NK +21 (11/25/14)

Visited the surgeon for my first post op visit. He advised that everything looked great and he would see me back on 12/23.
I'm currently at 101 degrees on the knee bend but that is with a lot of grunting and groaning. I will have supervised PT three times a week for the next four weeks. Will continue to use the cane until therapist indicates it is no longer needed.

I did get the surgeon to take me off of the Percocet and give me a scrip for Narco to use while doing PT. If needed I will supplement the Narco twice a day with Naproxen.

I have taken Percocet before for short periods but never for three continuous weeks. All I can say is that it is some nasty stuff.

Next day or so I will try and post some lessons learned for those that maybe facing knee replacement in the near future.

Glad you're doing well, Burner. You sleeping OK?

How's your PT treating you? Mine was a cutie, but she was a masochist. She bent my knee so hard, I nearly jumped off the bench. I think she liked to inflict pain...

Thanks Bro,

I slept about 3 hours total last night and that is the most since surgery. Getting off of the Percocet should help.

My in-home therapist is/was a young man that I will call Tiny. He is approximately 6'4", and goes about 260 lb. Pretty sure he was paid by the amount of degrees gained per visit and not the patient. I finished with the in-home therapy yesterday and start at a B&M on Mon.

Thanks for asking and have a great Thanksgiving.

Sorry to hear this and I will keep your wife in my prayer's. This is more than a person should have to endure.

\__/)
(=’.’=)
(")_(") !

Back at you!

Lessons learned:

1. Do your research and select an orthopedic surgeon with a great reputation. Not all surgeons are created equal. I know of more than one case that had to have a do over.

2. Create and use a pre-surgery checklist. Include all items (medical as well as non-medical related) that must be accomplished prior to surgery.

3. If possible, plan to have the surgery when you can kick back for two to three months. This may not be possible unless you are retired.

4. Go into the surgery with the mindset that you will go above and beyond on your PT. Too many individuals back off on the PT and end results are that they are really no better off after replacement than before.

5. More than likely, your surgeon will require you to attend a joint recovery class or session prior to your surgery. This is a great time to ask questions about your hospital stay and recovery. Also, during this class you will be advised that you will need continuous care for up to two weeks after discharge. You will need to plan on going to a care facility for two weeks unless you have someone that can be by your side 24-7 for the two weeks.

6. Probably a good idea to have someone stay with you while in the hospital. In my case I was admitted on Mon and discharged on Thur. While in the hospital you will not be allowed to get out of the bed unless hospital staff are assisting. My wife stayed with me and was a great help. She did everything for me that I could not, which was just about everything. The attending nursing staff was great but was not always readily available due to other patient needs.

7. Prior to discharge, ask for any and all prescriptions that you think you will need. It may not be offered if you don’t ask for it. Include anti-constipation and anti-nausea meds. Trust me, a BM is a must, sooner than later.

8. After discharge, I was assigned in-home nursing and therapy for a three week period. These folks were great. The nursing service became my POC between me and the surgeon. In many cases they could answer my question without contacting the surgeon’s office due to having the surgeon’s protocols on file. The nurse would visit a couple of times a week and more if needed. They also could be reached easily after hours.

9. ENSURE that you do your PT at least two to three times a day. This should also apply on days that you have supervised therapy. In addition, elevate and ice as much as possible. I have been instructed to elevate and ice after each therapy session for the next month. This is a great time to mention the ice therapy machine that was provided by the hospital. This little jewel is the greatest thing since sliced bread. I would recommend keeping twenty to thirty pounds of ice on hand because you will fill it up at least three times a day. Your fridge ice maker will not be able to keep up with the ice demand.

10. If you are prescribed Percocet, get off of it ASAP. It handles the pain but is very addictive. Another side effect of the Percocet is that it will alter your sleeping pattern. In other words you will not sleep. Once you are off of blood thinners, you can reduce the daily amount of Percocet and supplement with ibuprofen. I would also recommend at some point replace Percocet with Norco and supplement with naproxen. The naproxen will handle the residual pain better than the ibuprofen.

11. DVR plenty of shows and have plenty of reading material. You will have plenty of down time and you will need something to pass the time. Also recommend purchasing a back scratcher and shoe horn with telescoping handle. Both will come in handy.

12. Good info in Delta’s #2, MACS #’s 3 & 12, and Palama’s #13. Disregard T’s #33, this only applies to broken ankles.

This concludes knee replacement 101.

Burner,

Just wanted to thank you, for sharing the journey that you just traveled. After reading your posting I realized the issues that you shared will help others. May God Bless you as you get stronger and wishing you and yours the best for the holidays.

Thanks for the kind words and holiday wishes. I’m doing well and each day is better than the last and I hope to be on the golf course within a month and a half. I do hope my posting will help others that are facing joint replacement.

Oldefuzz, best wishes to you and your family during this holiday season.

🌫

KN + 29 (12/02/14)

Was able to get out and drive today for the first time. I have an F150 crew cab which has enough room for leg/foot movement. I'm probably a couple of weeks away from being able to drive the wife's Accord.

Pain meds have been reduced to one prior to PT.

Things seem to be progressing nicely.

=d> =d> =d>
Good to see your recovery is going well.

Today marks 10 weeks since the knee replacement. Things are progressing but maybe not as fast as I had hoped. Began my seventh week of supervised therapy away from home. Started the session at 113 degrees bend and finished at 120 with some sweat. I have another week and a half of therapy and I will be on my own. Really wish I had another month of the supervised therapy.

I still have some swelling in the knee and lower leg. Therapist indicated that the swelling could be present for up to six months. Probably the biggest down side is that I will never be able to completely kneel on the replaced knee again (did not know that going into surgery).

I return to the surgeon on 02/12 for an x-ray and how goes it.

Originally thought I would be playing golf by 02/01 but 03/01 seems to be more realistic.



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My knee and leg felt balky for 8 to 10 months after surgery, but I was able to walk long distances, hike and fish, and ride a bicycle within a few months. It was hard to fully bend my right leg to get on my knees or to lie on the floor or ground. I had to keep my leg nearly extended and use my arms to help lower myself down and to get up.

On the other hand, the biggest benefit was the absence of chronic knee pain. Prior to replacement surgery I would require lots of tylenol, ibuprofen or naproxen to ease the pain and help me sleep. I couldn't walk or bike long distances, and gave up hiking and fishing. Now I'm doing all of that, mostly pain free. Only thing I miss is playing tennis. Doc advised against it. I tried a few times, but my brakes don't work anymore.

Looks like you're doing fine, Burner!

Yep, it could be worse. As you noted the absence of pain is a very big plus.

Jan 20, was my last day of supervised therapy. I had four more visits scheduled, but was advised my desired range of motion had been met and they did not want to see me any more.

One thing I learned was not to do any therapy at home the day of prior to going to rehab. If I did any of the exercises at home the knee did not seem to respond as well at therapy and I was catching some chit for maybe not working it as hard as I should. The knee would stiffen up and limit the range of motion. Once I figured this out the rehab visits went much better and each visit was an improvement over the previous.

Visited the surgeon yesterday, 2/12, for the four month visit. I was advised that everything looked great 👍 and I can resume normal activities. I have one more doc visit in two months and will be released at that time.



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Good news brother know get ready for golf season.

Probation is going Well !! Good News !

I planned on doing a 6 month update but forgot. So here goes with the 10.5 month update. The knee has been doing great and I have had no swelling in the knee since the 5.5 month mark. I'm able to do pretty much what I want except kneeling on the knee in question. For the past couple of months I have been doing 6,5 miles, 4 - 6 mornings a week on the bike. I plan on stepping up to 9.5 miles a ride this coming week.

Only negative is that I get a new left knee in the next couple of months. The other negative is that the golf game still sucks.

Hope the surgery goes well and that you have a speedy recovery. I've avoided having to replace my left knee by doing the pt exercises I learned while recovering from right knee replacement, along with walking, hiking and biking. Had to give up tennis, though. Left knee only bothers me when I walk or hike down hill, go down stairs or maneuver over uneven surfaces, like a boulder strewn path.