Five Day Countdown!

BCSAnna

member
Joined
Apr 28, 2019
Messages
139
Location
Delaware
Country
United States United States
Gender
Female
Hello everyone,

With surgery just five days away, I am in the final stages of getting my "To Do" list completed.

Yesterday was Gardening 101 for my hubby. I had previously written up instructions on which plants are "heavy drinkers," which are drought resistant and which plant foods go with the difference plants. Gardening is one of my hobbies. My hubby knows how to mow the lawn but couldn't tell a hydrangea from a butterfly bush. :shrug:Instructing him on the care and feeding of my prized hybrid tea roses was akin to a graduate school chemistry course! :scratch: But, we got through it and hopefully all my rose bushes will survive.:beg:

Yesterday was also hair salon day with color; deep conditioning; and cut. I have been going to the same stylist for over twenty years. She is a wonderful person and has graciously offered to come to my home if I can't make it to the salon following my surgery. Tomorrow is nail salon day to have my acrylic nails removed!:boohoo:And to get a pedicure. I've decided to go with blue painted toes in honor of "arthritis awareness" blue. When I had my prior cancer surgeries, I worn teal and then pink respectively. Hopefully this will be the last of my "awareness statements" in the OR!

Today, was the first day I had to begin my 2x per day Mupirocin, up the nostril ritual. My medical center requires the procedure to help prevent a MRSA infection. Now I ask you how many college graduates does it take to determine how much 1/2 gram is? In my house the answer is two college graduates!:chinstroke: We finally pulled out one of the syringes from the first aid kits for our cats to see just how much 1/2 gram equals.:meow:

The best part of my week was receiving an email from my OS which contained a link to Penn Medicine Orthopedics Department collection of videos on total joint replacement. The videos were grouped in sections such as "Day of Surgery," "Pain Control," etc. Then, each section was divided into smaller segments. In total, there was over forty short, You Tube, length videos. I viewed all of them and then my husband and I watched them together. All I can say is wow.:wowspring:Before retirement, I had a long career in HR Management. During that time I viewed and presented a lot of employee motivational videos, some good, some not so good. When it comes to joint replacement patient motivational videos, I can honestly say that I have been viewing the best!:yes!: I am so pumped up and ready for "game day!"

In typical Penn Medicine fashion, the videos were upbeat; friendly; highly informative; but pulled no punches. On the video, my OS said his job is 2 hours long while his patient's job is 52 weeks long.:yes: Those videos answered questions on things I didn't even think to ask. As a result, any fears I had are now gone. Any lingering doubt over having this surgery is now gone. I am now physically; mentally; and emotionally prepared to go forward and reclaim my mobility and decent quality of life.

Finally, the most moving part of the videos was the previous patient stories. One in particular really touched me. As a self professed beach bum, living in a coastal resort town, I love walking on the beach and boardwalk. Both of which I have not been able to do in sometime. Seeing and listening to one of my OS's previous patients say that she knew it was time for TKR when she could no longer do what she loved...walking on the beach...truly touched my heart and my soul. I sat before my computer crying my eyes out!:boohoo:

Five more days. I am ready for this surgery and I am more than ready to enjoy walking on the beach again!

Hugs:loveshwr:

Anna
 
The YouTube collection of videos sounds like they have prepared you for your surgery, with realistic expectations.
Looking forward to hearing your beach stories. :walking:

Here is a copy of the post op articles for you to read before surgery.

Knee Recovery: The 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. At week 4 and after you should follow this
6. Access these pages on the website

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.
 
Hi @BCSAnna
You certainly sound prepared for the op and those videos seem to have given you lots of information.
It's interesting that you talk about walking on the beach because my physio said to help with my gait I was to imagine walking barefoot on the sand. Put my heel in the sand and roll through the foot, digging my toes in as I lift up. Well it sounds as if you won't need to imagine when you can actually put it into practice on the beach.
I was in Delaware 7 years ago and from what I remember the beach is lovely there. Lucky you.

Best wishes for your op
 
You do sound prepared and similar to my wife and I. She is from DE and has all kinds of flower gardens while I know about and take care of the grass. On the few occasions I need to water, I usually get a refresher course.

Double check with your OS on the toe nail paint. My pre-op packet said no finger or toe nail polish. Yours could be different.

Great planning!
 
Hi Anna. I come from New Zealand. We're pretty low key compared to your experience!
I live by the beach (Karaka Bay Wellington, its beautiful). It took me about 2 months to cope easily with walking on soft sand. Yet I had returned to work at 3 weeks.

Re watering the garden. You will be able to participate! Maybe not in week 1 but everything improves quickly. So you will be back doing the things you love, maybe slowly and surely, but back nether the less! Best wishes
 
Hi Anna

i am now on the other side but was in the same place this time last week. Its the anticipation which is the hardest part when its done its done. Sounds like you have done everything you can up to now.. so its up to the medical team now to do their bit :) - best of luck and see you over in recover next week.
 
I just found and watched the YouTube video from Penn. It’s very well done and probably useful for anyone going through this. Thanks for mentioning it!
 
@Pumpkln

Thank you for your support. I have already printed out the Knee Recovery Guidelines and I am sure that I will refer to them often during my recovery journey.

@Bionic

Thank you for your best wishes. I agree, I am lucky to live in a lovely area with great beaches and wonderful, friendly people. Perhaps someday you will have the opportunity to revisit one of our beaches.

@jeffjob

Yes I am prepared. When I worked in HR Management, we often referred to the "Six P's of Management" - "Poor planning promotes pi** poor performance!" And so, I always make sure I am well prepared.:ok:

I think something in the Delaware air brings out the gardening talents in us locals. All of my neighbors are also advid gardeners.:chinstroke:

During my joint replacement class, I specifically asked about getting a pedicure with nail polished toes. I was told ok on the toes; but, off on the fingernails and off with all artificial nails.

I am much more concerned about someone removing my protective alert sleeve off my left arm. When I had cancer, a number of lymph nodes were removed from that arm. As a result, I am not to have any injections; IV lines; blood pressure cuffs; etc. placed in/on that arm due to a risk of lymphedema. When I am awake and alert I can always voice the need for caution; however, when I am in the OR and out of it, I relive on a special sleeve with the cautions printed on it. I just pray that no one inadvertently removes my sleeve and slaps a blood pressure cuff on me or worst!:yikes:

@rosieNZ

Thank you for your reply and the encouragement that I may be back to two of my favorite past times sooner than I think. Right now I will be happy, following surgery, if I can just sit on my deck and smells my roses and watch the many boats going by out in the bay. :kayak:


@newpartial

I feel so much better about this upcoming surgery than I did when I was preparing for breast cancer surgery and reconstruction. Even though I had surgery at the same medical center that I am having my TKR, that time I truly felt like I was walking into my own 9-1/2 hour OR execution! This time, even knowing that my recovery will be a long one, I am much more at peace in regards to this upcoming surgery and am eager to get it done.

I agree with you, it will now be up to my medical team which I have complete faith and confidence in. More importantly, I fully trust them with my life. They are among the very best.:yes!:

I will join you over on the recovery side shortly. Best wishes on your continued recovery. I am following along with your progress.

@AmeliaP

Actually, when I mentioned You Tube in my original post, I was actually comparing the length of the videos I was sent to the length of a You Tube type video. The packet of videos that I was sent from Penn Medicine were videos specifically prepared for their scheduled joint replacement patients. They were not You Tube videos.

At any rate, I am happy that you did find a You Tube video, featuring Penn Medicine, that you found useful as you prepare for your surgery.

Thank you all for your support and encouragement. It is greatly appreciated.

Anna:flwrysmile:
 
Best wishes as you go through your surgery and recovery. It's almost here and you sound ready to go and take back your life! Keep us posted and see you on the other side.
 
@lovetocookandsew

Thank you for your support. It is appreciated. Yes, I am ready to reclaim a better quality of life and get my mobility back. Right now I have more of an existance rather than a life!:boohoo:

I will begin my recovery thread once I reach the other side, in just three more days!:happydance:

Anna
 
I am much more concerned about someone removing my protective alert sleeve off my left arm.
When they are prepping you for surgery they will confirm which side is your op side and actually mark it with an arrow using a permanent pen. Maybe ask if they can put a note on that arm "no IV, BP cuff, etc." just so you don't have to worry?
 
@Jaycey

Thank you for your suggestion.

Yes, I am intimately familiar with the surgical "purple marking pen." Prior to my last surgery, as my surgeons drew their respective purple incision lines over my entire torso, I watched my husband's face grow paler and paler at the sight. I thought he was going to pass out. :thud: Being the avid fisherman that he is, he told me, much later, that all he could think, at the time, was, "My God they are going to fillet my wife like a fish!":yikes::heehee:

Just two more days and then I will move over to the recovery side.:yes!: I am ready!

Anna
 
Nearly there @BCSAnna ! See you on the other side soon!
 
Good luck, see you on recovery side and you have a beautiful cat!
 
@Benay

Thank you for the well wishes. And, for appreciating my cat. He is part of a pair that I have had since they were 10 weeks old. He is a purebred Seal Point Siamese and his litter mate sister is a purebred Blue Point Siamese. He is a real love bug...his sister...a real diva if there ever was one!

Anna
 

BoneSmart #1 Best Blog

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
65,179
Messages
1,597,054
BoneSmarties
39,363
Latest member
HikerWalker
Recent bookmarks
0
Back
Top Bottom