TKR and stairs

[AlaskanTKR]

The questions are starting to come to me and since you are the veterans I thought I would ask for your input AGAIN!

Stairs - I am 42 and with the exception of the right knee I am in decent health. My bedroom is up on the second floor with my bathroom ( I have a great bedroom - It is HUGE - my kitchen - well that's really small - you can see where my priorities lay ) The bedroom has a TV (Large - husband is visually challenged - or so he thinks!) and a chair and a half and ottoman inj a sitting area. The bathroom is attached with standup shower and seperate soaking/jacuzzi tub. The living room is on the firstfloor with the kitchen and a powder room - small. Large overstuffed comfy couches that are wide if backpillows are removed and can easily beslept on (expereience from puppy training last summer )

In the past I have gone through 4 scopes on the same knee and have always managed to go up and down the stairs - very slowly. I have also slept on the couch. They are standard 1st to 2nd floor steps(12or13Ithinkk).Solid railing on both sides.

You all have been through this - OPinions? Where should I plan to camp the first few days home. BEst place to nap is in my bedroom - but being part of the family is better in the living room - or can I do the steps and split my time?? I have no clue - UGHHHH so many questions to trouble you with! Thanks for being here!

Marianne

 

[Weezy]

See how your energy levels are and decide then? That's really what kept me from doing stairs for the first couple weeks I was home. I could do the stairs physically, but I literally didn't have the energy to do them. I didn't decide to sleep downstairs until I had the energy to climb the stairs at least twice a day, and for me that took about three weeks!


You might be just fine climbing the stairs...or you might decide to stay on one floor for a few days. If you have the options, maybe just take it day by day and see how you're feeling?

Weezy

 

[JenniferG]

Like she said. It all depends on you. I was doing stairs on day 2in the hospital, but that doesn't mean I needed to be doing them other than once a day as part of PT. But i had 2 knees done. I stayed downstairs for a while, but the bathroom was downstairs. Maybe you'll be OK to do once a day.

 

[ship4]

I will be having both knees done and will be staying on the first floor the first few weeks home. The PT came yesterday and liked my planned set up. I will be sitting and sleeping in a firm leather recliner (massage therapy recliner chair) in the living room. I have 16 stairs to get to the sleeping quarters to have the energy to get up and down..... Apparently down is worse than up! I am planning on staying downstairs until my energy level is better post op.
If I were you, I would plan to spend the first week or so downstairs, recoup your energy and then like the others said, you will decide when it will be right to hike the stairs at night.
The hospital I will be at allows you out when you can master 3-4 stairs, 12 or 13 are a lot of them!
Before you go in, plan to spend some days down stairs and have your things set up how you want them in the bathroom, and living room. The PT at my visit yesterday told me my other love seat and sofa are too low. They measure 17 inches off the floor and the recliner seat measures 20 inches off the floor. Apparently the higher the seat the better!

 

[Weezy]

The PT at my visit yesterday told me my other love seat and sofa are too low. They measure 17 inches off the floor and the recliner seat measures 20 inches off the floor. Apparently the higher the seat the better!

and I discovered that if a chair had ARMS on it, I could manage just about any height...and I actually preferred using arms vs. even something higher--I felt more secure being able to raise and lower myself using the chair arms than relying just on my walker or crutches.


Weezy

 

[Doug]

I stayed downstairs the first two weeks. I could do the shuffle up the stairs but taking the pain pills I didnt think it would be too good to be making it look like a ski slope at 2am.
Two critical items were close by me....The bathroom and the refrigerator....just sayin'

 

[Rowdy66]

I Was So Lucky That My House Has No Stairs At All. Most Homes Today Do. We Are On One Level And I Have Never Been So Grateful Of Anything In My Life, That And My Walk In Shower, God How I Love That Shower. It Is Too Small For My Hubby To Use But Is Just Perfect For Me And Small Enough That When I First Was Home I Felt Safe. That Was A Biggie For Me. I Did Have To Laugh Though, My Younger Son James Bought Me Just About Every Item He Could Lay Hands On That He Thought Might Assist Me When I First Came Home. The Chair He Bought For My Little Walk In Shower Was So Big It Left No Room For Me To Stand Or Even Sit For That Matter. Thank God I Could Return It. It Was One Of Those Kind That Allow A Person To Slide From A Wheelchair Into A Bath So It Was Extra Big Anyway. What Made It Even More Funny Was He Put It In The Shower And Didn't Seem To Notice There Was No Room Left For Me And He Is My Son Who Is Getting His Doctorate In Cellular And Molecular Biology At The U Of A And Who Does Dna Research And Is Currently Doing Research On Breast Cancer And Cellular Changes. We All Chuckled But Not When He Was Here, We Were Soooo Afraid We Would Hurt His Feelings And We All Thought It Was So Cute But I Don't Necessarily Think He Would Have. Anyway To All Of You Who Have To Manuever The Stairs Right Away My Hat Is Definitely Off To You. I Don't Know If I Could Have Done It. I Am Like Weezy I Liked Chairs With Arms Regardless Of Height, I Just Didn't Trust The Holding On To The Walker And Pulling Myself Out Of A Chair That Was Armless. Guess We All Have Our Phobias, Huh? Rowdy

 

[JenniferG]

Walkers have wheels, the idea of counting on rolling wheels does seem bizarre. I'm coming up on 12 weeks and still like the good sturdy option of arms on a chair to push up. That is probably magnified because I had 2 done and don't really have a "good" one to count on. i've read that many of you turned a corner at 12 weeks, and 8, and 4... so I am looking forward to the next couple of weeks. Stairs have been much better the last few days after a week of what felt like reverse in progress & pain.
Rowdy, one level is the way to go, even with our fixed knees. Our next house will either be one level or have the master/bath/ laundry on 1st floor.

 

[Turtlelady53]

I am hoping to get up my stairs when I come home, even if I have to be raised on a pulley! Seriously, I have all the comforts I can imagine on the bedroom-level of my house. Besides, my husband will be hanging out on in the family room, and if I have to watch him surf t.v. channels with that remote for hours on end, I will surely deck him with my walker. I have railings on both sides of the stairs. When my mother had BTKR and stayed with me, she went down the stairs backwards holding on to both rails. Did anyone else go down backwards at first?

 

[JenniferG]

I had to climb stairs to get in my house the day I got home. And I live in a lake house, so the are not perfectly laid out. But I did it. Backwards, no, but the paperwork from my os office talking about stairs even suggested that if you need to go down on your butt, then do so. Safe and comfortable I guess is the ideas.

 

[Josephine]

I am hoping to get up my stairs when I come home, even if I have to be raised on a pulley! Seriously, I have all the comforts I can imagine on the bedroom-level of my house. Besides, my husband will be hanging out on in the family room, and if I have to watch him surf t.v. channels with that remote for hours on end, I will surely deck him with my walker.

Oh howl! That mental picture was priceless, Tlady.

I have railings on both sides of the stairs. When my mother had BTKR and stayed with me, she went down the stairs backwards holding on to both rails. Did anyone else go down backwards at first?

I did - when I had my arhtroscopy and before that when I had a severe case of cellulitis from my toes all the way up to my groin. Couldn't bend my knee for around 6 weeks because it was elephantine. But I managed - have to when you live on your own.

 

[AlaskanTKR]

Turtle Lady - I am right there with you. I hadn't thought about the hubby and his TV choices! UGHHHH. Stairs here I come!

My dad (who is turning 80 next month) has two awful knees but no pain. His OS said no pain - no new knees - plus he lives alone and I think he is afraid of the result. He struggles with the stairs so when he has to do them he goes down beackwards - I may have to get some lessons from him. And you all definitely made a memory come back - I think I may have gone up on my but after one of my scopes as well. In any case - Thanks for all the suggestions - I guess I will play it by ear and just do what feels right at the time. We are (the hubby is ----) putting down laminate flooring in the living room this weekend and we are adjusting furniture - Guess I should figure out where the TV goes for him!

Enjoy your weekend!
MArianne

 

[JenniferG]

OK, I'm gonna risk Josephine moving this post to a different thread but I have to ask. Why can't a man leave it on one show for more than 2 minutes? That is my complaint when my husband has the clicker. 10 secs here, 30 there. Even if I decide to deal with what he lands on and actually start watching it, BAM, he switches it. "oh, were you watching that?" He's really a good guy, so I don't think he's doing it on purpose, just what he does. GRRRR!

 

[1jt@atime]

Yea Jen! My hubby will change the TV to something I really don't want to watch but I'll start watching it anyway. As soon as I'm into it, he'll switch it! What is that about? We are watching a DVD movie that he chose right now. He's not going to change the channel, yet the remote is sitting in his lap. Oh, he just picked it up and he is holding it! His finger is on the TV guide button! He would kill me if he knew I was typing this!

 

[1jt@atime]

Is it a security blanket? A control thing? I don't know....

 

[Josephine]

It's about CONTROL!! I go into serious emotional melt down if a visitor occupies my 'spot' on the settee as they then have implicit control of my remotes (all three of them!).

I like to think I hide it but it's such a relief when I get my spot back!

 

[Turtlelady53]

My husband actually falls asleep with the remote to the bedroom t.v. gripped in his hand. If I try to pry it out, he insists he's watching it. (while snoring????) So, I definitely think that is going to play a large part what I plan to recuperate. Well, off to my son's wedding!