Bilateral scheduled for Sept 29. Glad I discovered this forum!

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meewee

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:) I'm excited to undertake this adventure and welcome any suggestions.
 
There will be some other bilats along to greet you soon. @referee54 , one of the Moderators is one for sure. @Roy Gardiner will also be along to fill you in!!

I will give you our post op reading list---all of the articles are short and they cover topics that will soon be very important to you!

First are the mantras ....
- rest, elevate, ice and take your pain meds by the clock
- if it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physiotherapist - to do it to you
- if your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again
- if you won't die if it's not done, don't do it
- never stand when you can sit, never sit when you can lie down, never stay awake when you can go to sleep!

Next is a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) thread.

And then the articles in order of importance .
Group A
The importance of managing pain after a TKR and the pain chart
Myth busting: no pain, no gain
Swollen and stiff knee: what causes it?
Progression of activity for TKRs

Group B
How Long Does Healing Take ......
Chart representation of TKR recovery
Energy drain for TKRs
Elevating your leg to control swelling and pain
Using ice

Group C
Knee Replacement - Where Am I in Recovery?
So What Is It Going to Take? The Five “P’s” of Knee Recovery
Work “Smarter” and not “Harder”
About recovering a knee - from one who knows!
Some suggestions for home physio (PT) and activity progress
Myth busting: The "window of opportunity"

Group D
MUA (manipulation under anaesthetic) and adhesions
It's never too late to get more ROM!
It's Worth the Wait for ROM
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds
Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?
 
Welcome @meewee !

What are you looking forward to most after your TKR? We have hiker, bikers, skiers, grandmothers who like to get on the floor to play with grandkids, and everyone in between.

How long have you been waiting to have your TKRs?
Any specific questions you might have for us?

Again welcome! :SUNsmile:
 
Basic premise, as per the mantras above; in recovery, less is more. Rest, Ice, Elevate isn't doing nothing, it's active recovery.

Best wishes!
 
Welcome @meewee !

What are you looking forward to most after your TKR? We have hiker, bikers, skiers, grandmothers who like to get on the floor to play with grandkids, and everyone in between.

How long have you been waiting to have your TKRs?
Any specific questions you might have for us?

Again welcome! :SUNsmile:
And equestrians! Yee Haw!
 
Wow what great reading material and advice! I tore my left acl back in the 80's and had 4 scopes, a manipulation or two over the years and just got used to having a "bad" knee. I was able to compensate and continue doing the things I enjoy ie golf, grandkids, gardening, hiking in the mountains, working full time and enjoying my family.
About 18 months ago my good knee decided it had enough and started to be very painful. I had cortisone injections which were effective for awhile, tried the gel injection last Dec which didn't work, and finally had cortisone injections this last May which did not relieve the pain. Xrays showed my left knee was completely messed up, right knee truly bone on bone, and since I don't really have a good knee I opted for bilateral.
My surgeon says I'm a good candidate and I have a strong family support system.
My concerns are not to push myself too hard as I'm told I have an extremely high pain threshold. I am concerned about missing a couple of months of work but I have a wonderful boss. We are a very small company though and I will want to at least get back for a few hours a day as soon as it would be wise.
 
@meewee
That is wonderful that you have a strong family support system, especially if you like to push yourself too much. The first few weeks should be slow and easy; lots of icing and elevating.

I had one TKR and was out for twelve weeks. A couple of the issues are being on pain meds and trying to work, as well as sitting with legs dangling down for a whole day can be quite uncomfortable. So sitting at a desk, or in a chair, is rather difficult for awhile; they will swell or ache and you'll want to ice and elevate them; hard to do at work.

That is great you enjoy hiking; that's a favorite of mine as well. And we have many here who enjoy actively playing with the grandchildren now instead of sitting in a chair watching as they played. Lots of activities to look forward to after your bilateral!
Very excited for you!:SUNsmile:
 
Welcome @meewee ! I'm having BTKR on Sept. 17. I found this forum before my THR and have learned so much. There is great info and a great support system here. I look forward to reading about your recovery!
 
We are a very small company though and I will want to at least get back for a few hours a day as soon as it would be wise.
There is both the mental and physical side to this.

If you can work from home, sitting down at a computer, then a couple of hours would (from my experience) physically be possible after a two-three weeks. It's a completely different issue if you have to go to an office (even if chauffeured) or, much worse, if you have to do physical work.

Mentally, I was out of it for quite a while. The body takes all available resources to heal and I was left half comatose watching telly for maybe a month.

A phased return is good. Most important indeed is not to push too hard, you will set recovery back if you do.
 
:welome: If you can stay out for 12 weeks that would be ideal. If not, look into a phased return to work. You can find suggestions for that in the library. At 6 weeks you may feel pretty good--but that's pretty good for laying around elevating with some PT exercises, not all that's involved with going to work. :)
 
I had bilateral TKR 11 weeks ago, and it was only in the last two weeks that I was finally happy that I did the surgery. After the hospital I went to inpatient rehab for 2 weeks, and it was necessary. I can't imagine going home three days after surgery. I'm now in outpatient rehab, driving, working, and walking better than before surgery. Both knees still feel 'odd', sort of swollen, almost a feeling of having gauze wrapped around the knee. But I'm told it's just some scar tissue, and what's important is that my range of motion is pretty good.

good luck
 
@ Joemz. Thanks! What I'm hearing from so many is to just be patient as it takes lots longer to recover then we would hope. I went to my pre-op today and am cleared for bilateral on 9-29 so it's all systems go. That's encouraging that you are finally starting to get around better than before the surgery; I guess that makes it worth the endurance challenge. I am definitely scheduled to go to rehab directly after 3 days in the hospital as it would be so difficult if not impossible to tough it out at home. How did you handle the therapy? Any suggestions? And did you find the ice your best friend the first few weeks? Warmest wishes for a continued recovery.
 
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Meewee, just as an FYI I had a business meeting today and had to put on dress shoes and do a lot of walking, 5000 steps. It wasn't the fastest steps I've ever done, but faster than pre-surgery.

And when I got home I immediately put ice on. I'm not totally sure it does anything other than numb the area, and that would be good enough. But the docs and PT assure me that ice and elevation reduces the swelling and that's a good thing.

A suggestion. Visit the inpatient rehab center and see what to expect. As opposed to the hospital, people in rehab wear shorts and sloppies and move around more, just not the first week. Bring toys, in my case it was an ipad and kindle to watch movies, read and listen to music. I had to bring an extension cord so that all of my chargers were within reach.

Don't be a hero and think you can go to inpatient rehab without painkillers. Maybe you can, but you won't be able to increase the range of motion. Doing that hurts and without pain killers you won't do it

I live in a colonial, and while i was in rehab carpenters and plumbers came to the house to install double handrails (both sides of stairs), grab bars in shower and by toilets, and higher toilets. Absolutely worth it

Find a comfortable chair to sit in when you get home. It can't be soft, has to have arms, and can't put your knees higher than your hips. If you follow those 3 rules you will be able to get out of the chair, not easily, not happily, but so so much better than trying to get off a low soft couch

Don't expect much from the surgeon once the surgery is done. After surgery the next time I saw the orthopod was at the week 4 visit. The doctors at rehab become your medical team

Don't be like me and assume you're never ever going to walk again. The first week or so it certainly seems like that's the only outcome, but it's not reality. Little by little you'll walk. And your family will react the same way they did when the baby walked. Oh Look, he moved with his walker. Oh Look, he can walk with two canes. Oh Look, he was able to put his socks on by himself. There are a series of little successes that will make you very happy, but don't expect to jump out of bed one morning and jog to the therapy folks. It's a slow process

For me it was worth it, and each week I get better.
 
@joemz. Great information and advice! I will likely need to put on dress shoes around Christmas to conduct or attend a few business meetings so that is very encouraging! Everyone says ice will be my best friend; did you have the ice machines? For both knees?

And the chair suggestion is very timely! We have soft leather furniture in our main room and it is even difficult to get out of pre-op with my bad knees. We have a recliner that is upholstered with pretty firm cushions, arms, and is easier to get out of. Other than that, I'll have to steal from my kids :heehee: We live in an age 55+ condo (unfinished basement) and everything's pretty recovery-friendly. No grab bars by the toilet though, so that goes on my list. Good thinking to have your colonial customized.

I did drop by the acute rehab center and was impressed with their layout. I got some loose shorts and tshirts; what would you recommend for shoes - just slip ons? We also got a recumbent bike and put it right in front of the TV so it won't be ignorable when I return home.

I definitely won't try to tough it out without pain meds. At my pre-op today they were very specific that they wanted me to stay ahead and on top of the pain.

And thanks so much for the heads up about the sloooooow wheels of recovery. It made me laugh to think of my family (and myself) celebrating the baby steps of progress, but I'm certain that will help me with reality.

Thanks for taking the time to send your comments - what a great forum! Information is priceless.
 
@meewee you are going to be about 1 month ahead of me for your BTKR so I wish you the VERY BEST outcome and recovery and planned to follow along cheering for you.
 
Hi Meewee, I never had the machine that flows continuous ice around your knee. In fact there were about 6 bilaterals in rehab at the same time, and none of us had it. Now, other than after my long walk today, the only time I put ice on is at the end of my outpatient rehab session. They ice me down before I leave

We didn't actually have a good hard chair with arms, but discovered that the chairs on our porch were perfect, and we moved one into each of two rooms. They were comfortable and I could get out relatively easily. By the way, i was on decent narcotics at the time and would be a zombie in the chair. I would tell myself I'm getting up to take a little walk at the next commercial, but it could be 4 hours before I'd move. It wasn't smart

Shoes: at the beginning rehab will put you in non skid socks. But once you're walking, you need sneakers with laces. You won't be able to put them on yourself, but you need a good non skid shoe that won't move when you place your foot down.

By the way, at week 9 the outpatient rehab folks decided i was ready to try the recumbent bike, and I was looking forward to it because i figured sitting for 10 minutes should be pretty pain free. Wrong Wrong. Even with the seat pretty high (the height was 11) i could not get the left knee to rotate when it was at the top and needed to switch from going up to down. It was a killer on the left side, but the right knee had no problem at all. A week later I was doing it at a much lower seat height (8) and both knees spun without much discomfort.

Something i found odd and still find odd is that both knees have not progressed at the same rate. In talking to the surgeon and other BTKR victims they all experienced that. And there's no predicatability which knee will be worse. For me my left was worse presurgery, and it still worse. But others say their former worse knee is now the good one. The surgeons explanation is that the janitor did the left and he did the right one :) But even the bad side is doing fine, and if I only had one knee done I'd think it was just fine

FYI, i was able to drive at 6 weeks. FREEDOM, once you wrestle you legs into the car :(

joe
 
Don't be a hero and think you can go to inpatient rehab without painkillers. Maybe you can, but you won't be able to increase the range of motion. Doing that hurts and without pain killers you won't do it
This is not the BoneSmart view.

We believe that hurting tissue injured through surgery compounds the damage, worsens swelling and pain and doesn't help mobility, and that masking the pain with drugs makes the possibility of damage greater. As per the line from the mantras

- If it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physiotherapist - to do it to you

We say that mobility exercises should be at worst very uncomfortable, but not painful.

You have to do them, though, otherwise there's a risk of the knee 'seizing up'.
 
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We have a recliner that is upholstered with pretty firm cushions, arms, and is easier to get out of
I built up my chair by putting books under each corner (Encyclopaedia Britannica no less, no rubbish in my house).
No grab bars by the toilet though, so that goes on my list.
A riser for the seat is IMO more important.
And thanks so much for the heads up about the sloooooow wheels of recovery.
It feels incredibly slow to start with, the first month even you might feel nothing's happening --- but it is!!!
 
@HerbM. I just had my prep yesterday and it's all systems go for 9/29. My PA took a lot of time answering my concerns and the countdown begins. If you're surgery is in late October it will be great to encourage each other and follow our progress. At this point I have decided that recovery pain is ultimately better than the chronic pain that has derailed our lives, even if progress is slow and difficult to measure day to day or even week to week. Information is power and coupled with the great support and community of this forum I think we have every possible advantage in this undertaking. Best of luck to you in your preparations.
 
Totally important questions :bow:
1) how long before you could sit in the hairdresser's chair for 1-1/2 hour?
2) how do you upload a real pic to replace the blank avatar?
Thanks
color-only-lasts-six-weeks, and technically challenged Meewee
 
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