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It's about time I fix them!! BTKR Aug 4th

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[Bonesmart.org] It's about time I fix them!! BTKR Aug 4th
@Shmi47, figure out a plan that allows for minimum use of stairs for the first two to three weeks. You should mostly be resting with your legs elevated and icing during that time period, and taking your pain meds on a schedule. The only exercise you need will be walking to and from your nesting spot to bathroom and kitchen and bedroom and going up and down stairs as necessary.

You will need to allow your family and friends to wait on you and take care of you during this time. It will be a bit trying for the first month, but if you follow the BoneSmart mantras to the letter things will go well. Once you get past the first 6 weeks, things should be getting better and better.

This is a long recovery that takes a lot of TIME and PATIENCE. You just have to accept that your knees will be in charge of everything and will expect a LOT of TLC at all times. It will be at least 3 months before you really feel things might become "normal" again. At 6 months you'll really believe that "normal" is just around the corner. And by 12 months you should basically feel "normal".

So just plan on going home unless there are reasons you need to go to inpatient rehab for a week or so.

Take care, get your chin up and think positive! Keep us posted. We care. [Bonesmart.org] It's about time I fix them!! BTKR Aug 4th
 
bottomshollow is so right. You will be more comfortable at home even if you have to do some adjusting to your setup to avoid stairs as much as you can in the first weeks. (You'll be able to do stairs before you come home but it will likely be difficult and tiring. )
 
@Shmi47 I have a lot of stairs too, and I'm pretty sure I'll be coming right home. You'll be able to see how well I do with them - and hopefully I can let you know that it's doable. I have a friend who had a bilateral who told me it's definitely possible to go home with stairs. She went downstairs each morning and then went upstairs each night. It wasn't easy - but it was totally doable. Let's hope that I can come back and tell you first hand that it wasn't bad :)

I'm so ready to move forward and get this done - so many things to do here at home which I'm sure I won't get done anyways - it's summer and procrastination seems to be rampant.
 
hey @ljrfrm. How r you doing? A little over a week till knee day. I'm doing really awesome, and looking forward to this "adventure"! lol. Getting some last minute things in order and trying to make sure almost everything is done, but I'm like you.....It's summer and oh so nice outside. I'm trying to really enjoy the days as fall will be here before we know it, and we will be working hard on recovery.
 
This will be my first post on this site, but I have been using it for the past three weeks and it has brought me an immense amount of comfort and information. Part of scariness is the isolation that being almost totally custodial brings. You just keep wondering, is this normal, how long will the pain go on, is everybody else up at night too, and a myriad of large and small issues that you focus on because there isn't much more to focus on.
My BTKR was June 25, 2014 so I am just past 4 weeks now. It is slow going and does require patience but I thank my lucky stars that I found a wonderful surgeon who was willing to do a bilateral on my very beat up, malformed, arthritic knees. One rehab beats two any day if you are a good candidate for it.
I got to the end of my rope also which is I think the only time that one considers such serious surgery. The month before surgery I took a trip to Europe which included a walk up to the top of the Acropolis in Athens, talk about getting the most you can get out of the old ones. The best news, no more arthritis pain from almost the minute you wake up, the bad news, new pains that will bring you to your knees (pun intended). A bilateral means "not a good leg to stand on" but the chance to rehab them at the same time...priceless.
My wish for you is for a recovery that you take at your own unique pace with the help of all the great people on this site who are willing to share their fears, concerns, work arounds, fixes and experiences. There is super advise about drugs, exercises, PT and every other problem that you are likely to have. Listen, read and take it to heart, there is simply nothing like a support community in getting through this.
I hope it all goes very smoothly for you.
 
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@Baileysmom Don't think I have Welcomed you to bonesmart. So Welcome, so glad you found some comfort in the forum! At 4 weeks you are still in the early stages. If will get easier and better. Hang in there.
 
Hi All
Good for you in going with BLTK. It's not that bad! I'm almost at 5 weeks post-op and things are going very well. The first time you get out of bed and on your feet you will be amazed that the pain you are used to will be gone. I did go to rehab but wanted to go home after two days. I felt I could do more at home and speed up my recovery. Even with a nice private room, I got bored and wanted to get out of there. If you keep a good positive attitude and push yourself, you will be surprised at what you can accomplish. I'm doing PT three times a week. There are days that I don't want to go but I push myself and am happy after that I did. After 4weeks my ROM is 0-120 degrees on both legs, I can leg press 100lbs on each leg, and walk up 15 inch high steps. I would be driving my standard transmission car if I was not so lazy and letting my wife do all the driving. I do a lot around the house but the only thing I will not do is anything that brings on PAIN, at home or in PT. I'm still taking pain meds but I have cut back on the hard stuff. The main point I'm trying to say is don't be afraid to push yourself and you maybe surprised with how good you are.
 
@Big Tuna You sound like my hubby, but your ROM is better than his was at that point. His was really bad before surgery and the surgeon said he probably won't get past 120 but he has. His extension is 1 but he will get to 0. He is 3 week ahead of you and gets his second knee done the 6th.
 
@tiredwife what may of helped me a lot is that at the end of surgery they positioned my leg as straight as could be and then wrapped it tight with elastic bandages and Velcro braces in such a way that I could not bend them at all for two days. No CPM machine for me. I've had 0 extension from the first day.
 
@Big Tuna no CPM for hubby either. No brace either. He needed ROM enough for our stairs when he came home so they worked on flex from the beginning. He is 8 weeks and his extension is a 1 so it isn't bad. The doctor said he had to work really hard to get his leg straight. Each different doctor has their own preferences. My husband's doctor's partner uses the CPM. His doctor uses stitches, his partner uses staples. In a year it would be hard to tell who had what done to them during early recovery.
 
@Crow22 Thanks for asking - I'm doing well. I'm at the point now where I'm just worrying a lot. Worrying about getting everything done before surgery, worrying about the pain after surgery, worrying about that 4/5 week "what have I gotten myself into depression", worrying about whatever else. At the same time, I'm just so ready to get this all started.
 
@ljrfrm August is getting here quick! Hubby says he is starting to get a little nervous, but not near as bad as for the first one. You have a great day!
 
@ljrfrm I know it's silly to say "Don't worry" but know I will be right there with ya, every step of the way! My stomach gets a little fluttery when I think about next week, but I know in my heart that all will be okay. So many people here on this forum have gone through it and some had a more difficult time than others, some have just been those medical marvel's! Some one said on this forum that the pain we will have after is "healing pain" and if we follow the mantras hopefully our pain will be tolerable. Just imagine I'm in the OR right next to you and we are getting our new knees right at the same time! whoo hooo Sistah knees
 
@Crow22 Thanks Sistah. It's funny how the emotions shift and change while waiting for this surgery. Sometimes I think it would have been much easier to have just scheduled it one month out, as opposed to 4. Less time may be a blessing. Regardless, we will do fine - and it's so helpful to have you going through this the same day.

Looking forward to recovering with you - We've got this!
 
@ljrfrm It IS so very comforting knowing we are having it done on the same day. Now wouldn't it be funny if we were actually having it done at the same time!! I will let you know my time when I call the OR on Friday. You are 100% right...We've got this.
 
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