8 weeks Post-Op TKR

Well, I had hoped to continue my positive improvement but this last week has been a tough one.  My friends and family have to keep telling me that it has only been 2 months. I am just a little impatient.  I have to be reminded that I had a revision from a partial to a total knee, along with a stress fracture.  The problem is, between the 2 knees, I have had minimum 10….yes 1-0; TEN…..surgeries.  Everything from simple meniscus and debridement to lateral releases and patella realignment.  I keep thinking I should be all better or at least on a continual improvement path as in others.

 

Recovery can be easy or it can have many ups and downs.  I am fully aware, as I have been through the easy, the long and the bumpy roads.

Since, there is no brace and my incision is looking great I just want to feel better!!  Nope- a TKR can take a year.

 

So, what is happening 8 weeks out?

My knee has been really hot and sore.  I don’t think sore covers it actually.  Painful.  I have been taking Advil and recently my docor said I can try this topical pain ointment called Pennsaid,  It is so painful- if I had pain killers I wouldn’t hesitate.  Trust me that is saying something as I don’t take pain meds when I am supposed to.

It is still swollen which accounts for some of the heat and pain.  Yes, this can be normal. It feels like my bending has decreased again but maybe that is my  imagination. Sleeping is rough again too.  The weight of the blankets on my leg when I try to move puts too much pressure on the knee.  The worst thing though is how painful it is when I am standing/ walking for any amount of time.  A simple trip to the store is tiring and then causes afterpain.  Standing for an hour is about all I can do.   The pain is more in the back of my leg/ knee.  I keep massaging it- hoping maybe it is some ligament/ tendon that is just too tight.

I am hoping that I can get back into physical therapy.  I do my exercises at home but I am hoping the structure and encouragement of PT will assist. I don’t have a bike or pool access at home which I feel would help immensely.

So what is my goal?  This probably should of been mentioned early on in my blog.  Just turning 48 this week I have always been active.  Most people would be happy at the progress thus far, but not I.  Being a mother of a 5 year old and loving sports I need to be able to do physical activities.  I work as a chemist and a bartender, therefore being on my feet for an extended amount of times is common.

It is a long recovery….I can do it…..YOU can do it.  Have Patience and Keep Moving.

 

 

The Day I won PowerBall

Isn’t it fun to dream how you would react and what you would do if you won the lottery?  With all the hype over the latest PowerBall jackpot of 1.6 billion, I thought this was the perfect time to tell my story about when I won PowerBall.

The jackpot wasn’t as big as it was this week, but it was one of those that didn’t have a winner for some time and was built up.  I want to say it was around 2008.  Anyways, we were living in Pueblo Colorado and this particular week I was at a training class near Chicago.   I had bought lottery tickets in Colorado and Illinois. My husband was driving up with the kids from Colorado as we were going to drive to Massachusetts to see my family after the class.  He had also bought lottery tickets along the way to pick me up.

While we were driving across the county, I decided to check all our numbers.  I asked my husband where his tickets were and he responded, “The winning numbers are right there”, as he pointed to the console.

I told my daughter to look up the numbers on her phone.  I started to read off the numbers on the tickets.  Let’s just jump forward to the winning ticket.  After reading the first two numbers with her response being “YES” we were started to get excited.  Third number…..”YES.”  “Mom are you serious?”….my heart started to beat faster.  Here comes the fourth number….”YES!” At this point, my eyes must have been getting larger and I was getting anxious.  The fifth number another overwhelming “YES” and she kept saying are you kidding.  I was saying the same to her.  Well, now we are onto the final Powerball number and with the final “YES” the tears are flowing.

I can’t say how many times I said, “Oh my God!”  My daughter was additionally freaking out in the backseat- saying what do we do what do we do.  It was kind of funny as the way she was saying it you would have thought we did something wrong.  I couldn’t breath, tachycardia in full swing.

My overly calm husband, who was driving at the time, was in disbelief.  He quickly switched on the rational brain.  He told us we can’t tell anyone, even our family who we were enroute to see.  We started to think about what we need to do and should do, as we were driving across the country.  Do we turn around? Keep driving? Heck one of us fly back?  All of us fly to Massachusetts?  What to do with the money?  Pay off bills.  Set up college funds.  Pay off mortgage.  Buy vacation house.  Help family. Start own business.

I have had well over my share of money issues from deadbeat dads, people borrowing and not paying back money, raising two kids as a single mom (before my hubby), putting myself through college, and being on bedrest with my third for 6 months.  My thoughts were that this couldn’t have happened at a better time.  I was not working and we had the newborn.

My husband thought I was going to have a heart attack.  Isn’t it funny your body seems to react the same for extreme joy and extreme sadness.  I told him he needs to pull over.  He found an exit to pull off and I gave him the ticket.  He looks at it and says something to the affect where is the ticket.  I said THOSE are the winning numbers.  He states, “Yes, these are the WINNINNG NUMBERS”.

Well-when he stopped to get gas and use the restroom in Illinois on his way to get me he had the convenience store print the “Winning numbers” as it was after the drawing.  That “ticket” looks very similar to an actual lottery ticket.  To make matters more confusing,  we had tickets from a few states (which look different) so I didn’t pay any attention to what they looked like as all our tickets were in a pile.

Disappointment.  Understatement!  In a matter of 15 minutes tops, I went from winning hundreds of millions to winning not even a dollar.  We often dream about what we would do and how we would react if we won, but until you actually win (or in my case- think you won) you just don’t know.

Maybe someday.

 

 

Bucket List

 

Life goes by so quickly and things can change dramatically at any moment.  How many times have you said I wish I did this and that?  We all usually have good intentions and think we will get to it, but frankly life happens and we forget or move on to something else.

People are usually in disbelief over the various jobs and activities I have done throughout my life.  I always say that what makes me worldly, with a wink and a smile.  I want to learn and experience as much as possible while I can.  I want to be able to share my experiences with my children and grandchildren.

When most people think of a bucket list they neglect to list the most special simple delights.  Just looking at the graphic to the right have you caught fireflies in a jar or watched a meteor shower?  You can have more than one bucket list and I would encourage it.  Don’t think of just the “before I die list”….

Other bucket lists may include: summer time, college, 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, healthy life, fall, winter, photography, travel, ect.  The possibilities are endless.  Of course, you will still have your ‘major’ before I die list but with other smaller and specialized lists you will accomplish more.

So what are you waiting for….start your bucket list(s) today.  Think outside the box and start experiencing more of life than you ever have!!!