Lynda

How's your knee?  

Yes, are you feeling any better?

How nice of you to ask, thank you!

It's s-l-o-w-l-y getting more mobile but has some way to go yet. I'm having the hospital dressings removed tomorrow (totally, I hope) so I'm hoping that it will be a bit more bendy after that.

It does still hurt but not too badly, the main problems are the soreness in my thigh muscles and the fact that the tough cling-film they put round the knee doesn't allow it to bend easily. I'm still having to use crutches (they are vital on the stairs) but I am practising walking "normally" on the level. Physio next week   

I am just hoping it will all be worth it! Still, it's just a bit less than 2 weeks since the op and miracles don't happen overnight.

I'm going a bit stir-crazy though and miss walking Kuchar like mad!

Really glad to hear that there's some improvement, at least! Hopefully you'll have more movement when the dressings are off.

Have you been given any painkillers?

Sounds like it's a slow process, but at least it's going the right way.

Yes, I've been given painkillers. I was given morphine in hospital (one dose of oromorph) the others were MST which are evidently slow-release morphine. However it made me feel terrible so I refused to take any more morphine for the last 36 hours I was in there. The rules are the nurses stand over you to ensure you take the morphine when they give it you (to prevent you from storing it up, presumably) so I can't understand how someone on another site who had a shoulder operation could take oromorph at home as she said she did/does.

I was given codeine tablets (yes I know they're morphine based, but nowhere near as bad), which I only take at night and have almost run out of. And paracetomol which I only take once in a while. I'm not a great pain-killer taker.

And yes Caryll, I feel it's going the right way, and I'm doing the physio exercises I can remember (I left the sheet of exercises in the hospital, doh). I'll bet the physio puts me through hell next week though. The physio in the hospital told me it could take up to a year to get "normal" which cheered me up no end (not).

I've heard that morphine sends you completely off your head! Sounds horrible!

That's weird! Perhaps she's one of these 'Oh, my [insert object here] is bigger/stronger/better than yours!' people. Or perhaps there are special circumstances. Can't say as I'm very clued up on human-grade medicinal restrictions!

Are they the co-codamol tablets? Mum was on those and they sent her into a drunken state. I'm not big on pain-killers either, so I don't blame you there.

I think they use that as an estimated maximum! It's probably a quicker process for most people! Keep your head up

No they're not co-codamol - just codeine.

Yes I'm hoping that the 1 year projection was on the gloomy side - just like when the surgeon had to run through (and list on the form) the side effects of the surgery before he was allowed by the recent regulations to obtain my signature for consent to the op; one of which side effects was "death".   

I don't envy you then!

Gives you great confidence, doesn't it?

sign of the times, litigation culture - no comeback or be sued - you can't say you weren't warned.

No, I suppose they don't want you coming back to sue them if that after effect (death) happens!  

One of those frightening precautionary tales to cover their derrieres.

Well I had the outer dressing changed today, but I'm still no bendier (the incision wound is 10 inches long over the length of the leg, over what remains of my kneecap) so the dressing still restricts movement.

And it seems I have a deep-seated infection brewing which explains the increased pain I have been feeling over the last few days, so I am now on a course of penicillin which will hopefully knock it out. Back to the nurse on Monday, which will be my birthday trip out!

I'm beginning to regret the whole thing.

Oh, poor you! I hope the infection clears up as soon as possible!

Is there any way you can reschedule your birthday trip?

Eleanor wrote:Is there any way you can reschedule your birthday trip?

No, that is the only day my sister can take me - I still can't drive yet. My priority is to get as normal as possible as soon as possible, and to be perfectly honest birthdays lose their enchantment the older you get!

Well I hope everything goes smoothly from now on!

Oh, Lynda that's awful. Let's hope the penicillin kicks in quickly.   

Thank you, I hope so too.

Thank you kind people.

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That sounds so painful, I hope it heals quickly for you   

Hope you're feeling better today!

You are all so kind, thank you.

Maybe I'm not a patient person and expected this all to be a walk in park - I usually heal pretty quickly, but I have to admit to a certain amount of frustration. It's not so much the pain (although I would be disappointed if it lasts forever) but the lack of mobility. I can't do much physio excercises due to the infection, but also because I swear that the physio-terrorist ripped my thigh muscle the day after my op.

I have to remind myself that I was limping for a year anyway before the operation and I really had no choice if I wanted the chance to walk soundly again.

I shall certainly think long and hard before I go through this again, and weigh up the pros and cons and will see how this new knee settles before I go for the next one (both hips and the other knee are also arthritic, although sometimes sore they haven't so far caused me to limp).

Grizzle over!

Poor you! I've heard physio can be a pain, literally. Very often though, the start of a healing process can be slow, but once it gets going it speeds up! Hopefully that'll be the case here!