which limits the amount of acetominophen you get. I start the night with 2 tabs then 1 every 4 hours. I rarely use any during the day.

"This too will pass"

Vernon

 

[Bird]

Vernon, my prescription is for the 5-325 size tablets with instructions for one or two every 4 to 6 hours as needed for pain. I've never taken more than one at a time. And I didn't record what I took the first two days I was home, but since then total pills has been:
9/5 = 2
9/6 = 4
9/7 = 3
9/8 = 5
9/9 = 4
9/10 = 2
9/11 = 2
9/12 = 2

I might not have really needed two already today, but I took one this morning to do my torture exercises, then one about 11:30 a.m. as a preemptive strike:laughing: because we were going to some friends' home for lunch; first time I've gotten dressed and gone anywhere since the surgery. Driving the Crown Vic was no problem and I left the walker home and just took my Bubba Stik.

 

[westbrooklawn]

Bird - sounds like you're making major progress... GREAT!! It may not seem like major progress to you since you are living the recovery day by day, but to get out, drive, and not need the walker seems like a major step from where you were a week ago.

My bet is that you will be amazed at how good you will be doing in a month...

 

[heehaw]

the wife just returned from her first outing to WM, since her surgery, 3 weeks ago yesterday: all seems to have gone fine: she has the same problem at night, the knee starts hurting when not moved around enough: so sleep is catch as catch can.
heehaw

 

[Bird]

the wife just returned from her first outing to WM, since her surgery, 3 weeks ago yesterday: all seems to have gone fine: she has the same problem at night, the knee starts hurting when not moved around enough: so sleep is catch as catch can.
heehaw

Well, you can tell her I understand. Mine won't be 3 weeks until this coming Monday. I got out the first time Sunday when we went to visit friends and have lunch with them, then day before yesterday, we went to Walgreen's and got our annual flu shots. This morning, I had to go to the AAA office to get some documents notarized, then dropped them off at a UPS pickup place. But I haven't had to walk too far or too each time. Driving is no problem for me.

I'm going to try something a bit different tonight and that is to take a Benadryl in addition to the pain pill when I got to bed. My wife has been recommending that, but I've been reluctant to mix medications, but the home health care nurse recommended the same thing this morning, so we'll see how it goes.

 

[heehaw]

when my wife takes benadryl, she really gets wired: it has just the opposite reaction on her as it does on most folks: an i'm the same way..if i want to feel drugged, an not be able to sleep, one benadryl will do it. sure seems like they are giving the flu shots early this year?
heehaw

 

[tommu56]

when my wife takes benadryl, she really gets wired: it has just the opposite reaction on her as it does on most folks: an i'm the same way..if i want to feel drugged, an not be able to sleep, one benadryl will do it. sure seems like they are giving the flu shots early this year?
heehaw

some times it is the fillers or color that can set you off

tom

 

[Reg]

Hmmm, two of you (I mean one of you and the wife of the other one of you) did NOT get a CPM to take home.

My wife got one for three weeks each time.

OK, so I'm second guessing the post surgical care, but given that lack of movement stiffness/discomfort seems to be a MAJOR symptom with the two that didn't get a CPM, with no such symptom in the other two - I gotta say; ASK for one, DEMAND it even.

 

[Bird]

when my wife takes benadryl, she really gets wired: it has just the opposite reaction on her as it does on most folks: an i'm the same way..if i want to feel drugged, an not be able to sleep, one benadryl will do it. sure seems like they are giving the flu shots early this year?
heehaw

Well, with only one night, I can't say for sure the Benadryl was what did it, but I did sleep more last night than I have any night for quite awhile.

According to the newspaper stories, they expect a mild flu season and the "seasonal flu" shot this year includes the swine flu vaccine, so one shot is all that's required. The Dallas County Health Department started giving the shots the first of this week. The Denton County Health Department said they hadn't received their shipment yet, but expect it any day. But the local pharmacies are giving the shots.

 

[Bird]

Hmmm, two of you (I mean one of you and the wife of the other one of you) did NOT get a CPM to take home.

My wife got one for three weeks each time.

OK, so I'm second guessing the post surgical care, but given that lack of movement stiffness/discomfort seems to be a MAJOR symptom with the two that didn't get a CPM, with no such symptom in the other two - I gotta say; ASK for one, DEMAND it even.

Reg, you may be right. How much did your wife use it, and how often was she seen by a physical therapist? I think I've got a good physical therapist. He has been coming every day, except last weekend, for a couple of weeks. But after today, he only plans to come once a week (Wednesdays) the next 3 weeks. I had gotten a little booklet at the hospital that shows 12 exercises to do. He's added 4 more. For most of them, the booklet says to do 10 repetitions once or twice a day. He usually has me do 20 repetitions when he's here, and later each day I do 20 more of each.

There's some problems I could imagine with using the CPM at home. They're rather large, bulky, and awkward to move around. I've never been able to sleep flat on my back and don't have a bed with adjustable tilt at the head. And some of us get up during the night to go to the bathroom. But I've no doubt at all that the constant motion and exercise helps a great deal.

 

[Reg]

Agreed Bird, they're probably not for everyone.
My wife can sleep; in just about any position, just about anywhere, just about any time.
DANG, if I could sleep like that (-:
She was propped half way up with stacks of pillows, almost a hospital bed position.
Neither of us do middle of the night bathroom runs (yet~), she can quite happily hold it for 12 hours or more.
There were no questionnaires to determine whether or not to send us one, it was just part of the package.
Different routines for different docs, I get that, but the continuous movement does seem to have been a very good thing - not that we have an A/B controlled experiment here (-:

To your question; 3 times a week for about a week and a half, maybe 2, then twice a week for the remainder of the three weeks. She then went to out patient "GYM" twice a week for 4 weeks.

I mentioned it before, but MASSAGE really helps.
At first I was alarmed at how aggressively the pt woman rubbed right across and on the actual scar, but I learned to do it and supposedly it breaks up scar tissue and helps healing.
It still amazes me that it doesn't actually HURT, but I can read the look of relief and I'm still doing it from time to time on the left one (April 19th surgery, nearly 5 months) it might be for pleasure now more than pain, I'm OK with that.

 

[Bird]

Different routines for different docs

Yeah, that's for sure. My therapist has told me he used to work in an office with 2 orthopedic surgeons. They were good friends and worked together, except one used the CPM and the other would not use one at all. He says every time one of them found a new study published supporting his point of view, he'd send a copy to the other doctor; kind of a running joke. But the therapist said the bottom line was that both of their patients did well.

 

[jlsmith]

Hope all is well and hope for a speedy recovery. Get well soon BIRD:thumbsup:

 

[Bird]

Hope all is well and hope for a speedy recovery. Get well soon BIRD:thumbsup:

Thanks for the good wishes. And everyone tells me I'm doing great, but of course, I'm not the most patient fellow in the world so it's a little slower than I would prefer, but with my wife to look after me and kids and grandson to do the mowing, I really can't complain.:laughing:

 

[MarkV]

I don't know Bird, with the wife looking after you and the kids and grandkids doing the yard work you may not want to recover too fast. At least wait until Fall, doesn't that happen about Nov. in Texas?

MarkV

 

[Bird]

Yep, Mark, for many years the last mowing of the year was the middle of November.

 

[crusty 1]

Mornin Bird,I have to admit I,ve not been reading [bad knees] posts.I,m getting a little scared one of mine is starting to go bad.You know the old "don,t think about it and it'll go away":laughing:Glad to hear you are on the mend.Good time to have loved ones around to help isn,t it? Any way my well wishes are late for the above reasons,hope your back to normal asap:thumbsupave

 

[Bird]

You know the old "don,t think about it and it'll go away"

Yep, that worked after a few months with my left knee, so I tried it for a year or with my right knee. Maybe if you start a little earlier, the injections might do the trick (or of course they might not).