Being Dead Hurts Like Hell!

[MiniDave]

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....

[MiniDave]

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.

[BruceK]

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.

[MiniDave]

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.

[John Gervais]

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.

[MiniDave]

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!  ::)

[Willie_B]

Something for you to kinda look forward to I guess.

[94touring]

New shocks for your legs!

[BruceK]

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.

[cstudep]

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.

[MiniDave]

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....

[Jimini II]

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.

[tsumini]

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.

[John Gervais]

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.

[pbraun]

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.......

[MiniDave]

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

[MPlayle]

More like "RoboDave"?

[MiniDave]

Ha! or the 6 million dollar mechanic?  ;D

[MiniDave]

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.

[BruceK]

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!   

[MiniDave]

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!

[tsumini]

Good luck as you get kneed.

[BruceK]

You'll be up and kicking around shortly! 

[MiniDave]

Ha! Well, I definitely kneed it fixed....it's gotten really bad the last 6 months or so.

[MiniDave]

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!