Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group I'm home

First off I want to thankyou Brad so much for reminding everyone for your thoughts and prayers Tuesday. I will never be able to thank you all for all the kickas power. I truely believe that is what got me through what was a very long and complicated surgery. It has already been 6 of the toughest days of my life. I wouldn't be on line now if it were'nt for my wonderful son who bought a laptop and hooked it up in my livingroom today, my new bedroom for the next couple months, just so I could talk to my kickas family, he knows important you all are to me, and thought it would help my emotional recovery. I won't be able to stay on too long but I really wanted to let you all know how things went. As I said the surgery was really long and complicated. It turned out my surgeon had 2 reps in the OR with everything each company has for revisions. Long surgery story short, I have a one of a kind knee replacement, Part of it is a Scorpio and the other is Zimmer. He took out the femoral Scorpio component and replaced it with a Zimmer constrained one, then customized the tibial component to accommodate the peg from the Zimmer, then exchanged the insert for a smaller one. Once he got all that figured out and in place, he did some reconstruction of the muscles and surrounding soft tissues to pull everything back into place, that has been so badly stretched out for years of surgical abuse, then removed the wide band from the old stretched out 12 inch incision, pulled it all together and was done. Now it's all one big waiting game. We won't know if any of this is going to work until I have my range of motion back and walking without crutches, at least a few months. This surgery was the absolute worst one for me to recover from after 9 knee surgeries. I was sick and couldn't keep even water down until Sunday, the post op pain unfortunately was complicated by back, sciatic, and hip pain in the same leg. This time the AS flare started 2 days before surgery instead of a week after. It has been a daily struggle to keep myself moving. It would be so easy to just lay here and wilt away but I'm up evey couple hours, walking around the house with my crutches, working on my stretches and range of motion, and finally kept some soup down yesterday and today. I'm determined to do whatever I have to to make sure this works. I lucked out Thursday, the docs thought I might have had a blood clot but after sending me down for an ultrasound, it came back okay. Other than the extreme pain, thank God for pain meds, the biggest worry right now is this fever that started Thursday. The surgeon said if it hits 101 tomorrow I'm back in the hospital.
Well the pain meds are taking hold and I need to lay down for a while, my visits will be short and limited for a while. I hope to be back again tomorrow to catch up with everyone else.
Thanks again for all your support, it really has made a difference.

Cindy

Hi Cindy,

Sorry to hear that the surgery took so long and you aren't feeling so well. Hopefully your tummy will stay settled and the fever will go down without you having to be admitted to the hospital. Don't over do it!

Hugs,
Cara

(((Cindy))) You are one tough lady. We have all been rooting for you. I have thought of you daily. I am so glad that this is behind you and I pray this is the last one. It is wonderful that your son got you fixed up with the computer. I hope your recovery goes quicker and easier than the surgery.

I am SO glad to hear from you.
Possi

Cindy,

You are 1 strong lady!!!

There is no way I could go thru knee surgery that many times.

I have had alot of problems with my knees with having to be drained and cortisone shot in them and the one thing people dont understand is how much we rely on our knees until we cant use them.

I am glad your son did this for you, it will help your state of mind to come and peek here every day and see how much we all miss you..lol

Just take it very easy and do exactly what you are suppose to do so hopefully it will heal and give you the relief that you need.

Will you have to go to rehab at some point?

Keep us all updated,

Take Care,

Lisa

Hi Cindy.

Wowy, this all sounds very tough. I hope you're soon feeling much better and that this turns out to have been the miracle surgery. I'm sure you're determination will go a long way to make this work.

Maggie

Hi! I'm glad that's over with!!! I admire your tenacity! healthcare worker or not, I am not good at post surgical. I always pass out my first walk and usually get nauseated and the nausea usually puts me down before the passing out Keep at it...I know it's so rough with all teh other stuff to contend with but it sounds like you're really doing a good job! Be tough..take good care of yourself Amy

Cindy,

It is so good to hear from you and I am happy to hear that you are at home already! I know that you still have a long road ahead of you, but as any of us who have had surgery know, you immediately start recovering faster once you get out of the hospital and get back in your own home, at least from an emotional and mental point of view. Yes, the physical side of the recovery can sometimes be harder at home, but for me at least, the benefits far outweighed the negatives, and I hope and pray it is the same for you.

It sounds like you had one dedicated doctor and team of specialists there to help you during the operation, and that is so good to hear after all you have gone through. The operation does sound incredibly tough, and I certainly have no time believing the amount of pain that you are in as a result. Be sure that your doc is giving you enough pain medicine now that you are home--don't you dare suffer needlessly just to try to be brave Cindy!! You're already being brave enough, believe me! Last thing you need is extra pain hampering your recovery.

I had to smile when you mentioned your living room becoming your bedroom for the next couple months. After I had my spinal osteotomy surgery, I went through the same thing, sleeping on a hospital bed in my living room. Well, if you want to get technical, it was actually the "dining room" of my apartment's living area, but I never had a table there, so I always considered it an extension of the living room. I was single at the time, so my mom and dad took turns staying with me for a couple months, until I could get around by myself. (Well, my mom came and stayed with me, with my dad providing a day or two of relief from time to time when mom simply needed a break--dad was working, sure, but it was mom who really had to disrupt her life during that period; consider this a heartfelt "thank you" to moms everywhere who help out and become the caregiver in situations like this!) Like you, I had a very hard time getting around then, as I too suffered a flare after that surgery. I know exactly what you mean when you say it would be easy to just stay in bed each day, but it's clear you understand how much damage that would do to you and your new knee in the long run and are doing all you can to walk around and move each day. Good for you, and know that we are thinking of you each day and sending more positive vibes your way every day.

Don't worry about staying online for long periods and leaving us long responses--I'm only rambling on here to give you something to read that can take your mind off of your pain for a few minutes, so no need for a response. You just worry about getting better right now. It is great that your son set you up with that laptop so that you can keep up with your KA reading--that was nice of him. Like your doctor, I am a bit worried about that fever you have that won't go away, but here's hoping by the time you make your next post that it has passed and everything is fine.

Once again. so glad to hear that you are home and that your doctor and his team tried so hard to finally get your knee right--I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that when you finally do get to try it out, it works like you are expecting it to.

Best,

Brad

Well I hope that this operation is finally a success. Good to know that you have survived.

MaggieinOz

HI Cindy,

Good to see you posting. Pray for strength and courage during your healing and that it may be quick and without complications.

Take care,

Tim

Woo-Hoo Cindy - That's great news. You have been in our thoughts over on this side of the ole puddle, all waiting to hear how you got on. Gal, you sure are an inspiration and as Brad says, no heroics on the pain med front: ask for em an take em! That's orders, an NO prevarication (Hope that darn temp gets down PDQ AND the flare gets under control, flatterns out and disappears.)

Also as Brad says: "(Hugely) glad to hear that you are home and that your doctor and his team tried so hard to finally get your knee right-- (we'll) be keeping (our) fingers crossed that when you finally do get to try it out, it works like you are expecting it to."

Don't tire yourself, R&R with a few 'gentle' stretches in between - many cyber {{{HUGS}}}

Molly
Keeping on Keeping on (positively)