Because it was my right leg, I couldn't drive until 9 weeks post op. Pat came with me for my first trial run, sorry to say it wasn't easy after about 30 minutes was all I could take, but then just riding in the car is painful but mainly in my left hip, but riding in the car isn't any more comfortable I can last maybe one hour is all.
I was feeling pretty good and getting cabin fever so on a nice day we decided to take a ride to Lake Erie Park and try a short walk. I went too far, and had a really hard time getting back to the car such a hard time that I caused some sort of pain in my right foot. it hurt to touch and stand on it.
By the next day my foot was swollen and red on the top fire red I was pretty sure I had sprained it so I used ice packs and laid in bed. it got so bad that I couldn't step on my foot what-so-ever, so got the crutches out just so I could make it to the bathroom. This was a huge set back, just lifting my foot caused pain so I couldn't do any of my exsersizes, leg lifts, nothing....
I hated to see the Dr. about this because I've had sprains before and was pretty sure this is what my problem was, but the redness kept getting worse each day and I started having pain in my knee because of the way I was trying to walk and my ankle was turning in because I couldn't put any weight on the outside of my foot. I need to see a Dr. but who? My Family Dr. would just write a script to get x-rays, so I decided to cut out the middle man and see the Orthopedic who has x-ray equiptment right there in his office and if I had a break he could cast it up right there too.
Alas his girls who answered the phone would have no part of it no matter how I begged and told her Doc said if I had any problems call and come see him, since this was doing bad things to my knee I figured that warranted my visit. She said I couldn't get in to see the Doc until December, and I'd have to go to the ER first. So thats where I went, knowing fair well i'd probably get an ace bandage and sent on my way.
I needed to be sure there wasn't a break, and sure nuff no break, They give me 3 days worth of norco 5 and tell me to see the Orthopedic if it doesn't get better in another week, WELL I had already waited a week, no home therapy and now another week, no therapy, I am going down hill. My leg is becoming stiff and painful once again. Now I'm back to walking with a cane, leg swollen and red.
Here I am 12 weeks in and none the better.....yet
btw, so sorry for the typos/misspelled/ ranting, it's really hard to think, I have't been able to crochet because it's just one mistake after another, Blame the pain meds, or blame the pain, I can't be sure
Friday, November 7, 2014
Thursday, November 6, 2014
Knee Update
I'd best get writing how things are going before I forget. Seems that's what happened to all the people Who had this done, they just plain forgot what they went through.
I'm in my 12th week of recovery. My out patient therapy lasted 7 weeks, 3 days a week for 2 hours each visit. I loved it, It was very motivating me to keep moving I would take a Norco 10 about 30 minutes before my appointments as recommended.
The first thing was to lay on a table legs propped on a huge pillow and electric patches put two on each side of my knee then heat packs laid on top of that they called it heat stim pacs, it wakes up my nerves and helps me to get through the exercises so 15 minutes with that on and it feels great!
then I have standing, sitting and laying exercises to do the standing ones are hardest for me like marching, up and down stair, leg raises and tilt board. all each just 3 minutes which may as well have been 3 hours, My legs would feel so heavy that I couldn't pick them up and the timer would go off at three minutes, I'd be saying ~whew~ there are lots of ways to strengthen leg muscles so I learned. after a total of none stop 45 minutes, then the therapist would manipulate my leg while I did my best to relax it and let her move it for me,( 15 minutes) generally just a bit more than I could move it on my own.
Then a cold stim pack for 15 minutes to help with swelling. Yes my leg is still discolored and swollen. they tell me it's extra blood running to the leg, and a normal expected thing to happen.
Something I didn't know was there is a nerve that runs right across the knee cap that usually gets cut sometimes numbness remains for a life time on the outside of the knee, yes I am numb and can't feel the stimulation on that part of my knee but before surgery I already had neuropathy a bit in my feet because of my type 2 diabetes.
Now at 12 weeks post op I am numb from just above my knee to the tip of my toes. ( they tell me that is normal)
When I lay down I tend to want to lay on my side but it feels like my knee cap is pulling away and falling off. Ice packs all day long to try and keep the swelling down,it doesn't seem to help but it feels good.
About the pain I experience, well....it's horrifying, I am beside myself, I don't sleep at night and I cried daily for the first two months I was taking norco 10's 4 to 6 times a day, it really didn't help much, just made me sleepy and I would fall asleep for 2 hours then have to wait for time for the next pill, I had to start smoking weed which was the best help and relief I got so I'd recommend doing this highly, I'm not a pot smoker, well not since the 70's so this was a decision I needed to make and am very glad of my choice. I think i'd call anyone a fool for not at least trying it. I swear it has helped me immense. Besides, it's a million times safer than the norco's
I'm in my 12th week of recovery. My out patient therapy lasted 7 weeks, 3 days a week for 2 hours each visit. I loved it, It was very motivating me to keep moving I would take a Norco 10 about 30 minutes before my appointments as recommended.
The first thing was to lay on a table legs propped on a huge pillow and electric patches put two on each side of my knee then heat packs laid on top of that they called it heat stim pacs, it wakes up my nerves and helps me to get through the exercises so 15 minutes with that on and it feels great!
then I have standing, sitting and laying exercises to do the standing ones are hardest for me like marching, up and down stair, leg raises and tilt board. all each just 3 minutes which may as well have been 3 hours, My legs would feel so heavy that I couldn't pick them up and the timer would go off at three minutes, I'd be saying ~whew~ there are lots of ways to strengthen leg muscles so I learned. after a total of none stop 45 minutes, then the therapist would manipulate my leg while I did my best to relax it and let her move it for me,( 15 minutes) generally just a bit more than I could move it on my own.
Then a cold stim pack for 15 minutes to help with swelling. Yes my leg is still discolored and swollen. they tell me it's extra blood running to the leg, and a normal expected thing to happen.
Something I didn't know was there is a nerve that runs right across the knee cap that usually gets cut sometimes numbness remains for a life time on the outside of the knee, yes I am numb and can't feel the stimulation on that part of my knee but before surgery I already had neuropathy a bit in my feet because of my type 2 diabetes.
Now at 12 weeks post op I am numb from just above my knee to the tip of my toes. ( they tell me that is normal)
When I lay down I tend to want to lay on my side but it feels like my knee cap is pulling away and falling off. Ice packs all day long to try and keep the swelling down,it doesn't seem to help but it feels good.
About the pain I experience, well....it's horrifying, I am beside myself, I don't sleep at night and I cried daily for the first two months I was taking norco 10's 4 to 6 times a day, it really didn't help much, just made me sleepy and I would fall asleep for 2 hours then have to wait for time for the next pill, I had to start smoking weed which was the best help and relief I got so I'd recommend doing this highly, I'm not a pot smoker, well not since the 70's so this was a decision I needed to make and am very glad of my choice. I think i'd call anyone a fool for not at least trying it. I swear it has helped me immense. Besides, it's a million times safer than the norco's
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