Friday Feb. 26, 2010: MRI Scan Day

MRI scan for the custom implant today at the hospital. I had been very nervous last night and finally decided I would take ½ of an Ativan pill from my prescription for the trip next week. Henry didn’t break it very evenly so I took more like ¾ of the pill. It was snowing this morning so Henry drove me. The scan was about 2 hours, with a short break in the middle. Technician called me skinny (not really am) and then a troublemaker being skinny and having already an knee implant, when I mentioned it. That knee was kept away sort of from the knee being scanned. I dozed a lot through the 2nd half of the scan. We came home, had lunch, and then tried to take a nap in bed but couldn’t sleep so I came downstairs and watching curling at the Olympics while my husband was working. I managed to doze off and on with that. I woke completely when I heard my cell phone ring upstairs. I'm glad that's over with. I was told the technician would be sending the scans "on the internet" to Biomet and I was given a large envelope with the actual scans. I'm supposed to give them to my ortho the next time I see him, which isn't until April 9.
I am trying to stop wondering that someone looking at the scans will wonder why I am getting a TKR!! Nutty but true!

Wednesday Feb. 24, 2010: More progress

More progress moving toward surgery day, which is 8 weeks from today. I got a call from the hosptial confirming my MRI scan for FRiday morning, regardless of the weather (which isn't supposed to be very good). A bit nervous due to always having had open MRIs for all my other scans. This one, required for my custom implant, has to be a closed machine. I know my head will be out but I hope it's enough that I can breathe. The woman I spoke to suggested maybe an Ativan (something I never took until last week when I tried it once to see if it worked for my upcoming plane ride) but I rejected it, knowing how knocked out and for how long it knocked me out when I tried it.
Then in the mail came a letter from the hospital comfirming my joint replacement class. It mentioned scheduling an appointment with a nurse and anesthesologist prior to surgery, if desired. I thought that had been included in the class, but apparently not. So I had to call the ortho office which got me an appointment with them right after the class. With my PKR, I had told the anesthesiologist in the holding area that my hematologist said I should have general rather than spinal anesthesia due to my low platelet count. Since I don't remember anything after being given a femoral block and sedative, I don't know if I consented to the spinal during the period I have no memory of. I don't remember the OR at all. As far as I know, I ended up with a spinal anyway, so I want to get things cleared up beforehand.

Monday Feb. 22, 2010: Cortisone shot day

I got my shot in my left knee this morning in preparation for my trip. The office again was running late. That never happened before. I don't know if they're trying to get more patients in an hour or what (or their new computer system is causing problems-which is was last time). Anyway, he gave me the shot. We discussed and poked at the other knee. I described where and when that knee is hurting (going down stairs and bent when I drive mostly) and he said that is kneecap/patella issues---arthritis----and possibly in another spot where it's hard to tell because it's still numb there from the PKR (nerves haven't regenerated completely-smaller area than at first). He said when it gets troublesome, we'll check that one out. He doesn't like to go in arthroscopically to see what is going on because that in itself can stir up problems. It is feeling better. I am no longer having the muscle cramps since I seem to have figured out what motions trigger them (although when they first started 10 or so days ago, they'd just cramp up for some reason) so I avoid those motions. I don't see him again until my pre-op in April so he told me to have a nice trip:)
So Friday I have the MRI for the implant scan---closed machine but my head will be sticking out. And they have it in their records (noted when I made the appointment) that I am slightly claustrophobic so they're prepared if there is a problem.

Friday Feb. 19, 2010: And so it goes

Time for a short update. We decided earlier this week to go tomorrow to Mohegan Sun (Indian casino here in CT) for the day. We're going to leave early, play the nickel and quarter slots, and have a big lunch. Looking forward to getting away for the day.

NExt week I'm scheduled to work on Tuesday 11-3. Of course, it's supposed to snow again that day so I'll probably end up calling out. Then I'm on vacation for 2 weeks going to and from the Azores and getting back into the time zone. Then I work until my medical leave starts which is April 18, but the scheduler will probably make my last day early in the week than the 17th.

LEft knee (the one soon to be operated on) hasn't been horrible, but hasn't been comfortable either. For the most part, the cramping is mostly gone unless I get up wrong from a chair or go down the stairs wrong. But I have definitely concluded that I now have arthritis under my kneecap in my PKR knee that occasionally will really let itself be known. I'm going to the ortho on Monday for my pre-trip cortisone shot and he's going to be checking my PKR knee too (he doesn't seem to be as much a stickler about checking out other body parts than what the appointment is for as my 1st ortho is!). If I'm lucky, he may suggest a cortisone shot in that knee too. Then Friday I have the MRI for the scan of my knee for the TKR implant.

Once back from the Azores, I have a ton of appointments, from several pre-ops to an appointment for the autologous blood donation to a cholesterol retest appointment to hemo to rheumy office. And also my Joint Replacement class will be coming up too, a week after I get back.

Busy weeks ahead! So it'll be fun to get away to Mohegan Sun tomorrow. Extra nice if we manage to win something!

Wednesday Feb 10, 2010: Oh my! Pain!

Snowing here (southwestern CT) like crazy. I walked down 6 stairs this AM and my already replaced knee hurt so badly at the bottom of them, I had to stand there a few minutes. I finally hobbled to the sofa nearby and rubbed which helped for a bit. Now it's awful again. I can barely put any weight on it or bend it without a lot of pain. If it's still this way tomorrow, I'll call the ortho. Mine does surgery on Wednesday so he wouldn't be there today even if I called (and even if the ortho office is opened--=a lot of places are either closed or are closing early). I've also iced it. It hurts right where the implant is. I have a bruise there (which I've had a few days, from walking into the corner of the dishwasher). Maybe it's the tendon. I don't know but it hurts A LOT!

Feb,. 9, 2010: Blood donation date & surgery approved

I arranged yesterday for a date for the autologous blood donation but wrote down one date in my notebook and another date on the calendar so I had to call this morning to get that cleared up as to the correct date! So it's Monday April 5, the day before my pre-op with my regular doctor.
This morning, the surgery scheduler from the ortho office called while HEnry was on the phone and so I had to call her back and then wait for the return call. She said surgery was approved by insurance and that she had gotten a notice saying I had scheduled the MRI date. So as of now, this is what my schedule looks like (it includes yesterday's appointment):



Availability (for work):

1) Not available at all:
Monday Feb. 8- Regular doctor, airplane drug appointment, 11:15AM
Monday Feb. 22 Ortho., cortisone shot, pre-trip, 10:30
Friday Feb. 26: MRI at the hospital of my knee, 8:45AM
Sunday Feb. 28 - Saturday March 13 Azores trip
Tuesday March 16 Joint replacement class, hospital, 12:30
Monday April 5: Blood bank, autologous blood donation, 1:30
Tuesday April 6: regular doctor, pre-op, 9:30
Friday April 9: Ortho pre-op, 10:00


2) Available in the afternoon:

Wednesday March 17 Hemo, 9:30
Friday March 19: Regular doctpr cholesterol retest
Thursday March 25 rheumy office, 9:45AM


3) Medical leave to begin Sunday April 18. Surgery is scheduled for April 21.

Sunday Feb. 7, 2010: A long weekend

This weekend seemed very long. It was supposed to snow late late Friday night into Saturday but it didn't. However, south of here, there was a WHOLE lot more snow.
Thursday I started feeling sniffy and by Friday afternoon, I had a full-blown cold. No fever, just lots of nose blowing and sneezes. And then my PKR leg decided to return to the cramping it had after the PKR: the calf, hamstring and right behind the knee would clamp down tight. It is still doing it, but not doing it quite as much. On a good note about, it seems to take away from the left knee waiting for its TKR, which still hurts, but not as noticeably when I'm trying to ignore the cramping pain! Hopefully that will ease up. Today I'm still blowing my nose but have only sneezed about 4 times, and that wasn't until around 8PM and in one big sneezing attack.


So tomorrow morning, I have to take the Subaru in to get the license plates put on since the dealer neglected to give us screws for the front license plate required in CT. I'll go there before I had to Ridgefield to get my airplane drugs for my trip. She’ll probably check me out due to the cold and I'll tell her about the upcoming TKR. I'm also bringing the paper that has the information about the autologous blood donation and iron recommendations to see what she says about that. Hopefully tomorrow the hematology office will call back, speaking of the blood donation. I'll probably make the appointment for the donation tomorrow too, for the day of the joint replacement class, which the paper says they like to do.

Tuesday Feb. 2, 2010: Another entry-MRI scan & more

I got the call today for scheduling the MRI scan which will scan my knee for measurements for the new custom knee. It'll be Friday Feb. 26 in the morning. It isn't, as I thought correctly, an open machine but my head will be sticking out and there is a note saying I am slightly claustrophobic.

I also got the packet of papers from the ortho office. Good thing I got them as I had the pre-op date with the ortho one week later than it's scheduled.

Tuesday Feb. 2, 2010: A Cane

Just a quick note to say I ordered a cane today. After calling the local medical supply store to see if they carried folding canes (they do not), I ordered one online that I think will look nice. I may end up taking it to the Azores since it folds and is adjustible (no more men walking by me and whispering "your cane's too big," which happened at the grocery store after my PKR) for my height. So here is the link:

http://www.fashionablecanes.com/80182.html


Henry has also agreed to attend the class with me.