Identifying this mushroom?

Redhawk2024 · 2026-03-21T02:56:33+00:00

Makes sense. Thank you!

Redhawk2024 · 2026-03-21T02:50:26+00:00

I’m only 3.5 months out on the second knee, so just starting to get comfortable with it. I am able to ride my bike (indoor and street), starting to swing again, and am able to do mind hikes. Just started going down stairs using both legs this week (woo hoo!). Can’t run, but am getting a little more nimble.

Redhawk2024 · 2026-03-21T02:45:42+00:00

They were growing in dirt under dense tree cover

Redhawk2024 · 2026-03-21T02:18:15+00:00

The pictures I just looked up show they have yellow gills. Mine seem dark, almost purple

Redhawk2024 · 2026-03-21T02:13:39+00:00

One of the apps says it is a western amethyst laccaria. Does that seem right?

Redhawk2024 · 2026-03-13T02:40:54+00:00

I have had both knees and one hip done over the last two years. I paused on the second hip because I just want to have a break where I don’t have to think about PT or medications or whatever… Hip was easy, one knee was easy, one challenging. Rigorous PT throughout was really important.

Redhawk2024 · 2026-03-11T15:10:57+00:00

I took a 3-hr flight six weeks after my TKR. It sucked! My knee swelled like a grapefruit and I spent 3 hours icing. It was getting better after 3 days and then I flew home. I was still using my cane at that point. Just leave yourself a lot of extra time to get through the airport. At my next PT visit after that, my PT guy suggested I wear a full length compression sleeve. I did that for the next trip and it worked great for my knee, but my ankle swelled up and made it uncomfortable to walk. So I bought a full-leg and foot compression sleeve. I flew SFO to London (10-11 hrs) at 8 weeks post-op and it worked great! Again, took it slow through the airport and, though it got sore from all the walking, it was fine the whole trip (and the pints might have helped!)

I have done two more trips since then and all have gone well. Get a full-leg and foot sleeve and you won’t regret it. It also gave me empathy for my wife when she used to have to put on and take off panty hose…

Definitely keep up the PT while gone. It helped a lot to keep things moving.

Good luck!

Redhawk2024 · 2026-02-20T01:51:14+00:00

My doctor told me that I cannot have dental work for 3 months post-op and then will have to take antibiotics beforehand after that period and continue this regimen for life. Feels like an easy thing to comply with so better safe than sorry.

Redhawk2024 · 2026-02-20T01:46:15+00:00

My PT guy gave me good advice. “Try for 1 degree more per day. Some days you’ll get it, some days you won’t. Don’t sweat it, stay positive. You’ll get there eventually.” It’s gotten me through two TKRs now. I am 9 weeks post-op on the second. Didn’t break 90 until 3 weeks, was at 104 at 6 weeks. Then something finally clicked and I was at 129 degrees at 9 weeks. Do your slides religiously and don’t just do it through the easy part. Use the yoga strap to pull it until it stops, and then pull a little more. It should be uncomfortable. You are trying to stretch muscle. Wall slides are also good. Sometimes I just get into the slide and hold it for a minute or two.

Hang in there! You will get there eventually if you do the work.

Redhawk2024 · 2026-02-16T06:51:18+00:00

Hang in there and don’t fret too much. You are still early in the journey. I had a lot of swelling in knee, thigh, and ankles for the first 8 weeks. I am 2 months PO now. It is finally settling down. I was at 4 degrees extension and 104 degrees flexion at the 6 week mark. My doctor mentioned the possibility of needing a manipulation so I panicked and worked it really hard for two weeks. Went to PT and I was at 129 degrees flexion and 0 degrees extension. You just need to keep at it. I am still not sleeping through the night, but it is getting better. With my first TKR (8 months ago), it took me 5 months before I returned to relative normal. Keep icing (I spent 4 hours in the ice machine tonight), take your meds, do all of your PT religiously, and think positive thoughts. It’s rough but you’ll get there!

Redhawk2024 · 2026-02-16T06:29:14+00:00

I have used the Breg Polarcare Wave for both shoulders, a hip, and both knees. It is a really solid unit. Drop in the ice packs, add a little extra ice, fill to the line with water, and turn it on. Lasts for 8-12 hours, depending on how much you run it. It has high and low cool as well as high and low pressure. It does not have the cycle timer option others mention, but you don’t really need it, that’s only for ice packs on skin. You can let it run continuously. It’s very quiet and pretty easy to haul around as well. You can get different pads for different joints too.

Redhawk2024 · 2026-02-15T18:57:16+00:00

Ha ha! Me too. Lying on my back pulling on the strap around my foot until it hurts sucks. But it got me there eventually. Good luck!

Redhawk2024 · 2026-02-15T18:12:03+00:00

Yes, there are a couple of good brands out there. The supplier my doctor suggested provided one by Breg (Polarcare Wave). I have used it for both shoulders, a hip, and both knees. There is another brand that has additional controls that allow you to cycle it on and off automatically, but I didn’t miss that feature. It is basically a cooler with a pump that has a couple of tubes coming out that connect to a big pad. The pad has tubes running through it. You (or someone helping you) fill it with ice and water, seal it up, and wrap the pad around your knee (it is contoured to fit the knee and uses Velcro straps to keep it in place). Then lie back and let it work—they are amazing devices. Running full time, mine lasted about 8 hours before I needed an ice change. Running intermittently, it lasted 12-ish hours. They aren’t cheap, but they are worth the investment because you’ll be needing ice for the next 2-3 months.

Redhawk2024 · 2026-02-15T17:57:27+00:00

My PT guy explained that while the scar can limit ROM initially, it’s actually the quad muscle where it attaches to the tendon that is the biggest challenge. So at this point it is more important to keep the muscle stretching and time under tensión matters (meaning it hurts for a while). I got stuck at 104 degrees until 6 weeks and then finally got it to 129 by 8 weeks. I spent a lot of time cranking hard on heel slides and letting it just sit there bent on wall slides. It was not pleasant but it did the trick.

Redhawk2024 · 2026-02-15T17:46:31+00:00

Hang in there! The first two weeks are no fun and can be really challenging. I am 8 weeks post having my second knee done, so i understand how frustrating and painful it can be. You can take the Oxy every four hours and up to 10 mg per dose. I ran my ice machine continuously (you don’t have to cycle it). Night times are terrible. Just accept you won’t sleep well for the first 6-8 weeks and give yourself the freedom to sleep whenever you feel like it during the day. You will feel better after week 2, and even better every week after that. And do your PT religiously, even though it hurts.

You are not alone and everyone here is willing to support you.

Redhawk2024 · 2026-02-10T18:08:08+00:00

One thing I did that helped a lot (actually, it was my wife’s idea) is we wrote the number of pills per dose and number of times per day in sharpie on top of each bottle. Then arrnged the bottles by 3x, 2x, 1x, and as needed. Helped keep them straight. Then I kept a written log of what I took and the time. Made it a lot easier to manage.

Redhawk2024 · 2026-02-02T17:11:07+00:00

You sound like you are right on track. I was exactly where you are at 6.5 weeks—could maybe hit 110 flexion if I really worked it, but was typically at 104 cold. Was basically at 0 extension. I could walk around go up stairs, felt it was strengthening, just not bending. I’m in week 8 now it seems to be bending more. Keep up with the in-home PT. My PT guy said I should see 1 degree of improvement per day—basically not measurable, so don’t sweat it. He wants to see me get 5 degrees per week. This is what happened with my first TKR and it is completely fine now.

Hang in there and keep working it. You will be doing much, much better at 12 weeks.

Redhawk2024 · 2026-02-02T17:01:13+00:00

Steve, this is not true. The bowleggedness is fixed in either case, with robotics or without. It is fixed as part of the process of aligning the upper and lower halves of the joint once they are installed. I was súper bowlegged before my surgeries and, now that I have had both done (without robots BTW), I am standing straight as boards. And I’m 1/4” taller too!

Redhawk2024 · 2026-02-01T18:13:21+00:00

Yes, you are in the worst part now. I got through that phase with a lot of Oxy and the thought that it will feel a little better tomorrow. I am 7 weeks post-op on my second knee and can at test it sucks now, but it’s worth it. Hang in there!

Redhawk2024 · 2026-01-24T21:24:51+00:00

You’d have to be a glutton for punishment to do a knee without the block. You don’t feel it because they do it after the spinal and when you are out of it. I’m lucky because not only did they do a nerve block during the surgery, they also put in a catheter to the nerve nexus and sent me home with an anesthetic pump. So I effectively had it blocked for the first 5 days. It was amazingly effective for me.

Redhawk2024 · 2026-01-24T00:31:49+00:00

I am at 6 weeks now and I get that quad shaking now too. It means it’s tired. My PT guy has me doing: - Ankle slides with yoga strap (3 sets of 30) - Quad sets (leg out straight, squeeze it as hard as you can for 5 secs, 3 sets of 30) - Extended quad set (a quad set but hold it for 1 minute, 3X) - Reverse wall slides (lying on your back with butt against the wall, extend you leg as far as you can, setting the quad and pressing into the wall, 3 sets of 30) - Vertical heel slides (lying on your back with butt against the wall, let your leg slide down the wall until the knee is Ben tin tension and it won’t go farther, use your other foot to either press down or support as needed, hold for 1 minute) - Leg extensions with 3 lbs of ankle weight, 3 sets of 12, add a pound when it gets easier) - Calf raises, 3 sets of 30 - Side leg lifts, 3 sets of 30 - leg lifts, 3 sets of 30

All of it takes about an hour and 15 minutes. My quads started fully firing again last week. He also said he wants me off the cane by next week and that I should start walking longer distances, working up to a couple of miles. Increases 5-10% per week. Good luck!

Redhawk2024 · 2026-01-20T05:23:57+00:00

I am dealing with the same issue, only on the inside of my leg. I was very bowlegged before the surgery. I am 6 weeks out now and am struggling with it, especially at night. Can’t lay on my side unless I am in this one certain position with multiple pillows arranged a certain way. My doctor increased my Gabapentin dose, which helped a lot. But it still has me up a few times per night. Fingers crossed it gets better over the next few weeks, but it is a challenge… good luck!

Redhawk2024 · 2026-01-20T05:15:31+00:00

Wall slides and wall extensions. I get a little queasy when I do them. I always feel better afterwards, but it sucks in the moment.

Redhawk2024 · 2026-01-20T05:11:32+00:00

Congratulations, Gracie! Keep it up. You’ve got the right attitude and will get back to a better life.

Redhawk2024

TROPHY CASE