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Questions galore! & Second Thoughts

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You did well biking and hiking Janis! Good for you for your determination to give it a go! We too have a campervan, and we have to park it within a short distance of somewhere to go, as I just can't walk very far now, and I used to hike several miles at a time! Your experience has shown me how I have compensated for my lack of ability...it comes along slowly so you don't notice it too much. I can convince myself that I am not too bad, not much pain and sleeping ok, but all I am doing is puttering about the house...walking from the car park into work, and short shopping trips by car!! Like you I want a more active life than that! Hope you are feeling more comfortable as the day progresses today!
 
Okay, new question I am a hyper extender in fact I have been told I am a yoga instructors worse nightmare ... easy to have an injury in class if I am not aligned properly. So when I get my new knees will I lose all of that extension and will it be easier for me to gain my extension back?
 
You most likely will have roughly the same extension. We all heal and recover differently, though.

Due to a lack of an ACL for many, many years (I am ACL deficient), one of my knees that was replaced actually goes a little too far---the joint capsule I guess is loose---I just focused on strengthening the muscle and the mechanics around the knee, and I have not had an issue.

I will say, that you will need to be patient, as that extension is a slow moving vehicle at times. You will get there, though!
 
Hi Janis, glad you decided to go through with it. You're experience is similar to mine. We're the same age and my knees just got progressively worst! I remember excruciating pain at night before surgery and walking down the stairs like i was spastic and two years old in the mornings. Now I just move like a 2 yr old. lol I remember when it hurt to even STAND at times, and I definitely couldn't squat.

I'm having ups and downs with my new knee but I'd do it all again in a heart beat, in fact I'm doing the left one 9/18. It' gonna be a rough roller coaster ride, but it'll be worth it!

You've made the right decision and we've come to the right place to help with recovery. :yes:

Keep us "posted" :loll: See what I did there. :)
 
Wish I could get my knees done at the same time, but my OS does not do that. His nurse said oh he does not do Bi-lats because it is a billing nightmare! Really, why because he can not bill double if he does them at the same time! Greedy little pig, if not for the fact that he is THE knee OS I would tell him to go pound sand! For some reason not too many OS in this area do Bi-lats ... wonder why
 
Good morning! When I was faced with the decision about my first surgery, I was having many of the same thoughts as you are. In fact, I really thought about post-poning. Then I had my "ah-ha" moment. I was in my driveway getting out of the car and I just froze. I couldn't put any weight on my leg. I had to crawl from the driveway into the house. I realized that if I waited until I was completely helpless, I wouldn't be strong enough to push myself through recovery. That might be something to consider. I agree with the others as well... "quality of life" is the key.
 
Ice Machine or no Ice Machine? Should I can buy a Cryo Cuff or Breg unit? Are they worth it?
 
Many people have gone with the Cryo Cuff. I used two big GelPac Ice packs that were re-useable. They worked just fine for me.

These were 18.5"X 12.5". Others have used the Cryo Cuff
[Bonesmart.org] Questions galore! & Second Thoughts
To each their own, I guess. Some people even used bags of frozen peas or a home-made slush in freezer bags.
 
OMG! I love this website!! I read about it in a post on the forum and promptly signed up for it!! My husband does not cook and I am pretty picky about me diet, several friends have offered to bring me meals so I signed up for "Take Them A Meal," it is a site that simplifies meal coordination. Brilliant!!!
 
I have bought an Aircast Cooler second hand on ebay, and two new knee wraps. My thinking has been, the ice will last longer, so fewer trips to the freezer to renew (for self or for caring husband who will not thank me if I am asking every time he sits down!) Also you can walk about with them on, and wear them in bed without them slipping off! From all the advice on this site, I am thinking Ice is going to be my new best friend!
 
Jsankowski I too had the issue with itching from the pain meds. They also make me extremely hot. I usually would take Benadryl with mine when I used to take them. It is a little cheaper to buy the generic diphenhydramine. Everyone can handle a little more or less of this med depending on how often you take it. My tolerance is pretty high for it but I have taken it off and on for years because of sinuses and living in North Louisiana. The home of the pine tree. UGGHHH. It may also help you sleep a little better when you take it at night. The only two side effects that concern most are drowsiness and it can cause bladder spasm for someone with any bladder or kidney issues. Still the best thing is to talk to your doctor and just see what dosage he/she recommends and they may have something new up their sleeve by now. Benadryl is a 1st generation antihistamine so I know they have come a long way from their. Beyond that I would say by a really good back scratcher because for me the itching always seems to be where I cat reach. Good luck :) :)
 
So the count down begins! Today, I made a list of everything I need to order or do before surgery and I realized I am a control freak! I need to come to grips with the fact that I can not control everything about my surgery or recovery. All I can do is have an influence on the outcome. I hate being dependent on others and I hate asking for help. This experience is going to be a lesson in life!

I am also concerned because my husband does not have a clue as to what he has signed up for. Several years ago I had a deviated septum repaired and sinus surgery and that was brutal. I slept upright in a recliner for three weeks. I had drain tubes sticking out my nose and so much packing up my nose. I was medicated and just wanted to be left alone. Craig thinks about that situation and has said you are easy to take care of you don't like to be bothered. What he is not think about is that even though I was in pain and looked like a monster I could get around, make food, go to the bathroom by myself and I could even drive when I was not doped up! I have a high pain threshold but once I go over that threshold I tend to deal with pain with anger and I am not very nice to people around me that is why I like to be left alone. I don't really know what to do about this situation.
 
[Bonesmart.org] Questions galore! & Second Thoughts
Janis, I think you will be surprised by how much you will be able to do for yourself if you plan ahead. I had both knees replaced two days apart. I was in the hospital for 6 days and I did go to inpatient rehab for another six days. But when I went home, it was to a semi-invalid hubby and two cats.

I had stocked up on microwave meals, stuff to make a quick sandwich or two, and had lots of good snacks. Hubby and I both watched a lot of mind numbing TV together while I elevated and iced in my recliner. I had two ice machines that I got in the hospital, but used frozen bags of corn instead. Too hard for me to do the ice machines and hubby couldn't help with that.

I only did in home PT for 6 weeks. After that just living my life was PT enough for me. I helped my hubby get dressed and undressed each day, fixed our meals, fed and watered cats and let them in and out, washed dishes and did the laundry. With laundry, I did small loads every other day so there was not too much to deal with at a time. Whenever I was up and doing, I made sure to have a long rest afterwards before taking on the next thing that had to be done. I just took it slow and easy and had no problem with it.

The most difficult thing for most of us is the inability to sleep all night. I would go to bed about 11pm and I made myself stay in bed for at least 3 hours. Then if I could not sleep, I just got up and got in my recliner, turned on the TV, and usually dozed off and on until time to get up in the morning. You just have to be prepared to know this is going to happen and you have to deal with it by having things to keep you occupied in the wee hours. I catnapped a lot off and on during the day to make up for lack of sleep at night. It was about 3 months before I could sleep 5 or 6 hours straight.

And you must take your pain meds on a schedule---never missing a dose. You don't ever wait until you're in pain to medicate. You just never allow yourself to really be in pain. I took the max prescribed dose for the first 6 weeks, then found that during the day I could manage very well with one pill instead of two, but needed the max does before bed and during the night. I was able to go to just OTC drugs by the end of three months.

Have your hubby read the articles you were given when you first joined the forum. That should help give him some idea of what to expect. This is a LONG recovery. It will be about 3 months (12 weeks) before you begin to think you're glad you did this. It will be about 6 months before you begin to feel "normal". And it will be about 12 months before life really returns to "normal" and you forget you knee most of the time.

Wow! haven't been this long-winded in I don't know when. Just know that you CAN handle this, and you WILL be glad you did it---both times!

Take care and keep us posted. We care.
 
Thank you bottomshollow for the pep talk! Today I called several PTs and interviewed them about their ROM philosophy and how they deal with TKR clients.
 
Jsankowski said:
I am also concerned because my husband does not have a clue as to what he has signed up for.
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Nobody really does---patients or spouses of patients! It is not until you have "seen the elephant" that you understand what it is like to go through a TKR recovery. Everyone recovers differently, so until you have gone through it, it is still difficult to understand.

We can tell you what our recovery was like and the issues that we went through, but, speaking from experience, I did not understand them until I went through them myself.

The same thing for the spouses---they can be prepared, but, until they go through it, they may not actually understand things.

My wife was a saint, but she also had no clue as to what my recovery was going to be like---she just kept "rolling with the punches" and kept looking ahead. As Bottomshollow pointed out, have your husband read those articles so he can be as prepared as he can be for whatever comes your way during recovery---who knows, it may be the proverbial "piece of cake"!
 
wow, jsankowski-you sound like me. I have the same problems after sitting-it's agonizing to walk after sitting; I can't squat and it has become difficult to ride my bike. My patella is also off to the side-I have the x-ray of that and even I can see my patella isn't in the correct place. This causes a lot of the problems I have, plus all the holes (arthritis) in my knee. They will not only be doing a TKR, but will do a patellar release (I think that's what my doc called it) where he puts my kneecap back in its groove. The wonderful people at this site have convinced me to get 'er done-it's wonderful to know I'm not alone in this. Good luck on your surgery and please post as soon after as you are able.
 
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