Bilateral TKR Thank you

Claud

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I’m lying in hospital bed and going home tomorrow from a bilateral total knee replacement.
I’m very much on my own.
Pain in left knee is tough but right knee is worse.
I have a couple of questions to put out for your expenses advise
#1. I know icing is very important
So how long did you continuously ice your knees after surgery/ everyday / length of time ???
#2. Any ideas on good snacks that can stay out near where I am rocking during the day that I don’t have to prepare yet fills the void

Thanks guys
I have been reading bonesmart and your advise and conversations is greatly appreciated

Ps well before having my knees done I had my hip replaced ( it’s 4 months old)and once knees are healed I go back in for a right shoulder total replacement.... Bionic Women here I come !
 
Ps. The sentence above should be living on my own

And the word is not rocking it’s resting
 
I'm icing for about 40 mins a time 4-5 times a day after doing a few exercises. I keep a banana, some plain biscuits and a quinoa bar nearby in case I get hungry. Maybe some dried fruit and nuts would be good too or a cereal bar.
Wishing you a gentle recovery.
 
@Claud Glad you asked that question I didn't think of having snacks by my recliner. I would have a bottle of water crackers Incase of nausea which I get from pain meds fruit maybe chips. Hope you go home soon and recovery is quick and not bad
 
I found THIRST the biggest challenge. Water. Water. Water. But then of course, this means up all the time to the loo. It’s tricky!


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Thank you so much. With being by myself all quick and easy ideas are greatly appreciated
 
I agree with the dried fruit. Helps with constipation plus it puts something in your stomach when you take your pain meds. Dried apricots also have a lot of iron and I wanted to build up my blood count to make up for what I lost.
Crackers, small bottle of hand sanitizer (I was paranoid about introducing germs but that’s just me), phone/iPad charger, a lightweight blanket to cover my legs, especially when I was icing.
 
@Claud, welcome to BoneSmart! You are just beginning a year long journey to living life without painful knees. There will be times when you will ask yourself why you did this, but in the end, you will appreciate the decision you’ve made. Below are some links to reading material you will find helpful.

Knee Recovery: Guidelines
1. Don’t worry: Your body will heal all by itself. Relax, let it, don't try and hurry it, don’t worry about any symptoms now; they are almost certainly temporary
2. Control discomfort:
rest
elevate
ice
take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)
don't overwork.
3. Do what you want to do BUT
a. If it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physical therapist - to do it to you
b. If your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again.​
4. PT or exercise can be useful BUT take note of these
5. Here is a week-by-week guide for

The Recovery articles:
The importance of managing pain after a TKR and the pain chart
Swollen and stiff knee: what causes it?

Energy drain for TKRs

Elevation is the key

Ice to control pain and swelling

Heel slides and how to do them properly

Chart representation of TKR recovery

Healing: how long does it take?

Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?

There are also some cautionary articles here
Myth busting: no pain, no gain
Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds

We try to keep the forum a positive and safe place for our members to talk about their questions or concerns and to report successes with their joint replacement surgery. While members may create as many threads as they like in a majority of BoneSmart's forums, we ask that each member have only one recovery thread. This policy makes it easier to go back and review history before providing advice.

Here is a link to guidance regarding PT that will also be helpful.
https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/saying-no-to-therapy-am-i-allowed-to.36688/

And for those moments when you, your doctor or PT get frustrated about lack of ROM, here are the experiences from some past members:
Bertschb says:

I'm 12 months out from my surgery and have some advice based on my experience:
1- Stop going to PT (all it will do is make your knee swell and reduce ROM)
2- Don't worry about your ROM
3- Be patient - VERY patient!!!

Here is my ROM history (more or less):
1 month - 60 degrees
2 months - 80 degrees
3 months - 85 degrees
4 months - 90 degrees
5 months - 90 degrees
6 months - 110 degrees
7 months - 120 degrees
8 months - 125 degrees
9 months - 130 degrees
10 months - 135 degrees
11 months - 140 degrees
12 months - 140 degrees

I spent waaaaay too much time worrying about ROM. I thought I'd be riding my bike a couple months after surgery but it took SIX months! Looking back on my surgery, if I knew then what I know now, I wouldn't have wasted my time with PT and I wouldn't have worried about ROM.

And this one:

(Thank you, @Campervan ) As you can see, her flexion continued to improve for a long time.
"I had a slow recovery. Here's my flex measurements at various points:
92 - 8 weeks post op
105 - 10 weeks
107 - 5 months
110 - 6 months
112 - 7 months
116 - 9 months
119 - 11 months
118 - 1 yr
128 – 6 years

Good luck with your recovery!
 
Hi and Welcome to Bonesmart! Stick with us through your recovery, we totally understand what you’ll be going through.
 
Wow. I am so amazed at all you GREAT advise

Right knee had a lot of work and is swollen like crazy and I’m hoping does not bother my 4 month old new hip.
Left knee feels like I have a terrible scrap on it
Quads are stiff like rocks.

I’ll be home tonight and going to read all your info
I did a lot of pre op exercises and walking (even though it hurt like heck at times) which I believe prepared my muscles for this journey...
Again thank you Bless you all !
 
Hello @Claud - and :welome:

Please will you tell us the full date of your knee replacements, so we can make a signature for you? Thank you.:flwrysmile:
 
Both knees replaced. 2-5-2019
 
I found that protein drinks helped me survive on my own for the first month or so. I had bought a couple of cases of them and kept some in the fridge at all times. I found these helped to keep the nausea down when drinking when I had to take my meds, too. Also, mixed nuts helped with more protein and fiber. I found I didn't want any of my normal food, just little bits of the protein drinks, nuts and dark chocolate kisses. The thought of a regular meal turned my tummy. But, I had bought lots of frozen dinners ahead of time that came in really handy once I wanted to eat again.

I iced the whole time I was sitting or laying down. The helped to keep my swelling and pain down.
 
Thanks
Like the protein drink idea since I will be home by myself with two bummed out knees
 
Hi Claud! I made icing my knees part of my daily routine for... months. Early on, ice helped with the pain, so I would ice for an hour every few hours. I didn’t ice at night, but I slept with my legs elevated on a foam wedge. I got to liking my icing routine, so after the first month, when I maybe didn’t need to do it quite that often, I kept doing it anyway. I’d go for a short walk, then ice. I started taking longer walks, and iced after those. I iced after PT. I iced when watching my favorite programs on TV.

I was six months out before I stopped icing every day. One day I just forgot, and after that only did it when I’d been super active — all day at an arts festival, for example. I still keep an ice pack in my freezer but haven’t used it in about a year.

For snacks, I liked protein drinks (chocolate) and graham crackers. I didn’t have much of an appetite for about two months, probably due to pain-killers and a bad reaction to iron pills. Graham crackers, though, always were good. They didn’t trigger the nausea. Not much of a snack, but I found them fine.
 
@sistersinhim i thought of getting lots of frozen meals also since I will.be alone during the day for about 10 hours. Also found fruit jars at Walmart for just 1.00 going to get lots of those. Thanks for your advice
 
Thanks guys for your input.

PT came in for first home evaluation today.
R leg flex 108. Ext -3. Circumference. 41 cm
L leg flex 109 Ext -2. Circumference 40.5 cm

She was amazed at what I had progressed on my own in 6 days

I told her about all the reading ( from bone smart) up and prep I did before surgery
And the constant icing I did every time I wasn’t walking after surgery along with simple fexion exercises...

I made sure one that each time I iced the top on my knees them next time iced under my knees which helped with ROM

Thanks guys for the tips on frozen meals and snacks. I just had a friend stock me up....

Well back to bed.... and icing !
 
@Claud :wave:

My little nest in the recliner was a lifesaver.
I had Fruitsations (the little applesauce cups and there’s a huge variety and some with fibre), Jif peanut butter to go cups with graham crackers and oatmeal cookies to dunk, protein shakes, pretzels and dried fruits of all kinds. And lots of water and juice boxes.

While hubby was home first week he had to go back to work so I was alone about 12hrs at a stretch. It’s actually not too hard and I’m sure you will have some visitors offering to pop by and help

Look forward to reading about your adventures!
 
Thanks Traceys

Love the idea of oatmeal cookies
I love oatmeal so cookies great idea
Along with fruit cup.....
Good lord I’m going to gain weight with finally having time to sit and eat. Never had the chance while being a traveling nurse working 5am - 8pm. 6 days a week. This me time as painful as it is has its good side...just got to keep looking sunny side up........
Remind me of that when the serious rehab work kicks in Lol
 
Those are good snack ideas. I will be alone about 10 hours a day so looking for ideas to have by my recliner.
 

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