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July 18th LTKR..what a shocker.

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I did not have an MRI. The X-rays showed my knee was bone on bone and when the surgeon got in there he said it was worse than the X-rays showed and I probably waited too long. Only you can decide when to have the surgery but I believe you will have no regrets. I had a spinal with a femoral nerve block and it gave excellent pain control. And when you wake up from the surgery it feels like you woke up from a great nap. No sluggishness at all. When I have my left knee done I will not hesitate to go that route again. As far as narcotics and constipation you really have to stay on top of it. All I was given in the hospital was stool softeners which did nothing for me. Towards the end of my hospital stay I was in agony, the worst pain ever. They ended up giving me more and more medication to get things moving and nothing worked. It's just awful when you get to that point. Since that point I took and still continue to take every morning miralax and in the evening prune juice or prunes, but I think the juice works better. I would even suggest that regime before you go into surgery. I am 8 weeks post surgery and I still use that regime, and probably will for several more weeks & months to come. During those 8 weeks I missed 3 or 4 days and I ended up in agony again. It's just not worth it. You're dealing with pain from your knee you don't need to compound that with constipation pain. I also live alone and have had no problems. I spent one week with a friend the first week but then I was on my own. You do have to rely on friends to get you to dr or PT until you are able to drive. The two best investments were the toilet riser and my polar ice machine. Still using both to this day. Ask all the questions you want. It's a tough recovery, it's long but doable. At the beginning it feels like days that are all bad, tough, tear filled days. but there are also days where you see improvement or everything just clicks with pain control or a few hours of sleep. But it's a decision I have never regret, even through all the bad. Wishing you all the best.
 
Miralax...got it on my next shopping list!
@gr82cu2 yes, you have many years left to live life to the fullest. This is why I am doing this. I love my job and want to work as long as I can, but I also want to travel. I was in Mexico this past spring and saw people 10 and 20 years older than me scrambling across rocks while I gingerly would put one foot in front of the other...that really made me think..what the heck is going on with my knees..no pain just a feeling as if I needed to be "oiled"...like the tin man:snork:. So thinking back, I've obviously had this problem for awhile now and just attributed it to lots of working on my feet and age. Not.

Wow the days are really flying by. I have so much to do in the next 6 days. I'm going to look at the checklist for at home, pack my suitcase for rehab and hospital...clean up my bedroom since I'll be spending a lot more time in it.

Today I made lots of beef vegetable soup for the freezer, tomorrow chicken noodle and chicken paprikash. Now I'll just need someone to bring in fresh veggies and I'll be set for awhile after rehab..gotta think ahead when you live alone and all your friends work.

I'm still a bit nervous and apprehensive about this surgery which I guess is expected. I've never had so much as a stitch in all my life..well maybe one after giving birth but I couldn't see it. Has anyone else not been able to look at their stitches and swollen leg or does this "gross" feeling go away. Obviously, I'm somewhat of a wuss.

I sit here typing with my knee not hurting at all..in a way, I wish it was really bothering me and I would definitely be looking forward to this.
 
@midwestgirl..I've copied your info on the prune juice regimen..thanks so much for that advice. I'm going to rehab since my parents are elderly and my friends work. So hopefully by the time I get out, I'll be able to do most things for myself, just not overdoing it, which I have a habit of doing more and not asking for help. I just borrowed two toilet seat risers..I've read both positive remarks and then some people say not using them helps your leg get stronger. I guess I will see what I can handle later in recovery.
 
The appearance of my knee doesn't bother me. I look at my scar as a badge of courage! And my implant doesn't bother me at all as feeling foreign. Some people say that - that it doesn't feel like their knee, that it feels foreign. Not me. It just feels like my knee. I'm embracing it because it's leading me to a better life.
 
Great news midwest girl..you sound as if your surgery went really well. I don't think I'll be worried about the eventual scar, it's more how it looks right after the surgery. When I go out lately I'm looking at people's knees and it's amazing how many TKR scars I see or at least I think they are TKR scars. Most are very minimal..in fact, one of my clients I could hardly even see any scarring.

Any consensus on lotion/oil to use once the scar has healed somewhat? Anyone use arnica for swelling..I used it a long time ago for my daughter when she played volleyball and it worked well for her. More questions for doctor.
 
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:flwrysmile:@harleysbud @bball78 Good Morning from Dublin and the start of our countdown week to our TKRs. The knee has been relatively pain free the last 2-3 days, but not letting that fool me. The pain is just lurking in wait to get me, when I'm least expecting it to. Going to go on a light pre- surgery diet the next few days with lots of soups, jelly/ jello, scrambled eggs, pasta with simple tomato sauces & fresh fish.This is in order to prevent the dreaded constipation problem the first few post-op days. I've done this before previous surgery at the recommendation of my GP and it seemed to work for me. @harleysbud after a few surgeries over the last few years, the surgeon and hospital recommended massaging in Bio-oil. Don't know if it is available in the US, but readily available in Ireland & the UK. Its popular here to prevent scaring. Have my suitcase nearly ready and now downloading some books to the Kindle, even if I don't read them in hospital they will be there for another time. And have gotten in my bottles of prune juice & Dulcolax (probably like your Miralax) for when I am back at home.Take care and hope that the next few days pass quickly for us.
 
@harleysbud Before opting, no, having to have TKR, I experienced pain from OA for several years. Initially, I just figured that was the way it was going to be not realizing at first that it does get worse over time. I finally mentioned it to my PCP and we started with injections of hyalgan (there are other similar products by different name, e.g. Synvisc). It is a thick fluid which helps provide some cushioning in place of the worn cartilage. Those hyalgan shots were once a week for three weeks and they would last me anywhere from 6 to as many as 10 months of relatively no pain with the additional use of NSAIDs like Advil or Aleve. That went on for a good number of years.

Unfortunatley, my PCP stopped giving those injections as his insurance reimbursement didn't even cover the cost of the drug. So I found an OS that gives those injections and he gave me an injection of Synvisc1 (one treatment only no 3-shot series). That didn't last 45 days. I was never prescribed nor used Celebrex which seems to be a common prescription used by many arthritics so I don't know how long a regimen of Celebrex might work.

Usually, it is when all else fails that a TKR is about the only solution. Even then it is still considered "elective" surgery.

I am not offering any advice one way or the other; just relating my experience to see if it might benefit you in whatever decision you make.
 
@marmora.. Never having surgery, eating light is invaluable advice for me. Makes perfect sense. Counting down the days with you.

@Phil75070 thanks for your story. I appreciate hearing how everyone got to where they are now...but ultimately, no matter what you do, a TKR is inevitable right? My health insurance isn't the best (high deduct since I'm self employed) and continuing the shots just buys time. My thought is to just get it over with now and spend the time healing instead of procrastinating. Everyone chooses what's best for themselves and I'm glad you were able to live relatively pain free for awhile. Cortisone didn't work for me and my surgeon and I decided that they shots would be holding off the inevitable.
 
@harleysbud I don't think you are suppose to use anything on the incision until it closes completely. Then I started gently rubbing vitamin E oil in it. Have you looked at the badge of honor thread on the recovery page? It might scare you but it will get you ready to see what your leg may look like after surgery. Some poor souls sure had bruising.
 
Yes, I did look at that page and it needs to have a flashing Warning Will Robinson. I did a lot of cringing when I viewed some of the pics.:yikes: Oh well, it is what it is..I just have to toughen up a bit. I'm fine with cuts and burns, but stitches, black/blue/purple/green/yellow...not so much. I'll check the Vitamin E as well.
 
@harleysbud My husbands buised on the side from knee to ankle but not as bad as some of those photos! His looks pretty good at 6 1/2 weeks. I think the ones with the staples look the most uncomfortable.
I just buy the E capsules, cheaper that way.
 
@harleysbud @tiredwife Yes, I didn't mention that the post-op incision creams, lotions (Bio-oil, Vitamin E, E45, etc) are for when the incision closes completely or when your OS gives the ok.
It is 4:25am here in Dublin, can't sleep so have moved to the spare room to read and catch up on emails & BoneSmart. Don't feel nervous on the outside, but must be nervous on the inside, as woke at 2:30 and can't get back to sleep.
 
@tiredwife Awake last night at 3:30 am, after trying to get back to sleep , gave in and went to spare room to read and awake ever since and it's now 3pm. Better luck sleeping tonight.
 
You will get used to looking at your incision quickly. It's funny--last week I was thinking how good my scar looks (it's not even scabby or anything) and a friend who drove me for PT took one look at it and was like :eeeuw:. :heehee:
 
@harleysbud, it seemed like once I had surgery scheduled, my pain disappeared and certainly made me second-guess myself. That seems to be a very common occurrence! If your knees are bone-on-bone, they won't get better on their own. Trust me, you will be glad you made the decision! As for the scar, I admit I'm a little vain (well quite vain!) when it comes to the appearance of my legs. Most people here will tell you that it's a badge of honor, but I still wear shorts and dresses, etc. and really was hoping I wouldn't be bothered by the scars. Mine are small by most standards (3" and 4") and I started out using Bio-Oil after they healed. I didn't notice any difference until I happened to see Bio-Corneum at my dermatologist's office. They told me it was effective for up to a year. It was pretty darned expensive for a small tube and I used way too much at first. I found it online for a bottle 5X the size for twice the price. I've been using it twice a day for about three months. Remember, I didn't start it until I was 9-10 months out. I have to say, the scars are almost gone! I can't believe it! I wish I had found it earlier.
 
@Lovestoread, what is up with the knees getting better all of a sudden. Really, I would be so looking forward to this surgery if I had been hobbling around like I was a few weeks ago..couldn't put a bit of weight on my knee. But I've figured out that the powers that be are granting me some good vibes. If my knee hurt I wouldn't be able to get my house/sitting area in shape, I couldn't be running to the store to pick up this and that, wouldn't have had any energy to do most anything. So I have to look at my good fortune so far as it's really been helpful to have two working legs. Funny thing is my so called good knee is hurting more than the bad knee all of a sudden.

I just looked at BioCorneum on Amazon and there are a few different types available...can you share with me exactly what you purchased?

I am looking at this surgery as a new lease on life for me..to get back into my healthier way of living. I ate my last bag of Cheetos yesterday and they aren't coming back in the house every again. Remember I said that:snork:
 
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@harleysbud @Lovestoread @bball78
Just finished my morning bowel of porridge and then heading to get hair cut & highlights, my pre-hospital feel-good treat.Yes, it is so strange that ours knees get a temporary better feeling before surgery. Must be the body's way of giving us sometime to get organised before we head to hospital. But, also know that others don't get that knee pre-relief window, so we are very lucky.

Also interested in BioCorneum to help with the incision scar. Going to see if it available OTC & if not look on-line.
Love Cheetos-lucky for me they aren't available in Ireland and only have them when visiting family&friends in the States. My downfall would be bread & cheese, yummy! But, going to use this surgery as a time to get my eating plan healthier. As I won't be in/out of the grocery store for the first few weeks, will use that as an advantage.

Take care and there's no turning back now !
 
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