Kim, I love your Avatar! How are you doing?
Skigirl, Beast, Jayne and all the others waiting for the op......O.K., the waiting is the worst thing. Once you get to THE day it's a breeze. I'm in the UK but from what I've read on this forum the experience is the same in your part of the world. Once you get to the stage where the anaesthetist is there, you're out of it for as long as it takes, and you wake up and it's all over! I can remember coming round and seeing the surgeon wandering around looking for his packed lunch. Just remember that for the surgeons it's their job - for them your knee is one of hundreds that they sort out. For us it's a once-only job. Well, for me it's twice as I've got two new knees.
I'm two and a half weeks post-second TKR, and have just sorted out the kitchen, vacuumed the lounge, dining room and conservatory, cleaned the bathrooms, and am now having my mid-morning cup of tea (so English!). I've lost the pain I've had for years, I can stand up without pain, I've got two straight legs for the first time in years, and I actually feel taller because of it!
I'm moving comfortably around the house without aids, and feel as if I could probably do the same outside already - but I will use the crutches for a while longer just to make sure I don't fall.
I bumped into an old friend in town yesterday who asked me why I was on crutches. When I told her that I'd had two TKRs, one six months ago, one two weeks ago, she said it was something she needed but was putting it off. That was me a year ago - putting it off. However, I was forced into having something done when an osteophyte broke off and jammed itself into my knee joint - boy, was that painful! I then had an arthroscopy and consequently the two TKRs.
I wish I'd had them done before as I've missed out on lots of things. I'm now aiming for my new goal - a Mediterranean cruise in September which involves, among other things, roaming over the ruins at Pompeii, and climbing up to some very old monasteries in Greece. Both require good strong legs, and I'm sure I'll be able to cope.
I'm 66, a retired teacher, and making the most of life! I now feel that I can start a new stage, be more adventurous and do more than I've been able to do for some time.
So, if your experiences are anything like mine, you'll soon be 'on the other side'. The first couple of weeks are the worst, for me it was trying to do straight leg lifts (I can do them easily now). Just make sure that you take the pain meds, ice and elevate. The pain is easily controllable and, as I have learned, and as you will find other on this forum tell you, if you don't take them then you get pain and swelling and you can't do the exercises - so you don't progress.
All the best to you all. You'll be in my thoughts and prayers.
United States
