Bilateral TKR BTKR 28th May 2019 - post op journal

Day 13

Howdy all, thought I would pop in whilst having to other stuff on the computer.

A lot has happened since the last update in no particular order :
  • My first official outing to the bay for some fish & chips, beautiful sunny day
  • Walking with walker in Botanical gardens
  • Shopping (although they did the shopping I sat and waited !
  • Hop in and out of car, not as bad as I thought
  • My first non suppository #2 (sorry I had to share that :rotfl:)
  • Climbed up and back down my Daughter's stairs (we are staying ground) was easier than I expected, but used railing and one crutch
Other then the catheter situation I am really pleased with my progress. When I am on the crutches or standing I have noticed where my knees used to be now feel heavy... Strange feeling but I am sure you all know what I mean.

It was surreal looking down from the top of the stairs ready to go back down just how much confidence I have lost ! One small step for man... one giant.... :) It is amazing what we take for granted until someone takes the legs from underneath you !

I am sleeping much better now my thighs have settled but having the catheter is still a pain... Although on these cold nights I am happy not to have to make my way to the toilet !

Pretty much free of pain meds now although I did take some after our outing. I have been icing using both ice packs and game ready, relaxing and trying to keep moving. I have yet to schedule any PT and I have no idea about degrees of movement, all I know is I can lay flat in bed, can bend my knees enough to sit on a normal chair and just do what I had been doing pre surgery, without the crutches and walking frame.

Off to get staples out tomorrow and Catheter on Wednesday. Of all the things that has caused me concern, this catheter business is by far the most stressful. I am trying to avoid 'what ifs' but it is hard. Everything else had gone so well I hope I can get past this and I will be very happy.

Thanks for reading.
scar 2.jpg scar1.jpg
 
Good luck, pics look great. Love the fish n chips.
 
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You are so blessed. I had 35 staples and 34 hurt with about 10 bleeding. It was almost 3 weeks and my skin had grown over most of them.
 
So glad I had stitches! My friend thought my stitches looked so nice that she thought my surgeon should take up quilting! :rotfl:
 
Howdy,

Yes I was lucky not much skin had grown back. Something had to go right :)
 
2 Weeks Today :yahoo:

Howdy all,

Well it has now been 2 weeks, the time has flown although the Catheter Debacle (CD) remains with me, hopefully an end in sight this time tomorrow. I am trying not to go 'what if' and just hope all goes well.

I have been on short walks with no aids the last couple of days, it does feel strange to try and walk. I guess I have had knee problems for over 10yrs and had grown used to the way I walked. Baby steps.

Just some random thoughts on what I prepared for and things I could have gotten away with. But of course it could have gone completely different so I am happy I was prepared even though I did not make use of some things.

  • Game Ready - Great for it's purpose and I have hired it for one month. I could easily stop using now and just use gel packs. Perhaps I should have taken the 2 week option.

  • 4 Wheel Walker - A nice to have but really could have done without it. Crutches are more than enough even for BTKR.
Things I am glad I had or used to date :
  • Heat packs. A lot is spoken about icing, but most of us are in our "later" years and we can easily forget the rest of our body during recovery time. I have had very bad back problems so it has been handy to have the heat packs. Also I found when I was icing all the time I would get very cold (who would have thought that!) and was handy to make me warm.

  • Recliner I bought a s/hand one $280, is in perfect working order and has been a true asset in recovery. The first couple of nights I slept in it as i just could not get comfortable in bed, mainly from my thigh muscles. It sure has paid for itself many times over already and I believe a must have.

    Gel / Ice Packs Even though I had the game ready it's great to be able to do a quick ice job without a lot of mucking around. Note they do not last too long, maybe 20-30 mins so you really need multiple.

  • Higher Bed I found this very useful... Pre surgery I found it hard enough to get in and out of bed, we overcame this by adding an extra mattress we had spare. Added a memory foam layer and it was excellent.

  • Crutches A must have.
And probably the biggest part of all is a support system. I can't over state the importance this plays in the days after surgery. I have been lucky to be at my Daughters and have my Wife with me 24/7. How anyone goes through this by themselves is amazing. I certainly would not like to do it.

I think that's about it really. Obviously everybody's journeys are very different. Besides the CD I think I have come through this very well so far, I hate to say that and jinx myself, but this site well prepared me for what to expect and this knowledge has made it so much easier.... How did we ever manage before the internet ? :) :-) (:
 
Good morning.

Catheter out. Drinking lots of water.I need to pee !!!!

Wish me luck
 
Many would agree about the recliner. I managed without one, but nights were pure torture. I’m glad the catheter is out!
 
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...............................

That is the sound of relief I now feel at being able to do one of the most basic tasks a human can do... Pee. :)

Whoa. What a ride that has been but I am sooooo glad it is over. After about 3 hrs and copious water and a lemonade I still had not gone for a pee.... I had a slight feeling, but having tried several times it was not meant to be.

Nurse took me off to scan my bladder, a reading of 150ml which was no where near how much I had drank. Apparently I was dehydrated, which was good as that meant my body was not yet ready to pee !

So back to the chair and more fluids then finally I had that feeling... Off to the toilet to pee in the bottle I hoped but alas a dribble was all I could mange... I was very down by this stage... Down another cup and same feeling, off to the toilet again... Success !!! At least 200ml which is by no means a great amount but was a lot of relief for me.

Back to get bladder scanned barely anything left. WOOHOO !!!

Surgeon called and because I had not been in there for urinary surgery I was right to go home. :yay:

I was so relieved (in more ways than one :happydance:) that something that was nothing to do with the surgery (as such) I had gone in for was finally over. It has taken up a lot of time in my mind thinking 'what if' all the time... I suppose it did keep me busy enough to stop worrying about my knees !

Got home, had a pee and we decided to have a rest, it had been a long couple of weeks.

My darling Wife needed to get out of the house so I borrowed my Daughter's car and drove for the first time after confirming it was ok with Dr. It was good to do something normal again. Was not too long midway through the shopping and my knees said enough ! I have gone back to using the crutches taking notice of what my body is telling me. I have to remember I am only 2 weeks out.

Funny when I was getting my staples out on Tuesday the nurse asked me how I was going with the exercise and I said in a semi joking voice I hadn't started (which I hadn't) her mood changed immediately and I changed tack and said yeh I was going well... Clearly she was on the side of "go hard or go home" !

I have done a little exercise but the first night I was serious the next morning my back was angry.... So it's going to be a balancing act over the months ahead, but I have my own views on exercise and we will see how it goes I guess.

Very restless nights sleep and I had to get up to go the toilet a couple of times, maybe the catheter wasn't so bad after all... Joking !! :egypdance:

So now I can concentrate on what I should of been to start with, my knee recovery. For me the early signs are good, no measurements, I can do things, all be it slowly that I could do pre-op... I can sit at a table like a normal person, get in and out of the car, stand, walk and lay flat. I was even able to do full rotations on the exercise bike.... Not many, it didn't hurt, it's a start.

Post catheter I can now say I am very happy at where I am at, finally. I am well aware there is a long road ahead, but until the next setback (of which there will be) I am feeling great and glad I made the decision to get the surgery, especially both at once. I could not imagine going through this a second time.

Thanks for reading and I hope your recovery is going ok too.
 
I'm so happy to hear that now you can go:heehee:

You have my deepest respect anyone has a bilateral TKR is number one in my book.

Keep up the great work:)
 
That is the sound of relief I now feel at being able to do one of the most basic tasks a human can do... Pee.
Yippee! Yay! Success! I know you feel so free now!

drove for the first time after confirming it was ok with Dr.
Here is another reason to feel free. You are doing amazingly well for just a little over two weeks out.
 
Wow, to be doing what you're doing at 2 weeks is amazing! I'm 3 months out and still using a cane in public and after sitting for a while. Glad to hear of your success.
 
I was still using my cane at 3 months, also.
 
Phew, I feel your relief! Seriously, that's removed a major worry from you. Two weeks behind you now, and starting to get back into life again. I felt so good once I could drive at 3 weeks and move around without aids at 2 weeks. I was very careful not to overdo anything, used my exercycle for 10 minutes a day and had series of gentle exercises I also did daily, but only 1 set. I pottered in the garden, and everything was ticking along very well. Until - at 14 weeks, a cold winters day, with glorious sunshine, I put on my running shoes and decided to go for a walk. Walked for only a half hour, but pushed the pace so I was huffing and puffing. All good - until I got up from sitting a little while later. My knees were SO tight! Not really sore, just very tight. It took a few days to resolve. I didn't ice, I am so over icing. What I found helped was frequently massaging firmly. That really loosened things up. It made me wonder if heat would have been a good thing to do, any thoughts anyone? It took a few days to come right again, lesson learned. Would heat be appropriate now at 15 weeks?
 
I'm so happy to hear that now you can go:heehee:

You have my deepest respect anyone has a bilateral TKR is number one in my book.

Keep up the great work:)

Thanks. No work involved, just lying around :rotfl:
 
Wow, to be doing what you're doing at 2 weeks is amazing! I'm 3 months out and still using a cane in public and after sitting for a while. Glad to hear of your success.

Just goes to show how different we all are. I am still relying on my crutches as it helps to keep the weight off my knees as much as possible or I don't last too long. :)

I was still using my cane at 3 months, also.

I guess I am lucky that is for sure. :)

Hopefully my luck continues.
 

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