In 2009 I had a stent put in - just the one, the rest of my arteries were in great shape - why that one decided to clog I'm not sure, but there you are. It was a fairly easy procedure and I went home the next morning and never had any more trouble from it.
Fast forward 11 years to Wed past, I got up that morning with no issues, tho I noted my back has really been hurting up between my shoulder blades for about a week now. Then I started having some discomfort, so I took a couple of Tums (my usual check sum) and it eased so I thought nothing of it till afternoon, then things changed in a hurry so I called the wife in out of the back yard and said "We're going - now!"
The hospital is not far away, but even so my pain was moving up from the 5-6 to 7-8 in a hurry, by the time I got into the ER it was already 9 or better, by the time I got into the ICU it was over 11. It seemed like there were about 15 people scurrying around doing things in the tiny ICU room, getting me hooked up to machines and giving me baby aspirin, then nitro. By then they had the port in so they started giving me a whole cocktail of stuff to ease my pain and including more nitro, which they started at 10, quickly upped to 15 and then 20 and a shot of morphine. I heard the Dr. in the ICU telling the crew "this is the real deal".....and the level of intensity of everyone in there amped up some more. At this point I'm hurting so badly I can barely breathe and sweating like a pig, arm hurting, all the classic symptoms.
My heart Dr. has his office attached to the hospital and he was on that day, and about the time he walked into the ICU - already scrubbed, gloved and gowned - I coded. Heart stopped, breathing stopped, done. He sent Rose out of the room and they went to work on me......
I had been sitting up, when I came to (no idea how long, could have been 1 minute, could have been 5) all I remember is being flat on my back with the ICU Dr. right over my face saying "we got him back!"
At that point they wheeled me into the operating room, and this is where things really become surreal. They don't put you under to do a catheter or insert a stent. They do have a nitrous mask on you, but the whole time he's asking me questions, music is playing, people are singing along.....they go into the main artery in the groin and have a large X-ray machine going in real time, and they encourage you to watch what he's doing on the giant TV screen! I was too sick and out of it to do that and I was still in a LOT of pain so my eyes were squeezed shut tight, but at some point I heard him say "OK, we have flow, you should be feeling a whole lot better now".
I wasn't particularly feeling better, in fact I threw up twice while on the table and once more when they wheeled me into my room upstairs. I haven't thrown up since I was a teenager!
I also was still in a lot of pain from them using the jumper cables on me and doing cardio pulmonary resuscitation - where they tell me if you're not cracking the ribs you're not doing it right - I'm still really sore in the middle of my chest, and coughing is hell! By the way, you always see them on TV or in the movies where they rub the paddles together, shout clear! and jam them on your chest, where your body arches up in response to the shock - that's not how it works. They stick a pad on the left front and right rear and the wires connected to those pads are actually pretty small, not those big coils you see in the movies. The actual shock is very brief and you don't arch up like that - I'm told.
They said one end of my old stent had a plug in the end of it - that's all it takes to kill you.
They roto-rootered it out then he put in another, larger stent - I don't know the exact details, I'll find out later and I'm sure he'll have the "movies" for me to watch.
By that evening in the room upstairs I was pretty well relaxed and out of pain except for the center of my
chest where I think they must have at least cracked some ribs. By the next morning I was feeling almost normal again - which is just amazing, how you can go from being mostly dead to no big deal in 12 hours. However I am happy that they didn't have to put a zipper in my chest.
Yesterday afternoon they did an EKG and Echocardiogram - which is just a sonagram of the heart - she goos up the end of the wand and fairly jams it into my chest - right where my ribs are hurting. That took about an hour, and the doc came in this morning and gave me the word. Little to no damage to the heart muscles, one area is off about 5-10% in pumping efficiency but he says that's recoverable over the next couple of months. Even he was surprised that there wasn't more damage given the severity of the heart attack.
Really? Dead a few hours ago and now I'm fine with only a stent to show for all that pain (and money, I'm sure!) Pretty fucking amazing, if you ask me.
So that's my story and I'm sticking to it. I already have all the bandages off and I'm home sitting on the couch like nothing happened, although I'm enjoined from lifting anything heavier than my 14 lb dog, I don't have any driving restrictions and I can even get laid starting tomorrow, if I want.
Lastly, thank you to all the members here for the good wishes and attention - I really appreciate the community we've built here!
Wonderful news to hear you are home and recovering!
Wow. Wonderful time to still be alive.
Medical science is moving along in large bounds.
Holy crap! Very glad you are back with us! I hope Rose is doing okay too. That's some scary shit there for both of you. So fortunate that all the various pieces came together as they did to keep you alive. Geez Louise.
I can tell you're doing okay now because you have enough energy and clarity of mind to write a post of what you went through that is gripping as hell.
Great news. Glad to hear you're OK.
Just recently heard about a guy serving a life sentence that after he coded he petitioned the court to release him as he had served his life sentence.
"I haven't thrown up since I was a teenager!" 77.gif
"... and I can even get laid starting tomorrow, if I want."
Yeah, sure you can... ::)
:D
Welcome back, Dave!
F-AH ! I'm glad you are doing better. I work in Healthcare...on some of those devices and machines you spoke about....but I've never been in the room when any of that is going on. ie: I am not a nurse or Doc, but an equipment technologist.
Wild to hear it from your point of view.
just wow!
Quote from: tsumini on July 03, 2020, 01:41:21 PM
Great news. Glad to hear you're OK.
Just recently heard about a guy serving a life sentence that after he coded he petitioned the court to release him as he had served his life sentence.
How did that work out for him?
Rose likes to channel The Princess Bride and tell people I was only mostly dead....
Great film! Did they give you one of those enormous pills?
Quote from: MiniDave on July 03, 2020, 02:35:19 PM
Quote from: tsumini on July 03, 2020, 01:41:21 PM
Great news. Glad to hear you're OK.
Just recently heard about a guy serving a life sentence that after he coded he petitioned the court to release him as he had served his life sentence.
How did that work out for him?
Rose likes to channel The Princess Bride and tell people I was only mostly dead....
A court in Iowa found that a murderer who was revived "is either still alive, in which case he must remain in prison, or he is actually dead, in which case this appeal is moot."
Quote from: John Gervais on July 03, 2020, 02:54:22 PM
Great film! Did they give you one of those enormous pills?
It would be a miracle...... :D
So......car projects put on hold due to this minor inconvenience? ;D Glad you're doing well and made it through. It wouldn't be the same without you.
Thanks, I appreciate it!
Only for a couple of weeks till they get my meds sorted and I see my Doc again, then we'll see......appt the 16th July
So, in the meantime no pole vaulting, high wire trapeze work, or underwater demolition for you!
Wow that must have been scary as Hell, glad your Wife was around to get you to the Hospital it is amazing what those Doctors can do.
Glad you are back with us Dave.
Well told story and surreal is a good work to describe it all, your words.
Good to see you on the mend and hope the pain subsides quickly.
Quote from: BruceK on July 03, 2020, 07:36:28 PM
So, in the meantime no pole vaulting, high wire trapeze work, or underwater demolition for you!
Well, I did just mow the grass......
Actually, my buddy came over and pushed the mower around, I rode the ZTR around the yard.
As soon as we started the mower, my next door neighbor came running out his back door.....the wife had yelled at him " if that's Dave mowing his grass you get out there and do it for him!" ;D
Dead one day and mowing the grass the next. Impressive!
Well......it doesn't take a lot of effort to ride around the yard on the ZTR.... ::) ;D
Wow!! Glad you are now ok and in recovery mode.
Garry
Thanks to everyone for the positive thoughts!
I wrote this story partially as a record of what happened, and partly to point out to everyone on this board that you have to take care of yourself. Stop smoking, ease off the booze, lose that extra weight once and for all, eat better and listen to what your body is telling you......but mostly that last thing.
Jesus H Christ, Dave!! I'm glad you're back with us!! I called you with one of my many, inane questions, and thought it was weird when Rose answered. I spoke with her only very briefly, figuring she was not in the mood for a verto clutch question. I hung up, looked at my 84 year-old dad and said "Dave had a heart attack!" Dad says, "but he's just a kid!"
Get better soon, and take it eeeaaassssyyy! Blue car is back together; will shoot videos this afternoon.
BE WELL
Thats ONE way to have a Memorable Start of July!
Glad to hear you're doing better and on the super mend...
I wonder if you'll end up even BETTER shape now that its cleaned out and opened up... wonder if this has been slowing things down in the weeks /months prior...just gotton used to it.
Very good possibility that was happening Justin, and now I should soon be back to where I was before.
The other possibility is that it happened fairly suddenly as it was only a small blockage in the end of the stent - the whole artery wasn't occluded the way it was before. Whatever, it was enough to kill me had we not gotten help in time.
Bryan, good news that the car is back together and driving, can't wait to see the videos.....
I had heard you had suffered this but then I fell off the board for a could of weeks. I'm just now reading your post--WOW! A post that long usually gets a "too long-didn't read" from me but I was on the edge of my seat reading your description. Holy cow---I hope I never have to expereince that!
Glad you made it and you're on the mend!!!
Thanks to everyone for their good wishes.....so far so good. I'm having some real issues with the meds, and I won't see my heart Doc till the 30th, I'm hopeful that he can adjust the meds and ease up on some of the issues I'm having. Right now - while the meds are better than the alternative - I'm dealing with daily really bad headaches, slight dizziness and light headedness and a few other issues. At times I have so little energy I can't even get up off the couch....
Follow up with heart doc today - they took me off of one med, and want me to stay on a second one more week, then they'll switch that out for something less powerful (?) so that should ease my symptoms. I'm still not allowed any real exercise. They would like me to walk but my knee isn't having any of that, I'm enjoined from any surgery for 6 more months (obviously that excludes emergencies) so I can't get my knee done till next year now. So for now it's "take it easy" and rest. Part of the issue is that I can't really do any upper body exercise for another three months or so till my chest fully heals from the damage done with compressions in the ICU when I coded.
I could swim if I can find a pool that's open, I wonder if chlorine kills the Covid 19? Be hard to swim with a mask on ;D
Other than that, so far so good...... 77.gif
The doc said what happened to me was in essence a fluke - a piece of plaque broke off and blocked the artery - that's how most people die from a heart attack, when they either ignore symptoms till it's too late or it happens and em. services can't get to them in time. It doesn't take long for a heart attack to kill you - I was only about 5 min from the hospital and coded less than 8 min after I got there.
The whole thing is very sobering. So glad you are on the mend.
I guess after you get a certain age (and I'm certainly there) this "mortality thing" becomes extremely real and very close. Something that is just a very vague notion (if a thought at all) when a person is younger.
Yep, all the more reason to enjoy life while you have it.....and to make sure all your ducks are in a row in case you don't.
One of the reasons I went ahead and bought a new car too, just to make sure Rose had a reliable ride.
Quote from: MiniDave on August 02, 2020, 08:35:13 PM
Yep, all the more reason to enjoy life while you have it.....and to make sure all your ducks are in a row in case you don't.
One of the reasons I went ahead and bought a new car too, just to make sure Rose had a reliable ride.
That was a great idea - and I'm glad you're doing better.
More health news - I've been limping along (literally) with a bad knee for more than 10 years now - the knee doc kept saying let it go as long as you can. They gave me cortisone shots, chicken shots (that's what they call the stuff) and a knee brace - but none of it really works when you're bone on bone.
I kept asking why they can't just put a little slice of teflon or UHMW in there since that's all that's really wrong - he said those plastics won't take the pounding of normal life and would only last a short time. I'm not convinced, but no matter.....
So, I had an appointment with him Monday and he said - "it's time"............ but not so fast - I still have to go 6 months after my July 1st adventure in the ER, and of course all the appropriate insurances have to give their blessings too. His nurse went to work on all those approvals and she called me today to book me into the hospital on Jan 5th for the replacement. It's possible he may want to do a half replacement as only one side of my right knee is bad, but I don't ever want to do this again, so I'm going to insist on the full monty.
At any rate, come early January I will be out of the shop for a while - probably about 6 weeks. With that date looming I have a LOT of work to get done first, including quite a bit of honey-do's.....so it's going to be all asses and elbows for a while - depending on what my CURRENT health issues let me do.
Getting old is a PITA, but I guess it beats the alternative.
Here's the lovely photo.....now some of you can understand why I walk funny at times! ::)
Something for you to kinda look forward to I guess.
New shocks for your legs!
I like how you tried to engineer your own solution. Doc wasn't buying it, eh? ;D
I'm sure this will be one of those things you'll be so happy was finally taken care of.
The recovery time for these types of things seems to be so much faster than it used to be.
I know an older gentleman who had both knees done at the same time last year. He said even with the pain and time involved with the recovery he wished he had done it years before it was just that much better.
The strangest part for all of us that knew him was the fact he was no longer bowlegged. Still not used to seeing him with straight legs LOL.
Yeah, that was one of the things Dean (Dooder) mentioned when he got his done, that his leg was straight again.
My goal is to be able to walk my dogs again without knee or back pain.
I know a number of people who have had them done, recovery time is mostly due to preparation and following doctors orders for PT after the operation.
I can't say I'm looking forward to it, but I am looking forward to walking without pain!
Bruce, he said it had been tried before with various types of plastic and even stainless steel. Sadly it never lasts....
Wow looking at that x ray no wonder you are in pain.
I am sure once it is sorted and healed you will feel 100% better, good luck with the surgery.
My Brother in law in the UK has needed his done for years too due to playing football but they are making him wait too he is 60 now and my Sister and him have moved into a single story (bungalow) house so he does not have to do stairs.
From what he said the NHS health system only wants to do your knees or hips once in your lifetime so they do cortisone shots and pills for as long as they can until you get to the point of not being able to walk.
Grease zerk? Pump every AM?
I hear getting old I'm needing to prettry muxh cease my efforts and sell everthing. Later info on tools aand MK1 parts.
Good luck with that, Dave!
My mom had hers done a few years back; the knees are much better than they were and 'that' pain is significantly reduced if not eliminated, but due to other issues, she still has difficulty walking.
Always a good story! Glad you're home and continuing to enjoy life! Seems you were paying good attention during the whole episode.
So, take some time off and pat the pet............ dog that is.......
I'm just pleased that they're going to let me have the surgery after my heart attack in July - I have a Dr appt with my heart guy on Nov 25th, then if he still thinks everything is OK I'll get my cyber knee Jan 5th.
On my way to becoming a terminator! 77.gif
More like "RoboDave"?
Ha! or the 6 million dollar mechanic? ;D
Today I started pre-op physical therapy.....the goals are strength in specific areas and stretching the ligaments and tendons that have shrunk because of the way I hold my knee when I walk, which affects not only my gait, but also my hips and back. Once I get thru the surgery and post surgery trauma I'm hopeful that all of these issues will work themselves out.
The PT guy said that a lot of his knee patients tell him the recovery is easier than the pain they were in before the surgery - I'm hoping I'll be singing the same tune.
Quote from: MiniDave on October 22, 2020, 05:00:03 PM
The PT guy said that a lot of his knee patients tell him the recovery is easier than the pain they were in before the surgery - I'm hoping I'll be singing the same tune.
That sounds pretty encouraging!
Well, things are ramping up.....I've already had chest X-rays, EKG, bloodwork, PT, and now Monday I get to go to a "class" to learn all about the pre- surgery - post surgery and how to live the rest of my life I guess. They've also sent home 30 page booklet with all the details for me to read and I've seen videos on YouTube - I'll be an expert on knee replacement before it even happens!
My knee doc for the last five years or so is TJ Rasmussen, he and his brother Mark have been doing this for years, and their main focus is sports medicine - they handle all the Chief's knee and shoulder issues for example - so I feel I'm in good hands, but I just got a note that Mark is going to do my surgery, not TJ.
So, class on Monday, a meet up with Mark on Wed and then Sat I have to get a drive by Covid test, as long as those results are good I'm due at the Hospital at 5 am on the 19th for surgery at 7:30.
They gave me a special bottle of soap.....I'm to use 1/3 of it to shower with Monday morning, again Monday night and the last of it Tues morning.....each time with a freshly laundered wash cloth and towels paying particular attention to the knee area. Freshly laundered sheets on the bed for Monday night, no lotion, deodorant (?) of any kind and on and on....
The Covid test is interesting - instead of going thru your nose to the brain and swabbing around a bit (well that what it felt like!) now you drive to a special place in an underground parking lot at the hospital, take a box from the container, drive to another spot, lightly swap your nose with the q-tip, just around the edge not up inside - put the swab back into the container, write your name on the box and drop it in another container as you drive out. Very surreal.
My first day of PT is on the 22nd, 3 days after the Surgery at a place close to the hospital - rose will be my taxi service for a while, so she will have to change her night routine - she normally goes to bed around 4 and gets up at the crack of noon....she won't be able to do that for a while......I also have to go to my dentist and have her fill out a form that I don't have any issues in my mouth....they seem to be really worried about infections.
I thought because or my age I might get bumped up the line for the Covid vaccine, but there isn't enough of it yet to get to me - I'm in Phase 2 I think, but I'm OK with that as they're concentrating on health care workers and folks in nursing homes and such. My primary care Doc had her first shot and she said she had no ill effects, but that she's heard from co-workers that the second one is tougher - mostly just aches and local pain, easily cared for with some Tylenol. She won't get the second one for a week (?) or so.....
More as it happens!
Good luck as you get kneed.
You'll be up and kicking around shortly!
Ha! Well, I definitely kneed it fixed....it's gotten really bad the last 6 months or so.
Today I visit with the surgeon who will be doing my bionic knee installation - originally I thought it would be his brother whom I've been seeing for 10 years or so, but a week or two ago they told me it would be this guy. I've never met him so I guess it would be nice to at least know his face.
Monday we did a three hour long "seminar" that was supposed to answer most questions about pre and post operation, things you need, how to sit and lay down, how to get up - what meds you'll have - and so on. It was fairly interesting to see the other patients - 6 knees and 2 hips - that were about to do the same thing the same week - maybe even the same day, I don't know. Three that I spoke to have my same surgeon....all were old farts like me.
If everything is still a "go" - never certain in these times - I'll do the Covid test Saturday morning then be in quarantine till I go to the Hospital on Tues. Assuming I survive the operation, I'll get to watch Biden's inauguration from my own bed as I'm told I should be checking out around 11 the next day.
They have you up and walking shortly after the operation - as soon as the anesthetic wears off I'm told, and they'll have me up and walking around off and on that day and the next morning.....in fact they encourage you to walk around the floor, not just in your room like to use the bathroom. We'll see how that goes.....
All in all it will be an interesting experience....one of the things she said that caught my ear - "you'll be transitioning into and embracing the "healing pain" as compared to the continuous pain we've been experiencing"
Healing pain - that's an interesting way to put it!
Best wishes Dave.
I heard from Dave that the operation early this morning went well. This afternoon he is already walking around and even climbing stairs, although he's on heavy pain meds. Tomorrow they cut back the pain meds and I'm sure it will be hurting.
Good to hear
Glad to hear it, now on to the road of recovery!
I'm sure he's glad to have the surgery part done and over with.
Forgot to also mention that he supposed to go home tomorrow.
Yep, home and dry.... I got notice from DHL that my big shipment of 6 big boxes was coming today, and I was sweating how I was going to get them in the garage if I missed him - but fortune smiled, and he pulled up right behind us when we got home and he carried them right into the garage - easy peasy. Of course I'll be going nuts wanting to go see if they shipped everything.....
So, we arrived at the hospital Tuesday morning at OMG 5 am, which meant getting up before 4 am so I could take another "special shower". I took one Monday morning, then another Monday night and the third Tues morning using the special soap they gave me and paying particular attention to the appropriate spots.. We had to use freshly laundered wash cloths and towels, and Rose had to put clean sheets on the bed for Monday night. Then I had to wear loose fitting, easily removed clothes - sweat pants and a T shirt - and when they got us "checked in" we headed off to the pre-surgery room. There they went over all my meds (for about the 30th time) and discussed what was going to happen before, during and after the surgery. We were there for about 2 hours altogether....
The anesthesiologist came in and told me what he was going to do - it wasn't quite what I expected. I thought it would just be a general, but nooooo.....so they first shot a deadening agent in my lower back - which stung like hell!, then gave me a spinal tap - no, spinal block - which felt like a needle the size of a baseball bat going in my back. Once that was done I lay on my side and the most wonderful thing happened - not only did I get the tingles and numbs, but my legs and feet felt so warm! He said they do it this way so they don't have to intubate and I can breath normally - but when I woke up I had a hella sore throat, so clearly that plan didn't work out as hoped.
So they wheeled me in and I was out like a light till I came to in the recovery room. My knee was wrapped like a mummy but due to the spinal block it really didn't hurt.....of course once the block wore off ........LOOK OUT!
They had me up and walking with a walker an hour after I got up to my room. I did several laps of that wing of the hospital and things were just ducky......till the block wore off about 6 pm. They started the oxy then, but I swear it didn't really feel like it did anything except make me a little woozy.....it still hurt like hell. I did another lap about 8 pm, then called it a day. One of the other effects of Oxy is that it makes you SO dry mouthed, I drank ice water constantly, and of course that means you have to get up to pee! The first time I put 850 ML in the jug! They make you use the jug so they can measure your output.
I made it thru the night somehow, they didn't bother me too often, about every 2-4 hours, so that was nice, but it didn't matter. Either I had to pee or drink - or both, and of course I wasn't allowed to get out of bed without someone there with me. First time I tried it alone a really obnoxious alarm went off.....
Once the pain meds began to wear off of course it hurt like a mother - still does. I'm hoping it's like childbirth - once you get thru the first couple of weeks you forget the pain. They sent me home this afternoon, Rose picked me up ....We have a split level house, which means any place I want to go involves stairs and a cane.....I always think of the scene in Young Frankenstein, with Marty Feldman handing Gene the cane and saying - no, like this!
One more fun thing about Oxy, it blocks you up like concrete - I'm still working thru that little issue.
When we got home of course the boys were excited and both jumping up and down and trying to climb in my lap, they've calmed down now but I'm sure I'll be fending them off for a while yet.
So, that's my story and I'm sticking to it......I did get to watch the inauguration today.
Oh, and I had one little bit of excitement today - they gave me my Oxy pill about 9 am, and in a few minutes I started feeling really woozy, like I was going to pass out! I was cold and sweating at the same time and I didn't know what was happening. The nurse did my blood pressure and it like 95/60, then she did it again in my other arm and it was 87/52, she went back to the first arm and now it 80/40! No idea what caused it because within 10 minutes or so it was back to normal. I thought maybe I was having another heart attack, but it was just low oil pressure! No idea why it did that, and I've had another Oxy since then with no issues.....
Day 3 post operation
I had no idea it would hurt this much or I might not have gone thru with it......tomorrow is my first day of post op torture.....erm, PT :-\
Maybe I should change the title of the thread to Being Alive or Dead Hurts like Hell! :(
Oxy really doesn't seem to do much, I don't understand how/why people get hooked on the stuff.....they'll transition me to Hydro in another 10 days, then two weeks after than it will just be Tylenol. I hope they know something I don't! 8.gif ::)
Sorry you are hurting so bad.
High powered pain relievers don't seem to work very well on me either.
Re: Oxy. You may want to take this over to the drunk thread. ;D
Ha! I must be Oxy resistant or something, I'm sure not getting stoned on them.
Today is my first out-of-the-hospital PT, I am NOT looking forward to it.
So far I'm walking pretty well - with the walker of course - and because of our split level house I'm having to do stairs up and down anytime I need the bathroom. That part is going OK, but rather than have to cart it up and down with me, Rose bought another walker to keep upstairs.
They keep trying to get me to up my dosage of Oxy to counter the pain, but I don't want to get stoned and do something that might set me back. They say the best thing is to fight thru the pain and keep moving. The main hurt is getting up after I've been sitting with my leg either straight or bent, going from straight to bent or the other way is excruciating.
Healing pain they call it...... ::) :-[
I just call it pain.
If you hear screaming about 2:30 today, it was just me :-\
Day 4 post op - still hurts like a MOFO!
PT was tough but I survived and actually felt a little better afterwards, then that night I had more pain than since the day of the surgery. I actually wound up taking an extra Oxy about 11 (normally every 4 hours - 9 - 1- 5 - 9 etc) as it was un-bearable and there was no position I could shift to that lessened the pain. It was in lots of new places too. Not completely sure it helped but I did get some sleep.....
Anyway, enough with the whining.....
Bored
Beyond
Belief
I'd be taking those pills excessively and coming out of a drugged stupor in the spring. Only experience with them I have is when I had my wisdom teeth removed. Made me pretty loopy but still functional. Helped with jaw pain anyways.
Yeah, nurses encouraged me to take more also......too stubborn I guess. That and I just don't want to get hooked on them.....
I'm already taking a fistful of pills as it is......500mg Tylenol X2 three times a day, the Oxy, two baby aspirin (blood thinner) and a shit load of other stuff.
Sucks it's so painful I've had a few friends get it done some had pain like you some not much but all of them agreed it was the best thing they did ad wish they did it sooner.
One of them did a 2-week backpacking trip in Yellowstone last summer said he never could have done it the way his knee was before.
So look forward to the days ahead.
Thanks Jeff, that's all I can do now......I'm fairly committed at this point! ;D
I also could not do much of anything with my knee the way it was, couldn't even walk my dogs to the end of the street it was so bad.
I keep seeing glimmers of what it will be like in a month or so, that's what keeps me going right now.
I sure do appreciate all the kind words and positive thoughts from my RM friends! 77.gif
Every day is a step forward. We are all pulling for you.
The boys "helping" with my rehab ;D
Great photo! I guess they didn't get the inter-office memo about staying off your lap.
It should've been included with the TPS reports.
Glad you've gotten 'em done, Dave - I'm sure you'll be feeling better soon, but sometimes it's nice to get someone sweet sponge your brow, or bring you a beverage. Enjoy it while you can!
I haven't quite taught them to do that yet...... ;D
Yesterday was 2 weeks post surgery and I went to see the knee doc - of course you don't really get to see him, just his PA and nurse......
Anyway, they took the staples out and put on some short lengths of tape over the incision, she said I could take showers starting Friday (I have been already - but now I could scrub over the knee too) and that as the days went along the tape strips she put on would start to fall off of their own accord, and to let them. Taking the staples out didn't hurt exactly, but stung like crazy....weird.
That was the good news......
The bad news, I haven't been working hard enough to get my knee straight or bent, the degrees of bend were way less than immediately post op., this is a bad thing because if you don't get it to move now eventually it won't move any better and might get worse. The only cure for that is another operation, which might not be any more successful.
So with that lovely news still ringing in my ears I went to PT, and this time it lived up to the pseudonym I've given it - patient torture! So they worked me harder than ever, and by the end of the hour session I had made an incremental improvement in how far I could bend it......
They sent me home with new exercise instructions and that's where I'm at now - I simply have to do better.
Sounds like "patient torture" is a good name for it. Sounds like more pain and effort now should pay off with less of both later, or at least that's the hope. Hoping things get easier and better for you Dave!
.
Ha! ;D
Just came down the stairs and got my cadence wrong - going up it's good leg, bad leg, good leg etc. coming down it's the opposite and I got out of sync and put my good leg down first......big mistake!. I didn't fall or anything, but it sure got bent up plenty that time!
I thought it was the wind howling that I heard earlier. Now I know it was actually coming from Kansas.
Yeah, I'm surprised I'm not waking the dead! ::)
Joking around aside. Are you at a point of feeling better than before the replacement yet?
Yes and no, where it hurt before - right in the joint - doesn't hurt anymore. But everything else does, from about my hip all the way to my ankle. It's hard to explain, but the area around the knee joint just aches all the time. Sometimes I get sharp shooting pains under my kneecap - like someone's jabbing me with a knife upward from my shin.....those come and go. They want me to be able to get it dead straight, and bend 120* or more. Right now I'm about 4-6* and I can only bend 90 with incredible pain. They say this is my fault, I'm not working it hard enough outside of therapy. They're probably right.....because it hurts like a motherfucker to bend it like that - it pulls on my quads where they attach to the knee - my inner thigh, all the way down my shin bone to my ankle, and even my hip hurts.
My theory on this is that IF they could make it not hurt I could get there and get those muscles and tendons stretched, but when it hurts THIS MUCH to do those things, it's just not something you can push thru.....I'm doing the best I can and I'm incrementally improving but not at the rate they want to see.
The concern is that if you don't get it bent and straight fairly quickly it will stiffen up and you'll never get there.....
As far as walking goes, I'm using a cane, but don't really need it to support myself - it's more for mental support at this point, but I am incredibly weak - way more than I expected. All in all it's been an interesting almost 3 weeks.
I was taking 6 Oxy a day - one every 4 hours, I'm down to 2-3 a day, not because I don't need them, but because I don't think they help all that much.
OK, post op 4 weeks today.
I have made some progress, tho still not like either I or the doc hoped. However at the appt yesterday he said he was pleased and that I shouldn't get down on myself, I will get there. He thinks I'll get over the hump in the next week or two and things will improve quickly from there. I hope he's right! I'm currently at 0 and 107, goal was 0 and 120, so not too much further to go now.
I quit taking the oxy as it really didn't help that I could tell, other than turning my gut into concrete. I've been just using Tylenol so he wrote me a script for Hydro something, and suggested getting some Voltarin (topical anti-inflamatory) as I can't take anti inflamatory pills cause they interact badly with the other heart meds I'm still taking....but the directions on that box say it can take up to 7 days before you get any relief.....so jury is out on whether that will really help.
Here's a pic to show what it looks like now - it's nice that my leg is straight again.....once it starts working correctly and pain free I'll be a lot happier.
The "hydro..." something is likely Hydrocodone. It is another of those pain killers that can become addictive as it is another opioid derivative.
Hard to become addicted to them when they don't make you feel any better.... 77.gif
I only expect to be on them about 2 weeks, after all, I've done the last 2 weeks with nothing but Tylenol 3 times a day.....
I'm also rubbing on Voltarin as an anti-inflammatory - that stuff stinks! We'll see if any of it helps, I have PT again tomorrow afternoon.
So, pills.....
Hydro is about as worthless as the Oxy was. Still talking Tylenol. The good news is that since I'm not taking controlled substances anymore, I can get back behind the wheel that much quicker.
Heart doc says Voltarin is a no no - then he decided 3 times a week was ok. However, the box says to rub it on 4 times a day and it may not do any good for up to a week. So....
Still in a lot of pain all the time, haven't quite turned the corner tho both the knee doc and PT guys think it's not far off now. Stopped using the walker about 10 days ago and not using the cane anymore either, so that's an improvement I guess.
I have lots of errands to run starting next week now that it's warmed up (36* today! 40* tomorrow!) I haven't heard from the machine shop, so I'll call them on Monday.
I have the 998 head soaking in a bucket of Evaporust, tho I need to buy another jug of it.
I have parts ready at the powdercoaters.
And Sunday we have a local Mini Club event - tho Don will drive and I'll just be along for the ride.
Monday we're supposed to get close to 60* so I'll take advantage and get the shop organized again, tools put away and get ready for the next phase of work. Forecast for the rest of this month is mid 40's and low 50's right into March. We may have busted out of winter finally.....
I'm not nearly 100%, but I figure I need to get up and moving again.....
I'll tell you the same thing I told my mom. Make sure you are 100% and do all the therapy before you put strain on it. If you damage it in the healing process it will never be right.
She wanted so bad to go back to work early cause she was bored. Her dr warned against it and I made her realize it.
Dave,
Good to hear you are improving and walking without a cane. Hopefully the pain subsides soon as well.
Garry
Quote from: gr8kornholio on February 19, 2021, 07:44:33 PM
I'll tell you the same thing I told my mom. Make sure you are 100% and do all the therapy before you put strain on it. If you damage it in the healing process it will never be right.
She wanted so bad to go back to work early cause she was bored. Her dr warned against it and I made her realize it.
Doc says the only way I can damage it now would be if I fell on it or was in a car wreck! ;D
But, I know I still have a ways to go to get to "normal".
BTW here's what my new, slightly stiff ball joint looks like ;D
Those fancy Japanese kind that don't need shimmed?
Yep! lubed for life, no maintenance - of course, they don't say who's lifetime! Might be German made - brand name is Zimmer.....
Well if it's German-made it should last a long time, but, based upon my understanding of the engineering of BMWs, Audis, and Mercedes, when the knee needs to be replaced they're going to have to remove lots of extra parts on you just to be able to get to the part that failed.
;D
I don't intend to EVAR go thru this again!
Today I walked the dogs all the way to the end of the block and then to the next block and back - I had to do them one at a time as they're a little too rambunctious for me to control both at the same time.
Progress.
Slow........but progress.
Going uphill or on the flats is no problem, coming down a hill is difficult and painful. Different muscles I guess.....
Sounds like you're making good progress. Just think, and a relatively short time you should be pain-free on these walks.
8 weeks post op now and my doc says I'm going to be one of those who's recovery is measured in months, not weeks. He says everybody is different and it's just going to take however long it takes, but I'm still making progress and he's encouraged. He thinks 6 months to total recovery is about what I'm facing....that's how long my temp handicap parking permit is good for, so that works out I guess.....
I still have a lot of pain, can't sit or stand for long, and I can only walk about two blocks - out and back. I wanted to start riding my MINI bicycle to try and get some strength back, but he's afraid I might fall off - like at a stop - so he'd prefer I wait on that. It's going to rain all week anyway.....
I'm good for about 2 hours in the shop before I have to go sit down, but I'm getting some work done out there.
I can walk up stairs normally, but I'm not quite there for going down the normal way, I have to take them one at a time, bad leg first then good, repeat etc....
Stationary bike perhaps? Two pilots at work were out with knee surgery this year. One guy was back in 2 weeks and the other 9 months.
Yes, he'd be happy with a stationary - I don't have one, or anyplace to put one if I did!
Quote from: MiniDave on March 14, 2021, 08:27:41 AM
Yes, he'd be happy with a stationary - I don't have one, or anyplace to put one if I did!
You could look into a bicycle trainer for your bike. Check on Craigslist for a used one.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YJLPVPT?tag=highlightreviews-38833-20
Get a side car for the dogs! It can act as a support.
That doggo bike would probably be easier to ride if the rear tire weren't flat! ;D
WilieB, I just don't have anyplace to set it up. Don probably has one I could borrow, but I'm just going to air up my tires next week when it dries out and see what happens.
This is what my bike looks like, it folds up too, so I can carry it in my car.....
You could put a set of training wheels on it to keep from falling over while your knee continues to heal?
;D
Sure.
::)
;D
Quote from: MPlayle on March 14, 2021, 11:08:26 AM
You could put a set of training wheels on it to keep from falling over while your knee continues to heal?
;D
Lol. I was thinking that but you said it.
Looks like I missed it by a couple of days - the bride calls it my second birthday - 1 year ago on July first I died.
My real birthday is still a few days away, but happy to see another one.... 77.gif
As they used to say back in the 70s: Keep on keeping on Dave!
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