I’m having a partial knee replacement, right knee, on Thursday. It’s a very old injury related knee issue, not age related. Rest of my knee and other knee both look fine.
So…anyone have any sage advice or experiences worth sharing about this? Mine is day surgery.
Not as familiar with partial. My colleague had total replacement and the first couple of weeks of recovery were difficult and painful- and he was a very fit person. The result was excellent, though, and he was back golfing and cycling in a couple of months. Advice would be- be careful with the pain meds (don’t underuse or overuse) and do the PT religiously. Best of luck with it.
I have no experience with knee replacement.
One person I know had a total shoulder replacement. Two weeks afterward they said it was bad and they would never do it again. Six months afterward they said that it was wonderful and they were going to get the other one done (which they did).
To me this seems to suggest that things will improve over time, and do not get discouraged in the short term because improvement will continue. However, I have also heard that knees are easier than shoulders.
I had knee surgery many years ago and was very happy with the result both very soon afterward and years later. It did improve slowly over an extended period of time. 25 years later I have trouble remembering which knee was operated on. My only regrets are not having it done earlier, and the fact that my very cool matching “vampire bite” scars (two small dots, exactly symmetric on both sides of the knee) have faded and I cannot find them anymore.
My bff’s husband just had one. He said you will be up and moving right away. Ice ice ice. Stick with your PT religiously.
He had a great outcome!
Speedy recovery!!!
They are sending me one of those ice machine things. The tubing will be wrapped around my leg. Ice and water are put into the machine which then pumps it continually. It also does some compression thing.
My physical therapy begins the day OF my surgery. They will meet me when I get home unless it’s very late in the day.
I definitely will be good about the pain meds for a reasonable amount of time.
I want to be very encouraging, @thumper1. Years ago, my mother broke her knee in a fall. Drs gave it “a year to heal” and weren’t pleased with the results. She already had arthritis and 2 other joint impacting diseases. They did a full joint replacement followed by PT and it was an amazingly good outcome for someone older and frailer. Ask about what work-arounds you might need at home initially. Drs don’t always focus on this, but nurses and/or PTs may. All the best with your surgery.
@travelnut thank you. Yes, the home PT has already taken information about my house and needs related to that. His primary focus will be making sure I can do what I need to do in my home. He is three times a week for two weeks. After that, I will have outpatient PT and that’s when they will do the big work on rebuilding strength and range of motion.
I’m hoping for a good outcome…and a decent recovery.
All the best @thumper1! Good luck on Thursday!
I had partial knee replacement this year and am so glad I did. Had a great outcome.
I had PT come to my house for the first 2 weeks before I had to drive to my Rehab PT office. Early frustration was trying to find a comfortable position to sleep in. Due to other health issues, there was no effective step down drug for my pain. And I am not supposed to take Advil.
I suggest you ask for a prescription for a step down drug once you get through the initial pain. For me, it was about 3 days.
I set up camp in H’s recliner in the living room. Had H stock me up with water, tv remotes, cell phone and charger, and magazines I could flip through. Not in the mood for actually reading a book.
I did not mind using a walker, and figured how how to attach a bag so I could carry things from room to room. Once I switched to using a cane, i carried things in my fanny pack.
Anesthesia will most likely cause constipation, and drinking lots of water is not enough. Go ahead and buy Miralax and take it daily. Trust me, I drink 10-12 glasses of water a day, and thought it was enough. Very frustrating, and hard to resolve once you realize your condition.
It took me 3.5 months before I could walk with my H on hiking trails. I was inactive for several years before my surgery, caring for my mom with dementia. So if you have been active before your surgery, you will bounce back more quickly .
Feel free to ask more questions, or PM me. Best of luck!
will echo what @powercropper said about constipation. Neighbor was convinced he would not get constipated as long as he drank lots of water. Uh, nope. Didn’t/couldn’t poop for 7 days. Got so bad, he actually ended up in ER.
Now, the minute he hears anyone mention painkillers, he almost drags them to drugstore to get Miralax.
For those of you have been through this, how long was it before you were allowed to go up/down stairs?
@CountingDown, I had a total knee replacement in 2018. I was living two flights up, so I stayed with a friend in an elevator building for a week after the 4-day hospital stay. After 4 or 5 days, I took the subway one stop to pick up my own meds at a pharmacy. That trip had steps. One step at a time! And I was totally ready to go home when I did.
I nicely offered to take a friend to lunch a few days after his surgery. I offered to pick him up and learned he’d already been walking everywhere. Just not stairs.
How you react will be individual. I do hope your DH spoils you a bit, as powercropper’s did. Plus brings your favorite meals.
Best to you, thumper.
@thumper1, Wishing you a smooth procedure and an easy recovery! My dad swore by doing “prehab” on his exercise bike beforehand to get his leg muscles strong.
Hope all goes well @thumper1.
H had his knee replaced in January, and it has been great. He went from constant pain to being able to go on walks again (he is now up to 4 miles).
My only advice was to follow doctor’s orders and do the PT religiously. And the ice machine is great, btw.
Ice ice baby!
Also milk of magnesia. Those opioids work on pain, but stop you up.
You might also retain fluids. Be patient about that. Stay off the scale.
Ice ice ice. And sennecott and Metamucil. Stay ahead of things. Also Physical Therapy.
DH had total knee replacement this year. They started his pt in the recovery room. He stayed overnight and pt made sure he could use a walker and use a cane to go up and down stairs. He was going up and down at home within a day. He was watering plants in the backyard with his walker with a few days. We set up the long side of the sectional as a day bed to get knee at right height above heart. Recliners don’t necessarily get it high enough. Ice religiously and do the pt from day 1.
He is still religiously doing it on his own. The leg was so weak from years of deterioration it took a long time to get strength back. He is working on leg strength on the other one now so when he does it in a couple of months recovery will be easier.
I got an ice pack similar to this one, which really, really helped:
https://www.walgreens.com/store/c/walgreens-hot-%26-cold-large-compress/ID=prod6375081-product
I’m getting the ice machine thing, and a gel pack that can be frozen and uses Velcro to wrap around my knee. I think that should do it for ice!
I’m not a laxative person…so…Apple juice or what can be used instead?
Clothing? I’m thinking I have some cotton dresses that will probably be easier than anything else.