Trying to decide on a date

Ladylyn915

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Hello! I am brand new to this site and have at least a million questions.

But, firstly, I am trying to decide when to get a total knee replacement of my left knee. I was originally going to do it in January. Then I decided to do it next month (October) but I have already paid for a two night stay at Hershey Park on 12/9 and 12/10 with my daughter and two grandsons. Will I be able to go? Should I go back to my original plan of January? I have a pre-op appointment my my surgeon this Thursday to discuss the surgery. Any thoughts?
 
Hi, welcome to BoneSmart.

So you would be about 2 months post-op?

IMO yes your trip should be possible, if you recover normally. You won't be fully recovered, but should be mobile and I'd guess in less pain than now -- but not fully pain free.

I'd say go for the surgery. You're bringing your recovery 2-3 months forward, and less worrisome waiting.
 
Hi and welcome to BoneSmart! Hershey Park, you say? And with the grandsons, too. That's going to be so fun for all of you!

You don't say when in October the surgery would be -- beginning of the month could mean a difference of three weeks from the end of the month -- but it might not make enough difference. You have no way of knowing, and and neither would we or your surgeon, how quickly you will heal after a TKR. Even under the best of circumstances, a trip to Hershey Park for two days would be difficult for a TKR patient to manage. Even at 8 weeks after surgery you will want to rest, elevate your legs, and ice your operated knee a few times a day, and especially after any exercise.

Talk with your surgeon about realistic expectations for this trip. Does it involve a long drive? How much walking will be involved and, more importantly, can you reasonably be expected to do? If you are hoping to go into the park, walk around, and perhaps take some rides, this trip probably will be too much for you. You may still be using a cane at this point and will find extended time on your new knee uncomfortable.

You will probably have more fun if you go before surgery, rather than after. Doing so will also be better for your long term recovery from TKR. You can recover without the pressure of an upcoming event hanging over you.
 
Ha! There you have it, two different opinions. :heehee: You could definitely try the trip if two months out, and as you get closer to the date make arrangements if you need to plan for more sitting, resting, etc..
 
:what: :scratch: :chinstroke:

Well yes if it's going to be lots of walking then maybe not; I was kinda thinking you'd be about as mobile after a couple of months as you are now. I could be being optimistic, I guess, based on my own recovery.

And I'd always say go now rather than later to get the :censored: over with!
 
Hershey Park is a big amusement park with 70 rides and a wilderness park and there's a chocolate factory. :) If going to the chocolate factory and taking the ride through the factory, easy going (plus you get chocolate!). If the amusement park... a little more time on one's feet. Either way, it's a really fun place! :ok:

Do they have scooters? Something to look into.
 
Hershey Park is a big amusement park with 70 rides and a wilderness park and there's a chocolate factory.
Oh gosh, then probably not! It depends what you are planning to do there. Tell us that and we can maybe give you a better opinion. However, it all depends upon your recovery in the end.
 
Oh my Gosh! Thank you for such quick and thoughtful responses! The trip is at Christmas time. Hershey Park rents scooters but I do not know how much we will be in the park. Even with the scooter, it sounds like my knee will not be healed enough not to leave me uncomfortable. I have not set up the surgery. As I continue to read up on everything, I see there is a lot to consider. I have read that it is beneficial to do exercises for 4 - 6 weeks prior to surgery. I am also overweight and not sure it I should try to work on that a bit too. I am really becoming a bit overwhelmed .
Also, after having Hyaluronic acid injections, my knee is not extremely painful. However, I have had this arthritic condition for a long time and I now have a knocked knee- about 20% turnout. I don't want to wait too long because of the chance of nerve damage.
 
Christmas at Hershey Park is pretty special, and of course the chance to be there with your grandchildren is even more special. You're smart to take a close look at this surgery ahead of time and plan accordingly.

Your surgeon will advise you on pre-op preparations. Mine had me do exercises before the operation to stretch my hamstrings (back of the knee) and strengthen my quadriceps muscles. Yours might recommend different exercises or none at all. Some people swear their exercises helped... and others who did the same exercises faithfully got no benefit at all. It's not a sure thing, but a little exercise won't hurt... and it might help.

Being overweight is something lots of us share. Some TKR patients lose weight before surgery and some don't, and extra weight isn't a barrier to a good recovery. [I'm quite heavy and I've had a wonderful recovery.] As with exercise, it never hurts to lose a little weight ahead of surgery. If that's difficult for you, though, don't worry about it. Your surgeon agreed to operate on you as you are. :SUNsmile:
 
I would be afraid that the upcoming trip would cause you worry and distress during your recovery. The recovery is hard enough if you have time to wait, rest, ice, and elevate. The mind set is important because the knee will heal when the knee will heal, and not when we want it to. Trying to push it so you can enjoy the trip might make things worse and not better.
 
I'm definitely rethinking the timing of the surgery. The original January date is making more sense all the way around. My doctor may kill me though - I keep bouncing around with this. For now, I am going to cancel this week's appointment. Think about it a little more and go from there. Thank you all for the prompt helpful posts!
 
I scheduled my surgery 6 months out. Dr said it would not change what he needed to do. But I had lots of family events that I wanted to go to. The 6 months was good in that I was able to exercise and get my leg as strong as possible, but it was bad in that I had WAY too much time to overthink everything and worry. You want to be the best you possible when you enter that operating room, physically,mentally, and emotionally. This surgery will kick you to the curb, and you need to be able to rise above it and get through it. Reading on this forum will help you adjust to everything your knee throws at you, and knowing is half the battle. Recovery can be hard, but it does get better with time, and dozens of posts here will attest to that.
 

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