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TKR Knee #2

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Lefty57

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Well here we are. # 2 schedule for tomorrow Oct,15 at 10:15 AM, 2 10x14 gel ice packs, 1 lounge doctor pillow, I am ready this time!!!

Had pre-op with Dr on Friday, asked for better pain meds. Done. Also have been prescribed an ice machine this time, hope it helps.. I did ask the Doc if he had ever heard of the website BoneSmart. He replied he had not. I told him of the BoneSmart position regarding PT. He replied, If your doing ok by yourself, I wont send you to PT.

THANKS BONESMART see you on the other side!!
 
Good luck tomorrow. We will be here for you when you come out of surgery! Let us know how you are as soon as you can. I will leave you our recovery articles for a refresher course. Your OS sounds like a keeper!

Knee Recovery: The Guidelines

1. Don’t worry: Your body will heal all by itself. Relax, let it, don't try and hurry it, don’t worry about any symptoms now; they are almost certainly temporary
2. Control discomfort:
rest
elevate
ice
take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)
don't overwork.​
3. Do what you want to do BUT
a. If it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physical therapist - to do it to you
b. If your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again.
4. PT or exercise can be useful BUT take note of these
5. Here is a week-by-week guide for Activity progression for TKRs


The Recovery articles:
The importance of managing pain after a TKR and the pain chart
Swollen and stiff knee: what causes it?

Energy drain for TKRs
Elevation is the key

Ice to control pain and swelling
Heel slides and how to do them properly

Chart representation of TKR recovery
Healing: how long does it take?

Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?

There are also some cautionary articles here
Myth busting: no pain, no gain
Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds

We try to keep the forum a positive and safe place for our members to talk about their questions or concerns and to report successes with their joint replacement surgery.

While members may create as many threads as they like in a majority of BoneSmart's forums, we ask that each member have only one recovery thread. This policy makes it easier to go back and review history before providing advice.
 
Best wishes!
 
Ok folks here is my story, I will try to keep it short, right knee total replacement Last Monday Oct.15, 10:15 am
home from hospital Tuesday 2pm, Better pain meds this time, Percocet, gave me 2 on an empty stomach for the ride home,, boy was it a fun ride!!, Went to 1 Percocet every 4 hours and also Ibuprofen, , pain seems to be under control
Started with walker ,, went to cane on Friday Oct. 19, split pain meds in 1/2 Monday Oct,22, Doing PT at home so far,,
GOOD- Glad I only have 2 knees,, this hurts. Pain swelling and bruising not as bad as first one,Ice machine prescribed works pretty good,
BAD- This still hurts, Gel ice pacts bought on line do not stay cold long enough, Lounge Dr. pillow , I cant seem to get comfortable using it, Still a long ways to go, Not a lot of sleep. seems to be in 2 hour blocks,
Finally my hats are off to the people who have both done at the same time, I don't know how you do it..

THANKS Bonesmart, you have been a great help
 
Both done at the same time was a piece of cake, actually, compared to brave souls like you who are willing to do this twice! :cheers:

Hint for the Lounge Doctor: Experiment with pulling it up close to your butt. Some people like it a little further out, but I found it uncomfortable unless it bumped my behind. Once it did that, my legs loved the Lounge Doctor so much I even slept on it for months. But if experimenting with position doesn’t yield a comfy solution, see if you do better with a stack of pillows. Comfort is super-important. Anything that makes our new knee happy is the way to go.

Sounds like you’re doing well with this recovery so far.
 
I find the lounge doctor much more comfortable with it touching my butt. The level of pain doesn’t seem to have diminished for me either, I just think I was more prepared for it if that makes sense. For me the second knee has been less traumatic because I have an idea what to expect and how to react to it. Sleep still sucks for sure. Good luck on your journey.
 
Tried Lounge Dr again last night ,, it just is not comfortable for me,, Hurts my hip,, probably will be next to be replaced!! had horrible night trying to get some sleep.. took 1 full percoset this morning,, seems to be working very well.
 
There are a few of us, including me, that are uncomfortable with the lounge Dr.

What did you do last year to elevate your left leg after surgery?
 
Hi lefty,
My tkr was Oct 11. I have a cryo cuff and lounge doc too.I

I would suggest putting a frozen gel pack in back of knee while using cryo cuff.
I'm a fan of lounge doc it it's pulled back to the butt. Not everyone likes it though.

Good luck!
 
SusieShoes said:
Both done at the same time was a piece of cake, actually, compared to brave souls like you who are willing to do this twice! :cheers:
Click to expand...

I agree, I have had nurses, PT people, friends, family, co-workers, etc all tell me how "brave" I was to have both done at once. I didn't get both done at once because I was brave, I had both done at once for the opposite reason. I was afraid and was pretty sure I wouldn't go back for #2... Just my opinion, but I think it's "way braver" to have one at a time if you know you're going to need both.

@Lefty57 I don't have a Lounge doctor, but wouldn't give up on it if I did. Things change...a lot...sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. You might find if you put it away for a few days and come back to it, that it's just what the doctor ordered.
 
@Lefty57 I am five days ahead of you on Righty (also my second). Not sure what your doctor’s stance on pain management is but it seems early to be cutting back. I am still taking 5 mg oxycodone every 5 hours with a second pill at bedtime. My opinion is that part of the reason we don’t sleep is poor pain management. Some people just don’t like the lounge doctor as long as you have a way to elevate and ice it is all good.
I am with you, can’t even imagine doing both knees at once.
 
Gonna try the lounge doctor again today,, reason I cutback on pain meds is I am about to run out, might ask for additional meds at my Dr. visit on Friday, Cut back to 1/2 also at the suggestion of nurse at hospital she said to wean myself off of them slowly.
 
Ok ,post op visit today, walked into office with my cane under my arm,,,, Dr. said I was doing better than 90% of his patients did chew me out for not using my cane, afraid of falling and splitting my incision open,, did refill my pain meds, so maybe I can get a better night's sleep..will not be going to PT ,, woo hooo keep doing what I am doing at home.. still a long ways to go,,
 
@Lefty57 I decided to forgo PT (for at least the 1st month) it has really cut down on the amount of pain meds I need. Glad to hear you were able to get a refill. Hope you get some quality sleep.
 
Lefty57 said:
did chew me out for not using my cane, afraid of falling and splitting my incision open,
Click to expand...
Your knee is much to young for you to be going without a walking aid. A fall can happen in a split second!
 
Ok,,here is my up-date, Dr. visit last Friday,, extension-0 flexion 120 Cleared to go back to work, after 8 weeks. Did all my PT at home by myself, Thanks so much Bonesmart, I still check in almost every day to see how other people are doing,,
 
Just as a matter of interest did your left knee complain whilst you were rehabbing the right knee?
 
A good doctor visit. Yay! Take it easy at work! Your knee will probably fuss about it!
 
Newboots,, Yes the left on did remind me that it was also done,, But I wound up doing a lot of stretching with both,, I really gained the most flexibility on my exercise bike, knee #2 I was able to go completely around before week 2.. Work will be a challenge but I have a job where I can sit or ice anytime I need to
 
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