Vacation after TKR

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mbrown

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I'm having a TKR on December 27th. My kids spring break is March 27-31, which is about 12 weeks post surgery. Will I be ok to take this trip (which will include flying)?
 
It will depend upon what kind of trip you are planning. At 12 weeks you will be starting to feel better and moving around fairly well. You can continue to have some fatigue and possibly need some pain meds at that time. When flying you will need to get up and walk a bit every hour of so and you may still be getting some swelling in your knee and lower leg. I hope this info helps you. If you have any specific questions please feel free to post them.
 
As Marian said, it all depends on what your doing. You may still experience swelling and energy drain at 12 weeks. If it's a relaxed vacation you may be fine, however if you're planning on hiking, biking, skiing or sightseeing, that would be a problem.
 
Well, I flew cross-county not even six weeks after my 1st TKR, but it was a family emergency. The ice at destination scared me, and my surgeon wasn't happy to hear about the flying, but I lived.
I took a real vacation 12 weeks to the day after knee #2. My mobility was pretty good by then, but I still got tired fairly easily.
Having said that, everyone's different. If you're thinking Disney World with all the walking & standing in line, maybe not. (Ditto D.C.!) Be prepared to skip some things or say to your fellow adult traveler, "Please take over. I'm going back to the hotel to put my legs up."
 
With my very limited experience, I also think it depends on how fast you recover. I worried last year about the same thing because I was looking forward to our month in Louisiana about 14 weeks after my TKR. We go primarily to dance, and it's a long drive from Wisconsin to Louisiana. It turned out to be not a bit of a problem, and dancing with a right knee that didn't hurt made me realize that my left one wasn't so good, after all. This year the trip will be 12 weeks after my recent TKR, and I fully expect to be doing just fine. You're also young, which might help.
 
I took a trip about 8 weeks after my 2nd TKR (which was 6 weeks after the first one). My biggest worry was getting through the airport and getting from the parking lot to the terminal. It was only an hour flight followed by a 2 1/2 hour car ride, but I managed fine. Be sure to have some meds with you just in case.


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