I am scheduled for my TKR on March 8 and admit to being a wee bit nervous.
I need to get through this with my body being a slower metabolizer of many of the surgery drugs/ pain killers and preservative free. I have a pre op meeting March 1 with the surgeon and an anesthesiologist. I am going to be positive and assume that I will make it through surgery.
I would love any advice you all may have regarding my rehab - working through the pain to accomplish therapy sessions, nausea from pain killers, spouse that will prob become impatient with the healing process and my continuing need for him to help out, tips on not becoming overwhelmed by all that is about to come my way, etc. and etc!
My husband had a TKR last year and it went so well that he is planning on doing the other knee this fall. One thing that he thought helped was doing some physical therapy exercises before the surgery. The only trouble he had with the surgery was constipation that was largely caused by the pain killers. He would suggest taking the minimum pain killers and do everything to keep your bowels moving. That was miserable. The knee wasn’t so bad.
My mother was in the 1% or so that developed an infection many months after her replacement.
She had to have the artificial joint removed, a concrete spacer inserted, no weight bearing, in a nursing home for twice a day IV for roughly a month, home in a wheelchair no weight bearing for another two months, surgery to put in the next artificial joint, two weeks nursing home for care and rehab, home for outpatient PT.
My SIL had this done in late November at age 62. Within a couple of days she sent pictures of sitting at her kitchen island doing meal prep sitting comfortably. Think about ways you can keep up your routines (like cooking, folding laundry, etc.) while keeping your recoup going. You’ll feel better doing the typical routines you’ll see progress, hopefully, with each day that passes!
She didn’t have pain for too long. The whole process was much more positive than she ever thought. She wondered why she had waited so long to do it and two days after having the surgery was ready to line up the next knee with no hesitation.
Control what you can control. Have faith in yourself. Be ready to celebrate small wins. Above all, go into the surgery with a positive frame of mind. This IS to better your daily self!
We have several friends who have had both knees replaced. Each has said that after the first one, they couldn’t wait to have the second one done.
Good luck!!
A good GF just did it. She said jump on the PT hard from the beginning to gain range of motion, stay on top of the pain by taking the pills. She adds be ready for constipation from taking the narcotics and to ice ice ice baby to keep the swelling down. She feels great, but jokes that it took four weeks before her swelling went down enough for her to fit in pants again.
Kajon, having “been there and done that,” I can tell you your life is about to change in a wonderful way. I had both knees replaced in November 2014, and I could kick myself for not doing it three years before that when it was first recommended to me.
I had my surgery on a Thursday and then transferred to a lovely rehab center for two weeks for intensive PT and OT. It was determined I needed to go to rehab instead of straight home because all of our bedrooms and full baths were on the second level. I have four EXTREMELY important things to share with you:
DON’T try to be a hero. Request your pain medication at the first hint of pain. Remember that nurses have several patients and are not always able to immediately drop everything to get to the med cart (I know this first-hand as I am a nurse).
DO ask for/take pain medication at least 45 minutes to an hour prior to PT. Not doing so may result in tears … again, first-hand information.
DO everything that PT and OT instruct you to do, no matter how difficult it seems at the time. I promise they know what they’re doing. Be sure to follow through with your exercises at home as instructed.
Miralax is your friend. Pain meds can and do cause constipation. Your surgeon will likely order Miralax daily to help prevent this. TRUST ME, you’ll need it.
My surgeon told me it takes a full year to recover from TKR, so don’t get frustrated. I promise it is well worth it!! Please check in with us after your surgery and let us know how you’re doing.
@SplashMom, please don’t kick yourself, even though with your new knees, you now can do so!
My 90-YEAR OLD mom had one of her knees replaced in September. I was concerned about her having the procedure done, even though she was in such terrible pain before the operation that one family member was afraid she might kill herself. Granted, my main concern was the anesthesia, because I’ve read about older people having very signficant decreases in brain functioning after surgery. But my mom did fine in the surgery. The rehab was a little rough but after trying to do it at home for half a day, she decided to go to an in-patient facility. She and the rest of my family were very pleased with the care and rehab she received there.
Best thing I ever did.
The physical therapy is the key. Never skip it. Sometimes it will hurt but they are trained to recognize when you’ve accomplished your goals for that session and it is never excruciating. I looked upon it as being a sign I was healing.
I’m 3 months post-TKR. You’ve received great advice already - I’ll just note that recovery is not linear, it stair steps. Try not to be frustrated with the plateaus. And keep up the exercises!!
I had my surgery last year. Be sure to have a couple of large ice packs so you can always have one ready, and use them a lot. It’s a very good pain reliever. I took my husband’s robe belt and used it for lifting my leg onto the bed. Keep your leg elevated when you’re not moving around. I found it helpful to use a raised toilet seat, because my other knee isn’t in great shape and it can be difficult to hoist yourself up.
Your knee will be fully functional from the day of surgery. You’ll be up and walking. The second day, just before I was discharged, I practiced going up and down stairs. In fact, as soon as I got home, I went upstairs to take a shower!
Do not let anyone push down on your knee to get extension, or let them bend your leg. If you can’t do it yourself, your knee is still too swollen. Nothing should cause great pain. Discomfort, yes. I don’t agree about medicating prior to PT. The more you force it, the more swelling you will have. It’s counter productive. Many physical therapists are way too aggressive and all about the numbers. It is your body and you call the shots. I did no PT, due to a complication that left me housebound. But I walked laps around the house and eventually in the driveway. I slowly took over cooking, laundry and cleaning.
Oh my gosh - you guys are all amazing. Thank you so much. I really needed to hear your stories!!!
Snowball City - I am so sorry about your mothers’s horrific experience. It must have taken a great deal of strength for all involved to make it through the infection and recovery.
The real life experiences describe it quite well. I work for a large group of ortho surgeons and do x-ray. I’ve seen and talked with thousands of TKR patients over the years. It does truly take a year to get the full benefit of the surgery. Some people may wait too long and their muscles (quads) might have deteriorated, making recovery slow and painful.
Stiffness is one of the most common long term complaints that and the losing the ability to kneel for some. On occasion the doctors will need to perform a “manipulation under anesthesia” for patients who are not responding to PT and are not getting enough movement and bending post-op. I don’t see this being done anywhere near as much as say 10 years ago (a good thing).
Infection is a real concern, but seems almost random. THA (total hip arthroplasty) patients seem to recover faster and have fewer mechanical and infection issues, FWIW. Obesity is a major problem leading to “premature” joint replacements. Being overweight puts enormous pressure on your knees and tears them up. Our surgeons are now replacing some peoples knees in their late forties. Increasing life spans mean that a person might have 2 or more “revisions” to their TKR’s.
In the end, arthritis gets everyone and is the primary reason for knee replacements.
Retired anesthesiologist here. Great you get to talk to your physicians in advance of the surgery day. Even decades ago things were worked out so things are likely to go very smoothly. Regional anesthesia can be an excellent choice if your physicians recommend it (every person is different so they will choose the best solutions that work for you and the surgery), voice your concerns and have faith in the system. I agree wholeheartedly with post # 8 about keeping ahead of the pain post surgery. And the narcotics/constipation link. I’ve been on the patient side of surgery/recovery myself (not orthopedic, learned from this- it all makes sense) and see where your CC friends are giving a lot of good advice. Knowledge is power, you will go into this with confidence.
Addenda- a classmate and I can attest to clueless also physician H’s when recovering from surgery. Well meaning but forgot to do for us instead of just not having us do things for them- breakfast was one. I have so many tales to tell about the little things that can go wrong. Like coming home from the hospital and hurrying with my shower because the water department stopped by to say they were turning off the water in less than an hour for some maintenance. Or out of town father coming for a surprise visit when both H and son had chosen to leave for a few hours- I just wanted to stay in bed instead of entertaining him with my presence (I can get really sexist here with comments about men…). Keep your sense of humor when little things happen- the big stuff will go fine.
My mid 80’s MIL put off the surgery because she did not want to deal with rehab and is now in an assisted living facility on her eventual way to a nursing home. Do the surgery and the rehab earlier rather than later.
I’m getting my second shoulder done in a few weeks. Absolutely dreading it.
I have been doing pt for months and will continue having to do it. I bought some T-shirt’s from Etsy so I don’t need to raise my arms to get clothes on. Not sure if you need to consider what you’ll wear during recovery.
I have a light laser, ice machine and tens unit I use all daily to help with healing, swelling and pain.
Take the pain meds before you’re screaming in pain. I eat dried fruit to keep things going.
Follow post op instructions! So many people half ass or don’t do their exercises. Don’t forget to ice.
As for the irritated spouse, I know mine means well and I know how hard it is on him. Last surgery I spent months crying on and off. I know I was hard to live with. I do think as long as you’re kind requesting help and being grateful and thankful goes a long way. Let him deal with his own issues of irritation.
