TKR 22 days

[MrsFeinbe]

My surgery is May 10th at Vanderbilt in Nashville! I have 22 days until I have my TKR on my right knee. I have put this off for decades for one reason or another. No help and couldn't afford it were the two top reasons early on. Now my kids are grown, I have a new marriage and he is the best helper in the world, plus my insurance offers a bundle deal where joint replacement is ZERO out of pocket. SO....22 days it is. Both of my knees are bone on bone and my left knee is actually the worst, but my right knee is far more symptomatic. I'm scared. I'm worried. I don't like pain, but then does anyone? It seems that for every two good stories I hear, I hear 25 horrible ones. But we tend to be more vocal about the bad than the good. I've read and read and watched videos to prepare for this. In the past 1.5 years I have lost almost 90lbs. That has to go in my favor. I am a 62-year-old special education teacher that loves to garden and crochet. We have two beautiful grandsons, and I am fairly active.... less so over the years because of my knees. I am ready to dance in the kitchen again!

 

[benne68]

Welcome to BoneSmart, @MrsFeinbe! Glad you found us before your surgery, while you still have time to prepare. I will leave you some pre-op guidellnes below.

But let me reassure you that most of us have successful recoveries -- it's just that the people whose recovery is smooth just get on with their lives and don't post a lot about their TKRs. People with problems will post more because they are searching for help.

I've had BOTH knees replaced (latest one was in December) and am so glad I did. I have my life back. You can read my personal recovery stories here:
https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/benne68-in-recovery.67226/
https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/benne68’s-tkr-2-recovery.75916/

 

[benne68]

Please give us your surgery date @MrsFeinbe, and whether it will be the left or right knee so we can create a signature for your posts. That makes it easier for us to give you appropriate information.

I will share BoneSmart's helpful pre-operative guide here. I'm sure you will find many of these articles helpful as you prepare for surgery.

Knee Pre-Op Guide

Recovery Aids: A comprehensive list for hospital and home
Recliner Chairs: Things you need to know if buying one for your recovery
Pre-Op Interviews: What's involved?

Good nutrition is just as important during both the pre-operative period as it is during recovery. Check out this helpful information on Pre-surgery Dietary Tips and on Nutrition Basics.

Regardless of where you are in the process, the website and app My Knee Guide can help you stay organized and informed. The free service keeps all the information pertaining to your surgery and recovery in one place on your smartphone. It is intended to be a personal support tool for the entire process.

And if you want to picture what your life might be like with a replaced knee, take a look at the posts and threads from other BoneSmarties provided in this link:
Stories of amazing knee recoveries

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.

So feel free to ask any questions you have about this surgery and recovery; our members will be happy to share their experiences with you.

 

[mendogal]

If I am forced to only offer one piece of advice, after two successful knee replacements, it's this: be mentally/emotionally prepared to surrender to the fluctuating needs of your new knee for a few months.
Its need to heal literally drives your energy level, metabolism, mobility, etc. Trying to impose either your will or a PT's priorities on it will only prolong the pain and swelling. This is one race the tortoise wins.

 

[MrsFeinbe]

my surgery is May 10th at Vanderbilt. It is my right knee but my left knee also needs done.