Gathering Myself Together for BTKR November 12

[Threads]

Question about clothing in the post op period. I need to go shopping before all the summer clothes disappear from the shelves. Ladies - what have you found to be the most comfortable things to wear? I'll probably go to a rehab facility from the hospital so I'll have to be decently covered I imagine that jeans are out and I haven't been a skirt person for years. Do capris work or are they too binding around the knees? I can't imagine wearing shorts in our cold, wet, west coast winter.

Any tips would certainly be appreciated!

 

[Jane B.]

I went online and bought:

Baggy men's athletic shorts, the long soft kind with an elastic waist. (I don't wear shorts. I try to focus on the more appealing bits which seem to be fewer and fewer this side of sixty.)
"Tear away" sports pants with snaps down each side, for colder days.
Oversize women's sweat shirt material yoga pants, hemmed just below the knee.

I did find some old mid-calf cotton knit black skirts I used to wear for travel. They may be good after the fact.

After my arthroscopic surgery, my bandage and ice pack were huge. Can't imagine wearing jeans for a long time.

 

[kneeper]

Anything that's fairly loose. If I had done my knees in the cool weather I'd probably have picked loose sweats.

 

[Lovestoread]

I bought several pairs of yoga pants. They were very comfortable...not too tight. I was also secretly glad they covered up my TED hose that I had to wear for three weeks!


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[referee54]

Anything that's fairly loose. If I had done my knees in the cool weather I'd probably have picked loose sweats.

I agree--I had my BTKR in November, and sweats were the "uniform of the day."

 

[referee54]

Don't worry about how you look---I am not a fan of baggy shorts and such, but go for comfort and practicality. I would go with shorts or the sweat pants---get those old style with the drawstring waist.

After my arthroscopic surgery, my bandage and ice pack were huge. Can't imagine wearing jeans for a long time.

Jeans also can irritate that wound and the sensitive scar for a while.

 

[Threads]

Thanks everyone. I have a pair of yoga pants but being a knit fabric they tend to cling a bit and I'm concerned about preventing anything from pulling at my scars. After your input I've been googling stuff to see what I can find in sweats, shorts, etc. I'm short and squat so everything is always too long for me. Did I mention that I hate shopping unless it's weaving, knitting or handmade textile related. I'll check out some of the sport clothing stores in the hopes that they have larger sizes but I guess it really doesn't matter if they are men's or women's sweats and/or shorts! I do have a skirt I've used when travelling - I'll dig that out - thanks @Jane B.

I'm sure I'll be back with lots more dumb questions over the next 2 months.

 

[jeano]

If you get the silicone scar sheets you won't have any problems with fabrics snagging on the scars. I don't recall any problem even when I didn't use the sheets, wore yoga pants and sweats for the most part with my first knee, now for the second knee it is hot and still shorts/Capri weather here in the Deep South.

 

[tiredwife]

@Threads If you can find a couple of pairs of nurses scrub pants they are usually comfortable with baggy legs.

 

[ljrfrm]

I am 4 weeks post - op, and still living in the yoga-type sweats that I bought right before surgery. They are loose with a drawstring. I bought one long pair, one 3/4 capri-length and two that fall just below my knee. I like the longer ones better as it's easier when I ice. I got them (on-sale $7.99 each) at Kohl's. Comfortable, easy to put on and pull up above knee for when I'm at PT or dr visit, and loose around my knees. So, I live daily in the loose "yoga" type pants, and a comfy t-shirt.

 

[Threads]

@Threads If you can find a couple of pairs of nurses scrub pants they are usually comfortable with baggy legs.

Hummmm, not a bad idea ........... Thanks.

 

[tiredwife]

@Threads got hubby a pair, but he didn't like them because "they don't have a pee whole", He wore baggy short until he could fit back in his jeans. I wore them when I was a CNA and they were comfortable.

 

[Threads]

Those sound perfect @ljrfrm and maybe more likely to fit this short person than men's sweats. I'm in Canada and our selection isn't always the greatest (fewer people, less buying power). I just checked and there is a Kohl's in Bellingham, WA. Maybe a cross boarder shopping trip is in my future.

 

[Threads]

@Threads got hubby a pair, but he didn't like them because "they don't have a pee whole", He wore baggy short until he could fit back in his jeans. I wore them when I was a CNA and they were comfortable.

He's wearing jeans already???

 

[tiredwife]

@Threads yes, they are the relaxed fit kind with the fuller legs. He didn't have as much swelling with this knee and most of it is gone now. 2 days shy of 4 weeks on knee #2.

 

[Threads]

@Threads yes, they are the relaxed fit kind with the fuller legs. He didn't have as much swelling with this knee and most of it is gone now. 2 days shy of 4 weeks on knee #2.

That's amazing and hopeful!!!

 

[tiredwife]

@Threads No two knees are the same. His first he had an easy recovery, off pain meds around week 4. Did great but his ROM was sure slow. This knee he has more pain (isn't near being off pain meds) but his ROM is great! Actually both knees have been fairly easy recoveries. His legs were strong before the surgeries and I think that was a big help. So exercise as much as you can before your surgery to strengthen your legs, I truly believe it helps.

 

[Threads]

@Threads So exercise as much as you can before your surgery to strengthen your legs, I truly believe it helps.

I've been doing Aquafit for about 3 years with that in mind. Actually, my OS suggested putting off my surgery two years ago because I was managing so well at the time, even though I was bone on bone in both knees. Aquafit and my anti-inflamation diet did wonders for a couple of years, not so much now.

 

[tiredwife]

@Threads Yep, things like that are Band-Aids and don't work forever. Hubby tried the aqua therapy, steroid injections, synvics injections, clean out surgeries and diclofenac. It only works so long.

 

[dovemck]

I've just had my knee done here in the middle of the Australian winter - I wore shorts in the hospital and rehab facility (baggy mens shorts in jersey material was the best). The hospital and rehab facility were all heated so there was no problem there. I had therapeutic massage so shorts that were baggy enough to pull up to my upper thigh was important. Many of the fellow inmates - I mean 'patients' wore bathrobes over their shorts and baggy T-shirts and the older crowd would dress in their sets, put on their jewelery, had lovely shoes that matched the outfit and looked extremely uncomfortable. Back at home I'm wearing slacks and sweatpants you're right, some of the knits so seem to sit / feel uncomfortably over the scar. I'm not saying it catches, but just doesn't feel right.