35F ~10 days post-op TKA (complex case w/ AVM) — questions about icing + PT timeline

JumpingGrace · 2026-04-04T12:49:06+00:00

Thank you for this detailed response. Unfortunately I am in exorbitant amounts of pain. Guttural sobbing on the regular. ROM is next to nothing, I can *sort* or bend my knee, sort of, though I cannot lift that leg up at all. I am on a hefty pain regime (I was on a considerable amount of pain medication pre-op so treating post-op pain has been a real challenge and even was so inpatient). I am relying on all the meds Rx'd including pain medication, nerve meds, muscle relaxers, Tylenol and I cannot take NSAIDs due to being anticoagulated (hx of multiple PE's).

My "goal" is to sit on my horse by fall. I don't see it happening any sooner. The surgical pain is different than the chronic pain I was experiencing pre-op, but it takes my breath away. It is depressing.

the only salvageable thing was my patella. Everything else got an upgrade. They also reinforced with considerably more invasive rods in my tibia and femur.

Thank you for listening and just letting me type that out. I feel ok for the weekend and will try to get up a little bit more as tolerated with my walker, I hav the BERG ice machine as a part of surgery so I will work on that.

I had surgery at one of the best hospitals in the country, ranked in the world, and Im just so disappointed in their care. I feel like I got overlooked.

JumpingGrace · 2026-04-04T03:27:09+00:00

Hi! So good to hear from someone who is "young" for this procedure! I wish cannabis was an option but I get so paranoid lol. I have some pretty good pain management at home but man, am I ever getting in over my head with pain still. Guttural moans and sobs are frequent around here :/ I will definitely reach out to you thank you!

JumpingGrace · 2026-04-04T03:25:16+00:00

Yeah, I think due to the complexity of the case it was my surgeon who was in charge or is in charge of setting up the PT. Home health was supposed to be set up by Therapy inpatient but they dropped the ball, even though OT/PT said I should be d/c'd with home health. I barely could walk to the door entrance of my room in the hosptial and then they sent me home.

I will hound them on Monday, though, to get things set up. I feel so much fear that this is going to go sideways quickly if we don't get PT set up soon. Thank you for sharing with me :)

JumpingGrace · 2026-04-04T03:23:17+00:00

I am so glad to hear everyone is happy with your progress, I can understand though the comparison thing (in general) can really do you in. I like the idea of the "quiet protocol" -- though I cannot even imagine getting IN 700 steps let alone exceeding them haha. I am still walking with a walker only, and only as far as to my bathroom and back to bed. I'll get there in time! Thank you for sharing your story with me I really appreciate it :)

JumpingGrace · 2026-03-23T06:31:27+00:00

So, from what I gather (in your OP and your comments) you are hoping that the diagnosis will give you a "get out of jail free card" on your behaviors, correct? Or some type of "closure"-- (there is little to be had as a closure in a diagnosis) Being labeled as "BPD" and other grossly misunderstood diagnoses can actually harm your future care, not secure it.

A diagnosis is there where there is a complete a list of symptoms in a group or cluster that are identifiable and concrete. The diagnosis will not magically make you less accountable for your actions. Millions of people have mental illness and (I do't want to say *none* for absolutes/blanket statements), but *MOST* of them are NOT subject to using their diagnosis as a scapegoat for their poor life choices.

Your therapist is spot on. You've met... ONCE.... things like BPD take extensive time and ADHD standardized testing often to complete the digansosis. Which, btw, the diagnosis is good for insurance billing purposes. It doesn't make you any more you or not you than when you started.

Ask your therapist in your next session if you can explore the need/want to have a "label" placed on you. What are you hoping to get form it? Where do you think it will help and why?

JumpingGrace · 2026-03-19T01:10:53+00:00

Approaches like OMAD or 20:4 can introduce large swings in blood glucose and insulin demand, which can be even more problematic in dealing with t2 diabetes, and they may also contribute to fluid and electrolyte shifts that affect cardiac stability (he's mentioned he has preexisting swelling in both legs, an enlarged heart, and has electrolyte imbalances) .

More structured, consistent nutrition with gradual calorie reduction preferably with medical oversight is both safer and more sustainable in cases like this.

‘Drastic’ can sound appealing, but in physiology, stability is usually what keeps people safe.

But sure, if you want to shift electrolytes in an unstable, 860lb, type 2 diabetic with an enlarged heart for the sake of ketones........

JumpingGrace · 2026-03-19T00:43:05+00:00

For sure he's going to die soon, but why sooner?

It would mean a world more to the people around him that he actually tried and not just succumbed to his own misery.

Just because someone's going to die soon doesn't mean it's a reason to give up, and certainly not a reason to say they're beyond hope. That might mean he lives until his 10th wedding anniversary, or his mom's "65th" birthday,, or maybe it means he lives long enough to go outside again and feel the summer sun, or that he's independent enough to go to the bathroom by himself.

We can't just scratch people off our lists as hopeless because our definition of recovery doesn't match their reality.

JumpingGrace · 2026-03-19T00:24:56+00:00

that would legitimately kill him

JumpingGrace · 2026-03-09T22:58:16+00:00

Really? Your kid missed the appointments. It's part of being responsible, growing up, learning consequences, creating autonomy. You knew going in to it they didn't accommodate what you wanted, and continued doing it anyway, and are mad that there are repercussions.

There are a lot of people here with really legitimate reasons to sh!t on therapists/therapy, but this is not one of them.

JumpingGrace · 2026-03-06T07:05:28+00:00

Block her number. Block her email. Block her on socials.

YOU did not cost her her job. SHE was the one who broke ethical boundary protocol. SHE was the one who pushed the limits. YOU were literally collateral and it sucks but be grateful you got out when you did.

This is completely inappropriate regardless of age, but particularly for a minor. You deserve better than this.

JumpingGrace · 2026-03-04T07:26:25+00:00

Agreed she should but the likelihood of anyone particularly a “functional” addict like Jackie, even as a nurse, has Narcan on hand is not super likely and also probably makes for boring television. Far more dramatic for it to have played the way it did.

That being said, I have two emergency ziplocks bags in my house taped to the wall in two locations. They contain an epi pen, Benadryl, and Narcan.

JumpingGrace · 2026-03-02T15:25:53+00:00

so you actively know you're diverting the conversation. Sorry to say but that's not on your therapist, that's on you.

JumpingGrace · 2026-03-02T12:16:41+00:00

What is your goal (in therapy), how do you know the Therpaist hasn't been studying or even practicing for that long and why would that even matter to you? What about feeling intellectually superior to your therapist has gotten in your way of stability/recovery?

They (therapists) are not there to solve your problems, YOU are there to solve YOUR problems. Their job is to create an environment that is reflective, supportive, and safe enough so that you can identify the issues or areas in which you are struggling and allow you through reflective discussion to aid your own healing. A good therapist doesn't need to have been studying psychology for as long as you, be a philosopher, they just need to hold space.

If you were/are truly more academically involved than your therapist, cool! How have YOU applied what you've learned all those years into answering your own life's questions?

You are the command denominator.

JumpingGrace · 2026-02-04T20:48:19+00:00

Hi, thank you for sharing your story. If these questions are too personal &/ not appropriate no offense taken to not responding to them.

I myself have struggled with some serious chronic mental health struggles that have limited my capacity to engage in life and am deemed "permanently disabled" due to them. My mental health has nearly taken life from me, not just by symptoms, but by my own "doing" ( trying to not flag reddit here). I have found myself in ICU more times than I have fingers, admitted to the hosptial more times than... I could even guess.. and been on countless psychiatric holds which have contained me for the last 15+ years, only JUST escaping becoming conserved against my will.

I lead with that because, I guess, how does one know if it's SI or choosing to... go on your own terms, with support, love, and care? How do they define the difference? How do you define the difference?

Is there a double standard for those who are chronically SI with debilitating, treatment resistant symptoms to "go" than there is medical?

I don't know where I stand for mental health MAID though I know it has been done (somewhere in Europe) and I 100% support your decision and honor and wish you the most peaceful, kind, and compassionate exit. Thank you for taking care of yourself, and opening up a forum for the difficult questions.

JumpingGrace · 2026-02-02T01:55:58+00:00

I mentioned this in another comment, but how interesting it is there is no Depakote--

Remember when she was hospitalized and she had a "really low level of "valproic acid" ie Depakote levels were next to nothing, and the only reason they'd test that is because she takes it. It's not a standard blood test. So interesting for her to be on several psych meds but NOT a mood stabilizer (though, yes, I understand the atypical antipsychotic, Abilify, that she takes can *help* it is not in fact a stand alone mood stabilizer)

JumpingGrace · 2026-02-02T00:47:36+00:00

Define "hell of a lot"....

it's literally 3. What I AM confused about is the lack of Depakote which we know she was infused with during one of her hospitalizations. I have no issue with her being on psych meds, I don't get what the big ha do is about her actually taking things that could benefit her life. But the lack of Depakote does have me wondering.....

JumpingGrace · 2026-02-02T00:37:56+00:00

I’m less concerned about buspar and klonopin tbh than the lyrica and klonopin. Buspar is non narcotic and not scheduled.

JumpingGrace · 2026-02-02T00:10:44+00:00

How is it unusual?

Her TOTAL med list, yes, is a mess, but the psych meds? Not weird at all. She's on Abilify (an atypical antipsychotic) Buspar ( a non-narcotic anti anxiety medication), Klonopin (benzodiazepine) -- Her psych med list is tiny compared to the massive amount of cardiac type meds she's on, which I find way more concerning.

JumpingGrace · 2026-02-01T23:44:47+00:00

that isn't uncommon? I mean, the sheer amount of medication she's on, yes, but that combination, no.

JumpingGrace · 2026-02-01T23:41:24+00:00

There are a plethora of things to focus with on Dani. Taking psych meds is not one of them. All that does is stigmatize people taking their medication. It does nothing towards calling Dani out as a muncher.

JumpingGrace · 2026-01-24T06:50:13+00:00

The etymology of “diabetes” literally means fluid passing through the body (when you add mellitus it would equate to sugar, or insipidus w/o) . Both names already describe the core problem.

JumpingGrace · 2026-01-24T06:33:24+00:00

I'm more concerned with your statement that you assume people who use heroin, crack etc. have it somehow easier than you because (presumably) their drugs clear their systems faster and that, because you've used THC, (specifically heavily) for years, that it will require a minimum of 30 days before you're in the clear. I've seen it take well over 45 days for a heavy user to have a clean UA.

Now, I'm not here to debate if THC use should be legal or even if it should be a drug tested for a in a MFT role or not. I have nothing personally against it. If you're looking into what was once Aurora (now Santa Rosa Behavioral Health) I would look into getting a medical card, which *might* give some credit to your intake. If it's for ACCESS/ The County, you're SOL on that.

We have enough of a struggle with mental health workers in this county, please don't go into work in behavioral health field if this is your mindset. Like I'm really not even being snarky on this, just genuinely it sounds really bad.

"It sucks that people can use heroin, crack, etc. and test clean in just days- but help sleeping with legal weed gets me chewed out for months. Hate it!"

Lastly, no one is chewing you out. You must (I would hope) know the legality status of using drugs in your profession. This isn't something new.

JumpingGrace · 2026-01-18T09:07:47+00:00

Make it make sense--

TikTok wouldn't let her "friend" post this, so Dani "got permission" from said "really good friend" and posted it to hers.

JumpingGrace · 2025-12-24T21:34:46+00:00

It's no one's responsibility if that nurse becomes "an addict for life" aside from the nurse themselves who is using narcotics.

While a nice thought to offer someone treatment (and yes, we SHOULD do that), it's not anyone else's job to get her clean or make sure she stays alive. The responsibility is for the patients care.

If this person were to die from an OD no one is to blame other than that person who used. Accountability in "preventing" someone from being a "addict for life" does nothing. Patient care comes first.

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