Total Knee replacement

H Richard

H Richard

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Had a new knee done on Thursday. Surgery at 7:45, 9:30 to recovery, 10:30 to room, 1:30 p, to home. Just a little over 6 hours. This was a total replacement. Everyone told me this Doc was good so I guess he was.
Day2: On a combination of pain meds to gradually reduce the potent ones and gradually slack off the others. It should take 7-10 days to be completely off drugs, the last few days just aspirin. Due ankle pumps and butt squeezes every time I get up, and walk 5 minutes every time.
Ice 30 minutes off and on first two days, then stretch out to longer periods of each.
Day 3: Took shower with minimal help from wife, putting socks on took more help. Being sure to take the Colace (stool softener) as most of the pain drugs will stop me up good. So far so good 3X p/day on the Colace.
I start PT of Day 4. And continue Ice and some drugs.

Lot of time watching TV and reading. Day time TV is ****, so I try and record a few shows I like to watch when there is nothing on. Getting a little bored, don't want to try and go downstairs to the loading room and gun vault, that will take some time with PT before I want to attempt that. In a couple weeks when they let me drive, I might try a round of trap. I can do that with my walker.

Isn't as bad as some let me to believe, so if you are in need and putting it off, they have lots of new ways and tools, don't stay in pain.
 
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I'm so glad it has gone well for you. It hasn't worked out so well for my wife tho. She had TKR back in October last year. First 10 days were fine. She was up walking around, went to physical therapy a couple of times. On day 10 is when her patella (knee cap) spontaneously broke while she was in the process of sitting down.

Another surgery and two weeks in a rehab hospital for that. She has still not recovered from the surgery. 8 months later, she still has pain and can barely get around the house with her wheel walker. We have home health care come twice a week, but something is wrong. Tomorrow we are going in for X rays. Hopefully that will tell us something. Either it will be repairable, or she is destined to spend the rest of her life mostly bedridden and homebound.

Prior to the TKR, we had always heard how it was a smooth process and mostly 100% successful.
 
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I have both knees replaced the same week, not the best decision. Week in the hospital and a week in rehab facility. Two done is more than twice as hard without a good knee to support you. Still, 10 weeks after I was taking mile-long hikes around the neighborhood without pain. Now 3-1/2 years later, the numbness form the nerves being cut is the major gripe.
 
Good to hear it is going well for you, H Richard. Keep it up!

I have had three knee replacement ops. So far. First was a partial left knee replacement in Japan in October of 2018. That spontaneously dislocated itself at 0400 in April of 2019 over here, so I had another knee op to repair it.

Then I had a full right knee replacement over here in July of 2021. After a few months I felt great! No knee pain at all. It was wonderful!

Then last spring, the partially repaired knee started acting up, the unrepaired side, after I took an epic, for me anyway, 8.6 mile walk while in Japan. I had trouble getting into cars, going up or down stairs, etc. So in March I scheduled a fourth op, also over here in Oregon, to remove the partial knee and insert a full replacement in my left leg.

That's scheduled for the 17th of July.

Meanwhile, my left knee has improved amazingly... I've been using a custom brace I had made prior to my first op in 2018. I'm currently walking two or three miles pretty much daily. Up and down stairs one foot after the other.

I do question having the left knee replaced as it has been doing so much better, but... On the x-rays last spring it showed bone on bone. I've known the unreplaced part of my left knee is iffy since my first surgeon back in 2018 in Japan told me it, too, looked questionable, and my second surgeon, here in Oregon, who repaired the dislocated knee, and later replaced my right, told me he was surprised I had not had a full left knee replacement, given my left knees deteriorating condition.

I had a year, 18 months, of pain free walking! It was great. I want that forever!

While right now my left knee feels pretty good, I know that longer term it will cause problems. So my plan is to proceed with the left knee total replacement in two weeks despite the left knee performing pretty well right now.

My hope is that rehab will be quicker since the muscles in my left leg have not atrophied, as they do with disuse due to knee pain, yet.

My knees hurt for years. I hobbled when I walked. The knee replacements fixed this. It was a revelation to me.

The recovery from knee surgery, and the unavoidable PT if you want the replacement to be a success, is painful. But the result, for most people, and for me with three operations so far, pain free walking, is worth it.
 
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Good for you. My first knee replacement had to be revised because it became loose.
It became loose because I had to jump off an exterior staircase on a party boat to avoid getting pushed over the side into Lake Ontario at night. (Drunken crowd, 4th of July)
Before that it felt great I was back to hiking soon after surgery, but I heard that CRACK when I landed and I knew I did something bad.
I had the other knee and both hips replaced also. The PT for the knee was definitely tougher, more painful. You have to work on stretching every day no matter what, hamstrings, quads and butt muscles.
Avoid jumping. Don't be tempted to run/jog, those days are over.
Hit the weight room, or figure out how to do leg weight training at home.
Exercising in pool with short swim fins will make your legs strong very quickly. Walking in waist deep water helps also.
Best of luck and health.
 
Atta Boy! I've had both knees and one hip replaced. Wife says that when I kick the bucket she will have me recycled.
 
I had partials put in both knees almost 10 years ago…Dec. of 2013. So far so good, but I know they have a lifespan of x years, so I'll be looking at fulls at some point in the future, I just don't know when. As others have said, most important aspect is pushing through PT even when it hurts. Best of luck to you.
 
jaguargolf said:
Good for you. My first knee replacement had to be revised because it became loose.
It became loose because I had to jump off an exterior staircase on a party boat to avoid getting pushed over the side into Lake Ontario at night. (Drunken crowd, 4th of July)
Before that it felt great I was back to hiking soon after surgery, but I heard that CRACK when I landed and I knew I did something bad.
I had the other knee and both hips replaced also. The PT for the knee was definitely tougher, more painful. You have to work on stretching every day no matter what, hamstrings, quads and butt muscles.
Avoid jumping. Don't be tempted to run/jog, those days are over.
Hit the weight room, or figure out how to do leg weight training at home.
Exercising in pool with short swim fins will make your legs strong very quickly. Walking in waist deep water helps also.
Best of luck and health.
Click to expand...

I had my left done a few years back. The surgeon told me after the surgery was over was that "these knees do not like to kneel down or go down stairs". He was correct on both counts, easier to go up than down and kneeling is not fun. For that reason I'm doing less repair jobs both car and house wise.

Wish he had told me that first, I still would have had the surgery, but I like to be in the loop!-:(
 
Had my left knee totally rebuilt in 1977, and the right knee replaced in 2007 . Do your PT { physical therapy } as instructed and take your time to recover. The older we get the more time recovery may take. I'm sure since mine was done 16 years ago, there has been great strides regarding surgery & procedures. Good luck and hang in there.
 
Thanks for all the "encouragement". The surgery was on my left knee to replace the "Partial" knee I had done 5 years ago. My current surgeon told me that's why he doesn't do partial knees, they don't last.

I've been down the PT road before, so I know about what I am looking at next week (and 3 or 4 more). I hated to hear about kneeling, I haven't been able to kneel on my left knee for a year now at church. At present it feels better putting weight on the leg walking around. You find out just how small your house is when you go for 5 minute walks inside your house. I've got a pretty good slope down from the front of the house, and I don't want to tackle that with my walker yet. Looking forward to being able to drive in a couple weeks (I hope).
 
My surgeon said the same regarding partial replacements...not recommended . With my knees, running, crawling, and softball is no longer in the cards. Have been dealing with left foot surgeries { 4 surgeries in the past 2 1/2 years...but that's another story altogether, lol .
 
"""" I might try a round of trap. I can do that with my walker. """"

Back in 1986, I broke my ankle at home on a Saturday playing volleyball. They put a half cast and an ace bandage in it, and told me to find a surgeon, but the next morning, I was on the trap line at my club. I shot 2 rounds. Wife ( who was not happy ) moved the lawn chair, and next station moved my gun. Broke 49/50.

Codeine is good swing oil. :D
 
I often wonder why some people need knee replacements and others never do. I have been heavy all my life and spent years working on concert floors. However my knees are fine while my x-wife has always been skinny but has had to replace both knees. Of course now my left shoulder is giving me problems and I can see no reason for that.
 
I have had my left knee done 3 times. The mere thought that knee replacement surgery is now done on an "outpatient" basis seems very scary to me. I can't imagine such a brutal thing. I hope I never have to do it again.
 
walkin jack said:
I have had my left knee done 3 times. The mere thought that knee replacement surgery is now done on an "outpatient" basis seems very scary to me. I can't imagine such a brutal thing. I hope I never have to do it again.
Click to expand...

After having my first one on a Tuesday, the second scheduled for the following Friday, I cannot imagine "going home" on the same day. No way, no how. Maybe if I were having knee replacement when I was in my 40s, but not when I was 69.
 
grover99 said:
I often wonder why some people need knee replacements and others never do. I have been heavy all my life and spent years working on concert floors. However my knees are fine while my x-wife has always been skinny but has had to replace both knees. Of course now my left shoulder is giving me problems and I can see no reason for that.
Click to expand...

Football, soccer, and skiing were part of the need for mine. That and many miles of running to try to keep the weight in check. Genetics also counts. Dad had double knee replacement, I had double knee replacement, son had double ACL replacements.
 
I have known several people who have had knee replacements, including my Dad. It seems like half had good experiences and half had bad experiences. Dad's first one went great, the second one left him crippled the remainder of his life. A friend's daughter had one of hers replaced three times and ended up having to have surgery on her ankle to help correct the wrong angle of the knee. She has constant discomfort. My sister also had both replaced, one was good the other not so much.

When an orthopedic surgeon told me 15 years ago I needed to have both of mine replaced, I told him no thanks and never returned. Yes, I have pain. Yes, stairs are a hardship. But I can still get down on my knees do work on things (albeit with pads) like electrical wiring or cars, so I'll continue to disregard the Dr.'s suggestion.
 
I'm glad you got taken care of and all seems to have gone well. Also, regarding pain meds, you seem to have that in check. There are a lot of bad misunderstandings about pain medicine that media scare people about. We need to take the stuff that takes care of the CAUSE of the pain, but in the meantime there's no reason for "sucking it up" and suffering when there are meds to help from suffering in the meantime. The anti inflammatory stuff actually fixes the cause of the pain, but until the cause is resolved, there's no need to suffer. Sounds like you have it all under control!
My good friend had two new knees at the same time. They had him on his feet that day and less than two months he was riding his bicycle. Words of encouragement I hope! Good luck.
 
I had a total knee replacement on May 1 of this year, so 2 months ago. I had my last post op checkup with my surgeon at 6 weeks, with X-rays, and he seemed pleased. Said I didn't need to return unless I wanted to for any reason. I am 80 YO and had the procedure on an outpatient basis. They would have kept me in if there was any problem. My choice. Under the knife at 07:30 and out by lunch. He put a lot of pain killer in the incision. Probably like Lidocaine, I suspect. It really worked. When I got home, I walked up the stairs to my shop, which is over my garage. I was really feeling no pain. Not the case the following day. Percocet time. Surgeon said I should keep up with my physical therapy for several months.
They said no alcohol for a couple of days but I figured that was lawyer talk and proclaimed it was the cocktail hour. Lunch and Bourbon! Not a recommendation, but I didn't have any problems. I was hungry also! I am walking a half mile a day now and will increase until I can resume my daily 2 mile walks around our small town. Two miles takes me around the whole town! Population 900 last check. They really do make me work at PT, and I told the therapist that she could probably get work doing interrogation, and that I was about to reveal rocket fuel secrets, even tho I didn't know any! There are a lot of You tube videos on the pre and post op therapy, and some good info on how to do things that need doing for the first month or so. Like using the toilet; a riser with handles is very handy, until able to squat a few inches, without needing grab rails.
The procedure went well, and I will be glad to be able to get around again. Someone wondered why some of us used up our knees and some didn't. In my case, not much doubt. Probably, because as a teen, I was stupid enough to jump off of high places, like the eave of a roof. Once, I hit my knee with my chin and put a dent in my lip. A lot of blood in my mouth. Sixty five years ago! Now, I can't get my knee within a foot of my chin.

73,
Rick
 
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SMSgt said:
I have both knees replaced the same week, not the best decision. Week in the hospital and a week in rehab facility. Two done is more than twice as hard without a good knee to support you. Still, 10 weeks after I was taking mile-long hikes around the neighborhood without pain. Now 3-1/2 years later, the numbness form the nerves being cut is the major gripe.
Click to expand...

The numbness will probably eventually disappear. Mine did.
 
I had one knee replaced in 2005 and was back working at the local sheriff's dept. six weeks later. I had the other replaced in 2008 and went back to work five weeks later. It was either replace them or not walk. I didn't have any choice. The warranty has run out on both of them but I'm still not having any problems, just can't jog like I used to. The sock thing can be solved by buying a few pairs of diabetic socks. They are much easier to put on than regular socks and I still use them. Wally World and other stores have plenty of them.
 
charlie sherrill said:
I had one knee replaced in 2005 and was back working at the local sheriff's dept. six weeks later. I had the other replaced in 2008 and went back to work five weeks later. It was either replace them or not walk. I didn't have any choice. The warranty has run out on both of them but I'm still not having any problems, just can't jog like I used to. The sock thing can be solved by buying a few pairs of diabetic socks. They are much easier to put on than regular socks and I still use them. Wally World and other stores have plenty of them.
Click to expand...

Had my surgery 5 years ago and still have numbness. Asked my primary doc about that and she said get used to it, it probably will not go away. As a diabetic I do have good feelings in my feet.

As far as socks, I prefer to sit on the bed and pull my leg up as far as I can and socks are much easier to slip on.
 
NYlakesider said:
Had my surgery 5 years ago and still have numbness. Asked my primary doc about that and she said get used to it, it probably will not go away. As a diabetic I do have good feelings in my feet.

As far as socks, I prefer to sit on the bed and pull my leg up as far as I can and socks are much easier to slip on.
Click to expand...

There are "Sock Tools" to help you get your socks on.
They help a lot, especially if you have strained your back.
 
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