VWL Groupies...yes, we love the Lodge!!

[Inkmahm]

I am alive and doing well! I apologize for not getting back here sooner.

My surgery to replace my left knee went very well last week Monday. The rest of that day and night, not so much. Exactly as I feared, they didn't coordinate with my pain management doctor and I was NOT getting enough pain meds to come close to keeping me from being in agony. I think my mom prayed the hardest but I know there were a LOT of prayers out there for me. By Tuesday, they got the pain management doctor that my surgeon usually uses involved and he upped the drugs for me. Yay! Finally, some relief. I know that I"m getting more drugs than most because the nurses looked at me like I was already an addict. For you medical types, I'm getting 30 mg of morphine sulfate ER every 8 hours and then 15 mg of oxycodone every 3 hours around the clock.

The problem switched to being one of trying to stay awake after the pain meds were increased. That's where I am right now. It can take me 45 minutes to think clearly enough to write down a time and planned time for drug taken and to be taken on my tracking list. I get just zonked. And then there are times, usually in the middle of the night, when I am awake. Like now! My days and nights are somewhat reversed.

Lucky the DIS keeps what you are typing for ahwile, just dozed off there again.
Anyway, my physical therapy is going well. I went today and they did massage of the hamstring which both hurt like double hockey sticks and then felt good at the same time. I am walking well with my cane. I can get my leg in and out of bed on my own. I can do the two stairs necessary to get in and out of the house. AND I can get into the car without screaming. Each day something gets to be a little easier to do so that is my encouragemet to keep going. Even just walking backwards was a challenge until yesterday!

Dynaguy is worth his weight in gold. He takes wonderful care of me and I try not to bug him for too much help, but it is amazing how many things we take for granted that we can do with two knees and can't with just one. His main job (other than feeding me) is to put this knee machine on and off of the bed/me several times each day. I thought it was a pretty cool machine and liked it until I found out from the therapist on Friday that I really needed to crank the degrees on it to bend my knee more. Now it is a little mini torture machine, but I use it because I have to. Douglas has been such a rock for me, I am blessed beyond belief. Even when I am snapping at him, he says it is just the pain and he loves me anyway. What a guy.

So, right now I have a left leg that is straighter and I think longer than my right leg. When I get my right knee replaced in December, I believe they will be even again and I may get some height back that I thought I lost. I'd always been 5'7" and then they started measuring me at 5'6" or so. I know I could be shrinking already from my age, but I also believe my bowlegs from the bad knees are part of the problem.

I'll try to be around more often with updates. The summary so far is that you all did wonderful and your prayers were answered. Thank you so much! When the nurses weren't listening to me a week ago, I know that God was listening and sent the one nurse who finally paid attention and got me the drugs I needed.
And if this post doesn't make sense when I read it again later on, I blame the drugs. I've been off on a few things with my mind just being like sludge.

Thanks again! All of you are great.

 

[Inkmahm]

And here comes a busy Wednesday!

DiznyDi gets the last of her series of three shots in each knee today. It is hard trying to keep the doctor's schedule at pace with our Disney Adventures; they just can't seem to grasp the importance of an important life schedule! If it isn't the office missing the appointment by not requesting approval in a timely manner, or it is the insurance company doing the "do everything we can do to stall" stuff.

And here comes a busy Wednesday!

I hope the shots helped her. I was getting those, too, and thought I had the perfect schedule with getting them in October 2011 before our F&W trip to WDW and then scheduled six months later in April. I'd always be at the end of the shots for our March trips Home but the October shots would cover TWO trips to WDW.

Then I found out every six months is measured differently by the insurance company. You can't get the first shot of the next series until 6 months after the last shot of the last series. So I couldn't get my April shots until May and I was a month late, too.

I suffered in March and a lot more in April and early May just waiting for my shots to start on May 10. Except this time I didn't get the relief from them at all that I had gotten last fall. I was still limping along with a cane and in bad pain. That's what lead me to the surgeon just a couple weeks after the last shot. I knew I was doomed and would never make it walking the way that I was.

I hope DisneyDi has better luck that I did with the shots. While I"m very glad to have had my knee replaced, it is not much fun. If I could walk okay with just getting shots now and then, I'd still be doing that instead.

 

[Dizny Dad]

I hope the shots helped her. . . . . . . . every six months is measured differently by the insurance company. . . . . . I hope DisneyDi has better luck that I did with the shots. . . . . . . . .

Inkmahm - Thoughts and prayers for you this AM!

DiznyDi has been getting the shots in her knees for about seven years now. they don't always work well, but she still has a narrow gap between bones so the surgeon says it just isn’t time for new knees yet. This past series of shots seems to have helped a little bit better. Her pace on our daily walks has pick up. Don’t tell her, but there have been a few times I have had difficulty in keeping up!

And yes, one has to fully understand “The Game” needed to be played when it comes to health care and insurance. DiznyDi has always been able to work in the shots, but the schedule does have a skew to it, so every once in a while shot of cortisone would need to suffice with a few months gap before getting the shots again, stretching the pace out maybe 9 months to allow the schedule to again be used for that six months fix in The World.

Glad to hear Dynaguy is right with you!

Stand tall; keep walking . . .

 

[jimmytammy]

Inkmahm
So glad to see you back here! Sounds like progress is in the works, and thats good. And your posts sound perfectly legible, hey if you do say something off the wall, we understand, again, just glad you are back and communicating. Prayers continuing.

 

[eliza61]

I hope the shots helped her. I was getting those, too, and thought I had the perfect schedule with getting them in October 2011 before our F&W trip to WDW and then scheduled six months later in April. I'd always be at the end of the shots for our March trips Home but the October shots would cover TWO trips to WDW.

Then I found out every six months is measured differently by the insurance company. You can't get the first shot of the next series until 6 months after the last shot of the last series. So I couldn't get my April shots until May and I was a month late, too.

I suffered in March and a lot more in April and early May just waiting for my shots to start on May 10. Except this time I didn't get the relief from them at all that I had gotten last fall. I was still limping along with a cane and in bad pain. That's what lead me to the surgeon just a couple weeks after the last shot. I knew I was doomed and would never make it walking the way that I was.

I hope DisneyDi has better luck that I did with the shots. While I"m very glad to have had my knee replaced, it is not much fun. If I could walk okay with just getting shots now and then, I'd still be doing that instead.

that is so interesting to me INk because I am the exact opposite. While recovery for my knee replacement was long and hard, I haven't had one whit of pain since. Man was it so worth it. First I had to fight with the insurance company because they don't like to do them on 50 year olds (some thing about them not lasting the life of the patient). I have osteoporosis and osteoarthritis and it was getting next to impossible to walk.

Dad, give my love to Di. Isn't it amazing how we take simply things for granted until we can't do them anymore?

 

[blossomz]

Disney dad..love to Di. Hope she is doing well!

Ink...lots of good thoughts and pixie dust on your recovery. It seems the older we get...the longer it takes to recover from such things! Glad you found some time to let us know how you are doing!

 

[bagsmom]

DisneyDi and Inkmahm -- speedy recovery to you both! (Ink -- a very coherent post for someone who was "flying high.")

After my Dad's hip replacement, same thing happened -- was brought to a room with NO PAIN MEDS! He was trying to be brave and was on the verge of crying. My Mom didn't know what to do, so I made myself as obnoxious as possible and went up and down the halls bugging everyone I could. Just insane!

I hope you both stay pain free for as long as possible!

Gotta be in good shape for cruising around THE LODGE! (Do you like the clever way I mentioned the lodge in there?)

 

[twokats]

Yea to the good news from Ink and Di. So far, knock on wood, I have not had knee problems ( although DH does) but since the diagnosis of bursitis in both hips I have a horror of getting in almost the same situation of trouble walking because of my hips. So far I have only had a shot in the right one after I hurt it the last day of our vacation. I have thought about getting the left one done before we go back to the world since that is where I originally hurt that one on the December trip. And it does not take much of a stumble to cause a little pain.

 

[horselover]

See you at the Groupie Meet; where there will be evidence of a Mouse, and probably some hooch . . .

Hmmmm, at our groupie meet we only had cake! I guess next time I'll bring the hooch instead!

Inkmahm - thinking of you & wishing you a speedy recovery.

Only 4 more sleeps until one night at Disney & 5 more sleeps until the cruise! We're doing one night at OKW (with a dinner at Kona - can't miss my Lapu Lapu!) before heading to the port on Sunday. So excited! Crazy busy with work but that's a good thing. I'll have earned that cruse by the time it rolls around!

 

[twokats]

Happy Birthday, TammyNC!

I hope it is the best!

 

[Dizny Dad]

Hmmmm, at our groupie meet we only had cake! I guess next time I'll bring the hooch instead! . . . . . . . . . . . . . Only 4 more sleeps until one night at Disney & 5 more sleeps until the cruise! We're doing one night at OKW (with a dinner at Kona - can't miss my Lapu Lapu!) . . . . . .

EVIDENCE, I said EVIDENCE (like smiling faces); but if you want to bring the Groupies Lapu Lapus for the treat, no one will complain. But I have to say, the cake was delicious!

 

[jimmytammy]

Happy Birthday to the love of my life, TammyNC!!!

 

[MiaSRN62]

 

[horselover]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TAMMY!!!

 

[stopher1]

Greetings Groupies!

Just popping in to say hi.

I hope you're all doing well on this Wednesday.

Happy Birthday Tammy!

 

[Muushka]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TAMMY!!!

http://www.glitter-graphics.com

Yes happy birthday Tammy! I hope it is a fun day for you. Now where do we want to meet for lunch????

Ink, so glad all went well.

 

[MiaSRN62]

I am alive and doing well! I apologize for not getting back here sooner.

My surgery to replace my left knee went very well last week Monday. The rest of that day and night, not so much. Exactly as I feared, they didn't coordinate with my pain management doctor and I was NOT getting enough pain meds to come close to keeping me from being in agony. I think my mom prayed the hardest but I know there were a LOT of prayers out there for me. By Tuesday, they got the pain management doctor that my surgeon usually uses involved and he upped the drugs for me. Yay! Finally, some relief. I know that I"m getting more drugs than most because the nurses looked at me like I was already an addict. For you medical types, I'm getting 30 mg of morphine sulfate ER every 8 hours and then 15 mg of oxycodone every 3 hours around the clock

Thanks again! All of you are great.

Ink....so happy to hear you are doing better ! Being an RN, I can tell you that is A LOT of pain medication. I think I'd be comatose from it. But if you need it, then you should get it. I did a rotation in the PACU (Post Anesthesia Care Unit---or Recovery Room as most know it) 2 years ago. Saw all kinds of people coming out of surgery. Knee replacement patients appeared to be some of the ones that had the most post-op pain. I cringed watching them. They looked way more uncomfortable that the post op C-section patients I care for. I give you credit for being so positive about your surgery and recovery. All the best in your continued rehab. Keep in touch when you can & get lots of rest

Oh...and HI CHRISTOPHER !!!! Happy Wednesday to you as well !!!!

 

[Corinne]

InkSo happy to hear from you, and wish you the best in your recovery!

Happy Birthday Tammy!

And may I just add.....my countdown is down to one month!

PS--we switched to the BCV hope all can forgive me

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Wishing you speedy recovery Inkmahm and hope that the pain subsides soon.

Happy Birthday Tammy!

The Recipe at Groupie meets??? I have got to get to one of those!!!

 

[DiznyDi]

Happy Birthday Tammy!
I was almost late to the party. Hope you've enjoyed your special day.