What to do 1-2 weeks out of surgery!!!!

[Texas]

What was your day like the first couple of weeks.......Just an idea of what I should be doing. I know everyone is different.......Do we relax, lay around ice and watch TV. and do PT......or should I be up doing things if so like what........Do I cook , clean....did I leave the house etc...I realize everyone is different just trying to get an IDEA.......
My first surg wasn't exactly the best so I want to make sure I keeping up if you know what i mean. So what was your first 1-2-3 weeks like......Daily routine...Thank Ya.

 

[tom67]

Lay Around Ice Elevate, and Have your Hubby hand feed you grapes and fan
you with a huge palm leaf

PS-CAUTION, take It easy with the grapes though, or Imodium AD will be your new best friend!! LOL!!!!!

 

[ship4]

Kim,
With the drugs you are on you need to rest, ice, elevate, and do your PT daily. Take a walk up the block and back in the AM after medication. Then come back and ice & elevate. Don't keep yourself in the chair all day, do get up occasionally to get yourself things, but do not over do. Remember recovering well is about pacing yourself. You know when you have had enough. Just don't walk too far from home without remembering you have to have enough energy to get back! LOL
Every day you will find you will be able to do a little bit more. Nap!
About 4 weeks out, you will feel so much better. You will still need to ice and elevate both in the AM & PM and evening. You can get into more of a routine with exercise as well. Again, pace yourself.

 

[Dawnie]

I think Crystal has said it all.
Take advantage and be pampered, and dont be like me, beware of weepy movies!
Most of all heal good and fast. XXX

 

[Texas]

Thanks all great advice i dont want to do to much but i really dont sit around to much im afraid it will lock up on me but boy i get tired........lol......i think its neat to hear what ea person does.............thanks......

 

[shelly52]

Rest,ice,take drugs and keep your nutrition/hydration in balance. I spent the first 5 days in the hospital. The first 2 weeks I did my PT with my visiting therapist and monitored my clotting factors with in house VNA. Your body needs to heal before it can perform. Watch movies, read, and just try to get comfortable.
Good Luck!
Shelley

 

[abunnybabe]

I'm almost 3 weeks out of my RTKR.
I mostly just lay/sit around, watching TV, playing on my laptop. I only leave the house to go to PT 3 times a week, and on weekends when hubby is home to take me someplace special like CVS, LOL.
On days with no PT, like today, I wake up, take my meds and lay back in bed till they hit me, then I do some bed exercises, like heel slides, leg lifts, that type of stuff. (sorry Clunker-get your mind out of the gutter!)
Then I'll shower, get dressed and move to the living room, where I just lay around all day until it's time to nap. Then I switch couches, put my leg up on my foam wedge, ice it all the way around, pull on my cozy blanket and nap.
Once rested, I'll take some more meds, exercise a bit more and repeat the process until hubby comes home to cook me dinner.
Man, I am sounding like a total waste here, LOL. Whenever I get up and do too much walking I need to ice, as being on my feet causes swelling in my knee and stiffness in my knee as well.
Kim, you probably can do more as your surgery was just a revision and you don't have all that deep down bone pain from the initial cutting, sawing and hammering. I would think that you'd be able to do some light housekeeping. Are you walking on your own? I am still using a cane most of the time, sometimes I just go without it for short distances. Today I think I may shower and even blow dry my hair! And I really want to try to vaccuum some of Clyde's hairballs up, Hubby has been so busy taking care of me that he is neglecting his vaccuuming, and I don't want to wait until the weekend.
Sorry for the long post, but you asked! :D

 

[JudyS]

Of course with my surgeries each was different and i did not have a knee done.
But remember he dug around in there for a long time. And there was damage from the metal piece or cement being in there. Do ask the doc today too. I'd say it is too soon for house work.
judy

 

[cotton1958]

My kids came over and I watched some shows they watch. A few I've gotten to watch now. Always was urging folks to bring me fresh fruit and small plates of food. Tried to keep up with medicine. The days were so long at first. Did a lot of cat-napping. Since I didn't feel like getting on the computer the first 2 weeks out, I was able to get back in touch with folks and just do regular computer playing around.:thmb:

When I finally got out of house to PT, went in the midafternoon, so husband and i would eat a mid-afternoon snack out making it my meal for the evening. Finding a place with a bar made seating easier to sit and eat.

Dogs still like to hang around me. Made grocery lists...fooled around with my 2 ice machines and iced and elevated. Recliner was great at first! I had an elevation built for it. Friends stopped in but not for long, usually with food in hand. So kind. Reading was tough because of the drugs.

Liked to read cooking magazines.

Glad you are feeling better Kim!!

I guess some of these things run over the 1-2 week period sorry.

 

[beachbum]

Sounds like Terri and I are on the same schedule! Except she gets to go to CVS!!! And I get to go to the hospital twice a week for blood work. I still have home PT this week, start Monday going out for PT. I wander from one end of the house to the other, do my exercises when the meds kick in, have done some easy/quick cooking (microwaves are great!), and working on a scrapbook occaisionally (when I can concentrate for more than 5 minutes).
Do what your body can handle, don't overdo it.

 

[Texas]

Well I did have 8 surg prior then the tkr then this one i dont think i recovered from the last one....so i do wish i could do house cleaning etc..i will soon thou ....i know you say JUST a revision....its not easy to recup from as i still have to learn how to bend all over again........but prior I WAS hammered, cut etc........i did have a bad bad experience the first go around. .....there were complications from the tkr ....thanks guys it neat to hear what others are doing i dont feel so bad.....hehe, just trying......but i know that will come back soon..trying to remember which one works for energy B12 ???? just wondering....

 

[betsy13]

I had PT twice a week so on PT days I would read until the pain meds kicked in before PT. When I got home the only thing I wanted to do was nap! On non PT days I puttered around the house, did my exercises and took a nap.

 

[Texas]

Thank you Betsy that means alot........i appreiate it..............hope you re doing well.......

 

[loggon]

Kim Remember you never healed from your first TKR. You have had it worse than most on here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Do not do house work or any other kind of activity. Had you just had a TKR and was healing and in the 3rd or 4th week I would say a little light housework and dif. cooking was OK.
But remember you have broken bone, because your bone is weak. Geeez take care of yourself. If anyone on this site deserves to be pampered you do. You have been through sooooooooo much.

Just because you may feel like doing something does not mean you should.

Now be a good "little girl" and be patient.
You never healed from the first TKR then you had to have the partial revision and your bones are weak. Sit down and ice, elevate and rest!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Pat29627]

I'd say definitely NO vacuuming for several weeks. That puts your knee in all sorts of positions and you're not watching out,....could strain something. I washed a few dishes or emptied the dishwasher, but nothing more. In four more weeks, when you do some housekeeping, it will be very rewarding.....you'll really be able to see a difference :hehe:

 

[Josephine]

All very good advice and Pat was spot on with that extra observation.

 

[Texas]

Thanks i will listen and take all the advice ....i know everyone has different things they do i love hearing them ,,,,,,, thanks.......

 

[Jamie]

Kim, I completely agree with all these "take it easy" messages. When I was recovering I used to get up and take a shower (once it was allowed) and then take a nap. Things are THAT exhausting at the beginning. As I remember, with your last surgery, you were up and moving furniture in --- what----like the first week after you came home? So the more you can stay away from any real serious activity, the better for your recovery.

 

[JudyS]

Yes Kim please remember he dug around a lot. You need to rest a lot. So take lots of naps, if you are worrried about how your house looks , i';ll send you pictures of mine. It is really embarrasing at this point. I am in so much pain tonite just from holding the dog leash and the puppy was not pulling me either.

REst, rest and more rest
judy

 

[mtngal67]

I remember being so exhausted my first 2 weeks, with just washing up and making self presentable incase someone stopped by for a visit! I'd have to go rest after just doing that. I watched the first half of a lot of movies and napped through the second half! Reading was impossible for me, I just couldn't concentrate. I spent a lot of time worrying about what I should be doing, until I found my bonesmart friends!!

Gale
10/5/09