Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
R.Knee TKR at 1 week July 15, 2014
One week since the TKR, and I haven't dipped into the Percocet yet. D. just said the pharmacist told him that Percocet helps you to sleep, so I think I'll take one tonight. Even without pain, I keep waking up after less than an hour, so maybe popping a pill or two can lift my mood a shade or two.
I did have that foot pain this morning, and I do hate that my foot is swollen. I remember hating it last year too, seems the foot shouldn't even be involved.
I had an appointment to check on the retinal laser repair which Dr. Sax did the day before my knee surgery. Dr. P. said all looked really good. She is such a breath of fresh air among the doctors that I wonder how she even came to work there.
I'm anxious to know if my legs are now equal in length, but it's too early to tell for sure. The swelling in the foot and leg precludes accurate measurement. I got so tired of bouncing against the walls of the hall in the morning before I had my shoes on, and of inserting a heelpad in my left shoe to bring it up to the almost half-inch discrepancy.
I pulled the bandage away, but the only thing visible are the steri-strips over the wound. All looks clean and dry, but I have some concern with where the incision has been made. The incision in the right knee is not down the middle of the knee, but a good distance to the side. I'd read that way avoids cutting into some of the ligaments you need to preserve movement. This time, the incision looks to be right down the middle of the knee. I hope it works just as well. I measured and the incision/scar on each knee is exactly the same length---six inches from above to below the kneecap.
I celebrated the one-week occasion by a few turns on the exercise bike. Ouch.
I did have that foot pain this morning, and I do hate that my foot is swollen. I remember hating it last year too, seems the foot shouldn't even be involved.
I had an appointment to check on the retinal laser repair which Dr. Sax did the day before my knee surgery. Dr. P. said all looked really good. She is such a breath of fresh air among the doctors that I wonder how she even came to work there.
I'm anxious to know if my legs are now equal in length, but it's too early to tell for sure. The swelling in the foot and leg precludes accurate measurement. I got so tired of bouncing against the walls of the hall in the morning before I had my shoes on, and of inserting a heelpad in my left shoe to bring it up to the almost half-inch discrepancy.
I pulled the bandage away, but the only thing visible are the steri-strips over the wound. All looks clean and dry, but I have some concern with where the incision has been made. The incision in the right knee is not down the middle of the knee, but a good distance to the side. I'd read that way avoids cutting into some of the ligaments you need to preserve movement. This time, the incision looks to be right down the middle of the knee. I hope it works just as well. I measured and the incision/scar on each knee is exactly the same length---six inches from above to below the kneecap.
I celebrated the one-week occasion by a few turns on the exercise bike. Ouch.
Monday, July 14, 2014
Morpheus
I wonder what it is about surgery, or anesthesia, or a new knee that eradicates the need for sleep. I can fall asleep. I just can't stay asleep.
Formulary activated
In May of this year, I was notified of new changes to my Prescription Plan, as per the new contract. The letter says there will be changes to what we will be paying, as well as the addition of "step therapy." All of this language was foreign to me, though I pretty much knew the "changes" meant I would be paying more. We were invited to ask questions to help us understand, but I let the matter rest until it arose in real time. The letter explained that the 3-Tiers allows us to make informed choices and encourages values when choosing prescriptions. The Step-Therapy encourages judicious and appropriate use of medications. Sounds as if it's for the good of the subscribers, but of course, it's just a way to cheapen the benefits.
When I was discharged from the hospital last Thursday, I was given scripts for 2 medications: Percoset and Celebrex. The Rite Aid pharmacist said she could not fill the Celebrex Rx until she contacted the prescribing physician. This drug needs "Prior Authorization." The reason is to protect the patients because these drugs have clinical value for only a narrowly defined population, they have potentially serious side effects if used inappropriately and have high potential for misuse or abuse due to consumer advertising or a general lack of understanding on how to use the drug most safely and effectively. Take that, Celebrex! Prior authorization "helps assure that the clinical situation of the patient, including the underlying condition, is appropriate for the use of that particular drug." "The process involves a review by our pharmacy management clinical team." All this to protect us.
Today, Monday July 14, I received a call from Ortho NY. She said that the "process of review" typically takes a week or more, and that I would be off the Celebrex by then, so she kindly offered to send me some sample packets. They'll be put in the mail Tuesday morning.
It's so reassuring to know that we're being saved from Big Pharma by Big Insurance Co. I hope Celebrex was not critical to my healing. And now I know what that letter meant, and I didn't have to ask a single question.
When I was discharged from the hospital last Thursday, I was given scripts for 2 medications: Percoset and Celebrex. The Rite Aid pharmacist said she could not fill the Celebrex Rx until she contacted the prescribing physician. This drug needs "Prior Authorization." The reason is to protect the patients because these drugs have clinical value for only a narrowly defined population, they have potentially serious side effects if used inappropriately and have high potential for misuse or abuse due to consumer advertising or a general lack of understanding on how to use the drug most safely and effectively. Take that, Celebrex! Prior authorization "helps assure that the clinical situation of the patient, including the underlying condition, is appropriate for the use of that particular drug." "The process involves a review by our pharmacy management clinical team." All this to protect us.
Today, Monday July 14, I received a call from Ortho NY. She said that the "process of review" typically takes a week or more, and that I would be off the Celebrex by then, so she kindly offered to send me some sample packets. They'll be put in the mail Tuesday morning.
It's so reassuring to know that we're being saved from Big Pharma by Big Insurance Co. I hope Celebrex was not critical to my healing. And now I know what that letter meant, and I didn't have to ask a single question.
July 14, 2014 PT #1
My first scheduled home visit from the Eddy was today. If I'd expected essentially the same as last year, that was not to be. OMG, I don't even know how to get out of it without cancelling the next step, which is the out patient PT, which last year was satisfactorily carried out at Samaritan.
That black cloud is still hanging overhead. What DO I do?
That black cloud is still hanging overhead. What DO I do?
A Dream Come True
Some dreams really do come true. I didn't say the good dreams, quite the contrary. I had a dream earlier in the year, about undergoing a second knee surgery. It's always been an option, and a recommendation ever since my initial orthopedic visit about 12 years ago. At the time, I was still uncertain as to whether I'd go through another surgery, even though the first surgery was about as as successful as possible. But I had a dream.
In the dream, I had had the second knee surgery. While the outcome wasn't clear, the circumstances surrounding it were entirely different from the positive feel of the previous experience. I was left in a much darker mood, one that woke me up feeling sad without knowing why. Though it was only a dream, that exact dream mood has been with me from the day of surgery: I can only describe it as feeling "low." I don't quite understand what that even means. Maybe it will become clear in another dream.
In the dream, I had had the second knee surgery. While the outcome wasn't clear, the circumstances surrounding it were entirely different from the positive feel of the previous experience. I was left in a much darker mood, one that woke me up feeling sad without knowing why. Though it was only a dream, that exact dream mood has been with me from the day of surgery: I can only describe it as feeling "low." I don't quite understand what that even means. Maybe it will become clear in another dream.
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