Bilateral TKR 4 Months Post BTKR

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I am not versed in how to use the Forum so I thought I should start my recovery thread now and I will update this thread post-op.

I am scheduled for BTKR on May 5. I look forward to receiving support from the wonderful folks on BoneSmart. Thank you in advance.

Wellness
 
This is a little early for a post op thread, you might have better luck with your questions on the pre-op forum. There you open a new thread for each question. There are lots of bi lateral people here, so you will meet lots of them @referee54 ,@scaredinCA I will wait to give you our post op threads until closer to the surgery date.
 
Hello and welcome to the forum family! I had a BTKR back in November of 2007---and I am very glad that I did it that way, and I am sure that you will be, too.

You only have one pre-op, one surgery, one hospital stay, and one recovery. You do not have to have one done, recover, and wait to move on to the next one.

I will confess it can be a little more challenging than just having a TKR, as you do not have a non-surgical knee to help you, but it is certainly do-able, and we will be here to help you, to support you, and to guide you through the entire process.
 
This is a great time to think ahead to getting support.

Speaking of support, I heard a great hint way back in my childbirth education days, which was to put a list of things you needed on the fridge. So when someone came by and said, "Is there anything I can do?", you direct them to the list and they get to pick whatever item is most convenient.

Where are you having your surgery? My mom had a PKR with Gerard Engh but not sure which hospital. That was 20+ years ago. It served her well to the end of her life.
 
Welcome! You have a lot of great people here to answer questions, listen to you and help you through the process. I look forward to your recovery thread! Joan
 
Welcome! I had my BTKR Jan 6 - I'm so glad I decided to do both at the same time!! You've given yourself ample time to prepare, get all of your questions answered, and really settle in for your journey ahead. Take this time to do pre-op exercises, and concentrate on upper body strength. I was amazed at how tiring it can be to haul yourself around!! I joke with hubby that I have the biceps of a body builder now, and working on a six pack :snork:

I'm so grateful for all of the support, encouragement, and knowledge I've found here, you've definitely come to the right place. Don't hesitate to ask questions, we're all here to help :flwrysmile:
 
Dear Referee54,

After you BTKR, how did you shower the first two weeks postop? I have a tiny shower stall so no shower chair would fit inside it. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks for your help.
 
Yeah! I had BTKR this past Monday May 5. Discharged to home yesterday which would be Day 3. The hospital counts surgery day as Day 0. I did a few steps up and
down stairs. Walked 90 feet with walker. Still tired. Will post more later!



Sent from my iPhone using BoneSmart®
 
Tired is normal. I too was discharged to home after my btkr on April 1. It's definitely doable, but here it is five weeks later, and I'm still tired. Hang in there. Every day is a little better.
 
Yeah! I had BTKR this past Monday May 5. Discharged to home yesterday which would be Day 3. The hospital counts surgery day as Day 0. I did a few steps up and
down stairs. Walked 90 feet with walker. Still tired. Will post more later!



Sent from my iPhone using BoneSmart®
 
Glad to see you post! Hope all goes well!


Sent from my iPhone using BoneSmart®
 
Day 6 post-op from BTKR. Took a shower yesterday for the firs time on Day 5 of the surgery. Used handrail and one crutch to go up and down stairs. I can walk around independently using a walker. Can brush my teeth at the kitchen sink leaning on the counter. I can stand for short periods without any aid, ie., not leaning on anything.

I am taking 2 Percocets every 3 and 1/2 hours but still feel pain. Sometimes the pain is bearable, sometimes it's intense that I feel like I need something more but don't know what. Still cannot sleep at night due to pain.
 
You are actually making great progress. Are you icing and elevating? Ice was my best friend and i iced probably 20 out of 24 hours for weeks. You need lots of rest now too. I would call my OS if my pain was not under control. He could change the dosage or add something else. It is important for your recovery. I was taking two 5 mg percocets every three to four hours for a single tkr which worked for me. Good luck and keep posting!
 
I had my btkr on April 3 and was discharged to go home after two nights in the hospital. I waited more than two weeks before I showered because I wasn't confident enough in my ability to stand long enough. I had a shower chair but no bars so the shower chair was useless. Once I summoned the confidence, I've been fine and really enjoy a shower every morning!

These first two weeks should be your worst. Though recovery can feel very up and down, you should start feeling more good hours/days than bad ones. :ice: Ice and elevation really help eliminate pain and swelling, so do as much as you can. Rest and medicate and follow the advice on this forum and you will do well!
 
I know that I am not supposed to scratch and rip out the stitches but is this itchiness around the incision normal? Day 6 after BTKR. My incision site is itchy but there is no drainage, no excessive swelling or redness. Just plain itchy.

Please moderator, tell me, if I have a question such as this one, do I start a new thread and put the question in my subject line? Or do I just post my question inside my Recovery Thread? Another question on this Forum do we count day of Surgery as Day 1?

I am afraid if it's in my Recovery Thread, other members may not see it.

Thank you for your help.

Wellness in Virginia
 
ChubbsterPT. Hi as long as there is no redness as if infected it should be ok. Mine itched for a few days. I found the icing cooled the incision and stopped it. I think it's just part of the healing process. Also morphine based pain relief can make you feel itchy all over. Even Tramadol the painkiller I use reacts and made me itchy around my stomach area!


Sent from my iPad using BoneSmart®
 
merge 3.jpg
@Wellness in Virginia, You may notice that I have merged your two threads. We like to keep our members' recovery posts all in a single thread. That way it's easy for us to go back and read your history before responding to a question or concern. In addition, the thread becomes a journal of your recovery for those who come along later and want to read about you. So, please post in this thread from now on when you want to give an update or ask a question.You can always tag an admin or mod or some other member if you want to be sure your question will be answered sooner rather than later.

If you decide you'd like a different thread title at any point, you can change it using the Thread Tools button at the top right of the page or just post what you want here and we'll get it changed for you. THANKS!

If you are having a problem locating your thread, here is a link with how to do it: How can I find my threads and posts?


That itching is because the incision is healing--you can rub it---but don't scratch. It's perfectly normal. I think most of us start the post op count the day after surgery, but I don't think it makes a great deal of difference one way or the other.
 
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If you have any Benadryl can help. I would check with my GP or OS's office to make sure it is okay with the other medication you are on. Take care!
 
After you BTKR, how did you shower the first two weeks postop? I
I didn't! My OS's protocol did not let me showeer for nearly four weeks---I believe it was about three full weeks---almost closer to four---when I was given the OK to shower. I took those miserable sponge baths for quite some time.

When I did finally take a shower, I used a showr chair and just sat and let the hot water flow over both of my knees and the quads. It helped me feel better, cleaner, and it helped to slowly loosen up the very tight quads.

Please moderator, tell me, if I have a question such as this one, do I start a new thread and put the question in my subject line?
As Judy has stated, one thread for your recovery will be most beneficial, as we can see what issues you are having and what is going on overall with your recvoery---by keeping one thread to a recovery, we can focus more closely on your recovery history.
 
I am taking 2 Percocets every 3 and 1/2 hours but still feel pain. Sometimes the pain is bearable, sometimes it's intense that I feel like I need something more but don't know what. Still cannot sleep at night due to pain.

You should contact your OS and let him know what is going on with your pain. Sleeplessness is normal, but you should not have to deal with pain and worry about dealing with pain---your pain should be well controlled.

Do not try to be a "hero" and wait---contact your OS and let him know what is going on. You need to get that pain under control.
 
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