Preparing for Surgery Oct. 21

[referee54]

I had a BTKR, and I slept in the early days of my recovery in the recliner. I used about a gazillion pillows to elevate my knees. Not at all pretty, but it worked quite well.

 

[KarriB]

Just be sure to let your leg lay flat also. I used a chair and ottoman to let my ankle sit on the ottoman while the chair was a few feet away. Gravity did it's job. This helped get my knee straight and I never had to worry about extension.

 

[Lovestoread]

I never needed a leg lifter...didn't even know such a thing existed at the time. I had an epidural, not a nerve block like some here have. I think that makes a difference.


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[midwest girl]

I had a spinal with a nerve block so my quad was dead/weak for several days so it was a struggle to get my leg up on the pillows without the use of the leg lifter. This time around I heard they won't be using a nerve block so I may have an easier time with my quad.

 

[Dancing Fool]

I'm not having a nerve block, which is the answer I wanted from my OS. I had one with my rotator cuff surgery and my arm was like having a dead fish attached at my shoulder - did NOT like it. I was told I will have a spinal and an intra-articular block - sounds good; hope it is.

I will keep in mind the advice to keep the leg flat at times, too. I was never able to straighten that leg completely after my scope; I'm really hoping that I'll be able to after the TKR.

@Thesoutherncook, I am SO glad to hear that this may not be as painful as the rotator cuff surgery was - that was REALLY ugly! Thanks for the comparison.

 

[Dancing Fool]

Just an update on pillows - after complaining, Footsmart sent me a postage-paid label to send the terrible pillow back. After doing a LOT of googling, I found the Lounge Doctor pillow, and realized that's the one pictured in the article on "Pain and swelling control: elevation is the key" on here. I had thought it was the Footsmart one - I wish brand names had been used. On searching this forum, I found a lot of complaints about the Footsmart pillow and a lot of recommendations for the Lounge Doctor, but most were from several years ago. So anybody reading this - be forewarned!

 

[Thesoutherncook]

Glad you got your pillows straightened out! It will be so much more comfortable for sleeping! I honestly slept like a baby the first 3 weeks ( of course, pain meds helped! ) Now ( at 10 wks), I am still sleeping well. Icing and elevating and resting are absolutely KEY! The first 3 or 4 wks, just do that and you will breeze through this! My DH ( who has never helped in the kitchen or doing housework) stepped up and "cooked" ( warmed dishes brought in by friends!) and generally let me just recover. That was exactly what I needed. I wish that for you also!

 

[Dancing Fool]

I think I'm pretty well set now. Food in the freezer for my DH to warm up - he never cooks, either, because I enjoy it. Planning a tour of my usual grocery store for him, too! Off to New Orleans and Lafayette in two days for one last hurrah before the big day - a little nervous about how much dancing I'll be able to do without cortisone on board, but I'll give it my best shot. At least I won't be worrying about the surgery!

 

[Timetolive]

Have a great time! My DH doesn't cook either, so warming up or canned soup will be it - unless family and friends bring in. ;-) Thank goodness I can order the groceries over the internet and he can go pick them up. When he goes by himself now, he calls me on the phone and walks down the aisle, talking VERY loudly asking me questions about everything on the list. ! hahahaha!

 

[Thesoutherncook]

@Timetolive Our husbands must be related! I send him to the store with a list of 5 things and he calls me 8 times! We are in such a far western NC rural area that we have very few resources... Certainly NOT groceries by phone!

 

[swmrgirl]

@Thesoutherncook & @Timetolive - My husband does the same thing! Or if he can't reach me, he'll just get 3 different versions of the same thing. He is a dear one, though.

 

[Thesoutherncook]

@swimgirl @Timetolive Our grocery bill went down by 1/2 while I was sending DH. He would ONLY buy what was on the list IF he could find it! On my first visit back, I had to restock everything!

 

[swmrgirl]

That's one way to clear out your shelves, @Thesoutherncook. I'll have 3 different kinds of olives, 3 kinds of tomato paste, and 3 kinds of everything else to use up. Keeps things interesting. I'm going to grocery shop on Monday morning and stock up on all that I can to make things easier for him. I put lots of dinners in the freezer, so he'll be okay for awhile. At least he can bbq a steak and make a salad for himself. I doubt he'll starve!

 

[Timetolive]

@Thesoutherncook and @swmrgirl, y'all crack me up! My husband buys what is on the list and THEN every snack he sees he likes plus his favorite beer. My husband has the most wonderful deep voice. He talks louder than I think necessary , so when he calls me from the grocery store, EVERYONE can hear him. My girlfriend was at the grocery store and heard him, so she went looking for him and found him 2 ROWS OVER! I do love that man!

 

[referee54]

I am honestly amazed at how many husbands do not cook. I learned very quickly that I could either eat crappy take-out food and spend a lot of money, or teach myself how to cook. I love to cook and I actually cook two 25-28 lb turkeys for the family Thanksgiving dinner.

 

[Timetolive]

@Thesoutherncook, I live in central NC and our Harris Teeter and Lowes added the order online feature. I have never used it, but was thinking how nice it would be for people working. Thank goodness for daughters and great husbands!

Tim, you are THE MAN! We do have some friends that the man cooks most of the time. I have offered to let my husband come learn....hahaha! I love to cook and find it very therapeutic. My daughter is a true foodie and is going to help out. My dearest husband makes a mean cup of coffee!

 

[Celle]

MY husband cooks - when there is no one else around to do it. He's quite good, but he takes so much time.
When I was recovering from my last TKR, he offered to cook lamb's fry (lamb liver), onions and bacon, in a recipe I use that also includes grated carrots. (I was anaemic after my surgery and needed iron-rich food.)
DH (Dear Husband): How many carrots?
Me: A couple.
DH: Is that two, or three?
Me: Either, depending on how big the carrots are.
DH: (Showing me the carrots) Two or three of these, then?
Me: They're quite big, so two will do.
DH: Where do you keep the grater?
Me: In the top drawer.
DH: Which top drawer?
Me: By the window.
DH: How big shall I cut up the liver?
ME: About one inch cubes.
DH: How big shall I cut up the bacon?
Me: About one inch pieces.
DH: What about the onions?
Me: Similar size.
DH: Where's the olive oil?
Me: In the pantry, bottom shelf on the left. You need to start cooking the potatoes now, and prepare the green beans.
DH: Oh, OK. Shall I peel the potatoes?
Me: Yes, please.

You get the picture?
The meal was finally ready, 2 hours later than usual.
It was a few days later, when my lunch didn't appear until 3:30 p.m. that I decided to start cooking again - just simple meals.

 

[Timetolive]

Celle, I LOVE it! Hahahaha! My DH would be an hour later, after making sure the pieces were an inch by an inch by an inch- all perfectly matched. That is the engineer in him. OR he would have gotten distracted after looking for the carrots in the vegetable drawer and seeing something tasty in the refrigerator.

 

[referee54]

Spaghetti with meat and sweet Italian sausage sauce (and mushrooms) tonight.

I have to confess---I love to cook, but cleaning up after myself----blech!

 

[Timetolive]

OK @referee54, you are just showing off now! hahahahaha!! That sounds amazing. I use sweet Italian sausage in my lasagna sauce. Cleaning up? I agree with you. I clean as I go so itisin't such a big chore...oh to have a Sous Chef....