My Right TKR on July 2nd

[Bob T]

Hello to everyone! I've been reading and reading for about a month now without posting but felt the need today. My right knee started giving me some issues back in 2009 with a torn meniscus. I had another tear in 2015 and the OS spent around 90 minutes in my knee to clean out all the extra "osteophyes" he found in there. He commented at that time that the head of my femur was being ground down (for lack of a better term). The amount of material he took out of my knee would nearly fill a sixteen ounce cup. Over the last four years my knee has gotten progressively worse. I had a bout of sciatica at the start of this year that was in my right calf. I went to two months of PT and had great results. My therapist also worked with me to get my knee to straighten. We started at 30 degrees from being fully extended and got it down to 17 degrees before my knee decided that it was finished cooperating. However I still live in pain to some varying degree every day. I'm sure I don't need to explain that to everyone here. I'm both looking forward to, yet dreading my surgery date. I have no fear of anesthesia really but as everyone here knows....it's the unknown that causes me some issue. My wife is an ICU nurse by trade so I know I will have the best care on the planet. I'm having it done at the hospital she works at and by the same OS that's been in my knee twice. I hope all the mothers out there are having a great mothers day!

Bob

 

[rosieNZ]

Hi Bob.
My heart aches for your years of pain and disability.
Roll on your surgery and recovery. Be very excited (you will cope with the surgery and initial post op , then each day will be positive). Rosie

 

[Celle]

HI Bob,
Here's some reading to help you prepare for your surgery:
If you are at the stage where you have joint pain but don't know for sure if you are ready to have surgery, these links may help:
Score Chart: How bad is my arthritic knee?
Choosing a surgeon and a prosthesis
BMI Calculator - What to do if your surgeon says you're too heavy for joint replacement surgery
Longevity of implants and revisions: How long will my new joint last?

If you are at the stage where you are planning to have surgery but are looking for information so you can be better prepared for what is to come, take a look at these links:
Recovery Aids: A comprehensive list for hospital and home
Recliner Chairs: Things you need to know if buying one for your recovery
Pre-Op Interviews: What's involved?

Regardless of where you are in the process, the website and app My Knee Guide can help you stay organized and informed. The free service keeps all the information pertaining to your surgery and recovery in one place on your smartphone. It is intended to be a personal support tool for the entire process.

And if you want to picture what your life might be like with a replaced knee, take a look at the posts and threads from other BoneSmarties provided in this link:
Stories of amazing knee recoveries

 

[Bob T]

Thank you both for the well wishes and for the information. I'm headed to Miami for work for the next two weeks then home for the Memorial Day holiday week.

I start all my doctor visits around the middle of June. I have a surgical clearance from my regular MD, then the next day I have a pre-surgical visit at the OS office. I know at that time we're discussing financial responsibility and I assume explanation of how the procedure will be done.

I then have a visit with the OS the day before surgery on 7/1. I am assuming I'll find out what time to show up the next day and go over any last minute details.

Luckily with the work I do I was able to schedule all this around any work travel. I've taken off the entire month of July and I could take August off with no problems. I have a work trip scheduled to Atlanta on Sept 9th but a co-worker will pick me up and taxi me around so I won't have to drive. Atlanta is only a 90 minute ride from my house so it won't be a long trip.

I hope I'm accounting for enough time for me to heal before I start back. I am an internal quality assurance evaluator for the FAA so my physical stress at work is minimal.

I can honestly say I have no idea what type knee my OS will use, or what anesthesia he prefers, etc. I plan on asking a lot of questions during my visits! Thanks again for the information and kind words,

Bob

 

[Celle]

I hope I'm accounting for enough time for me to heal before I start back. I am an internal quality assurance evaluator for the FAA so my physical stress at work is minimal.

We usually advise taking about 12 weeks off work and then doing a Phased return to work , if possible.
It might be wise to ask for August off as well as July, right from the start. It's often easier to do that than to ask for extra time when people are expecting you back at work.

 

[Bob T]

Thank you. Asking for and being given August off will be no problem whatsoever. I telecommute three out of the four days I work when not traveling so I thought I'd be able to handle August but I'll discuss it with my manager. I have already advised her that I wouldn't be doing anything for work until off narcotic pain meds. Thanks again for the advice, I truly appreciate any and all.

Bob

 

[Bob T]

I do have yet another question. I take an 82mg baby aspirin per day at the advice of my family doctor since there's heart disease history in my family. I know I'll need to come off it since it's a blood thinner. At what point in time do I need to stop the aspirin therapy?

Bob

 

[Celle]

You're right that you should come off that baby aspirin before your surgery, but you need to ask your surgeon about the timing.
After the surgery, you will probably be on a different blood thinner for a while, so ask about that as well, and ask when you should re-commence the baby Aspirin.

 

[Bob T]

Thanks for the reply. I will be calling the surgeons office this week anyway. I have an appointment on June 18th that doesn't show up on the web portal that their practice maintains. I was given the appointments over the phone and for some reason it's not showing up. As everyone else here, I don't want any late mess up's to delay my procedure. Call me paranoid but I'm a planner and unless everything looks perfect I assume the worst lol. I'll ask the OS's nurse about the 81mg aspirin. I just sat down this morning and looked at the calendar and I realized just how quickly July 2nd is approaching. I'm excited for the date to get here but nervous as well. I've had a few especially painful days with my right knee so I keep reminding myself that this will only lead to me getting better and I've made the right decision.

 

[Bob T]

Just thought of another question I've been meaning to ask. My knee hurts some days and I can best describe the pain as needle-like, but it also "burns" it hurts so badly. At times I have a severe pain up under the knee cap that feels like my knee is on fire. Just curious to see if anyone else describes their pre-op pain in this manner?

 

[Celle]

Yes, I had all those types of pain from time to time. However, most of the time my arthritic knees felt like a knee-sized, really bad toothache.