SAM55
Well-Known Member
Thought it was time I got back to diary writing...
Now 5 weeks post knee op and starting to feel I am getting my life back! Two days off of the codeine (although not the Narproxen which is making my blood pressure go sky high) or paracetamol) and my brain is starting to fire more normally.
Firstly my weight. I was able to balance on the scales just over 2 weeks ago and found I had put on 5kg! Wasn't surprised given i was mainly in bed or sitting on a chair, i was constipated as hell from the codeine, and eating flapjack to try and cope with the constant nausea.
Fast forward to today and I have lost 3 of the kg's so am know only 2kg higher than I was pre-op. So with a bit more exercise and a bit less flapjack I should hopefully be back to baseline and can then focus on getting rid of the final stone of my original target.
Emotionally it has to have been one of my hardest recoveries what with the pain, lack of sleep and being so helpless, and with no family in this country or available close friends to do much caring, I have had a succession of strangers coming in to do very personal things like showering, preparing what seems to them a very strange diet, and and asking very personal questions. Every outing be it to a medical appointment or to a couple of work related meetings I really didn't want to miss, has involved constant 'who can I get to drive me' planning and in some cases an expensive taxi. This has meant I have had difficulty in not responding to everything in a negative way and also being over reactionary to every perceived slight. One of the reasons I have stayed off the forum mainly as i know it is so easy to write things that can be misconstrued by others. Sorry to those of you who support me regularly who have been wondering how I am plus dealing with your own big recent life events. Hope you too are recovering well.
Still no report received about my complaint regarding the knee drain etc that I was promised I would get by end of October. Now have NHS Complaints Advocacy chasing it up. I go back to see Consultant on 22nd November, where I have to ask what are the risks of it staying in there, what percentage of ops have this happen, and what other surgery might have to happen if there is a problem. So far one person has said there is a risk of infection, another has said when the stitches dissolve it could move and either touch a nerve or get caught up in the joint.
On the plus side I am now under a local physio who is lovely and I started back in her hydrotherapy class last Wednesday. Good to be back in the water again, although have to be careful i don't overdo it! She says from the movement i have other than the drain, they have done a good job and i just need to keep up with the exercises as well as I have been.
Did my first drive this week, just to the GP surgery and am going to try a longer journey today to wherever I feel like going, to try and shake off the remnants of the cabin fever. I can walk indoors with no crutches but still need aids outside. Quite fancy going to buy the new trainers I promised myself once I had had the op. Sun is also shining so may take in a detour to see some autumn colours too.
Now 5 weeks post knee op and starting to feel I am getting my life back! Two days off of the codeine (although not the Narproxen which is making my blood pressure go sky high) or paracetamol) and my brain is starting to fire more normally.
Firstly my weight. I was able to balance on the scales just over 2 weeks ago and found I had put on 5kg! Wasn't surprised given i was mainly in bed or sitting on a chair, i was constipated as hell from the codeine, and eating flapjack to try and cope with the constant nausea.
Fast forward to today and I have lost 3 of the kg's so am know only 2kg higher than I was pre-op. So with a bit more exercise and a bit less flapjack I should hopefully be back to baseline and can then focus on getting rid of the final stone of my original target.
Emotionally it has to have been one of my hardest recoveries what with the pain, lack of sleep and being so helpless, and with no family in this country or available close friends to do much caring, I have had a succession of strangers coming in to do very personal things like showering, preparing what seems to them a very strange diet, and and asking very personal questions. Every outing be it to a medical appointment or to a couple of work related meetings I really didn't want to miss, has involved constant 'who can I get to drive me' planning and in some cases an expensive taxi. This has meant I have had difficulty in not responding to everything in a negative way and also being over reactionary to every perceived slight. One of the reasons I have stayed off the forum mainly as i know it is so easy to write things that can be misconstrued by others. Sorry to those of you who support me regularly who have been wondering how I am plus dealing with your own big recent life events. Hope you too are recovering well.
Still no report received about my complaint regarding the knee drain etc that I was promised I would get by end of October. Now have NHS Complaints Advocacy chasing it up. I go back to see Consultant on 22nd November, where I have to ask what are the risks of it staying in there, what percentage of ops have this happen, and what other surgery might have to happen if there is a problem. So far one person has said there is a risk of infection, another has said when the stitches dissolve it could move and either touch a nerve or get caught up in the joint.
On the plus side I am now under a local physio who is lovely and I started back in her hydrotherapy class last Wednesday. Good to be back in the water again, although have to be careful i don't overdo it! She says from the movement i have other than the drain, they have done a good job and i just need to keep up with the exercises as well as I have been.
Did my first drive this week, just to the GP surgery and am going to try a longer journey today to wherever I feel like going, to try and shake off the remnants of the cabin fever. I can walk indoors with no crutches but still need aids outside. Quite fancy going to buy the new trainers I promised myself once I had had the op. Sun is also shining so may take in a detour to see some autumn colours too.
Most I think was fluid and constipation and a lack of exercise. Becoming more mobile now and managed over 5000 steps yesterday (with crutches) . I ache terribly this morning and had a bad night with pain, so must be more careful not to overdo it!
