Finally feeling like being here again.

[FredK]

Had my other knee replaced so am finally able to sit at the computer again. Tablet didn't do much for me during the rehab.

I see the usual stuff has been going on so I don't think I've missed much.

Anyway am now transitioning to my walking stick from the walker. Best feeling is able to flex either knee without much pain (still have some from the last operation). Now all I got to do is start walking more and riding my bike again. The bike's a recumbent inside the house as AZ temps get to be warm this time of year.

Best of all was the price since insurance picked up the most. Think I could of gotten two of Hunters cars for what they charged the insurance. Still think there's a lot wrong with medical insurance prices but I can live with the amount I had to pay.

[Truckman]

Welcome back, Fred...I keep my walking stick handy too...I fell and wrenched my left knee and ankle a few weeks ago, and couldn't walk without it for a while...I'm glad your insurance kicked in for you......Ben

[Dave Grubb]

Keep on walkin Fred

[Mike]

I think I saw Fred walk by just the other day. Snapped a picture.

[Independent Voter]

Tell me more Fred. I just got home from the hospital . My bride of 51 years just had a knee replaced. Dr. said she would be in hospital for the weekend then to a rehab facility for 5 - 7 days. Her biggest problem is her Rehumatoid Arthritis. which has caused severe joint problems throughout her body.

[FredK]

Sorry for not getting back earlier. Rehab give one an idea for doing the proper exercise for rehabing the knee.

It usually takes 1-2 months or longer to get full use of the knee again. Best thing to do is the pulling back on the foot as it bends the knee closer to 90 degrees. One strive to get that back to 120 degrees for full bending.

Walking with either a walker or crutches is used until one gets used to walking with a cane and then finally not needing any of those. The hard part of most of this is that they move the muscles and nerves around and that where the pain is. The knee connection to the bone one should not have any pain associated with that. It's the pain one get when moving the knee is from the muscles/ nerves so I would do the exercises and then spend hours with an ice bag on the knee joint.

Just the last few days I finally got rid of the walker and am using my walking stick. That took about a month for me, others more or less. Now I'm walking ok and each day gets better. Told my PT person walking is strange since I feel I'm walking off to one side and my head keeps looking down. That slowly changes and then one just walks normally.

Best thing after doing some of the exercises one finally gets on a bike and that the best one I would recommend. It's tough to do until one can get the knee to bend enough usually 110 degrees or so. It all gets easier.

As for pain meds I use those only for when I go to PT and then usually just half a pill. Usually 2 Tylenol works for me twice a day. other get hooked on the drugs and so I would recommend getting off them as soon as possible.

It's been a month and a day since the knee surgery and I been thru times of laying on the couch napping all the time to getting back to a somewhat normal day. Right now I back in the store for the first time since the surgery. Some pain when sitting for a time but walking around tends to break that up.

Lastly follow her dr's advice.

[Truckman]

I guess all this info makes me a non-candidate for new knees...It sounds like the patient will need a designated driver for a few months, and that is a luxury I do not have...I have a lady friend who just had bunion surgery, and they told her no work for 1 1/2 months...She's going bonkers getting around her home a knee scooter, and depending on her daughter for driving duties......Ben

[Dave Grubb]

Don't give up on this Ben. My wife has two hip replacements and one knee. She also suffers from very bad arthritis and in addition to the joints she has 5 vertebra that are fused and an electrical stimulator implanted in her spine.

With all her joint replacements she has gone to rehab for two or three weeks. You just need to make sure your doctor will agree to write the orders to send you. In all cases it was a relief to me. By the time she came home she was able to move about with a walker and then progressing to a cane.

Her hips went well--her knee not so much. She had surgery on that knee years ago and there was a lot of scar tissue which complicated the operation. As a result she did not regain full movement and it still makes getting in and out of a car difficult to maneuver her foot through the opening. They did take her back into surgery some months afterward and under a general anesthesia forced her knee to bend further---but it was having none of that and so that remains a small problem for her. However, she would still have the operation.

Give some thought to the rehab and then using UBER or equal until you can drive again---which is sooner than the doctors think

[Truckman]

Thanks, Dave, I'll see what kind of options are available after I register with VA......Ben

[Dave Grubb]

Thanks, Dave, I'll see what kind of options are available after I register with VA......Ben

Good luck---I hope it works out for you.

[Independent Voter]

Fred, Thanks for the information. The PT at the hospital has her walking 30 yd out and back today. 3 Days post op. Hasn't eaten much but did take in an egg this morning so that's looking up. Got her one of those lift chairs for when she comes home. Hope it will ease the " getting up to walk " a bit.

[Dave Grubb]

IV---be careful with the lift chair---as soon as she doesn't need it---take it away.

Somehow that came up in discussion with my cardiologist. He said to never get one---because the next problem people who use them find they have is---they can't get off the toilet

[FredK]

Ben--They offered home therapy for me if I needed it. Wasn't sure from the first knee surgery when to start therapy so waited to see Dr after about two weeks then got into therapy. This last time I was in therapy the Mon after surgery. Did make a difference.

As to exercises there's a bunch of videos on you tube.

Bending exercises:

1. Best one show you pulling the leg back while laying flat on your back in bed. We got a strap off Amazon for that purpose. PIA to do that with out a grabber to make sure it get over the leg. Then you slowly pull back until you can't stand the pain. Trust me when I say that you are less than 90 degrees at that point of bending. It's getting all the muscles etc to start to stretch.
2. Then I would use the strap to slowly raise my leg upward. With you good leg bent you want to raise new one to approximately the height of the bent one not way up in the air. Each one of those was painfully slow.
3. I then was using a large ball and with both feet on it roll it back to you. If you can reach down and hold for a few seconds.
Again baby steps as you don't do what you think you can do. Each of these they want you to do about 30 times 3 times a day. Trust me when I say you may or may not hit those numbers.

Leg straightening:
1. A simple one is placing a small rolled up hand towel under the knee cap and forcing it leg down into a straight position. 30 times. Slowly increase the time to a count of 5 each time you do it.
Last one is sitting on a chair and stretching your leg out straight and pushing down (not on knee cap) and holding for 20 seconds times 3.

Then one can do leg lifts off the bed. As high as you can. Agian you look goofy getting the leg up much at all. After a while it get easier and you then hold it for 5 seconds and one can add weight 1 lb slowly up to 2 or 3 lb.

Now for the bad: Since you are not moving much and are more like sleeping or napping at all hours you need to be aware of fluid building up in the legs and feet. So make sure you elevate those as much as possible even if you have compression stocking on. I have a bed that raises the head and feet so I slept with my feet up at night and of course that meant more pee runs during the night. My Dr has me on a water pill so when I started it about 2 weeks after the operation I probably lost 10 lbs of water build up after each operation. My feet would look like fat sausages when I was off it.

Lastly don't expect to feel much like your old self for weeks. I know it's the small increases and positives that those give you that make you feel you are improving. I remember going into PT and laying on the table and they said raise your leg. Trust me it didn't move up much if any, now that's way easier. So be thankful for the positive stuff and give praise for the little things.

[Truckman]

Good info, Fred, thanks...How long before you were able to drive again so I know how much food to stockpile?......Ben

[FredK]

OK now for some of the bad things.

1. Stairs--you can do them but I would recommend not that many. So if the bedroom is upstairs plan on sleeping downstairs for a while. Climbing stairs is a PITA since you really need to hold on climb with your good leg and then the repaired one. Trust me when I say that hurts for a while. In PT they introduce it in the 3rd week.

2. Toilet--I would recommend that one gets the toilet extension from HD, Lowes, CVS etc.... It'll give you that extra distance you'll need when you have to sit down plus it has handles that may help in getting up.
I didn't use one, thinking the ADA one was good enough, and to tell you the truth it was funny trying to hit the seat just right. You have your good leg bending in the right place and the other doesn't want to bend that much, so I was sliding that on a wash cloth to almost a straight out position. Then to get up you have to bring the repaired one back towards you somewhat and keep it from sliding away when you wanted to get up. Found the socks they give you at the hospital had the right grip to prevent you from sliding away. Picture sitting down and you good leg is in the right position and the repaired one is about maybe where the heel reaches to the toes of the good one. One foot in front of the other type of situation. That's how far you are from bending it back into place. Plus it hurts stretched out or bent to that position.

3. Grab bars--need those at the toilet for sure and in the shower or bath depending on what you have. The toilet extension has bars and that may help somewhat when you get up but then you may need something to transition to the walker or crutches. I sponged bathed until I was comfortable to get in the shower since it's only 30x30 and bars would have been in the way. Used the walker to get in and then had the wife move out to close the door and reverse to get out.

Good thing is those get to be distance memories as time goes on. Right now my good knee is almost to 120 degrees (118 or so) my new knee is reaching 110 with my PT stretching it out and with me about 105. Extensions or going flat to the ground are close to 1 and 3-5 on new knee. Extension is what prevents you from developing a limp.

Other advice would be:
1. to stock up on drinks, water, soda etc.... I also bought the meal replacements from Wally World and may use those for one or two meals a day. They and bananas seems to fill me up. In my case we did PT twice a week on the first knee and now doing it 3 times on this one. Wife and I would grab some fast food after those sessions. Otherwise she made some sandwiches, (since she is working) for me and fruit cups, cookies and placed them in an ice chest along with ice packs to place on my knee. Keep the ones they give you in the hospital and keep refreezing them. Think we have 8-9 in the freezer right now. You'll go thru those fast enough.

2. Ice--you'll need ice or ice packs. I still use ice and it's been almost 6 weeks since the surgery. Get as much as you can store.

3. Food--I found my appetite when down following surgeries. I tend to keep it going by eating less. Now for breakfast its a small bowl of cereal, couple of eggs with waffle or the meal replacement. Lunch maybe a sandwich or salad and a small dinner. Somewhere there's room foe a few cookies, etc..

4. Need a comfortable place to recline be it the bed of a recliner. I was sleeping in both during the day or night. Your body just needs to rest. So be comfortable.

5. Figure out how to raise your legs (fluid will build up in the lower legs and feet) when you are in bed or on that recliner. Like I said before I was mostly in the bed since it's adjustable. The couch and massage chair were not all that comfortable. In both the couch and massage chair I use firm pillows the wife found at WW. They seem to raise the legs up enough. Massage chair worked great for forcing the leg into an bending position and then you could let it stretch out. I was using that about 3-5 times as I wanted to depending on the pain. It'll hurt for a while then after 5-10 minutes go away. Other times may need to take some Tylenol.

That's my take-away on the experience so far. Went for a walk 1/4 mile and then came here sitting at computer. I'll hurt for a few minutes until I start walking around again. It's all good just takes time and exercise.