My Bilateral TKR - Blessing or Nightmare??

[jhcompliance]

Kathleen,
Yesterday I was finally able to speak to my OS. I have a long history with him. He has done several surgeries on my leg and back. Both were career ending injuries. My point is, I learned to trust him. I asked the questions I copied from this site and he gave forthright answers. The information you get from the people here is priceless in my opinion, so armed with that get a surgeon you can question. You will have the right questions and know what the answers should be.

 

[jhcompliance]

Did anyone use a recliner during recovery? With a BTKR can you push the recliner down from the laid back position?

 

[vinny]

My recliner AKA The Fortress of Solitude has been a life saver and many people rely on them for sleep and icing and elevation...no problem reclining at all.....I also spent a lot of time pre surgery building my quads and triceps to help me push out of chairs,toilet etc...I cannot stress the work you do beforehand ...no doubt some of my recovery was good fortune and most due to an outstanding surgeon but weight loss and rigourus training played a big part...

 

[jhcompliance]

I started "training" last night with my PT. He said the same thing, get the quads built up! As usual the problem is the"rocks" in my knees that hurt.

 

[vinny]

That will improve with more work..

 

[kamarx]

T
hat is So Awesome! I envy you in a good way though

 

[referee54]

Did anyone use a recliner during recovery? With a BTKR can you push the recliner down from the laid back position?

My recliner was my fortress for about three to four weeks.

My recliner has a handle on it to move it up and down---but I also was able to kick it down with my legs, too.

I must confess, though,that there were times that I sort of rolled into it and out of it.

 

[referee54]

You really also need to concentrate on your upper-body strength---pecs, biceps, triceps, deltoids, traps, etc---as you will be hoisting yourself around for a while.

My hospital bed had a trapeze handle over it, and I would use it to swing up and out of it.

 

[jhcompliance]

Hey Tim,
You sound like one referee i wouldn't argue the call with!

 

[referee54]

Why, thanks! I was amazed at how quickly my leg muscles atrophied---but since both legs were very stiff, and, in the early going, somewhat wobbly, hauling myself around in and out of the hospital bed and my recliner was what I had to do.

 

[PuppyLove]

Ditto on the upper body strength. I also recommend BTKR. I slept in my power recliner for months after my RTHR and BTKR- mine was a great deal at Costco for less than $300 and I've definitely gotten my money's worth out of it. I bought a power one b/c I used it for my THR first and had hip precautions and couldn't operate the foot rest. We also saw some nice larger ones (mine is too small for my hubby) at Ashley Furniture for around $600. Best wishes!

 

[jhcompliance]

Thanks everyone,
I go for my evaluation meeting with the new surgeon my OS recommended on January 27th. I have my list of questions and I'm hoping to get the surgery ASAP.

 

[jhcompliance]

Has anyone heard from "noc"? He had the surgery January 2, 2015.

 

[referee54]

Has anyone heard from "noc"? He had the surgery January 2, 2015.

Yes!!! Here is his recovery thread:
Whats up with NOC

 

[oldrugbyprop]

Bilateral was a good choice for me. Initially they planned on doing a staged replacement with 3 to 5 days between the surgeries. The reasoning for it was less time under anesthetic. Wasn't a cost thing as here we don't pay for the surgeries. After my meeting with the Surgeon he preferred both done in one procedure which I liked much better.

 

[jhcompliance]

Thanks for the information Harry. I will meet the OS this Saturday and ask why he does one knee on a Monday and the Second on the following Wednesday.

 

[bottomshollow]

@jhcompliance, my OS would not do both knees in one surgery. I had my first replacement on Monday and the second on Thursday. He did not like keeping a patient under anesthesia for the time it would take to do two. He also wanted to see how initial recovery went after the first; and if there were no problems, he would do the second.

He was just being cautious---and I still only had one hospital stay of 6 days. I then went on to inpatient rehab for 6 days and then home. I would not have done it any other way. Having both done close together and having just one recovery was great.

 

[jhcompliance]

Thank you so much for your input. I suspect my OS will have a similar answer.

 

[Celle]

Hi Jeff, @jhcompliance
A few posts ago, you asked about recliner chairs. Maybe this article will help a bit.
Recliner chairs: things you need to know if buying one for your recovery.

 

[jhcompliance]

Hi Celle, Thanks for the information. I copied it and will put it to good use! I started a folder to keep track of everything I'm learning on this site.