Encouragement needed badly....

If you relax I will relax, deal. I just got bumped from noon Monday January 7th to 3:00pm then now I am bumped to 10:00am. I wasn't nervous before but all of the changes I'm STARTING TO

 

Dewey,
You are going to be fine, especially with a supportive husband. You will definitely need to rest alot at first, take your pain meds, elevate, ice and eat a good healthy diet and drink plenty of fluids. The pain you feel after surgery is surgical pain, you will see and I promise you, that the pre-surgical pain will no longer be making you miserable. I was told that and low and behold it was true, true, true. I had lived with that pain for almost 10 years, with the last 3-4 months being the worse because my knee became so unstable.
So, my dear, listen to your fellow bonesmarties, be have "been there done that" and are here for you as you look forward to the beginning of a new, pain-free life.
Oh yes, please use the electric carts...you will have a much more pleasant shopping/outing trip. After using the carts for a couple of times or maybe even from the first time, you will be so thankful those electric carts are there! Remember, you're using them on a temporary basis and when you've healed a bit more, you won't need one.
Hang in there and keep us posted on how you're doing!

 

Dewey, I have missed shopping so much too! It seems like it was another lifetime ago, but I was once a World Class Shop-a-holic (even if I only was "looking"). The last time I remember being able to really make a major shopping trip was about seven years ago and even that hurt, but since then it's too excruciating to bother. I've delegated so much! At school, my students became my willing legs. My husband took over so much of running the house from cleaning, cooking, shopping. I watched and cheered him on as he decorated our tree each year. Sometimes it has made me so sad. Guess that's what finally pushed me into TKR, realizing I would just have to get used to a wheel chair or try to fix the stupid knees. I don't have a success story to share because my first knee is going to be fixed Jan. 9th. I do know there are a lot of chipper little old ladies who had TKR's who are bounding all around my town who are living inspiration to just get it done. I've never tried the electric carts, but think I should give them a go! Good luck to us both!!!

 

Lucia and Dewey,

Yes, please, try the electric carts. Take your shopping list and go all over that store and have a blast! Those carts are there for you to use, whenever you need them. So, between now and your surgery, give yourself a nice, distracting shopping trip and partake in some "retail therapy!"

I've used an electric cart about 5 times and it's use is something I wholeheartedly recommend.

 

Oh, my dear, the nerves and anticipation are the hardest thing. BUT, you will be surprised that it isn't as bad as our minds can build it up to be! Trust us dear one.. It really isn't that bad, and each passing week after surgery get better and better!!

 

AMEN!

 

Ditto, all that. The worry is one of the hardest parts if not THE hardest part. I'm at 11 weeks today and feel SO GOOD. Yes, my knee is still sore, yes I still ice at night and take a pain pill to sleep, but my knee is actually working better than it has for years, like 30 years! The pain of the surgery is worth it. Try not to worry too much.

 

I'm at the 11 week mark too, rlwintin, and still take a prescription pain med as well. Last night, I finally took one at 230am and got to sleep around 430am and woke up feeling like I'd slept much longer, thank goodness. Guess the sleep was good quality REM sleep. I woke up 30 minutes before my husband arrived with our granddaughter, who we take care of Monday thru Friday during the day and made myself some coffee and her some breakfast. My knee is working better as well...it's a good feeling isn't it!! I'm still having pain as well but know it isn't the pre-surgery pain.

That's what's so good about this forum...fellow tkr patients going through the same thing as you are! I'm proud of you for making the decision to get the surgery! A bit of perspective is gained when other tkr patients share what they are going through at various time periods after the procedure.

Oh yes, the surgery is totally worth it. My other knee isn't in good condition, and I've been told I'll need tkr on that one too, but not anytime soon. I hope the OS who did my RTKR is still practicing medicine when the time comes, because I'll go right back to him! He's about 10 years younger than me, so he probably will be in practice. Oh yes, he needs TKR, too and told me he will get the Stryker Triathlon, the same prosthesis he used for my surgery.

 

Dewey,
Get that knee surgery. You will feel wonderful in no time. The pain after surgery is not half as bad as the pain that we had before. I had my first knee done in Jan. 2012 and the second one done 3 months later. I can't even begin to tell you how good you will feel. It's like the Dr. gave you back your life. I, like you, could not walk back to the car after shopping. I just wanted to cry. I thank God every day that I went through with the knee replacements. Keep your chin up and after surgery make sure that you take your pain meds per Dr.s orders before you do therapy. It helps to be pain free during therapy so that you can do all exercises and get back to normal. It is so worth it. You will wear your knee scars with pride when you are running through Walmart shopping and believe me, you will do that. I have to stop when I realize how fast I am walking and shopping now. It's a miracle. Wishing you well with your knee replacements. Keep your chin up.

 

I feel Dewey's pain, I am 53 and scheduled for bilateral knee replacement surgery on March 11th. I am tired of the pain, tired of taking Advil, tired of taking Vicodin. I have had several pity parties myself. They are worse and keep getting worse despite pool aerobics, stationary bike, etc. So looking forward to having them done and getting my life back. I used to be an avid walker and now I can't walk half a block without pain and I limp and I have a weird walk now, not very attractive. Not that I care about that but I am sick of limping and am sick of the pain. My doctor is a young doctor and when he looked at me a couple of months ago and asked "are you ready?", I was stunned, I could not believe it. Hang in there Dewey, next Christmas you indeed will be force to be reckoned with, work hard at PT and stay positive!

 

Life will be so much better - don't hesitate - embrace the future possibilities!

 

Dewey if you haven't been to the recovery area you should read there too.

 

Right on!

 

Dewey you got to do whats right for you,look at your quality if life.
I myself have chosen for health, and family reasons to wait anther few years, not that I particularly want too, but that's my situation.
If you are able to do this, and need too, and nothing staning in your way, i say go for it, why live in pain any longer than you have too. Good luck my friend

 

One thing I wont miss is walking really slowly at times so I don't have to limp. Most people mean well, but sometimes I don't want to discuss why I'm limping so badly. Lately that hasn't been an option as I limp even when I walk slowly. Also hard when people laugh at my strange gait. A lot of my co-workers like to comment that they can hear me coming a mile a way because of my shuffle. It's not like I shuffle because I'm too lazy to lift up my legs. It's because I can't bend my knees without a lot of pain. I know they really have no idea why I have the style of walking I do. I'll be happy to be more of a normal walker. This should also help me to stop tripping over every slightly raised surface because I never pick up my feet more than an inch or two off the ground.