Listening to the Voices in my Head

Not really fun, but hey...

On July 7th, I had a total left knee replacement. The surgery went ok, but as usual, I had a bad reaction to the medication. Instead of the surgical meds, the post-op medications threw me for a loop.  It made me pass out face first into a cup of apple juice, thereby inhaling some.  Apple juice induced pneumonia! Two days of strong antibiotics set me to right.

Came home on July 13th. Brain still felt as if it had been packed in some sort of fog. Have been told this is normal.
The left leg was swollen from mid-thigh to the foot. Been told this is normal. My left foot was almost twice the size of my right foot.  Also normal. Pretty much stayed seated in bedroom, on the chair with small table, Wing and Alan keeping me company via card table and two chairs.  Gave the place less of a 'sick room' feel.

Loki has pretty much stayed by my side for the entire 3 weeks I've been home. He's discovered the 'body sized' pillow is soft and comfy, so we time share it.

I only had one mishap. My left ankle rolled, and the new knee parts slammed together. The pain was blinding, and I tried not to scream. Wasn't successful. Good news is after two days of 'babying' the leg (Alan noticed if my leg was kept aligned with my hip, there was no pain) it was back to what it had been prior to the mishap.

Home visiting nurse came over, took off the original bandage, and examined the incision. No sign of infection, was healing nicely. Put some Steri-Strips across it, and one larger water proof dressing back over it. She told me I could take it off after a week, and just let the Strips fall off as they will. As of today, I have only two left.

So, have been toddling around with a Zimmer frame, and have graduated to using a cane some parts of the day. My left foot is back to normal size. I can actually take a shower without assistance now, although I prefer to have Wing when I am going to wash my hair. I get a bit of vertigo tipping my head back. I would rather have him there just in case I start tipping over.

Called my GP today to discuss medications and refills, or resuming. Have that all straightened out now.  He said he saw no reason to play tough guy and NOT get pain relief. In actuality, if there is a lot of pain, that can slow down recovery.

So, that's everything in a nutshell.

Talk about Deja vu!

Saw Mr F. and it seems I have no other option but a total left knee replacement.  Didn't I do this before? (check tag) Yup, on the right knee, almost 5 years ago.

Not really looking forward to going through all of that again. My weight is an issue (well, hully gee, it took 20 years before an endocrinologist finally diagnosed and started treating me for insulin resistance.) There is a 99% chance of a perfect outcome with a certain BMI, and a 1% chance of problems (DVT, infection, etc). With me, the chances are doubled.  To me, that means 98% chance of a perfect outcome. I like those odds. I don't like what I have to do to achieve them.

Mr. F. want me to stop taking the Lyrica. Yeah, I can do that.  Had to explain to him why I, not a diabetic, am taking Metaformin.

Have to get a C.A.T. scan on the left knee Sunday morning, 10am.  Then about a week before the scheduled surgery, I have to get blood drawn for tests.  And I have to be tested for MRSA.  

Good news, bad news

Good News: Left knee is no worse than it was last week.

Bad News: Left knee is no better than it was last week. *sigh*

Dr S has scheduled an MRI for the left knee, and x-ray of right knee, as it's been three years since I've had the hardware installed. Dr S is fairly certain there is no structural issues with the left knee, just a raging case of tendinitis. If MRI shows that, a few (ouch) injections under the kneecap will be the fix.

Dr S has given me script for some pain managing, as he noticed how tired I look,and I admitted to not sleeping well. That's when he told to me to TRY and sleep with the brace on, and to leave it on all the time. (notable exceptions will be not while in the shower, or while getting dressed AFTER the shower. 

Simon the Sadist;  he really is a decent sort of guy, a bit of a wise ass, but he takes as well as he gives.  My range of motion of the leg (the degree to which I can bend it) is great. Straightening it out, however, hurts like $@%#.  He told me to stop with the heel slides, as it might be aggravating the tendon.  He said my core/abdomen strength and control is great, and so is the muscle tone elsewhere. Fekking thyroid.

And again....

Seems when I had the vertically fractured molar remove, the dentist missed a sliver, and it's been currently poking out through my gums. It's sharp, and because of the feeling of something that shouldn't be there, I have taken to putting gauze over it, to stop my tongue from worrying at it.
What I didn't know is that after a while, wet gauze is very abrasive, and is making my gums tender.  Called the dentist last Friday, and will be going in to have it seen to tomorrow morning. *sigh*
Oh, did I mention that on top of enthesopathy , my hip starting hurting. Not the joint, that's fine. Physio that is doing the shockwave treatment on my heel thinks it could be bursitis.  Oh joy.

Flotsam, Jetsam and what not

The Covid-19 self isolation/Quarantine has had little or no impact on my life. Who knew that my life has been 'self isolation' since last year? 

Family: All is well! No one sick, no one hurt. Everyone is bored out of their skulls.. well, I'm not totally bored. VR headset is rather entertaining.

My heel, while the foot was taped, was feeling pretty good in the shoes the podiatrist told me to get.  Then, the tape came off, and the right shoe is too big. If I had a lot of money, I'd buy one pair size 9 for the right shoe, and one pair size 9 1/2 for the left shoe. I've tried a few things, with so so results, to stop the shoe from sliding up and down on the back of my heel, and not tied so tight my foot goes numb. Tried wearing thin sport sock under the regular sock, and felt ok at first, but my foot started going numb, no matter how I loosened the laces. Will have to talk to podiatrist, and physio regarding this problem. Am seeing Dr S (osteo surgeon) tomorrow. Will see what he had to say on the matter.

The padding on my chair seat is squished down to the point it feels like I'm sitting on just the frame. Went to Clark Rubber and got a square of memory foam.  It's pretty good, although it does need a bit of beveling on the front edge. It's currently residing in an old, by clean, t-shirt. My butt takes me for the cushioning. :D

Have to say stress levels are rather high. Health issue, and family issues. Wing working from home meaning we had to tiptoe around the house because he was video conferencing, or on a phone call. That also meant no vacuuming, and hoping the washing machine didn't have an unbalanced load. Thankfully, he's back to the office.

The child my eldest put up for adoption got in contact with her father, my son, last year. She got in touch with me earlier this year.  It was great to hear from her.  She is everything a 20 something young woman can be.  Unfortunately she comes with so heavy emotional baggage that I am unable to help her with sorting out.  I've been umm stressed from what she related to me. Stress, for me, causes hemi-dystonic seizures.  I really don't want to zombie myself by going back to three doses a day.  Yes, she is my grand child, but I can't deal with this right now. She is too needy, and clingy.  I'm currently seeing counselor, and that last thing I need is to take on someone else's problems at this time.

Umm ow?

Physio/Exercise session.  As willing as I am to do these (ask Meg the Motivator aka Meg the Merciless) 

A lot of the pain I am feeling is the exercises and tortures are correcting years worth of bad posture created due to pain.  It's amazing how the human body with adjust to things that aren't quite right.  Have a sore knee, you favor one side, dipping one shoulder down, slightly flexing the spine.  Have a sore back, you hold a position that causes the least amount of pain.

All the things I'm doing at SporTreat id correcting decades of me adjusting to a slowly calcifying disc, its collapse, then right knee going, surgical replacement, then then left knee starting to go.

For now, although I hurt from the neck on down, I am sitting without bowing my shoulders or rounding my back. Both feet are facing the right direction.   Yay?

Found out what the problem is/was

When I went to the Perth Zoo, I was ok. Knees felt a bit wonky, but that was from the deep knee bends, and squatting down I did to get some great photos of the beautiful animals.

We drove home, and when I got out of the car, and the knees and ankles were a bit stiff and complaining about what I put them through (was at the zoo for almost 6 hours)

I stuck the CF card into the reader, transferred them all to the hard drive, turned my chair, and started to get up, and pain in my right heel almost dropped me where I stood. If it wasn't for my chair and the cat tower, I would have fallen to the floor. To say excruciating pain would not be an exaggeration.  I called for Wing to get my cane from the closet and I ended up using it for the next few days.

Fast forward a couple of weeks, to when I saw my physio, "Simon the Sadist" , and told him about it.  He got me an appointment with a personal trainer, for supervised exercise. 

"Meg the Motivator" at SporTreat.  Went through all the history with spinal surgery, knee surgery, compartment syndrome surgery, the recovery from the knee replacement, and the car accident afterward. 

I told her about the constant pain in my heel. It seems I have inflammation where the Calcaneus tendon attaches to the heel. Not plantar fasciitis.  Best solution is to take anti-inflammatory (ibuprofen), ice packs (20 mins on, 20 mins off) and better shock absorbing shoes.  I already had the right kind of shoes, according to both Simon and Meg, so today, I got some silicone shock absorbing pads.

Even though I only need one in the right shoe, I have to use both, or one leg feels longer than the other. Felt relief and less pain almost immediately. 

Next episode of what passes as my life

Yesterday, I saw Mr. S, the osteo surgeon who replaced my worn out right knee.  The right knee replacement is great, and even though I still have some pain from the operated on compartment syndrome, all is ok with it.

Left knee..  *sigh*  bends back and forth ok, but it also moves left to right too easily.  That means the osteo-arthritis is getting worse, and I'm losing knee stability.  And today, unlike other times, my left knee fekking HURTS.  Have compression/support bandage on it.  Between that and pain meds, I'm able to walk somewhat normally.  I did have to order another compression bandage, as the velcro on the one I'm using is worn out and tends to let go.  So, the time of LTKR is coming closer. Just not yet.

Today was appointment with D, my counselor.  Because of pain meds, I was all over the place.  But I was able to focus on the one thing that is stressing me out;  tomorrow, Trance and Loki get home visit by the vet, and Loki gets boxed up to get his teeth cleaned. He really needs it, as he has really bad breath.  If the vet that gave wrong advise that caused Keito's death shows up, I will show him the door.  Call out fee be damned.

Also, discussed the possibility of getting another purrkid.  She said the way we love animals, and how much they mean to us, there is probably no way we won't, when we're heart healed and read, get another rescue or two.  I personally would love a 'house panther', or maybe a bonded pair looking to be re-homed together.  Just not yet... not ready. I, and Loki, are still in mourning over Keito's sudden death.

Silver linings aren't always great

Had the MRI on my left knee after an exam by Mr S (osteo surgeon)

My silver lining is this: if it wasn't for the lack of sensitivity/feeling in my left leg because of spinal surgery 9+ years ago and the nerve damage occurring when the disc collapsed, requiring said surgery, I would be in considerable pain.

You see, my left knee is bone on bone, with the small exception of an itty bitty piece of meniscus on the outside left of the knee. The weight bearing inside right of the knee.. it's gone.   I also have nothing but serous fluid behind my knee cap.  Yup, I need another knee replacement.

So, my 'silver lining' is preventing me from feeling pain.  Mr S said I would know when it's time.  Right now, I can get around without much of a problem. And since I am still struggling with the nerve pain, and recovery from the surgery for the compartment syndrome, I'm rather grateful for my dead-ish feeling leg.

On happy/sad news, I got a stainless steel bracelet for "Keito's Heart Pendant".   I also had his fur filled pendant engraved with a small ornate K and Ziggy's fur filled pendant engraved with an equally ornate Z.  I'm still crying about the loss of Ziggy and Keito.  Last week, I got tired of waiting for the mythical "time" to be found to help me, so dug a hole in the back yard, sprinkled some of both Keito and Ziggy's ashes in it, and planted a young rosemary shrub.  I cried my eyes out afterward.  I miss them more than I thought I would, especially Keito. 

One week, PostOp

One week after the surgery for compartment syndrome. It hasn't been all sunshine and flowers. Leg hurts, but hurts in a different way. Seeing as to how Mr S described what needed to be done, it's not too much of a surprise it's going to hurt, but it's causing sleeping issues again. Mostly because I can't sleep on my right side, as it's the outer leg/calf that had the surgery. Tomorrow, I get to see the practice nurse, and my first visit with a new physio, Simon. Oh joy.

Keito, Mister Old Cranky it seems, has taken to biting me really hard to wake me up around 4am. He came >.< this close to getting a reflexive backhand. Wing  put Loki in the back yard, think he was the one that bit me.  No, it was Keito. So Wing put him in the back yard with Loki.