Apparently one of the worst side affects possible after having TKR is the formation of blood clots. To prevent these little nasties from forming, one is given a pair of really tight socks that are meant to extend from the foot all the way up to the top of the thigh. So imagine having an elastic tube that is too small to allow you to slide your leg into it, only you have to slide your leg into it, and you get the idea. This has been the biggest ordeal for Vicki so far, and she is an absolute angel with regard to her caretaker skills. She has wrestled these things up my tree trunk legs each morning where they must stay until I go to bed for the evening.
Pain management has also been an issue. I normally turn down opiates. But not in this case. I was prescribed oxycodone to be taken every six hours. The problem is that it wears off in about four hours and then it takes about thirty minutes to kick in once taken again. So there are some serious gaps in the whole pain management process that make me a bit grumpy. I am trying to maintain perspective here. I did have my leg sliced open, bone removed, and metal things inserted. So getting off pain free is probably not realistic. But I am not against testing the limitations of acceptable administration of pain relief medicines at this point. I would not want to be around me during that two and half hours of little to no pain management! Hopefully I am not saying mean things to Vicki. And for some reason, I was told by the nurse that visited my house yesterday, that my primary physician should be the one coordinating my pain management. I await a call from him with great anticpation!
Knees and other stuff 