Day 8 Good News Galore ! ! ! ! !

Good news 1 : The new pain medication works like a dream and I slept from 11:30pm till 9am !!!!!!!

I feel SO much more alert now !

Good News 2 :

I've lost 2 KG kilos since last Tuesday :~))

Now the thing is to keep up the good work....

Good News 3 : The lovely lady physiotherapist (more about her tomorrow) who came yesterday said that the beastly surgical stocking does not need to go all the way up to my groin. This means it's lower on my leg and doesn't roll up and strangle my circulation anymore.

Good News 4 : She also said my leg was at 100% extension, which was good news as I couldn't even lift it an inch from the floor in hospital !

Good News 5 : Today is marginally cooler

Day 7 Pain

Pain is a weird thing that everyone experiences in a different way. In hospital they ask you on a scale of 1 to 10 how bad it is.... it was about 4 with extremes when doing some of the exercises.

They happened to give me a prescription for the wrong pain medication to take home. The chemist was able to see from my records that it's not at all compatible with pills I take for something else. So it's taken until today to get myself in gear to organise different pain medication - Paracetalmol just isn't strong enough!

So hopefully I'll be able to sleep beter tonight.......

Day 6 Lateral thinking

The documentation for people with new knees is mostly directed at 'old' old people who indeed might need help with raised toilets, extra handrails etc. But with a bit of lateral thinking one can do without. Holding onto walls, taps, washbasins (hope there securely fixed) all seem to work.
  

As does a bag round ones neck to transport stuff up and down stairs (hope you can all read binary ?)

Leo is, of course, at hand, but as he works in a rehabilitation clinic where they want patients to be as self reliant as possible, he tends to let me muddle on and only helps out if i get stuck. Like this morning when I could not get my leg out of the shower basin onto the floor!

While looking for various pictures, I came across this gem:

Didn't sleep to well last night so have been napping this afternoon.

 I must get around to answering a few mails...........

Day 5 ... Sleep

Trying to sleep in hospital is a nightmare..........

But at home it's difficult too, because you don't realise how often you turn over in the night.

Some statistics I found say that you turn over in bed on average between 30-40 times per night. This means that the knee then starts to protest and wakes you up.

So this morning I was up early having cornflakes to the birdsong at dawn:~)

There is the small problem of getting the surgical stocking on before going downstairs. Apparently one has to wear the bl...y thing for six weeks, which is no fun as it goes from groin to toe and the top of it tends to roll up and cut into the top of ones leg. I've solved this by using wide masking tape you normally use round windows when decorating. I just tape the top of the stocking to my leg. It's easy to remove.

Luckily I'm still flexible enough to get it one by myself without the district nurse having to call or use one of these contraptions....  Take a look here into the future of such things.

So many people sent me cards, emails or rang me - thank you one and all ! I will answer all my mails asap. The best card I got was from my mother in law - it's like one of those "do not disturb" hangers you get in hotels, except it has a sick teddy on the front, who like me, did not want visitors.Thank you all for resisting the urge.

Rotterdam is a VERY multi cultural place, so there were a lot of patients from Suriname, the Antilles, Cape Verdi etc. They seem to have ALL their extended family come visit then EVERY visiting hour. The atmosphere gets really party like!   I feel more like a sick animal that wants to crawl and hide under a bush !!

However now I am home and feel slightly more human

Do ring or mail me first so I can make sure I'm presentable :~)

Day 3/4

Id' prepared this before going into hospital.....This should be the last day here in hospital.They might even let me out early if I can bend my knee to at least 70 degrees.

Seven years ago it had to be at least 90 degrees, and that was really hard to achieve so soon after the op. Now I can bend my 1st replacement much more than that, almost as much as this.

THEY DID SEND ME HOME ON FRIDAY !!!!!

This could be because I can manage the crutches, get up and down stairs, inject myself with the anti-thrombosis medication, and bend my knee (with considerable pain and effort) to the required 70 degrees :~)) OR I was such a terrible patient, they wanted to get rid of me :~)

So Leo picked me up yesterday afternoon. However nice the Havenziekenhuis is, home is a LOT better.

I feel a bit weak an wobbly, but am improving by the day. More tomorrow when my brain is working better.

Day 2

Even though you know it's going to be painful, it's still a surprise JUST how painful it is, but its all in a good cause !

I can be heard cursing the very nice pysiotherapists as they help me do my exerceses ! This will cost me a BIG box of chocalates when they release me at the end of the week.

Day 1

Once you are proficient on the zimmer frame you can progress to using two crutches to hobble about on.

I really hope everyone is taking notice of my 'no visitors' request as I really don't expect I'll feel up to smiling and joking with anyone. 

Operation Day

 They wake you up at in the middle of the night to go and shower with special antiseptic shampoo....

Just making sure they get the right leg...  Actually the surgeon comes round with a marker pen the day before - X marks the spot :~)

But I'll NOT be running down the corridor !

I hope they are concentrating..........

They get you up a few hours after the operation to run around with a zimmerframe !

Good news ...

They have an Internet computer near the ward so I should be able to post my (ready made) entries every day - that's if I'm able to hobble that far..... !

Not long to go now...

Maybe I am just a little nervous...........

I have to be at the hospital at 2 o'clock today (Monday 21st), and will be the first on the operating list Tuesday morning. 

The Hospital (Havenziekenhuis) is situated on the river Maas, so I hope to have a room with a view. They have been re-vamping it and it looks a lot less like a hospital, and more like a hotel!

Please - please - please don't come visit me in hospital. I'm only in there for about 4 days and one never feels ones best after a big op. I'll be at home for at least six weeks recovering, so will be more than glad to see you then :~)

                                        

Progression...

I just spoke to a friend who had a replacement knee fitted four weeks ago... she is still using two crutches .

I seem to recall using just one fairly soon after coming out of hospital last time, but maybe that was just impatient me !

Seeking diversions

If I was interested in footbaal I could watch TV this afternoon as Holland are playing ....

I'm not sure if the British are quite as football crazy as the Dutch - here whole streets become orange and supporters too!

Instead we are going to a concert tonight in Delft. A friend of ours is a violin teacher and several of her pupils are performing Pirates of the Caribbean.

Vanity

With my short hair style I need to visit my hairdresser every 6 weeks. It's a tiny, somewhat old fashioned shop near us, but Margaret does my hair exactly as I want it - and it's dirt cheap as well :~)) So I had an appointment today, with this result...

Now I won't need to go again until I can drive there myself. I usually go on my bike, but I have a feeling that my knee might not bend enough for a while to cycle. One has to start of real slow, with the saddle raised as high as possible to extend the leg without it bending too much. It might take a long time before real pressure can be exerted by the new knee. Luckily Holland is really flat !

More preparations

I also need to fill up de freezer, or we'll be eating Leo's speciality, spaghetti, every day for 6 weeks !

Luckily we have a Dutch version of Iceland (Bofrost) which delivers really high quality frozen meals etc to the door.

Their pasta with 4 cheese sauce and spinach is to die for :~)

I've bought new nigthdresses too....

Home Sweet Home

Leo picked me up this morning and it's so good to be home again :~))

Pink Floyds 'Time' has the perfect lyrics for how I feel...

Home, home again
I like to be here when I can .......

 
 
 
 
So it's knee up on the sofa with a cat on my lap and being waited on hand and foot :~))
 
Visitors are now welcome to pop round and amuse me :~))