After knee replacement surgery

Hi Abby,.....I give up. I had 3 notes written to you and they all disappeared just before I was ready to send them. Where did you live before your move, and where now? I was raised in NY jut north of the city. Then in 1986 I was moved to Doylestown, PA during a company merger. Then in 2010 I moved to Lititz, PA just north of Lancaster PA, to a retirement community. My college roommate lives only a few miles away. I have no family left except for a few distant cousins, (distant in relationships and geographically). I have been disabled due to a doctor's mistake in 2006. Hence the retirement community.

I am going to sentdthis before I lose this also!

Wow, we were very close to each other at times. I was born in Phila. PA, moved to Reading with my parents when I was 5, married at 21 and we moved to Lancaster, PA (lived on W. Walnut St.) and I worked at the Hamilton Watch Company as the Assistant to the Company Psychologist. Then when my husband graduated from college, we moved to Gaithersburg, MD .... 3 years later we bought land and built our house which was on an acre of what they call "climactic forest" meaning the trees had never been cut ..... enormous oaks, maples, etc. That was in Mt. Airy, MD in Frederick County. We were there for 30 years, til we separated and I moved to my condo in Frederick city, where I was for 12 years, til I relented and moved down here .... Harrisonburg, VA. I'm looking at getting into a low income apartment in Stuart's Draft, just south of here. I have not liked living here at all and it's been over a year; I told my girls that if I don't feel "at home" should I move to the other apartments .... and I'll give it a good go ..... I am going back to my condo in Frederick. Right now I am renting it out through a Property Manager.
Abby

Hi Abby, Never even gave it a thought that you might have lived anywhere close....Maybe Canada, or such! With all places you've been, which is where you were most comfortable?. All places, at least for me have their pluses and minuses. When I moved to Doylestown I started doing physical exams for insurance companies at people's homes so I knew that area as well as I knew Yonkers NY where I lived from age 6 to 50. And I always had a good sense of direction, but with age I have lost a lot of that ability;. Moving away from where you have family is a BIG decision. Now that I am handicapped due to a Dr's mistake, I really miss family. Fortunately I have a great POA, but he and his wife live back in Montgomery Co. It is a pain to have to ask friends and neighbors for rides, etc. This community has on the campus Landis AT Home which is a visiting nurse service and when I stopped driving much more than 5 miles, I can pay them $21/hr but they wait for you and that adds up fast. And since we use my car, I "save" 65 cents per mile and at least my car gets to exercise its "muscles" occasionally. Fortunately most shops are within that range as are 2 of my doctors as well as Brian, my DPT. Brian is across the street from Isaac's in Lititz. if you know that area. And I go with my neighbor with her for dentist visits. Well she was my neighbor until last week, as she moved out of her cottage to an apartment to save $ as her husband is now in assisted living. I was active until I curtailed my diving with the Lancaster Co. Emergency Management Agency and enjoyed that a lot, but most meetings are either too far now or at night. My "icon" with Connect was my dog, Tani, until he passed two ago years ago yesterday. He was a breed Champion with all of AKC's obedience titles as well as two rally titles and two tracking titles, he was a certified therapy and hospice dog, a Reading Educational Assistant Dog, he became my service dog when I became disabled, and we were a Crisis Response team where we went to disasters to comfort survivors. As my service dog I think he laid awake at night thinking of things he could do for me . He taught himself things, that i, as a dog trainer, would have had no knowledge how to train him to do the things he came up with. I used to train guide dogs for the blind, that was only my hobby. Well I better quit before I lose this note also! @ gailfaith, or just Gail. Is Abby short for Abbagail? .

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Wow, I wonder if our paths ever crossed as we made our ways through life?! Small world. Actually, "Abby" isn't my real name. I use that because, as I said I'm divorced, and during that whole horrible time, my then husband hacked into my e-mails, made copies, and somehow thought he was going to use them against me. I have no idea how as there was nothing in them except a lot of sadness. He got stopped pronto by the Mediator when he told him, "you know that's illegal ..... she could have you sued and charged for that." So, I've just kept Abby because it's a name I like. As to where I felt most comfortable ..... I loved living in Lancaster and really didn't want to leave, especially heading to Gaithersburg, MD - a suburb of D.C. It was a totally different world! I enjoyed living in our house in Mt. Airy, as that is where I raised our 3 children. But as for true comfort, peace, and really feeling welcome and cared about ... it was the 12 years I lived in Frederick in my condo. I absolutely loved it and it was a "safe place to fall" during and after my divorce .... my whole support system was there. That is why it was so very hard to leave, and while I still struggle with it .... I'm very conflicted. Amazing how when we're young, we have no idea what lies ahead, and yet we forge on.
"Abby"

Hi Abby, Do still have any friends in Lancaster? How old are you now? Old enuf to be able to move into a retirement facility? Any in this area that you'd consider applying to? But of course I ask that with tongue in cheek as you SHOULD stay near your kids. NO doubt about that. Just recently with another health problem, I was wishing I still had ANY family. Friends are great but never as good as family. Gail

Hello @ronnie3726,

Following up with your September post about having your right knee looked at with an orthopedic surgeon, what did you find out? Was there ligament damage to your right knee? Did they find a cause for your pain in your non-replaced knee?

Hi there ...... I'll be 72 this month, and I'd LOVE to live in an active retirement community .... I love being around people. But, unfortunately, I don't have the money to do that. After my father died I did, but then I think I told you what happened with the "mini Bernie Madolf" man. Now I'm actually applying to get into a low income apartment. If I moved anywhere at this point (unless I get one of these cheaper apts.), it would be back to Frederick, probably to my condo. I loved Lancaster when we were there, but that was a long time ago, and now Frederick feels like home in every way. I still wish I were there, but I've made up my mind to tough it out here, even though I'm not happy. But, life isn't a bed of roses .... mostly thorns I've found - some days sharper than others.
Abby

Hi @JustinMcClanahan, thank you for your inquiry.
The NON TKR knee is scheduled to have a TKR on Feb 6th.
The pain I was having turned out to be from bone on bone.
I had a orthoscopic procedure about a year and a half ago. Doc said knee looked good, small adjustments made to miniscus. But what he couldn't see was that the arthritis was working its way underneath.
I tried cortisone shot and synvisc. Both were of no help.
I waited too long for the first TKR, this time I'm getting rid of the pain asap.

I read the posts often on this site.
I am doing PT now, prior to the surgery, to get my muscles as strong as possible.
I believe that having done the same with the first TKR, my recovery was faster and with less pain.
Right now my TKR knee is at 130 and the right side, soon to be replaced is at 135.

Hoping that my "new" knee holds up during surgery recovery for the weaker one.

Question: Does anyone have the problems I do with acid reflux when taking the pain pill? If yes, what do you use to combat it?
I never had this problem pre-surgery and want to avoid it with this surgery.

Thank you to all for being there.

I have been where you are. I was told, everybody replaces the knee and then within days your back playing tennis and golf and gardening. What an experience. Pain , pain pills, P/T that causes screams and that was from those watching. After that was ver i had one more knee to go and i said no way. I had the shots and they did work for 6 months but i knew that was a losing battle. The i found out about stem cells watching a mayo clinic webinar on arthritis and stem cells. Found a company in Colorado that seems to do a lot of training and research and a local doctor who did stem cells for a golf professional. Then read of a pro football player having it done so i said i am willing. 13 days after the procedure which takes a few hours, no pain, go home that day, i noticed no pain. Its been a year and i tried it on my back in the summer. That was successful. Downside, no insurance coverage for the procedure. Insurance pays for everything but the procedure. I was bone on bone and i ws willing to do it to avoid going through the problems . There are a lot of doubters out there. One fellow had it done and went square dancing the next day. Didnot work. No kidding. So i am havng it dont again in 2 weeks on another section of my back. Only pain pill i have taken has been one tylenol.
Good luck to all those out there who have decisions to make.

I use a cup of milk at night for heart burn and found it to work.