knee replacement Update

[noteven]

Dave next thing ya know you’ll be kick starting a six fitty single 😀

[mr. cob]

59 minutes ago, noteven said:

Dave next thing ya know you’ll be kick starting a six fitty single 😀

Howdy Lawrence,  I sure hope I sqeld your name corectly.

Truth be told, years of kick starting XLCH Sportsters, 370 Bultoco's and Honda CR500 MX'ers to life and other such critters did NOT contribute to long lasting knees.  Of course many years of standing on concrete floors while running machine tools didn't help any either and not to be left out the many crashes I have survived.  Looking back its a wonder they lasted as long as they did, the original Engineer must have done a pretty good job on the OEM equipment.

Dave

[DanZemke]

"Nasty crap."

Henry,

I was in the hospital for 2 months after a motorcycle accident and got addicted to a morphine derivative (Demerol).  I vaguely remember I wasn't able to cope with small irritations.  A pull-up bar on a chain for a guy across from me was swaying and I couldn't stand it.  Apparently, I was experiencing withdrawal symptoms. And I vividly remember a doctor asking me if I enjoyed the needle.  It took a second for me to understand that he was asking how addicted I was.  Fortunately, I didn't have any positive association with the needle.  He suggested tapering off with an oral version.  I instantly, and angrily replied - Keep That Shit Away From Me.  It wasn't some kind of moral outrage on my part.  I was terrified at how the drug had affected me.  After a few day, I was OK.

Yes, Nasty.

[mr. cob]

1 minute ago, DanZemke said:

"Nasty crap."

Henry,

I was in the hospital for 2 months after a motorcycle accident and got addicted to a morphine derivative (Demerol).  I vaguely remember I wasn't able to cope with small irritations.  A pull-up bar on a chain for a guy across from me was swaying and I couldn't stand it.  Apparently, I was experiencing withdrawal symptoms. And I vividly remember a doctor asking me if I enjoyed the needle.  It took a second for me to understand that he was asking how addicted I was.  Fortunately, I didn't have any positive association with the needle.  He suggested tapering off with an oral version.  I instantly, and angrily replied - Keep That Shit Away From Me.  It wasn't some kind of moral outrage on my part.  I was terrified at how the drug had affected me.  After a few day, I was OK.

Yes, Nasty.

Howdy Dan,

Thanks for your post, I do NOT do drugs, I hate taking the ones that I have to blood pressure, cholesterol, etc and those aren't habit forming.  That is for me other then the pain of recovery the thing I am not looking forward to the darn drugs.  I know I will have to take them but I'll probably hurt more then nessisary as I don't want to take the darn things.

Dave

[GlennWest]

I took morphine for a few weeks from a badly burned hand and wrist. Hate that stuff but it works. Pt nurse was going to give me a shot and I refused. She pulle my thumb down to where the non burned hand did. I spoiled my clothes and tears poured. She gave me that shot and I never refuse it again. It did give me a headache though.

[DanZemke]

Howdy Dave,

It sounds like you already know what to do.  

Opioids can be a real blessing, for a short period of time.  My intension was not to lecture, but to suggest that shorter use is better than longer.

More importantly - best wishes that all goes well.

Dan

[SWharton]

I did both knees with no meds. The pain wasn't so bad and easy enough it to tough it out. I couldn't take Tylenol either, I am alergic.

[Hewhoknowslittle]

4 minutes ago, SWharton said:

I did both knees with no meds. The pain wasn't so bad and easy enough it to tough it out. I couldn't take Tylenol either, I am alergic.

This gives me hope that the pain will be managed without drugs making me stupid, and then getting hooked on them.

Roger

[SWharton]

Just refuse the meds but have the option to take them if needed. Best time to take them, if you are going to, is before PT. I didn't and was fine.

The drug I was offered was Oxycodine(sp?). Round, white pills. For the second knee I didn't even get the prescription filled.

[sandsys]

For my knees, the first orthopedist I saw said I was too young. He retired and the next one said I can give you cortisone shots that won't hurt. She was right. That shot let me fly to London and take the tube wherever we wanted to go. When I asked about surgery she said I would let her know when I was ready. When that time came I did both knees the same day. That meant I needed a higher level of nursing care so I got to do my one week inpatient rehab in the hospital instead of being sent to a care facility. In turn that meant I got PT six days a week rather than 2 or 3. When I woke up from the surgery they had me on a self-administered morphine drip with a maximum level preset. It took a couple days to learn the morphine was what was making me sick so I asked to be taken off it. It was replaced with some pills; I don't remember what. A woman across the hall from me had the same surgery the same day--it was from her experience I learned to take the pain meds before going to PT. The doctor said I wouldn't be able to drive for 8 weeks. I managed to wait 6 weeks. Found out later they say 8 in hopes you'll wait 6.

When my brother asked me about having his knees done, I told him before surgery the pain just keeps getting worse but after surgery the pain gets less every day until it goes away altogether. I also told him I could now walk up stairs with no pain. He had his done by the VA in Tucson then called to yell at me thinking I had told him it wouldn't hurt. He forgot the part about after recovery.

Linda

[phoenix2013]

Knee replacement is not a good "platform" to test how tough you are. If you watch the one hour video I posted, it's a massive "disturbance" to your bones muscles and tendons. Then as you are healing, adhesion form in wrong places and need to be "busted apart", muscles don't want to cooperate, tendons don't want to cooperate. The PT people are very skilled at identifying what part of that "disturbed" anatomy needs attention and in what sequence.

After the operation, you will get a "block" in that leg. Which means you will not feel that leg at all from 12-18 hours. This is the time for the nurse to start a pain killing regimen to build it up in your system, a small dose of pain killers every 4-6 hours to build it up in your system. The reason they "stage it in small doses", because a single massive dose to "take over" from the block might "keel over" some folks who have other medical issues. So they don't take a chance.

I have a very high pain tolerance and the nurses screwed up and din't start pain killers at all. 12 hours later the block wore off, we'll "it's getting uncomfortable, let's see if we can ride it out". Four hours into the "ride" the reality donned on, "this is absolutely BS, let's get some help in here!!!!!" The nurse rushed in, recognized the screw up, but still had to build it up over the next 8-12 hours. So the "ride' lasted another 8 hours till the next morning.

Next morning the doc showed up all smiling, "how you are doing, ready to do the next one in couple of days?" No friggin' way and maybe never, was my answer. However, over that day the dope finally caught up and life was good again. I called the doc and told him we are doing the next one Friday (first one was done on Tuesday).

The nursing staff was well aware of what I expected with the second one and the day after discomfort was manageable. Take the dope, you will not get addicted, with PT things change quickly and you can get off it quickly too.

[2gypsies]

I found I couldn't be a martyr and not take pain meds before physical therapy in the beginning.  If you're pain-free you can do the requirements better.  You're not going to get hooked on pain meds by using them for a few weeks, when really needed; especially if you're one not liking to take any kind of meds to start with.

[phoenix2013]

14 hours ago, DanZemke said:

"Nasty crap."

Henry,

I was in the hospital for 2 months after a motorcycle accident and got addicted to a morphine derivative (Demerol).  I vaguely remember I wasn't able to cope with small irritations.  A pull-up bar on a chain for a guy across from me was swaying and I couldn't stand it.  Apparently, I was experiencing withdrawal symptoms. And I vividly remember a doctor asking me if I enjoyed the needle.  It took a second for me to understand that he was asking how addicted I was.  Fortunately, I didn't have any positive association with the needle.  He suggested tapering off with an oral version.  I instantly, and angrily replied - Keep That Shit Away From Me.  It wasn't some kind of moral outrage on my part.  I was terrified at how the drug had affected me.  After a few day, I was OK.

Yes, Nasty.

Dan, I've been on morphine and Demerol few times, strangely Demerol makes makes me sick and yet morphine does not. I've been passing kidney stones for about 30 years, have a friggin' jar full of them, close to a hundred. Having high pain tolerance helps with the small one, they just pass, on bigger ones I might have pop an oxy (just one, just one, it makes you loopy), on few of the stones (5 mm and up) I ended in the emergency room. In one instance, they rolled out Demerol, told them it's no go, I'll just puke it out, I need morphine.

The minute they heard that I got this look like "aha, got one of those", got to get an authorization from a "higher authority". Took them 4 hours, I think they needed to consult the Almighty. During those 4 hours I was making a spectacle of myself on the gurney, on the floor, etc., the pain of a large kidney stone going down from the kidney is a bad ju-ju, but when it passes into the bladder the pain goes away instantly.

The stone passed and the "smiling nurse" shows up with a syringe of morphine proudly pronouncing that the doctor has authorized it. I had it on the tip of my tongue to suggest that she goes back and sticks up up the doctor's ass. I had a company insurance, but there was a sizable deductible with this hospital (not in my plan), I didn't pay it. They sent it to the collection agency, I still didn't pay it. 

[mr. cob]

Howdy All,

Well, the va finally got around to authorizing the cat scan on my knees, that happened two days ago so now I'll be waiting for my new knees to be built.  Left knee is scheduled to be done on August 12th, right knee is to be done on October 7th, of course this all depends on the va getting the paper work done and sent to the proper folks in time for this all to happen as planned. 

As I drive a Peterbilt, its only fitting that have Conformisbilt knees.

Dave

[Sculptor]

Dave I'm very happy for you to get to this point.  I don't remember the number of years you have lived with the pain, but you gotta be counting the days until August!!!  This will give you your life back.  All the best.

[Sculptor]

On June 22, 2019 at 4:44 PM, mr. cob said:

  Left knee is scheduled to be done on August 12th, right knee is to be done on October 7th, of course this all depends on the va getting the paper work done and sent to the proper folks in time for this all to happen as planned. 

Just asking, any more news?

[mr. cob]

1 hour ago, Sculptor said:

Just asking, any more news?

Howdy Sculptor,

Just counting down the days till the surgery trying to get stuff done before I am hobbling around during the healing process.

Dave

[Lance A Lott]

Mr Cob all I can say is stretch as much as you can now it will help you after surgery. Good luck.

[Sculptor]

On July 6, 2019 at 10:34 AM, mr. cob said:

Just counting down the days till the surgery trying to get stuff done before I am hobbling around during the healing process.

One way to think of it maybe?  you're hobbling now but the pain gets gradually worse.  In a month or 2, the hobbling and pain will go away.  

My surgeon (hip replacement ) said the joints had begun growing together, so I went from extreme pain to no pain in a couple of months.  

[mr. cob]

5 hours ago, Sculptor said:

One way to think of it maybe?  you're hobbling now but the pain gets gradually worse.  In a month or 2, the hobbling and pain will go away.  

My surgeon (hip replacement ) said the joints had begun growing together, so I went from extreme pain to no pain in a couple of months.  

Howdy Kevin,

Yesterday I was up on the roof cleaning off a couple of years worth of leaves, ceder needles and crud that accumulates on roofs here in the Nor-Wet, lots of ladder climbing and up and down movements of the knees. #*$^&%@($* I am in sever pain today but it had to be done.  I am not looking forward to the recovery but I am counting on the new knees to work better and be less of a pain after the recovery is over.

Dave

[Lance A Lott]

Mr Cob, 3 plus months and pain has now become rare discomfort. I spent the last three days on the tractor haying, again tomorrow, probably on and off 20 times a day, less discomfort now than when I started. I can walk comfortably as far as I want now and if it hurts a little at the beginning it gets better as you go. I can even get down on my knee now, peace of cardboard if on cement helps. I have trimmed several horses feet and removed and replaced both super singles on my truck took the drums off too no problems. O and I graduated PT another 3 months of it at home though. I hope they told you not to go to the dentist.

[mr. cob]

1 hour ago, Lance A Lott said:

Mr Cob, 3 plus months and pain has now become rare discomfort. I spent the last three days on the tractor haying, again tomorrow, probably on and off 20 times a day, less discomfort now than when I started. I can walk comfortably as far as I want now and if it hurts a little at the beginning it gets better as you go. I can even get down on my knee now, peace of cardboard if on cement helps. I have trimmed several horses feet and removed and replaced both super singles on my truck took the drums off too no problems. O and I graduated PT another 3 months of it at home though. I hope they told you not to go to the dentist.

Howdy Lance,

Glad to hear your recovering, OK, I'll bite, why shouldn't I go to the dentist?

Dave

[k4rs]

Evidently dental work can cause infections that affect the replacement joint.  My doctor gave me a prescription for antibiotics and told me to take them prior to any dental procedures.

Safe Travels...

[Sculptor]

4 hours ago, k4rs said:

Evidently dental work can cause infections that affect the replacement joint.  My doctor gave me a prescription for antibiotics and told me to take them prior to any dental procedures.

Safe Travels...

They told me the same.

[Lance A Lott]

I was told not to go several months befor and I think he said last week to wate 6 more months. Then for the rest of my life I have to get a antibiotic to take the day of the appointment, even a cleaning. I understand some Drs dont put the rest of your life stuff in.