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TKR I think I'll call her Tahwanda!

@twright100 I'm glad you said that, my knee still swells and aches, still have to ice sometimes, thought I would be done with all that by now.
 
@Tigerlily We haven't met, but we are TKR twins! Same knee, same day! Love your kee's name! Mine is "Buddy". I figured it must be male because it is so stubborn and has to have its own way! :wink:
We're able to do almost all we want to... Just give out sometimes and still have the confounded swelling!
I rest, ice and elevate at least once a day. Haven't had pain meds in weeks except for an occasional Tylenol.
I feel like I'm carrying around a dead weight some days. Guess that's the swelling.
Good to touch base with a "twin"!
 
@Thesoutherncook Good to meet you! I haven't been on here for awhile, and it looks like you came on after your surgery. I was lucky enough to find this site before my surgery and sign in with the July Sparklers group. There was only one other person with my date and it was her other knee and she hasn't been on for months. You and I are nearly same age too. Have you gone back to work yet?
 
I'm "retired". Actually, my DH retired 12 years ago and we left Atlanta and headed for the mountains of NC to escape the hustle and bustle ( and traffic!) I've been able to take it easy as much as needed. I was lucky to have a neighbor who had her TKRs ( 6 weeks apart! ) and could give me some advice. And I have a good friend who is a retired nurse. She was my "go to" for info until I stumbled across Bonesmart. All OS should give out this site In their pre-op info!
 
Lucky you! To be retired I mean. I'm not quite there yet. Saw my OS yesterday and have 3 week extension, see him again Dec 10 and imagine I will have to go back in some capacity in the month after that. I am glad I have a little more time as I was really sweating the lack of stamina and having to be on my feet for the majority of 8 hours.
 
I had my surgery a week before you and I went back to work on Nov. 2nd. It's been pretty tough for me. Try to vary your day between sitting and standing if possible. Make sure that you have some new shoes or sneakers. Since I wear sneakers for work I went to a running store to get fitted for the right sneakers. It does help. Take your old ones with you too. It's worth the little extra time for the expertise. I wish I was able to put it off a little longer but they held this new position for 3 months waiting for me.
 
So, I am 7 months out from my surgery. a month ago I went for a teeth cleaning, they asked is anything new health wise? I said total knee, they said did you take your antibiotics? I said what are you talking about? No one said anything about that to me. I'm sure my OS would of mentioned it, I think that is old info. Well, I got my teeth cleaned, came home did a little research, emailed my OS office to ask the question. Seems to be somewhat controversial. Canada does not do it anymore and it is in "committee" here in the US. And my OS office emailed back that, yes, in fact I did need to take antibiotics prior to any dental procedure for 2 years. Of course by the time I got that email it was 2 weeks after my dental apt because I went on vacation, so I didn't take anything then, ( they had called in a prescription) but now every little twinge in that knee and I'm sure it is infected. Can anyone tell me the practice in their state/country? Or their own experience with this issue?
PS I went back to work on Dec 28. Tiredall the time but getting through it and it is getting better, my stamina all the time.
 
sounds like your doing good, I found taking pain meds around the clock was a big help, I finally found a med minder app that I liked and sent up meds and times so I took my pain meds 24/7 no pain. The ice machine was heaven I'm 6+ weeks it goes by real fast and you start to feel better as time goes by.
I had a nurse and PT come by the home for 3 weeks checking knee and temp, blood pressure etc that all helped.
wishing you the best.
 
Tigerlily said:
I'm sure it is infected
Click to expand...
Why are you sure you knee is infected, it is normal to have a few twinges here and there. An infection most likely would be red, hot, swollen, and painful.
If you are concerned you should call your OS for an appointment.

Unlikely a dental cleaning will cause an infection. Seems in the US the jury is still out about pre med for dental work.
My dentist requires pre med, until the guidelines are updated in the US.
Here is a link to information in the library.
Dental antibiotics: Evidence insufficient to recommend prophylactic antibiotics for dental procedures
 
My OS requires it for 10 years post-op and told me about it in my pre-op meeting with him before each knee. My dentist is really good about calling in a prescription for a year, and reminding me to take it before I come in each time on my reminder phone call. So even if it is considered unnecessary I feel why take a chance and it's one less thing I have to worry about. I've also been religious with good oral hygiene since my knee replacements(brushing, flossing, Listerine). My OS hasn't had an infection post-op in five years. Just sayin.....
 
My OS requires it for life. So how's that? I just recently had oral surgery to remove a root that had grown into my sinus cavity. My endodontist said it is considered "old school" to take antibiotics but since my surgeon required it, be sure to take it. Interesting, huh?
 
My surgeon recommends taking antibiotics, but my dentist is adamant that they aren't needed.
I compromise. I don't take antibiotics for routine procedures, such as cleaning and simple fillings, but I do take them for more invasive procedures, such as root canals or extractions.

Last month, I had a filling that unexpectedly turned into a root canal and I had no antibiotic cover. All is well, though. No problems.
 
I had my BTKR eight years ago, and my OS still says to take the antibiotics. My dentist rather disagrees, and chuckles, but says, "So be it."
 
Thanks Pumpkin for the library link, I thought I had read everything but missed that. sounds like the jury is unable to agree on the wording.
 
This past year my dentist starting saying antibiotics weren't needed. OS said take them for life. My dentist said to do what my doctor says. Since my knee surgery, I've only taken antibiotics when going to the dentist, so I'm not too concerned.


Sent from my iPad using BoneSmart®
 
My OS says take them for life - the small amount of money and exposure are worth not getting an infected knee. There are LOTS of disagreements about many things involving these knees!
 
My OS said they weren't necessary, but my dentist said they were. Go figure. :shrug:

(I got the prescription from the dentist, and took one anyway, before my recent cleaning. Why tempt fate?)
 
I struggle with this a lot. My OS believes in antibiotics for life (just for dental cleanings and colonoscopies). My dentist believes in them but just for several years. My PCP doesn't believe that it's necessary at all. Personally, even if the odds of getting an infection are 1,000,000 to 1, if you happen to be that 1 then the odds weren't very good. So I figured it was best to take the pills. But there's another side - when I went in for a colonoscopy last year, my GI doctor said that his entire department was against the antibiotic protocol because of the increased risk of C-Diff. I have to admit, at his urging I didn't take the pills after that procedure and had no problems. But with "infection/possible loss of leg" at one extreme and "C-Diff/possible death" at the other extreme, how would you make a choice?
 
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