All I can say is, read post #39 again.I get that, but...wouldn't they get enough feedback from their patients to know? I mean, this guy has done this 1,000 times...how...could they think that 2 weeks or so is reasonable, if it isn't?
Because he's never had a knee replacement himself?Why would my doc have said 'couple weeks'...? It's not like he needs my business...
Because he's never had a knee replacement himself?
Take it from those of us who have - I've had three knee replacements - the first month is hard. You will need those pain pills. Almost all of your energy will be directed towards healing your knee and there will be precious little left for anything else.
You will also have "brain fog", a mixture of reaction to surgery, anaesthetics, and trauma. Most of us find that we can't concentrate long enough to read more than a short magazine article. Don't do anything with finances or make any big decisions for at least a couple of months.
Certainly, you can do an hour or two once the first couple of weeks are over, but that's about all.
@Rhodyrhody you are so lucky to have a handicap tag. I wish I had one now. My surgery is not until Oct 30 and my knee is really getting really bad. I hope I can hold on till then. Just reading about different the recoveries has helped me formulate my recovery time. I plan on taking the week of surgery and all of November. No work no thinking about work just working to recover . I am hoping to get on the computer possibly part-time if I am able to in December, but not setting my hopes up high. All we can do is wait and see how things go. I have always been so inpatient but my terrible knee has taught me to slow down and smell the roses whether I want to or not!
@Gingercat - I see your surgery is planned for October. Most surgeons won't operate if you have had a steroid injection within the previous 3 months. So, if you're going to get the steroid injection, it had better be soon!Hoping to get a steroid injection set up. I know it's not going to provide great relief but at least take the edge off the pain.
Thanks @lovetocookandsew I am going to do that. I am hoping to hear back today from OS . Hoping to get a steroid injection set up. I know it's not going to provide great relief but at least take the edge off the pain.
@Rhodyrhody
Can you think about having the knees done 1 at a time? Will that make it easier to rtw?
Pray on it is exactly what we're going to keep doing. At this point, I'm thinking it's still happening and there'll be some wrestling over things in the maybe 3-4 week area. Could be some work conflict, but, I really want to walk pain-free, and September (to me) seems the optimal month to go for it.
Well that's really going some! However, one has to remember that a surgeon's year is not necessarily 52 weeks long. They can have vacations, study weeks and so on, often amounting to about 8 weeks out of each year and at a 5 day week would also equal a 44 week year. Assuming they work a 5 day week, that would further equate to around 4 or 5 cases per day. Which would be doable but day after day for a whole year would be punishing. I've known surgeons who do that kind of thing but sometimes they have access to two operating rooms so they can work them in tandem.
Such a routine goes like this:
Theatre 1: patient #1 is taken into theatre and positioned and prepped on the table at which point the surgeon comes in and does the important bit! Then he closes the wound and leaves the staff to dress the wound, strip off the drapes and get the patient into recovery. Immediately after, that team gets patient #3 into theatre and positioned and prepped ready for the surgeon to return.
Theatre 2: while he's doing patient #1, another team is getting patient #2 positioned and prepped so she is ready for surgeon to come and operate.
In this was, the surgeon can switch between theatres and get through about 4-6 cases in an afternoon/morning.
However, in the UK, surgeons have completed that number of cases in a morning or afternoon with just one theatre and team!
It should also be noted that bilats can be done more quickly as they will prep and drape both legs at the same time and there will be no clear up between the two!