Hot Diggity's knee replacement thread

I still need my right one done ,, not sure if I will do it or not. I need to work my left one more ,, if I don't keep forcing it to bend more , it gets used to not bending to max bend ,,, and takes a while to get it loosened up .

 

My wife just had a total knee replacement done yesterday.

She's getting that bike machine on Sunday and they told her she will be on it 3 to 5 times a day for 12 minutes each. She goes to physical therapy on the 1st.

Is there anything else we need to know to help her along with her recovery?

 

Pretty much what BT said . Do the PT ,,, strive to add more weight ,, more bends . And when the therapist is done with her ,, and they're is no more appointments ,, keep up the exercises,, you can lose some of your motion if you don't continue the exercises. Ice packs help .

Good luck to her .

 

The first time she makes a complete revolution on the pedals will be a time for celebration. By the time I could pedal forward and backward I started to get around better.

Buy her some foam gardening pads and adjustable shower stools. Station them all over the place. The pain of kneeling on the new knee on a hard surface is not going to go away. So we need pads to kneel on. Work like laundry or working in low cabinets is much easier with a stool. These super light aluminum shower stools are handy.


It's going to be a journey, but it gets better. Keep her moving.

 

If you can't do it, you might want to make her an appointment at a nail spa a couple months out. She might be able to handle it just fine herself, but it'll make you look thoughtful and give you a chance to go look at sporting goods or something while she's getting her feet done.

 

Ooo,, you're a smooth operator ,,,,

 

Thank you. Actually, thank you all for the advice. Today is her first real day of pain. I guess because all the nerve blockers and stuff from the surgery wore off. She was having a tough time this morning. I managed to get her up to do a few exercises on her walker twice today. I'll get her up again here in a half hour or so. She hold on to her walker while I hang on to the belt they gave us and she does leg lifts, leans her leg back and tries to straighten it out, etc. It's a tough go, though.

The RN said to let the pain govern her, but as he put it, "Allow her a LOT of time to rest. But, frankly, don't put up with her shit, either. She's going to want to quit on you every chance she gets. So, rest for two hours or so, then get her up and moving. The best thing she can do is move."

I haven't tried her on the steps today. I was planning on trying that tomorrow. Even if I can get her to go down and up two steps, I think that should be a good start.

But, I have another question. What in the HELL is up with that woman and FRENCH FRIES? That's all I can get her to eat. I've been to Burger King 3 times already!

 

The two steps to the garage to get to my beer fridge (about two weeks after surgery after I was off the pain meds) were absolutely terrifying. I live alone, so if I had a fall I was in trouble. It's good that you're there to keep her going. The pain is real. It will get better...so much better. Keep her moving and motivated by every tiny improvement.

I didn't have any cravings, except maybe for Eagle Rare 10 Year.

 

I had my one year appointment yesterday. Doc explained that my intermittent IT band strain was normal. To fit the hardware for the new joint into the space they have to remove some fatty tissue that pads the IT band. This means very active people like me can twang it against the joint and get it irritated. He suggested an aspirin cream that I can run into the joint that should help with the pain.

He winced a little when I told him I was happy that I could still run. My X-ray showed no damage to the new joint, and I have really been pushing it hard the last few months.

Overall, I'm very pleased with the results and will continue to worry the doctor every two years with my exploits.