Your helpful pre-op recovery items/set-up for home?

[VancouverUSAgal]

Grabber is another of those things we always had around the office and I've used to retrieve things off high shelves in kitchen so they can be handy. My recliner has power to raise and lower the footrest and change position but it isn't one of those ones that raise up high to put you in a standing position. It's electric and plugs in. I bought the large ice packs that wrap around your leg and fasten with velcro - didn't want to spend the money on one of those ice cuff things that I'd never use again but if they send me home with one, I'll give it a try.

 

[Roy Gardiner]

I had a friend of mine build a little "platform" for my recliner. It fit the recliner bottom perfectly. It raised the entire recliner about 4 inches. Much easier to get in and out of the chair with the platform!!! He built a little raised edge that went on 3 sides of the platform so that the chair wouldn't fall off of the platform. Fantastic!

Very good and absolutely correct, anything which raises the seating position is helpful. Because, of course, it minimises the leg bend needed to get up and down, and the force that has to go through the knees.

Without wishing to trump your story, I found a very simple approach worked.

See on the right, my couch supported by books (Encyclopaedia Britannica*, no rubbish!) which worked just fine, two in each corner.

(*1963's answer to the world wide web...)

 

[beth1954]

My personal opinion is that a recliner is MANDATORY after TKR. I lived in mine too for quite awhile. I tried to lay down in bed but could not get comfortable, and to keep my leg elevated was just not comfortable. I can't lay flat on my back w/o my back hurting. I slept in my recliner for at least 2-3 weeks. I have one of those "grabber" things that was my mother's. I'm sure I'll be using it!

 

[VancouverUSAgal]

Everybody works out the solutions in their own way and some times the simplest ways work just fine. I just know how messed up my sleep schedule got from previous surgeries and how uncomfortable bed can be when you're hurting, so that's why I put out the money for the power recliner. But I'm a "recliner person" anyway - I've never understood how people could sit for any length of time without their feet raised, so I've had recliners for my entire life. I don't even have a sofa in my den, just 2 recliners. I do have a small sofa in my front room but it has almost never been sat on.

 

[skigirl]

I really cannot agree that a recliner is Mandatory!! I don't have one at all and had both knees replaced with great success. I spent the first two weeks mostly in bed with my knees propped up with three pillows. I did buy new down pillows from Costco, which was a luxury!!

I am not comfortable in a recliner and worry that you cannot get your knees above your nose into the proper position for elevating. Elevating your leg to control swelling and pain However, if you own a recliner and like to sit in it---you should be careful to keep the legs elevated. If you don't own one, like me, it would be silly to purchase one just for your knees.

I spent a lot of time, relaxing on the couch with the three pillows too. (Hence the luxury of the additional pillows)

But, by three weeks, I was either up and about or asleep in my bed!! I did find that I had to have some down time later, but again, I just lay in my bed with the pillows. I slept in my own bed on the third post op day when I arrived home.

So---recliners are an individual choice thing---I have a small house and cannot see having a big, huge chair in it---Since I am three and four years out, I don't sit that much, but, if you have one and want to use it---just make sure you are elevating your legs properly.

 

[VancouverUSAgal]

Well, not all recliners are huge - there are smaller ones meant for women. I would consider that a sofa takes up much more room and doesn't offer good back support, but to each their own. I believe you said you didn't like the raised toilet seat and I have used one for years and wouldn't consider going back to practically sitting on the floor on a regular height toilet. Everyone finds what's comfortable for them. I put my wedge or other pillows on the foot rest to get my legs higher and my back is supported by the lumbar cushion on the chair. With my head slightly elevated, it is easier to breathe. As I said, I have had several major surgeries and I know what works best for me. We're merely putting our solutions out there for others to consider.

 

[referee54]

Another type of chair that I used was a rocking chair. I would gently rock back and forth, keeping my feet in one place on the floor, and it would slowly and gently stretch my quads, which were very, very tight. I also did the same thing with an office chair at my computer table---I would place my feet on the floor and not move them, then gently move the chair back and forth achieving the same results.

 

[bottomshollow]

I'm with you VancouverUSAgal! I love my lift recliner. My hubby has a large one, mine is medium. I can sit upright with legs up or recline almost flat. I, too, used a wedge to elevate toes above nose and could still watch TV if I so desired. I am short and wish I had gotten a petite sized chair because I have to keep chair titled toward to standing position to put my feet flat on the floor. But truthfully, I rarely find seating anywhere that allows me to have my feet flat on the floor if I'm sitting back so my back is supported; and then maybe, if I'm lucky, my toes touch the floor.

However, we have quite a few folks who prefer using a sofa and find that the most comfortable for them. And I'm all for folks doing whatever works best for them.

 

[skigirl]

VancouverUSAgal, I did not mean to dismiss your use of a recliner---just to suggest that they are not mandatory!! We find that even a sofa does not work as well in our small house and get by with smaller club type of chairs. I live my life outside and so I really don't sit much at all. I stand mostly in my studio---I even have my sewing machines on high tables---I stand to sew. Now, that is the signal of what led me to my tkrs---I could only stand for maybe 30 mins before my legs began to ache. I know that I am not the norm---just another viewpoint that I think needs to be expressed. You are right---ALL viewpoints are welcome here---I am sure many more will join you in loving recliners---I have just avoided them and I would not like to feel that someone felt that they HAD to purchase an expensive chair for a good recovery. Kelly

 

[pdx]

I didn't want to shell out for a recliner so just dealt with the couch; not an issue. We do have firm cushions, and that made a big difference, in terms of getting up. I did use a grabber, because I'd drop a sock or something. I never used the long shoehorn. We have a walk-in shower and it has a grab bar, so that was fine.
As for the toilet, we have a higher one, and we got "handles" -- bars that wrap around -- which I found invaluable.
Also, really suggest a short robe, rather than a long one. The latter can trip you up.
Remember, you're recovering, not becoming an invalid.

 

[SmartChoice]

All great suggestions!

 

[renatelynne]

My grabber thing was my saving grace but then again I had infections which ment a LOT of pain when I moved much. It helped me not have to move as much and to pick up things or turn off and on the lights in bed.

 

[skigirl]

I have a raised toilet seat built into our bathroom. We used a plastic ring thingy for the first tkr, but both of us hated it and I got rid of it during week 2. When we remolded the bathroom to put in the walk in shower, I also got a raised toilet.

 

[beth1954]

Back to the recliner........I really only meant that the recliner was mandatory......for ME, in my opinion, but maybe not for everyone! I only have 2 recliners and one love seat in my living room. The love seat isn't big enough to spread out on. With my first TKR, my recliner was what saved me. It's hard to get out of, but with my platform it was easier. I have one recliner that is like a giant cloud and very large. The other recliner also has a platform and is just a bit of a "taller" chair anyway. I will probably use that one at first. To each their own I suppose.

 

[VancouverUSAgal]

I don't actually have the kind shown in bottomshollow's post. Mine just has a power switch to raise and lower the footrest and change the position of the back but it doesn't raise up. Those might be really nice but I just chose to buy a different one because hopefully I will be able to get in and out of a chair more easily after my future BTKR's. Hang on to those long shoe horns. Even if you don't need those for this surgery, they come in handy if you develop any back problems.

I don't think there's probably much except ice and pillows that are mandatory but some things seem to have made recovery easier for a lot of folks and I'm hoping that will be the case for me, and I wish a good recovery to all of you who are planning for surgery.

 

[kneeper]

I liked having the grabber. You don't realize how often you (I) drop things until you can't easily retrieve them from the floor. I also still use it if something rolls under furniture. Until I get my second knee done it's still tricky to get on the floor.

 

[MissJ]

Hi SmartChoice, and congratulations on your decision to have what I consider to be life changing surgery - and the changes are good ones.

I will not chime in on the chair discussion. I personally dislike recliners -- bad for my back -- plus our old recliner did not get my feet up high enough. I had a big chair with an ottoman that came right up to the edge of the chair. That did the trick.

I ended up not using the toilet riser because our bathroom is tiny. We have a counter right next to the toilet so I could lean on that for leverage. Otherwise I would have used a riser. The shower bench was ESSENTIAL and I also had my husband install a hand-held shower head so that I could control when water was pelting on me.

The only thing I used the grabber for was getting the paper off of the stoop in the morning. Bending can be interesting (i.e. I did not reach the bottom rack of the dishwasher for a month or so). I bought a dog-leashy thing for getting my leg up onto our high bed; I could manage our lower spare bed by just sitting my butt on the mattress and lifting my legs up while swinging around. Do not underestimate how hard (impossible?) it will be to lift your legs after surgery. I was thinking of that last night as I hopped into bed!

I had a walker (not crutches) with a very nice cloth "pocket" (actually several pockets) - essential! That and a tall travel glass/mug enabled me to get my hot tea from the kitchen to the living room where I really DID live for a couple of months.

I used gel packs, not the cryo cuff - I bought four so that two could be on my knees & two in the freezer.

Good luck!

 

[crystals5]

I have gel paks and made the alcohol water ones which I love and still use. I ended up getting the cryo cuff which I also use and would highly recommend. Also, a toilet seat riser, a tray for my walker which I still cart around my apartment to hold the cryo cuff. I would highly recommend a stationary bike. I have very little room in my apartment and I bought a very inexpensive/foldable one $124 from walmart.com. I love it and my physical therapist really liked it a lot and I use it several times a day just to keep the knee loose and flexible. For its size its very stable also. I do not have a recliner. I just bought extra pillows and used them from my sofa to my bed. I didn't get the shower seat but had a big grip bar put in my shower which the apartment provided (apparently they have to if you have a disability).

 

[B's Knees]

All the chairs in my house are kind of low. I can hardly get out of them now. I am lucky with my bed, though. Many years ago, my husband bought me a bed at IKEA that is electric. You can raise the head of the bed AND you can raise the foot part. I think if I also use the wedge pillow I've bought, my knees won't only be over my nose, they won't even be in the same zip code.