Hello to all....
I ws sitting last night, watching TV, when the phone rang. It was a
friend wondering if I was OK, since they'd not seen me "On-line" recently.
It occurred to me that I might send out just this one note, rather than many, to
let you all know where I've been. (Assuming that anyone cares!)
January 14th, I went into the hospital for a total knee replacement
(TKN). It was one of the new "Minimally invasive" replacements, done in
the joint replacement wing of a local hospital, and performed by one of the
better-known surgeons in the field. He does about 900 of these a year, and
has an excellent reputation. The hospital stay was to be 3 days, with me
leaving in a walker, able to return home for recuperation.
Unfortunately, the three days became 8 days because I developed pneumonia
and I had a bad reaction to the pain medication Oxycontin that left me
less than rational! I've spent most of the last two weeks in my
recliner, and most of my exercise has been walking back and forth to the
restroom and going to therapy three days a week. Last night was the first
time I've been able to sleep in my own bed, and it was wonderful! I feel
as though I've been eating Vicodin like peanuts, but all the medical
professionals, including my physical therapist, tell me it is OK, and to "Keep
ahead of the pain" because playing "catch-up" isn't fun! From my
experience, I agree with them. Another lesson I learned is that the
therapists use a type of ice pack that is far superior to anything you can buy
in a store and they can sell them to you for a very reasonable price. The
knee doesn't feel too bad but all those muscles up and down the leg ache like a
toothache. It's taken me three sessions to sit at the keyboard and
write this.
I can now walk steadily but with pain and know how to go up and down
stairs. The therapist has me doing the stepmaster machine and parallel bar
exercises in addition to his manipulations, and I guess that I feel as though
I'm making progress but not nearly as fast as I though it'd be.
Anyhow, enough of this for now!
Thanks for listening,
Joe
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