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Bilateral TKR SusieShoes' New Knees

Great post! I'm glad your family day trip went so well. Apparently all these people who say that no 2 knees are alike, even on the same people, know what they are talking about. :idea: I am frankly nervous about how it is going to go with my next knee. Apparently you can't be totally prepared even if you are have had 1 tkr. Sure glad I will have everyone here to help. :yahoo:
 
Your knees are "he"s? I love it! I just got back from a family trip, too. We went to Orlando, and let me be the first to say those mobility scooters are both a blessing and a curse. Stick with the canes.;-)


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I'm so happy your family day went so well. Sounds like your knees handled it really well.
Sounds like a lovely drive you and mr. Shoes had.
Isn't it great to get back to somewhat normal :loveshwr:
 
Hi all! Thanks for the thoughts and good wishes. Yes, Lefty is the bane of my current existence, as he has been for years. Surgery has made him better though. Before surgery simply standing up from sitting was sheer agony. No longer. I can stand up with only moderate discomfort. Huge improvement! So I'll give Lefty some props.

And normalcy is so healing. I'm sitting again on the sofa with Mr. Shoes and playing iPad games together, or watching Fargo. Last night we put on Cinderella (I love fairy tales) and snuggled. Ottoman highly recommended for this activity.

Today I'm getting my blood tested for anemia again. If my hemoglobin has improved, I keep doing what I'm doing. But if it's too low, I will have to go in for IV iron infusion. Bleh. Really hope to avoid that. Mr. Shoes can't keep endlessly taking off work to drag me around to doctors and tests. There's always Uber, I suppose.
 
@AlaskaGrandy, I might be one of those people who has high pain tolerance. Or maybe after years of horrible knee pain I barely notice a little knee pain now. I'm used to it, in a way. RIght now, a little more than three weeks in, I'm taking 2 x 500 Tylenol for pain. Some days none. Other days once or twice. Following PT, for example, when the knees stiffen up. Otherwise, I don't need pain meds.

I think most people need pain meds for a bit longer than this. My OS told me I could have Tramadol as a step down from OxyContin, but I haven't needed to try it.

So sorry to hear you're having back pain, too! Man, as if knees weren't enough. Back pain makes it hard to find any comfy position for sitting or sleep. Do you use heat? When my back goes out, I live with a heating pad strapped to my lower back.
 
Thank you for the advice. I'm no comfortable with all the tightness and constrictive feeling down my legs and around my knees. Maybe I think it is pain. When I take a pain pill the numbness and discomfort ease up. I also have what I call a deep bone achy pain once in awhile. I love heat on my back too! I need to get a heating pad instead of microwave pad; they lose their heat so fast.
You are doing wonderful so early in recovery. Thanks for being a great role model. :wow:
 
SusieShoes, what a wonderful weekend you had; brava! You had a great plan and were able to punt in the low-toilet situation! I know you enjoyed the camaraderie on Saturday and the food! Did you go home with leftovers? I certainly hope so! Your toilet scenario is not TMI, it's great info! By coincidence, I got rid of my high toilet today, lol. I just couldn't stand that seat that seemed to pitch me at a weird angle and bite my thighs. My sink is directly next to the toilet, so it really wasn't an issue for balance. That said, it did seem like a LOOONG way down; hah, but I made it. Cane walking can be hard on the lower back, so in your bi-lateral case, you could switch sides to alleviate some of that. Of course, the rest is just altered gait and some deconditioning. You'll conquer all of this in time.:yay:

I agree with what Celle said about Lefty.
 
I know what you mean about getting up from my recliner prior to surgery. My right knee was the worse. I limped and hobbled around everywhere for years. Please let us know how your blood work turned out.
 
@SusieShoes, I really hope your hemoglobin is sufficient to avoid the iron transfusion. After all you went through, you really don't need that; pffft!

I'm amazed that you are able to just use Tylenol and sometimes nothing at all; brava! You must have a very high pain tolerance which, I imagine, is just a genetic blessing.

Like you, my favorite time of night is snuggling on the sofa (with Mistah and ottoman) and watching something on TV for an hour or so. It's really the snuggling I enjoy most.:loveshwr:
 
@KarriB, both toilets here at my house are comfort height. A woman Mr. Shoes commutes with had her knees replaced several years ago. I guess I and my knees must have entered conversation at some point. When we added a first floor powder room a few years ago, she told him he had to get a comfort height toilet. We hadn't even heard of them. "It'll help her knees!" So we did it. And just months before my surgery we upgraded the upstairs toilet to comfort height also. Our elderly FIL also likes the higher toilet.

I much prefer my comfort height toilets to the toilet topper my mom has on hers. I find it awkward to use, though I would take it over a low toilet early in recovery.

A family with young children might not want comfort height toilets. Comfort for adults, but towering to toddlers. But most knee replacement recipients are older and don't have little ones. I might have to get stepstools for the grandchildren, though.
 
Yes, they would be daunting for a child, especially one that's being potty trained. I didn't need a toilet riser during my recovery due to the comfort height and the vanity placement. My parents are in their 80s (mom has bad knees and dad 2 TKRs), but I can't talk them into switching out their toilets.
 
@SusieShoes @KarriB Be glad it isn't a short child's toilet. About 12" high. We had them put into an infant care and preschool in our church. :giggle:They would be daunting for us.
[Bonesmart.org] SusieShoes' New Knees
 
I love my comfort height toilet. My just over 5 feet daughter, however,, does not. She is in the process of remodeling her bath and can't wait to get a regular height one :heehee: I imagine I will still see my 6 foot SIL upstairs, though.
 
@Arttie ~ that is an adorable child's bathroom set-up. @SusieShoes hope it went well today getting your hemoglobin level checked. funny you mentioned watching "fargo"...i'm watching it too...omg is all i'll say; it's not like the original movie, but i just love gloria and the other female police officer. started watching the new "twin peaks"...not sure if i'll continue; again, nothing like the original except the music and the main character. glad you're doing so well.:friends:
 
Hoping your iron level is sufficient.
Jealous of your use of only 2-500 mg Tylenol and not always needing it - but yeah for you!!! That is wonderful.
You are doing fantastic!!

My mother of 84 wouldn't increase her toilet size - she Didnt want to get used to a higher toilet. Aside from that - she had her 2nd TKR last July and her first overnight trip was about 6 weeks later with a friend. She asked him ever so kindly if he would mind if she brought her toilet riser (the kind with the rails etc). My sister and I said, anyone who has to bring their toilet with them shouldn't be going lol! Well, maybe so, but that trip did help her mental outlook a lot.
I felt like a hallelujah today, as I got up from a low toilet with no hands!! :)
 
Sounds like a great weekend!! I hope your blood tests come out good!

We are getting a new comfort height toilet installed tomorrow - a birthday gift from my dad. I will still have railings, but will not have the uncomfortable riser which my hubby hates.


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@jaschembra, your mom sounds like mine! When she visit my brother at the farm, she takes her toilet riser with her.

@IowaNana, I use rails with the downstairs comfort height toilet. It's just easier. They're already there anyway for our resident elder. I look forward to the day I can rise with no hands. Maybe I can already but haven't tried? Anyway, I figure that day will come. :beer:
 
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