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May 13th is almost here and pretty scared!

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Yes, I could shower on my own as soon as I got home. Bliss! I used a bath bench since I have a tub shower and otherwise it would be too difficult to get the leg in. I showered and got dressed (shorts & t shirt) every day. That helped me feel more normal.
 
Hi and Welcome Susanc....
Thanks for ur fun questions, nice to make it real as I am looking forward to getting a new start.
AND THANKS VancouverUSAgal for your review and guide.
I'm waiting for my BTKR date... don't know why it is taking so long to make the date. (1 week all reports r in).
Does anyone know why some OS do knees 2 or 3 days apart?
 
:bolt:All of you are amazing. I've taken Vancouver's advice & just purchased a Brownmed Polar Ice Knee Wraps for around 26 bucks on Amazon ! I brought a twin bed downstairs and have no less than 10 pillows piled up. I also made several ziplock bags of 1 part alcohol (not the good kind!) and 3 parts water. I have my mom's potty chair and a raised toilet seat - hope not have to use the potty chair! I even purchased some depends and put a plastic cover on the bed just in case! Not taking any chances. I have a couple walkers but was told to take the wheels off of them until a couple weeks or so. Also, the PT told me not to use crutches AT ALL. I think I won't even consider a nursing home - even though my husband is disabled himself - he is in better walking shape than I am and he should be able to help me. Basically, doesn't the caregiver just have to give you refills of ice bags, food and meds? Or were you able to get up and get your own stuff and were you able to go to the bathroom on your own after day 3 or 4? I guess everyone is different like you said. How bad does the meds "knock you out?" I worry that I won't be able to sleep and keep moving at the same time!

You said you were in a recliner - I didn't plan on that at all - because when I had my arthroscopic surgery that chair ruined me - well, I ruined myself because I didn't do much exercising and my OS never sent me to PT until I begged him in the 4th week. By then the knee was 14 degrees and I had to kill myself getting it back to 0! Anyhow, I'll probably stay up and keep reading for a while - I guess I'm thirsty for info. But I have 1 day left to go - can't wait until the operation is over - I think!
 
susanc said:
You said you were in a recliner - I didn't plan on that at all -
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Some of us spent the early days in the bed, while other, like myself, spent much of it in a recliner. The recliner was indeed my fortress for the first three or four weeks, as I could eat, sleep, elevate and ice at the same time.

Some prefer the bed, others prefer the recliner; the important aspect is, though, that you take the gentle exercises and do them. You should not be bed-ridden and you will need to be up and about from time to time---albeit slowly.

The gentle exercises and stretching are important---it is not like you are doing radicla exercises.
 
I was told the operation takes 2.5 hours and the hospital stay is 2 -3 days - just long enough for the leg block to wear off and they send you home when the real pain starts? I wonder....also one more question. Will I receive home care with a PT or did you go out to PT (for those of you that went home) right away? - I know I will need my coumdian level checked as well. Also, here's another question....the hospital is 45 mins. away and they have a wonderful PT center - do you think that is you too far to travel 3x's per week or should I go to PT closer to my home? Not sure how car riding is after surgery.
 
I have the same question about pt. we are 35 miles.


Sent from my iPhone using BoneSmart®
 
@susanc
They should not let you home until your pain is controlled with oral medication.

It's not necessary to have PT 3 times a week. Twice a week is plenty and I think you'll find a 45-minute journey each time too much. As long as you (gently) do the basic exercises you are shown in hospital, you don't really need PT in the beginning anyway. Plenty of people in the UK just do their own exercises at home and don't go to PT - and they recover just fine.
 
ok glad to hear that- I know I'm motivated to do the basic exercises because I know what happens if you don't. I find that it interesting how the UK and the States are different in approaches. I just read that you should drink more water prior to surgery - so I am now glugging down a bottle or two!
 
A co-worker told me she had her niece (who was training to become a PT) massage her knee post surgery to break up scar tissue - everyday and that is "what saved her" . What do you think?
 
Possibly it made her feel better, but it's not necessary. Scar tissue is a natural part of your body's healing mechanism. It's normal and it doesn't need breaking up. Sometimes, some of the tissues become stuck together and develop what is called adhesions. See this article, where Josephine explains the difference:
https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/scar-tissue-and-adhesions-whats-the-difference.22288/
You'll see that Josephine recommends leaving scars well alone.

Don't bother drinking gallons of water, either. All it will do is make you pee more. All the surgeon and anaesthetist want is to see that you don't go into surgery in a dehydrated condition, which almost nobody does unless they have diarrhea beforehand. In any case, you're going to have food and fluids restricted for several hours before surgery and they can then control any dehydration with the intravenous drip that you will have for sure.

If your blood tests are all OK, just eat and drink normally until the specified nil by mouth period.
 
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Thank you Celle for the eye opening info about massage and hydration - glad I asked and maybe I can go back to sleep and stop going to the bathroom!
 
Celle said:
It's not necessary to have PT 3 times a week. Twice a week is plenty
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I quite agree! PT three times a week is too much and can cause inflammation ---and fatigue. The fatigue is not only in the knee jint and surrounding muscles, but your entire body, as well.

Two times a week with an occasional day off will suffice and do you just fine.

I was one of the few---very few, actually, that had adhesions; most people do not get them, so do not even worry at all about them.
 
susanc said:
Thank you Celle for the eye opening info about massage and hydration - glad I asked and maybe I can go back to sleep and stop going to the bathroom!
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You're welcome! I think sleep will do you more good! I'm all for massage in some circumstances. Sometimes, the
correct sort of massage can help with lymphatic drainage and reduce swelling, but it's not necessary for everyone.

I once heard a kidney specialist who said that our body is very good at telling us when we need to drink - we feel thirsty - and that our kidneys are very good at getting rid of what we don't need. He said that the current idea of drinking lots of extra water ignored the fact that our food also contains water. He thought the emphasis on pushing extra fluid was primarily the idea of the companies that sell bottled water. Take what he said or leave it, I think our bodies are pretty good at doing what they were designed for.

All the best for your surgery. I'll be looking out for you on the recovery side.
 
:type:Celle, your knowledge and the way you explain things is very valuable to me and I'm sure others. Thank you so much. I am lucky I decided to join BoneSmart...the wealth of info is amazing!
 
@susanc - I guess I've been around the block a few times LOL!

Plus, I've been on BoneSmart for 2 and 1/2 years now and I read a lot.

Best wishes for today!
 
oh boy, the nurse told me how to use these packages of preoperative skin preparation wipes and now I'm not so sure. I'll have to guess - she told me to do it differently than the diagram. anyone used these - there are 3 packets for tonight and 3 packets for tomorrow after a shower with the special get.
 
Are you sure it's wipes AFTER a shower? I was told to shower the day before my surgery, then use the 1st 3 packs of wipes and on the day of surgery no shower, just the wipes.
 
Hi - yes the directions said use the first pack of wipes after the shower and then on the morning of the surgery - don't shower, just use the 2nd pack of wipes
 
I wasn't given any special instructions in regard to any kind of antibiotic cleanse before surgery. I had read about Hibclens so I got a bottle of that and used it the morning of my surgery. I guess, just like the CPMs, different doctors have different opinions about the worth of some of these things.
 
I have a bottle of Hibiclens as well left over from a surgery last year on a torn ligament. I haven't seen my OS since January but I'll see him next week for my pre-op and I'll ask him about it then. My understanding is that the effects of Hibiclens are cumulative so it's best to use it for several days leading up to the surgery. If the doctor okays it, I see no reason not to use both that and the wipes - can't be too careful! My one concern with this surgery is the possibility of infection. I got a terrible skin rash after my meniscus surgery that was far worse than the surgical pain so I definitely don't want to go through that again!
 
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