OT: - Total Knee Replacement on Friday 9/11 | Page 2 | The Boneyard

OT: Total Knee Replacement on Friday 9/11

Geez - My wife's experience (she's not a complainer) was like rolling-off-a-log. She was fortunate that she didn't have a lot of underlying arthritis but after 2 years of living with the cartilage pretty much gone, she had the replacement right after Mid-State opened post-covid.
She was in the hospital by 5:30am and home by 5pm the same day. Walking same day and (don't tell the Doc) driving within the week. Long walks within a few weeks. Was good about pre-and-post op exercises. Doc didn't "push" formal PT but she did go for a couple weeks. Never really complained about pain.
Again (like so many things) YMMV. If you don't have serious underlying "issues" consider it. The state of medical technology is amazing!
 
@Conndog, confession here: I always read your handle as corndog.

Hope the surgery goes smooth and you have a quick recovery.
 
Best of Luck ConnDog

I'm one of the fortunate ones; 81and never been kissed...er...never had serious knee issues.

Did have a meniscus tear repaired; piece of cake.

I have a theory about knee problems that of which I want to inquire among our brethren: I start to have issues when I curl up into a semi-fetal position when I sleep. I've trained myself to extend my legs and leave them there.
When I'm consistent in that regard, my knees are fine...and when I forget;
I have a little pain that feels like the meniscus issue reoccurring.

Has anyone had similar experiences?
 
Never took pain pills for my knees because when I took them for other physical pain, they never worked. No sense putting drugs into your body if they don't work.
 
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RockyMTblue2 said:
Gee, thanks for the shower reminder. Yes, struggling to sit safely in that plastic outdoor chair, then struggling to wash what you're sitting on, then the struggle with the walker. Ah, the memories. Six months after my second knee my surgeon told me why they put the two surgeries 6 weeks apart. He said the total knee is the most painful ortho surgery/rehab there is and they found that people were declining the second if they scheduled them months apart.
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Rocky, I think a used to watch a television based on your predicament. Lee Majors starred. The Bionic something or other.
 
dogged1 said:
That's funny. But if you try to hit me with your walker you'll just lose your balance and topple over.
Just couldn't help but notice we have a lot of oldudes, olddogs, veryolddogs and the like.
At 3 score and 10, this place makes me feel young sometimes. :D
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Yes. Come to think of it this should be called the Energizer Bunny yard.
 
dogged1 said:
There's not much I can contribute to the conversation, as I have no experience with this procedure, so here's my best wishes for a speedy recovery @Conndog.

Has anyone ever conducted a survey of the average age of a Boneyarder? We do seem to be a bit ...unh geriatric.
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I've heard rumors that RockyMTBlue2 nearly drowned when his boat tipped crossing the Delaware.
 
This is all interesting to me. All my joints are rubbish and I’m only in my 30s. (Likely Elhers Danlos Syndrome- finishing genetic testing. No formal diagnosis yet)
Seems crazy to me that regular healthy people need joints replaced! Ack! My joints dislocate and fall out of where they should be at least 10-20 times a week (including knocking thumbs out almost daily when I put hands down to push up out of bed while half asleep, ouch). I hope you all get some relief! I can’t imagine getting joints replaced (mine don’t hold shape or stay where they are, but they definitely don’t wear away cartilage or anything like that. )
I think I’m just used to perpetual pain at this point. This is a super interesting thread for me.....
 
JimGunther said:
Geez - My wife's experience (she's not a complainer) was like rolling-off-a-log. She was fortunate that she didn't have a lot of underlying arthritis but after 2 years of living with the cartilage pretty much gone, she had the replacement right after Mid-State opened post-covid.
She was in the hospital by 5:30am and home by 5pm the same day. Walking same day and (don't tell the Doc) driving within the week. Long walks within a few weeks. Was good about pre-and-post op exercises. Doc didn't "push" formal PT but she did go for a couple weeks. Never really complained about pain.
Again (like so many things) YMMV. If you don't have serious underlying "issues" consider it. The state of medical technology is amazing!
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If you are talking MidState in Connecticut, that is where I had my knee replaced, shortly after CT Orthopedic took over a wing of the hospital. First class operation, and the surgeons are top notch.
 
Hi everyone, I had my surgery and am back home recuperating! Procedure was at 7:30 am, and it was 2 hours drive with arrival for 6:30 am, so set alarm for 3:45 and gathered everything I needed and started driving with my wife. Got there without trouble, operation went smoothly and was done by 9 am. Doctor was pleased, we had physical therapy go over standing, sitting, toilet, and stairs. We were going home by 1 pm and got there by 3. Along the way, I would bend my knee off & on to not have two hours of inactivity.
I’m following the med program/schedule to the letter, and twice I’ve taken PRN nausea as me & anesthesia have a history. And I came close to falling once in kitchen- which they said is worst thing to do- when wife was in other room & I took both hands off walker to do something & lost balance. It caused me to lean backwards enough to wobble, and my wife got to me in time to support me. Hopefully I learned my lesson to not try anything on my own for next week or so but ask wife to help as she’s on vacation for this.
Pre-surgery, my extension was 8 degrees short of straight, and flexion/bend was only 90 degrees. I have the CPM machine working & tolerating it with extension and flexion set at -3 and +120!
So, thanks for your thoughts & comments which were very helpful. I am on the road to recovery!
 
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Conndog said:
Hi everyone, I had my surgery and am back home recuperating! Procedure was at 7:30 am, and it was 2 hours drive with arrival for 6:30 am, so set alarm for 3:45 and gathered everything I needed and started driving with my wife. Got there without trouble, operation went smoothly and was done by 9 am. Doctor was pleased, we had physical therapy go over standing, sitting, toilet, and stairs. We were going home by 1 pm and got there by 3. Along the way, I would bend my knee off & on to not have two hours of inactivity.
I’m following the med program/schedule to the letter, and twice I’ve taken PRN nausea as me & anesthesia have a history. And I came close to falling once in kitchen- which they said is worst thing to do- when wife was in other room & I took both hands off walker to do something & lost balance. It caused me to lean backwards enough to wobble, and my wife got to me in time to support me. Hopefully I learned my lesson to not try anything on my own for next week or so but ask wife to help as she’s on vacation for this.
Pre-surgery, my extension was 8 degrees short of straight, and flexion/bend was only 90 degrees. I have the CPM machine working & tolerating it with extension and flexion set at -3 and +120!
So, thanks for your thoughts & comments which were very helpful. I am on the road to recovery!
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So glad your experience was a good one. Be careful and work hard. Keep us posted. I was scheduled for a TKR in 2015 and went for pre-screening where they found that I had experienced a heart attack. So no new knee, but several stents later I still need to schedule the TKR.
 
I had both hips replaced more than 15 years ago .. arthritis .. I was immediately pain-free .. and recovery was short, a week or so .. and I drive a stick shift, always and still do .. no problems, eh?
 
8 weeks post op right knee total replace. I’m a 71 year old male. Already had both hips done.

Use the pain meds and do the PT every day. Every day. Get up and move a little more every day every hour or two (except at night). Ice as much as possible. Don’t know anyone who uses continuous motion machine. First week is toughest but everyone has different pain thresholds. It certainly was much better after 1-2 weeks.

After 4 weeks I was walking a mile a day and now up to 3+. Told to keep doing the PT for the year and that after that muscles don’t improve beyond that.

Keep it up. Spending no more than 30 minutes a day on PT plus walking and you will see best results.
 
Conndog said:
Hi everyone, I had my surgery and am back home recuperating! Procedure was at 7:30 am, and it was 2 hours drive with arrival for 6:30 am, so set alarm for 3:45 and gathered everything I needed and started driving with my wife. Got there without trouble, operation went smoothly and was done by 9 am. Doctor was pleased, we had physical therapy go over standing, sitting, toilet, and stairs. We were going home by 1 pm and got there by 3. Along the way, I would bend my knee off & on to not have two hours of inactivity.
I’m following the med program/schedule to the letter, and twice I’ve taken PRN nausea as me & anesthesia have a history. And I came close to falling once in kitchen- which they said is worst thing to do- when wife was in other room & I took both hands off walker to do something & lost balance. It caused me to lean backwards enough to wobble, and my wife got to me in time to support me. Hopefully I learned my lesson to not try anything on my own for next week or so but ask wife to help as she’s on vacation for this.
Pre-surgery, my extension was 8 degrees short of straight, and flexion/bend was only 90 degrees. I have the CPM machine working & tolerating it with extension and flexion set at -3 and +120!
So, thanks for your thoughts & comments which were very helpful. I am on the road to recovery!
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So glad to hear that your surgery went well. The long road to recovery is just that, long. But you can do it. Just take one day at a time. I had a major surgery in late June. It took me two months to fully recover, with a lot of pain along the way. I’m 100% now, but it was a slow process. Please keep us informed on your progress.
 
Congrats on the operation!
As everybody has said put 120% into your PT!
Best of luck!
 
Just a quick update on the surgery, it is 3 days later & I’m doing great. Had hiccups for most of that time- anesthesia wearing off maybe- irritating but over now thank God. Pain is not much of issue- well managed by meds they gave me. Using CPM machine most of day & during night too- just keeps bending & straightening the knee over & over. Helps with range of motion & keeps scar tissue at bay. Doing PT too. Thanks & good luck if anyone else is having surgery anytime soon.
 
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Thanks for the good news. There may be occasional bad days. If so, check in with us and we'll give you something else to focus on. ;)
 
chrissaran said:
Never took pain pills for my knees because when I took them for other physical pain, they never worked. No sense putting drugs into your body if they don't work.
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It's not just for pain, it's for controlling swelling and inflammation.
 
Conndog said:
Getting it done due to stiffness/lack of bending/arthritis- only one knee, other is fine. Confused about the continuous passive motion (CPM) machine. Don't I need to use it at night too when I sleep? The rep for the CPM machine said they don't recommend using it at night (they don't recommend putting it in the bed in case you move a lot normally during sleep). I'll check with Doctor, I thought he said to use it as much as possible both night & day, while also doing the PT exercises as much as possible. Anyone have a Total Knee Replacement recently?
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Just spoke with my cousin who had hers done last Wednesday. They kept her in rehab for five days before sending her home. She is using a walker for a couple of weeks but the Dr. said everything went well and she should be back to normal by the middle of Oct. She said there was some "discomfort" involved but feels it was more than worth it. Good luck, Conndog.
 
I had a horrible knee injury, playing basketball 40 years ago. Had medial collateral, anterior cruciate and medial meniscus torn. Had surgery and stayed very athletic for years. Did competitive cross country, 10 Ks, alpine skiing, moguls until the reconstruction gave out. Couldn't even walk 100 feet. Seven years ago I did a knee replacement on my right knee. Went in one day out the next. Only took one pain pill. Recovery period was about 3 months. Now I can do just about everything. For example to combat COVID since March 1st, I have walked between 8 to 10 miles every day to include weekend at a 10 to 12 minute pace on hills. Everything documented in my Forerunner 250. Knee replacement was the best health decision I ever made. Do your PT religiously.
 
So far so good after one week. I am doing PT 3 x day now, simple things thru VNA to get me going. Formal PT starts Monday. Using knee bending machine constantly- day & while at sleep- and walking a lot too (short distance).
I feel great & knee bend measured today was 110 degrees. Also have next 5 weeks off from work- that is nice!
 
msf22b said:
I have a theory about knee problems that of which I want to inquire among our brethren: I start to have issues when I curl up into a semi-fetal position when I sleep. I've trained myself to extend my legs and leave them there.
When I'm consistent in that regard, my knees are fine...and when I forget;
I have a little pain that feels like the meniscus issue reoccurring.

Has anyone had similar experiences?
Expand ...
it may not be your knee - it could be your psoas muscle. I grew up sleeping in a fetal position and once I reached a certain age my hip and knee started to ache. I lived with it until a massage therapist told me the how a tight or shortened psoas, which runs from the lower back, through the inside of the groin to the lower body, can cause back, hip, and/or knee pain. I had frequent hip or knee pain and even some achy feelings on the inside of my leg below the knee before I saw her. It was all because of the psoas. She was able to relieve the hip and knee pain through massage but stretching, avoiding sitting for a long time, or curling my legs while sleeping can help greatly.

 
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Conndog said:
So far so good after one week. I am doing PT 3 x day now, simple things thru VNA to get me going. Formal PT starts Monday. Using knee bending machine constantly- day & while at sleep- and walking a lot too (short distance).
I feel great & knee bend measured today was 110 degrees. Also have next 5 weeks off from work- that is nice!
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I had one done 4 years ago & had a great surgeon. Wasn’t fun, but knew that pain would get better, whereas the old college basketball injury with lots of osteoarthritis aggravated by many moons of coaching wouldn’t. Hated the pain meds, but got rid of them in a couple days. My PT was a former player who smiled and said they were going to repay me for all the conditioning pain they endured, but did a great job getting all my flexibility back. Don’t even think about having a replacement joint now. Biggest danger long term is impact from, let’s say, jumping down from pickup tailgate or any impact straight legged.

This surgery is something that will make you speak fluent profanity for the first few weeks, and 3 months down the road you will wonder why you didn’t do it sooner.
Godspeed
 
Twolf said:
I had one done 4 years ago & had a great surgeon. Wasn’t fun, but knew that pain would get better, whereas the old college basketball injury with lots of osteoarthritis aggravated by many moons of coaching wouldn’t. Hated the pain meds, but got rid of them in a couple days. My PT was a former player who smiled and said they were going to repay me for all the conditioning pain they endured, but did a great job getting all my flexibility back. Don’t even think about having a replacement joint now. Biggest danger long term is impact from, let’s say, jumping down from pickup tailgate or any impact straight legged.

This surgery is something that will make you speak fluent profanity for the first few weeks, and 3 months down the road you will wonder why you didn’t do it sooner.
Godspeed
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This is comforting to read, thanks. My knee stiffens up easily but it's only been 10 days since surgery & tissues are still healing/excess fluid is still bathing the area. I'm pleased that pain isn't a big deal- really just using Tylenol & ibuprofen to keep it minimal, and it's doing my exercises when it hurts the most. I'm learning that getting better won't be a straight line going regularly forward but will have some highs & lows. Regular PT starts today, and Oct 2, I'll see surgeon for 3-week follow-up.
Now, if we can just finish our kitchen remodel started 2.5 years ago (which has changed to full-house remodel), then I'll really be happy!
 
Conndog said:
This is comforting to read, thanks. My knee stiffens up easily but it's only been 10 days since surgery & tissues are still healing/excess fluid is still bathing the area. I'm pleased that pain isn't a big deal- really just using Tylenol & ibuprofen to keep it minimal, and it's doing my exercises when it hurts the most. I'm learning that getting better won't be a straight line going regularly forward but will have some highs & lows. Regular PT starts today, and Oct 2, I'll see surgeon for 3-week follow-up.
Now, if we can just finish our kitchen remodel started 2.5 years ago (which has changed to full-house remodel), then I'll really be happy!
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My advice, which is worth exactly what you’re paying to get it, is to make sure you take your chosen pain control before you go to PT for the first two or three weeks- it will help. FWIW, been through the whole house remodel too, which also caused a great deal of pain radiating from the right gluteus maximus, where I carry my billfold.
 
My knee replacement surgery is set for October 29th. I have the Boston Celtics team doctor performing the surgery so I think I’m in good hands. Some great advice from everyone though. Thank you!
 
Bigflip12 said:
My knee replacement surgery is set for October 29th. I have the Boston Celtics team doctor performing the surgery so I think I’m in good hands. Some great advice from everyone though. Thank you!
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Best wishes! I hope your dunking and 3-point jumper will be as good as ever!
 
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