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Time to Take the Leap

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@Faele Thanks! I belong to a health club with a pool. I swam laps and did Aquacise for a few years, along with lots of walking. As of last year, though, I have a demented father in law living with us every other week, so can't leave the house those weeks. With my left knee so painful even Aquacise caused days of post-exercise swelling and pain, I gave up the health club until post-surgery. That's in less than two weeks now (I hope), so right now I'm doing the at-home exercises the OS recommended. I'm looking forward to swimming and walking again!
 
Saw the cardiologist for pre-op clearance. Lucky me, I have a nasty family history of heart disease (father and both grandfathers died of cardiac causes), so I'm going to have to take a stress test TWO DAYS before surgery. I arranged this appointment six weeks ago. I asked if they would want a stress test. They said no. I could have taken it the same day, right? Or before. *sigh* I have a normal EKG and no signs of cardiac problems. I can walk all day. I'll be in mortal agony after a block or two, but I won't be out of breath.

Anyway, I will be taking the stress test and crossing my fingers they don't find something wrong with my heart. Because right now the pain in my left knee is so darn horrible I almost don't care if I risk death on the operating table. I just want that knee gone. Having to put off surgery to fix some heart problem would be pure, painful hell for me. I haven't been on pain control for over a month already and it's killing me. I sure hope they find nothing to worry about!
 
At my pre-op with my PCP he looked at my chest x-rays, winced and said, "that could be a cancer, I want you to have a CT scan asap". I spent the next few days crying and wondering which I'd have done first, lung surgery or a TKR because at that point every step was painful. In the end it was scar tissue and TKR went as planned.

Let us know how the stress test goes.
 
Is there anyway possible that they can move up your test? Maybe a cancellation will happen and you can get in sooner.
 
They know I'm available for cancellation, so that's possible. Things are already tight now, though. If they find something, the surgery is postponed. I'm holding out that the results are okay. I had a stress test several years ago that was fine. Doctors always get hyper vigilant with me because of the family history. I burp and they want EKGs and heart consults. I'm on preventative medications to "guard" my heart. With all that medical defense going on, you'd think I'd be fine. It doesn't work like that, though, hence the test.

What irks me is not the test, but that I asked about it six weeks ago and was assured it wouldn't be needed. I knew this was going to happen. Wish I could be my own doctor sometimes....
 
I'm sorry that they waited for the last minute to have you have a stress test. Since all your tests have been fine so far the likelihood of a problem is low. It's better though to make sure all is ok.
 
@SusieShoes Hi Susie! I had t have a stress echo done 5 days before my surgery. My PCP thought there were changes to my EKG (it ended up being bad lead placement). I had to see a cardiologist and then the echo. I prayed it will all be fine and it was . It ended up being a blessing because my echo was perfect and showed I was in excellent shape and now I know my heart is a-ok! I squeaked it all in before the surgery. Praying everything goes smoothly!
 
Thanks Marian and Cathleen! Yeah, this is more annoying than anything else, having to squeeze it in my already busy pre-op schedule. I have every reason to think I'll be okay to go... but if I'm not, it really is best to know.

On the plus side, my recliner (aka Seat of Power) is being delivered on Saturday. Mwahahaha.
 
Hope your stress test goes well, Susie! I had mine a few weeks ago and it was normal, thank goodness! My surgeon told me it was required with a bilateral TKR because of the longer anaesthetic. My anaesthetist has estimated the length of surgery to be three hours, unless anything goes wrong. (I'm being positive, IT WON'T)! You don't have long to go now, and by the time I have my surgery, you'll be two weeks into your recovery!
 
I'm also counting on things going well, Faele. Unless the stress test turns up something (I'm crossing my fingers I got Mom's genes for my heart and not Dad's), I'm only a week away from surgery. I'm running around setting up my two nests -- one upstairs in the bedroom and one downstairs -- and making sure I have plenty of available surface area for all the "stuff" I will require. If nothing else, there will be water, meds, and snacks.

Silly as it sounds, I have also put together a small, yet stylish, wardrobe of short nightgowns, baggy lounge pants, loose shorts, and sundry tops to go with. Set up a pretty assortment of slip on sneakers near bedside. Packed a small bag for the rehab stay, so my husband doesn't show up at the hospital with skinny jeans and strappy sandals for me to wear home.

He tells me he can fend for himself, and me, for food. I'm counting on that.

He's covering the mattress and the new recliner in plastic. He can't help it. He's from South Philly and is alarmed by the thought of condensation from ice packs.

Things are getting real.
 
If you are anything like I was, you will be cold almost all the time. I assume it was the combination of the surgery and icing most all the time. It was in the 90s outside and I was wrapped up in a blanket. To get warm, a lot of times I'd just go outside and stand on the porch in the heat. So, you might not need 'summer' type clothes at home. And have a blanket within reach!
 
Yeah, I might be banking too much on warm weather. :heehee: Actually, I've been reading everyone's recovery threads for a few months and have included a nice warm bed jacket and some warm socks in my rehab bag (even the pre-op nurse suggested this, saying the rooms could get cold) and have an assortment of comfy soft coverlets for when I'm in the recliner at home. The shorts are mostly because people suggested those are good for early post-surgery and rehab, because of the incision and dressings. Any thoughts on that?

Or would I be happier with the longer flannel lounge/sleeping pants I favor (they're very loose in the leg)? I plan to use the hospital's gowns (and the slip on sneakers I'm wearing to hospital) until rehab. I'm not even sure if rehab hands out gowns!
 
I wore soft stretchy pj pants to recover, it was winter, but between ice and AC you may need pants. Using a basket made things easy for me. I had a big Longeberger with handles that held remotes, iPad, tissues, water bottle, paper, pen, magazines (don't require as much focus) snacks to take meds with and a little bag for trash as well.
 
Oh, I love Longeberger baskets, @KarriB ! Am adding a basket of some kind to hold my necessities, including little trash bag... brilliant idea.
 
It serves to keep everything in one place too, instead of spreading it all out and making a mess.
 
I wore really large-legged pj bottoms, too. It made it easy to ice since the leg was already covered!
 
A friend advised me to take shorts to hospital for the rehab. exercises. I'm taking nighties to hospital as I'm not sure if I'll be able to put long-legged pyjama pants on. It'll be nearly winter here by the time I go in (25th May).

My house is all on one level so I won't have steps to worry about, and hopefully I'll be able to move around between the lounge and my bed-room without too much trouble. I'm borrowing a shower chair and a toilet seat with handles from a friend. She recommended the surgeon who did her knee replacements, (both separately), and she was very happy with the results. When I went to have the stress test, the supervising doctor saw my referral and said he was pleased I'm going to that surgeon; he told me he's an excellent surgeon. It's reassuring to hear things like that, especially from another doctor.

I just found out yesterday, that I'm listed as the second surgery of the day, and I'll need to check into hospital between 6-30 and 7-00 a.m.!! I'm going to stay overnight in the city, in a hotel on the same street as the hospital, otherwise I'd have to catch a taxi, then a 50 minute train trip, then a bus. I don't want to arrive all flustered!

I suppose they'll show us the best way to get in and out of bed, while we're in hospital. I've been reading everything I can on this forum; it's very helpful. Thank you to everyone who's been through it already; your advice is very welcome!
 
Yes, they will show you how to get in and out of bed and how to walk, using a walker or crutches. They will probably show you how to manage stairs or steps, too, even if there aren't any in your home.
 
There are definitely stairs in my house. The bedroom is on the second floor and I would like to spend my first week home upstairs (bed and a recliner up there). The pre-op nurse (her husband had a BTKR) was such a comfort and help, because she assured me I would be sent home able to do the stairs. She didn't say it would be easy, only that I would be able to do them. Good enough for me!
 
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