How to thank you...

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lissa

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this is the greatest forum..could not have kept my head before and after surgery without your help! So I am trying to think of how I can help back. first of all, I have had the bilaterial knee replacement..I am a success story..I will try to give helpful tips as best as I know from my experience.

So...what helped me the most to prrepare for surgery? Going to physical therapy way before hand, getting a copy of all the quad, etc. exercises and then doing them EVERY day..you get to know ther pain levels from the exercises , it helps afterwards, becausse a lot of the pain will be familiar, hence easier to handle.

Next, the handle bar toilet seat, goers over the toilet. Third, getting your own walker..and practicing with it..as well as a cane and crutches.

Third, rent or find someone who can loan you an ice machine..they work so much better than ice packs.

Get a Netflex subscription, and order a bunch..so they will come to you during weeks after.. I used my laptop like crazy also.

Finally, I bought a books on tape walkman CD player. Local libraries have books on tape...they are wonderful to listen too, keeps your mind off some of the healing pain...AND best of all, they put you to sleep!

You know about prunes, even supositories...get lots of differernt things to try..you'll need help in that area..coffee won't do the trick!

It's been a rather amazing experience for me...not nearly as bad as I had planned for...and each day now..I KNOW I am getting better..and willl never have to deal with "bad" knees again!

That's it for now. Lissa
 
Lissa,
Thanks for posting. I too am one of the BTKR success stories. It is a great feeling to have it behind you and know you can continue on living life as you would like to with fully functioning knees. Congratulations to you on your success so far and we all hope to hear of your adventures. I keep posting even though I am over a year out from surgery.
Giving back is good.....
 
Lissa,and Crystal,
You two are just total successes:thmb:

And you both offer help to many,,so I would think the thank yous, go to your girls and many many others on here!:thnk:
 
Your posts are very helpful as my day approaches. Thank YOU!
 
Lissa,
That was a very nice post. I feel the same way. There are days when I think I could not have made it through the surgery had it not been for all the wonderful people here. Even when I'm completely better, I will still post here in hopes to help some one going through the same things I have.:thmb:

May God Bless All Of You!!!:thnk:
____________
BTKR 7/20/09
Cindy
 
Crystal
How are you doing. I believe I read a post where you feel.

Hope all is well now.

I can't wait to be a year out. I really have done good and have good rom, but just get some occasional swelling really not enough to worry about, but yesterday from all the sitting and driving the few days before did me in. Did not have to take any pain pills though. Just ice and elevate. It was mostly my ankle.
 
Hat's off to you bi-lats! My "good" knee is painful...still has a few years left before replacement. However, I find myself these days wishing that it felt as great as my bionic left one! I'm a little jealous that you guys got it all done at once :)
 
Crystal
How are you doing. I believe I read a post where you feel.

Hope all is well now.

I can't wait to be a year out. I really have done good and have good rom, but just get some occasional swelling really not enough to worry about, but yesterday from all the sitting and driving the few days before did me in. Did not have to take any pain pills though. Just ice and elevate. It was mostly my ankle.

Hi Pat,
I am recovering just fine. I had some bad scrapes and scabs on my knees and left elbow. They are starting to heal well. My replacements handled the fall very well. My ego took a beating, but I did not seem to hurt any ligaments or muscles when I was knocked down by the dog (neighbor's in the street on the pavement, not a soft landing at all). I am working on losing weight, as I was up to 196 and am down to 190.6 this AM. I hope to be less next Friday!
I have remained busy with the children who attend my Family Child Care in our home. I am open for business @ 7:30 AM and close @ 4:30 PM Monday thru Friday. It has been very hazy, hot, & humid here in NH the past week. In the 90's with 100% humidity. Now we are having severe thunderstorms with hail, and high winds of 60 mph. There are flash flood warnings posted as well. We are going to get rain from "Bill" this evening and tomorrow as well. Maybe 1-3 more inches. It will prove to be interesting.
We attended the White Mountain Boogie & Blues Festival this past weekend from Friday evening to Sunday evening. It was fun! It also was hot, and in between acts we went down to the Pemigewassett River and stood in the clear flowing cool water in the sandy bottom with round river rock to cool off. It was a great move on our parts as we stayed reasonably cool! We truly do live in vacation land!
My golf game is improving. I took it up this Spring. Bob and I signed up for a lesson package at the broken link removed: https://www.playgolfne.com/golf/proto/playgolfne/whitemountain_home/whitemountain_home.htmfor a series of 5 lessons over the summer. I can drive about 150 yards now with my driver. My favorite club is my 7 iron. I am very comfortable with that one. We have 2 more lessons to go before winter sets in.......
It has been fun! I do ride in a cart rather than walk the course though!
Beautiful place to live is it not?
Thanks for asking about me!
 
You're ALL fantastic! I love to hear from you all - your success stories and great recoveries. Even those that took a bit longer than average.
 
I love NH and VT we should have went back there for our vacation and stayed at a friends cabin on Silver Lake. It is a private lake and just beautiful.

Maybe we will make it there next spring.

So glad you are OK.
 
Congratulations!!!! So glad to hear about how well your recoveries are going!!!!! (:)0)
 
All Of You Rock!!!!
You have all done so well!!!!
I can hardly wait to hear how
it just gets better and better
for all you you!!!
 
:thmb: I am convinced we are a huge family. Families take care of each other

I posted your list on the Knee Information site under pre and post surgery tips. I have been trying to put ideas there for folks to use as a reference.

Congrats on your progress
Barb
 
Lissa

Glad you are coming along. You are right about this forum, it is the best. I have run across a few others that all you get is the negative with no suggestions on what to do. TKA/BTKA is a long and curvy road with a lot of bumps in the road so having "friends" out there are a big help

Pat/Loggon

If you get to Vermont, stop in as it would be nice to meet you. I live in the Northeast Kingdom. Crystal is close by.

I had BTKR June 3, 2008 and that have gone pretty good. My doctor wanted me off the aspirin due to ongoing anemia and I tried it again this month (though with the rain we have had not sure about that as well as the weather Crystal described) but now by right knee is very swollen and stiff making it a bit hard to exercise. I did think surgery would solve the problem but I must have a systemic inflammation problem.

Overall it has been nice to actually start working on the yard and doing other things. Friends are coming in October and look forward to doing some hiking.

Simon
 
Ahhhhhh!!!! Life sounds very good for you, Simon! So happy for you!!! (:)0)
 
Hi I'm in awe of your bilateral knee success stories---Cindy, lissa and Crystal. You guys ROCK---such inspiration.

Crystal---I have read this forum long before I joined this past June. I've wanted to tell you this---I have admired your positive attitude from the time(even before) you had your surgery. I always looked forward to your posts. I also feel you are one very organized lady----and enjoy your life to the fullest. Thanks for giving me inspiration for all these months. Regards. Nancy
 
Nancy,
Thanks so much for your kind words. My philosophy on life is to make Lemonade out of lemons. In other words, no matter what you are facing, you do your very best and make the most from the experience (even a negative one). Sigh. Life is not always easy and we only get to go around once. By being organized, and being a list writer, I manage to fill my days to the fullest. I also seem to work best under pressure. I have not as yet filed our 2008 IRS paperwork..... That is my goal for this wet, stormy, humid weekend. If I get that behind me, maybe I can start organizing my 2009 paperwork! I need to get it done! I will continue to post occasionally as I enjoy this forum and the helpfulness it provides to others. I am very fortunate I did not run into any unusual issues except the scar tissue that developed 10 months out. Now when I stand up and sit down it sounds like Velcro ripping! It does not hurt, but is there. I think is was from the kneeling I did this spring laying the paver bricks around the vegetable gardens... Oh well, live and learn. Save lots of kneeling until after the first year goes by!
 
I think anyone that has a replacement rocks...me too !!!!!.lol. But two of them ......:bow::bow:...........I Hope everyone continues with their success..............)
 
I have a funny tearing kind of noise in my knee but associated with the patella. I mentioned it to the surgeon and he said it was the patella riding on the femoral component - didn't have a button - and they often make that noise. You don't think your's could be something similar, Crystal? The sound of 'gristle' being worked rather than scar tissue?
 
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