Bilateral TKR Recovery Diary

[Dhare63]

Hi Roy, congrats on being home. It's very sweet you are concerned for your wife and the extra duty of caring for someone after major surgery. I found the first two weeks difficult but as others have said, be organized, think ahead and have what you need stationed around the house. I made sure, with my hubby's help, that I had pillows, blanket, remote control, and phone near where I would nap, or veg out. THat made it a lot easier when I needed something, it was handy.

It does get easier as the days roll by and I'm sure your clever mind will solve these little issues that come up quickly. Enjoy the comforts of home and the excitement of getting that much further down the road to recovery!

Cheers!

Dawn

 

[goodasnew]

Welcome Home Roy! Hope your recovery continues to go well!

 

[Roy Gardiner]

Week 2/Day 8

Thanks for your goodwill everyone.

I do have some help during the mornings then I guess watch TV, ice. No problem.

PT and exercise, well mwahahahaha that can wait a bit...!

 

[Mountain Kat]

Glad you are home Roy!! Keep up the good work!

 

[karmigirl]

Roy

Glad to hear you made it home. The more comfortable you are the better t seems to go. Get some well deserved rest now that you can.m Ice and elevate too

 

[Pumpkin]

It is kind of a shock to be home, but great to be in familiar surrounding.
It gets easier every day.
My husband still drives me around even though I can drive on my own. He is retired and I am his new job.:th_heehee:

 

[Roy Gardiner]

Week 2/Day 9

In the hospital I took the meds they gave me, of course. On leaving they gave me Paracetamol and Tramadol, 2 tablets 4 times a day and 'on demand' (increased pain) respectively. So I just use the Paracetamol.

Last night on going to bed 22.00, take my last Paracetamol dose. Just as an aside, read the side of the Tramadol pack. 'May cause drowsiness'. :DOH: One of them in the cake hole and surprise! wake at 04.30 this morning for a 'natural need'. Ah, six hours since dosage, repeat dose, another 3 hours kip until my wife brings in morning tea.

That may sound prosaic, but the many of us who have suffered bad sleep post-op will be right with me on the of a solid night's shuteye.



04.30 when I go to take a leak, plenty leg pain on getting out of bed; of course, 6 hours since any pills. But as I walk the few yards to the bathroom and back, the pain is easing. Hey, just like muscles and tendons that were over-worked the preceding day, stiff at first but ease quickly with gentle use. That light at the end of the recovery tunnel just got a little brighter

 

[Tykey]

Glad to hear it Roy:biggrin:.
At risk of upsetting someone (but I'll take the risk, because I firmly believe it to be true), you are having a trouble-free British Style Recovery. I can't comment on the actual ops or anaesthetics, but just going home and resting with a few gentle exercises (ie no formal PT) just works without alarms, swelling, ROM problems or extra pain.

Now don't get too excited and drop off the painkillers. Just wait until you forget to take them, and then it's time! Don't go for a route march in the ice and snow, or you'll finish up base over apex (this is from someone who knows!!:DOH

Keep up the good work, and you'll still be fit to do the washing up at Xmas.:wink1:

 

[Deeden]

If my experience is anything to go by, you will, literally, see things change on a daily basis - 98% of the time, for the better. It is quite extraordinary to look back and see how you've improved.

My latest attack on normality was starting to walk the dogs last Friday week. Started with 20 minutes, scared witless of falling, and carrying a stick, now I'm up to an hour or more - in muddy, slippy woods, sans stick - quite slow but they don't care.

You will be amazed by how you get on by Christmas, and by Spring, the sky's the limit!

 

[Juliep]

Roy,

Reading your recovery so far has been very helpful. You seem to be doing well and sleep.......aaaaaah so nice. I was not a good sleeper prior to my hip surgeries and still am not, so when pain meds kicked in and I was able to get a couple hours at a time it was delightful.

Keep up the great progress and great reports. It helps the ones of us who are still waiting their turns for surgery.

 

[Roy Gardiner]

Week 2/Day 9

Glad to hear it Roy:biggrin:.
At risk of upsetting someone (but I'll take the risk, because I firmly believe it to be true), you are having a trouble-free British Style Recovery. I can't comment on the actual ops or anaesthetics, but just going home and resting with a few gentle exercises (ie no formal PT) just works without alarms, swelling, ROM problems or extra pain.

My knees wouldn't allow exercise of any kind at the moment; when the strain of getting out of a chair, or climbing stairs, hurts, then they are not recovered enough yet. Can't really understand the US-style aggressive approach

If my experience is anything to go by, you will, literally, see things change on a daily basis - 98% of the time, for the better.

:biggrin: 2%...

My OS favours using soluble stitches rather than the metal staples (they really are applied with a staple gun, I'm told, and the advantage is that it's faster). The soluble stitches pull together to lift the skin along the incision into a kind of ridge about the size of your little finger. As the stitches dissolve, the skin flattens. The incision is further held by lots of sticky strips across the line of it.

But sometimes one will come loose, and the incision open. This happened to me today, as (perhaps) I stood up a little quickly, or the knee was already swollen and tight (it was 10.30 and I hadn't used ice since yesterday evening). Sit down, lift leg, bleeding stops. Looked like Niagra, as one's own bleeding always does, but was certainly no more than an eggcup, if that.

One advantage of urban living; hospital 300 yards away, OS home & office about a mile. Phone OS, he comes around in person. Lots of new sticky strips, bandage from thigh to calf to 'constrain' the incision. All in all a bit of a scare, but only a little one.

I am pretty sure I was being cavalier about icing & elevation and largely brought it on myself. If your OS will use soluble stitching I'd stay with it, it seems to me to be very user friendly (except for over-confident ones like me, maybe). Huge advantage is no return visit to for removal. Just make sure you follow whatever are The Rules.

I'm not even sure this will set me back much (soon see). The weak point at the moment is the tendons and ligaments around the knee, which this hasn't affected.

 

[Roy Gardiner]

Week 2/Day 10

Yesterday's wee scare behind, now taking care to ice & elevate more.

Walking around is OK, nice and slow in the house but don't need the sticks. Except for stairs, which still hurt. This is caused by bending the leg then having to press down to lift to the next step. Taking as much weight as possible on the arm via the crutch helps, but isn't a cure.

Experiment. Imagine a geometry compass, you know the thing you use to draw circles. I now try spreading my legs wide (insert joke of choice here) and straight, just like a compass, wide enough that I'm taking up the full width of the staircase. Whilst maintaining a death grip on the banister, lean left and swing my right leg up to the next step. Then, of course, the other way around.

This keeps my legs as straight as possible, minimises pain and has the extra side effect of comedy value to anyone watching.

Post surgery pix now posted https://bonesmart.org/forum/knee-scars-post-your-badges-honor-here-t13373.html?p=265484#post265484

 

[Josephine]

and why hadn't you iced since the evening before? :skeptical:

 

[Roy Gardiner]

and why hadn't you iced since the evening before? :skeptical:

Stupidity? Yesterday I felt good, knees didn't feel tense, it was quite early and I hadn't 'got round' to ice, and to answer the door I reacted and stood up rather than use my arms to lift myself out of the chair first.

Week 2/Day 10 Update. Bit of a backward day today. Carefully icing & elevating but still swollen. I think not using the sticks because the balance is fine was a mistake, and I should (and am now) using them for weight bearing to take some load from the legs.

 

[referee54]

Icing regularly will help you reduce that swelling/stiffness. An ice pack is your best friend now---elevate/ice, and you will feel much better about the size of your knees. Take your time and do not try to hurry. you are in the early stages yet and the recovery is a long and winding road (thanks, Paul...)

 

[Tykey]

You are going through that natural stage when we don't know quite how much we can do until we do it. Then we back off for a while. and then try pushing it again.
There's no other way, as far as I can see.

 

[editor98]

Roy,
It is definitely a learning experience--all of it!
Niki

 

[Roy Gardiner]

Icing regularly will help you reduce that swelling/stiffness. An ice pack is your best friend now---elevate/ice, and you will feel much better about the size of your knees. Take your time and do not try to hurry. you are in the early stages yet and the recovery is a long and winding road (thanks, Paul...)

Indeed, all the advice on here says so, and I thought I was doing as you say. But a moment's inattention plus having 'just put off for a minute' the morning's Cryocuff appointment...

You are going through that natural stage when we don't know quite how much we can do until we do it. Then we back off for a while. and then try pushing it again. There's no other way, as far as I can see.

It's paying attention all the time, it seems to me.

In the old days a new car engine had to be run in, i.e. kept at low revs all the time. Eye off the ball just once and bang smoke $$, which is what I think happened to me.

Week 2/Day 11

Sleep increasing; in bed by 21.45, slept around (with a couple of 'natural breaks') until 7.20. Unknown for me (midnight-6.30 is normal) and just another illustration of the body saying 'What was THAT :hate-shocked:?' and demanding rest.

 

[Josephine]

Oh don't worry about that, Roy. Others have trod that path - including me!

 

[Celle]

Week 2/Day 11

Sleep increasing; in bed by 21.45, slept around (with a couple of 'natural breaks') until 7.20. Unknown for me (midnight-6.30 is normal) and just another illustration of the body saying 'What was THAT :hate-shocked:?' and demanding rest.

Hi Roy,
Glad you're doing so well. I'm a few days behind you - had my Revision TKR on 9th Dec, so only at Day 9.

I'm also glad that my surgeon ( here in NZ) also does not agree with excessive physio, but is happy to let healing take place at its own pace. I can already see small improvements.

Celle