We're getting old (OO medical complaints)

[stessier]

Being awake most of the night with diarrhea is the worst of it.

That was my fear, but not my experience. I used Suprep and if I remember correctly it hits about 30-60 minutes after taking it and fades about 60-90 minutes after the onset. So with the last dose at 6pm, I was sleeping comfortably by 9pm. I mixed mine with Gatorade and the sweetness was noticeable and unpleasant by the last gulp, but quickly rinsing my mouth with water helped. I don't recommend sipping it. Get it all down in one gulp if it all possible.

[dbt1949]

You know you're getting olde when you tell people this kind of thing.

[Holman]

I'm heading to the procedure soon. Now to make sure my butt is all shiny and clean. Gotta impress the nurses.

[Brian]

Good luck!

My last one, after they wheeled me into the recovery room, the anesthesiologist said, "oh, good. You're awake. I will leave the room know so you can fart"

"That's ok, I really don't feel like I gotta....bfbbrrthtddbbbbrrthhhdddhh!"

[Isgrimnur]

You know you're getting olde when you tell people this kind of thing.

You don't think our younger selves would be engaged in toilet humor if it were a thing at that age?

[Z-Corn]

I just got a box to poop in and mail back for my colon screening.

I told them I had a perfectly fine box I could use but they insisted on sending me one.

[Smoove_B]

I think I'd love to work customer support for that company for a day.

[ImLawBoy]

I dunno. Seems like a kind of shitty job.

[ImLawBoy]

I mean, you'd need to be willing to put with a lot of crap.

[ImLawBoy]

Poop.

[Holman]

Back now!

It all went very easily. The doc said they found and removed two polyps which were almost certainly benign (although they biopsy them anyway).

The location was a small surgery center that seemed to be 100% devoted to colonoscopies. The entrance was on the backside of the building.

[dbt1949]

Cute

[disarm]

I just got a box to poop in and mail back for my colon screening.

I told them I had a perfectly fine box I could use but they insisted on sending me one.

The problem with doing it that way is that you still need a colonoscopy if it comes back positive... might not save you anything.

[Brian]

Knee replacement surgery, post-op day 2.

HOLY FUCK this hurts. I got almost no sleep last night and getting in/out of bed several times was about the most painful experience I've ever had.

The end result better be worth it.

As it is, I've plopped myself down in my computer chair and I think I'll spend the rest of the day here.
Just typing this was difficult as I've got the shaky hands.

[Daehawk]

I never knew a rotator cuff injury could be some painful plus debilitating. I used to think "how bad could it be. Your should looks fine" But bloody hell it can be bad to worse.

My shoulder aches slightly all the time now. I could live with that. But when i sue it the pain sharply ramps up and hurts like hell PLUS it makes that arm and shoulder weak trying to do anything. Like those water buckets. They are 5 gal. Full of water they are damn heavy for my age and disabilities. If I keep my arms straight to my side and bend at my knees I can grab their handles and then stand straight back up and walk and move them. But if I were to try and just reach down and pick them up with my elbow and shoulder i couldn't do it. It was shoot nightmare pain through my should and feel liek my arm is so weak it doesn't want to work at all.

Other smaller stuff is exactly the same trying to life and carry by using my elbow to bend and shoulder and bicep..OUCH f$#@!

And it wont get better . It wont heal the doc said. I need images and xrays made . Im sure then they would want to operate. Im not ready for that. Ill make do as i can as i always do. Its not money here..all that would be free. I just dont feel like bothering right now.

Today Im paying for working under the porch on my knees and hands with that water pipe yesterday with pain and soreness in that shoulder and my back and legs. Not only am I now 55 but my disability in my back since my teen years is really worse and Ive sat at the pc for 28 years and done nothing else.

[Smoove_B]

I never knew a rotator cuff injury could be some painful plus debilitating. I used to think "how bad could it be. Your should looks fine" But bloody hell it can be bad to worse.

My uncle was a union carpenter until the age of 55; he had to retire because even after having both shoulders replaced (rotator cuff), he just couldn't use his arms anymore. He said it was decades of sheet rocking work that did it. I think he had both knees replaced too. But yeah, 55 and spent.

I understand you need to deal with surgery recovery issues after getting it done, but the idea that you'd needlessly suffer for another 2+ decades with bad arms over something you can get done for free? I don't get it. Or then again, maybe I do and I'm just posting it before someone else does.

[Holman]

Evolution sets you up for about 50 years of physical activity. After that, you're on your own.

[Daehawk]

its just my right arm. Left is fine. left had bursitis or something about 11 years ago and they just jabbed me with a shot and fixed it. Right had been bothering me some but more outside'ish then deep in the joint. I figured arthritis but then I fell out of my sisters suv onto my right shoulder and made it worse. thats when doc suggest it may be a rotator cuff injury. He moved it one way..like bent elbow out like a chicken wing and had me try to lift that elbow up more under him pressuring it down and it hurt like the bajeebus. Then he had me keep my elbow in tight and curl my arm like a bicep curl and try to lift my elbow up in front of me with him putting pressure to keep it down and it didn't hurt at all. thats when he suggested rotator.

[Default]

Knee replacement surgery, post-op day 2.

HOLY FUCK this hurts. I got almost no sleep last night and getting in/out of bed several times was about the most painful experience I've ever had.

The end result better be worth it.

As it is, I've plopped myself down in my computer chair and I think I'll spend the rest of the day here.
Just typing this was difficult as I've got the shaky hands.

The lack of sleep thing goes on for a while. The painkillers didn't do anything for me, which is something I am used to.

[Blackhawk]

I'm having (probably) rotator cuff problems with my right shoulder, too. My doctor offered physical therapy, but it hasn't gotten to that point yet. I asked her if finding some of the same exercises a PT would use would be adequate. Thankfully, she trusts my judgment enough that she was fine with at as long as I'm willing to go the other route if they don't help.

Given that it's my right shoulder, and the left one is the one that's partially paralyzed from the cancer surgery, I'll be doing everything by the book.

[dbt1949]

I guess I shouldn't complain. I'm in pretty good shape compared to some of you.

[stessier]

Knee replacement surgery, post-op day 2.

HOLY FUCK this hurts. I got almost no sleep last night and getting in/out of bed several times was about the most painful experience I've ever had.

The end result better be worth it.

As it is, I've plopped myself down in my computer chair and I think I'll spend the rest of the day here.
Just typing this was difficult as I've got the shaky hands.

My mother is 7 weeks post-op. She still needs narcotics to sleep. She's up to 113 degrees of flex, though and only 2 degrees from being able to get it flat. Don't be afraid to advocate for yourself.

[Torfish]

Knee replacement surgery, post-op day 2.

HOLY FUCK this hurts. I got almost no sleep last night and getting in/out of bed several times was about the most painful experience I've ever had.

The end result better be worth it.

As it is, I've plopped myself down in my computer chair and I think I'll spend the rest of the day here.
Just typing this was difficult as I've got the shaky hands.

I'm sure many people have told you this, but it really is the best advice after knee surgery. Do all your exercises and everything your physical therapist asks you to do. Do not skimp. Good luck!

[Default]

My PT guy told me, "it's not like the hip, you can't walk your way out of this." One thing that I found useful was an exercise bike. Every time I could feel my knees tightening up, I would do peddling for a bit. It's unpleasant, definitely, but like I said, painkillers don't do much for me. The only thing that seems to work is that I've stuff (morphine?) they gave to me in the hospital, when both knees went south. Too much time on my feet.

[Brian]

I've been doing the exercises with one exception.
Laying flat, lift the leg up. For whatever reason, my leg would just not go. My other leg I can lift no problem but the surgery leg just refused to go up.
I ran a strap under my foot and could pull on it to lift the leg and, once up, could maintain for a few seconds.

Actually, just tried again and success! I couldn't lift it as far or hold it as long as my good leg but progress is progress.

Physical therapy starts in the morning so we'll see how that goes.

[Brian]

Physical Therapy starts this morning.
To be honest, getting in/out of the wife's car for the trip here was a workout all on its own.

I felt pretty good this morning, moving around was a lot easier and I could do a couple leg lifts in bed.

Now, after getting folded into the wife's Honda si, I'm feeling it hard. Also, forgot to take meds this morning in the rush to get here so I'm sure this session is going to suck.

[Brian]

Actually, it wasn't as awful as I was expecting.
Sure, it was painful and I feel like I've been put through a wringer but it actually went pretty well.

Honestly, the getting in/out of the car on each end of the trip was more painful and exhausting.

In other news, the contractors for our bathroom remodel showed up right when we got home so now I'm dealing with that on top of pain/exhaustion.

[EvilHomer3k]

Whatever you do keep going to therapy and do the exercises they give you. My MIL didn't and she still can't walk properly 10 years later.

What restrictions have the put on you? What can't you do with the new knee?

[Brian]

No restrictions discussed yet.

At 57 it's a little late to start a career in the NBA or as a professional tap dancer so we can safely rule those out.

My end goal is just to be able to walk around normally without making grimace faces every step.

[dbt1949]

You can still do Dancing with the Stars. Just a little more practice.

[Default]

Oh!!!!
"TAP" dancer.

Gotcha.

[dbt1949]

I predict this thread will end up being the longest. I wonder who will be the last person to post here?

[Madmarcus]

You will outlive us all?

[Z-Corn]

I just got a box to poop in and mail back for my colon screening.

I told them I had a perfectly fine box I could use but they insisted on sending me one.

The problem with doing it that way is that you still need a colonoscopy if it comes back positive... might not save you anything.

Yeah my doctor explained that to me.

I'm just trying to get it DONE. I've been getting bugged to do it for a few years and I just never find the time.

[Moliere]

I wonder who will be the last person to post here?

Confirming that OO tends to be a closed community. It's been 3 years since someone joined and contributed more than 100 posts and 11 years since someone joined and contributed more than 1000 posts.

[Isgrimnur]

Was that the Boy Scout apologist?

[Blackhawk]

"Last one to leave has to turn off the lights before they go."

[dbt1949]

It seems in my olde age time seems to be going very slowly. I thought time whizzed by when you got olde.

[Isgrimnur]

Sounds like a good time to play War in the Pacific.

[Brian]

One week later. Took this during the bandage change.



Physical therapy continues for the next two weeks still. My therapist says I'm making progress but I'm impatient and want it working now. I still have to use a cane since I don't fully trust the knee yet and it still feels like it hasn't fully "settled" into place. Everything still feels a bit thunky and clicky. I'm told that's not uncommon and should go away soon enough.

Unfortunately, because I've had to rely on the right leg so much, that one, which was already dodgy to begin with and is due for replacement in June, has been acting increasingly worse.
Hopefully the left recovers enough that I can rely on it soon.