I have a new knee!

[Turbys_1700]

Good luck RSKY. Keep us updated. I am looking at a hip replacement in January 2017 followed by knee in April if all goes well.

 

[oldballs]

I wish RSKY well in his new knee. I read these old gezzer posts and would add something informative if possible. But my little knees and a hip are holding up fine with just an occasional knee brace when doing certain jobs. Spending some time on my knees pulling weeds and saying my prayers apparently helps keep them loosed up.....so far.

 

[milkman]

Speaking of kneeling, friends that have had knee replacements have told me that I wouldn't be able to kneel, took me a year, but it works ok as long as the kneeler has padding.

 

[Bird]

Took me more than a year . . . or maybe I was just leery of kneeling for more than a year. I'm still reluctant to kneel on my right knee although it doesn't hurt on carpet in the house or grass in the yard.

 

[dickfoster]

I wish you a speedy recovery RSKY. Do what the PT folks tell you but don't get too rambunctious or you'll have a setback, easy does it till you recover fully. My wife has had both of her knees replaced.

 

[chuck172]

Took my about a year, but I can kneel on my new knee. Takes practice.
To anyone thinking about getting a new knee, start re-hab months before. Strengthen the knee muscles. Strengthen your upper body while your at it too. Really helps with the outcome.

 

[RSKY]

Got to stay another night. Apparently I am having problems with the OxyContin they are giving me for pain. I fell asleep twice yesterday while PT lady walking me. Fall asleep for ten/twenty seconds, then wake up. Doing this every few minutes. Also NO short term memory. So,....another night. Or until medicine wears off.

You just have to forget your dignity in here. The nineteen year old aide offered to hold the urinal last night while I peed in it. Said I could use the hand to hold on. We both laughed. Good kid. Hard working, concerned. Great sense of humor

Also good looking.

 

[RSKY]

My doctor does not go for aggressive physical therapy. He wants patients to proceed at their own pace and will stop therapy if they push it. So my therapy will be at home.

 

[ovrszd]

My doctor does not go for aggressive physical therapy. He wants patients to proceed at their own pace and will stop therapy if they push it. So my therapy will be at home.

Terry's Doctor feels the same way. I pushed Terry to do her own exercise regiment.

She started walking a mile a day on the 4th day after surgery. Her time was 45 minutes. By the second week she was doing 2 miles in 45 minutes.

What got her in trouble was not fully extending/retracting her knee joint.

At 6 weeks she couldn't fully extend it without serious pain. We went back to Dr for followup. His arrogance shined like a beacon. Told us in short terms there was nothing wrong with her knee and she just needed to get used to it, limp and all. I explained my feelings for his arrogance in great detail and we left. Went to our MD and after a few seconds examining her he wrote a scrip for Therapy. She now has full extension and they are correcting a bit of "duck walking", right foot turned out.

In her case she should have been in therapy within the first month.

If doing it on your own it'll require a high level of maturity and diligence.

 

[RSKY]

My doctor's priority is to first get full extension l. Then work on everything else. Have heard this a dozen times past month.

 

[rox]

Another vote for keeping ahead of the pain with the meds, haven't seen it mentioned, but along with the pain meds, load up on the stool softeners. Good luck with the recovery.

Yes all pain medication is very constipating to watch out for that, don't let that catch up on you. After my hip replacement I took a stool softener every night and every morning drank one full glass of prune juice.

Best wished for a great recovery RSKY!

 

[MossRoad]

The weird thing about the way I react to that same pain med is that it still hurts, but I just don't care! I don't like that feeling.

Anyhow, the nice thing about a new knee is that once you get up to speed, if you feel like it, you can kick someone in the seat of the pants if they need it without worrying about it.

Good luck on a speedy recovery. :thumbsup:

 

[RSKY]

I. A M. H O M E. Assignment for the first two weeks is to stay off-road feet and let it heal. I'm supposed to work on straightening my leg by putting a round pillow under my foot and trying to push my knee down into the bed. Physical therapist and home health coming out tomorrow or Saturday to set everything up. I am using the group that works out of the hospital and they know what the doctor wants them to do. More importantly, what he wants them to not do. TBN was a big boredom killer for my three day hospital stay. And now I can go back and surf thru everything again cause I remember nothing of what I read.

 

[chuck172]

I'll bet your house has never looked so good!

 

[Bird]

I'm supposed to work on straightening my leg by putting a round pillow under my foot and trying to push my knee down into the bed.

Yep, been there, done that.

 

[ovrszd]

As I told my wife. You can work on getting your knee to full extension, or you can let a therapist do it. You are not going to like the latter.

Glad you are home. Stool softeners.........