More questions about knee replacement op in four weeks time
Posted , 6 users are following.
I've read that to get up from a chair you need to put most of your weight on 'your good leg'. I don't have a good leg. I've tried sticking the leg out that will be operated on and putting most weight on the other leg and arms but I can't get up like that! When they tell you to put the operated leg out in front, can you still put weight on it? Is it just that there's less chance of damage with it out straight or is it that they don't want you to put weight on it?
0 likes, 14 replies
jance46346 chris00938
Posted
Hi Chris you can put your weight on your operated leg straight away. In the hospital I was in you had to get out of bed with your operated leg first. Veeeeeery painful for the first few days. It's amazing how the body copes other aches and pains are not nearly so bad for a few weeks . That's what I found anyway.
chris00938 jance46346
Posted
Ah, thank you. I knew you walked with the frame, operated leg first, but have seen online where they said to stick the operated leg out when getting up and that worried me because the other one isn't strong enough.
KneedInput chris00938
Posted
Getting up with one operated leg and one not strong leg takes finding your best position. A chair with two arms is best so you can push yourself up. Put your better leg, foot square on floor and calf close to chair. Lean forward a little and use your arms to push up. You can do this with a Cain in one hand as well. If getting up from something without arms, maybe toilet, put one hand on seat, good leg foot square on floor, shin close to chair and push up. Unfortunately the weak good leg will take a little beating. Think twice about where you sit. A firm chair is better than sofa or recliner, easier to push up from and usually higher. Good luck, take it easy and ask for help!!
The PT in the hospital should help you with this before you leave. You should be getting up from bed many times before you leave. I asked to sit in a chair everyday for a little while.
chris00938 KneedInput
Posted
Thanks Kneedinput. I was so lucky that the bad way I was sitting and getting up at the beginning of the arthritis was picked up and I was taught how to lean on arms of chairs and raise myself with feet under knees, and the same to lower myself. We had our toilet put in much higher than normal when the bathroom was done over a year ago and a hand rail put in, so that will be useful, but the leg not being done first isn't strong enough to lean on without the other leg to help to get up, even from the toilet! I tried!:-) I have got a 'rise-recliner' coming that raises the seat level to get up and down and the seat level is actually quite high to start with, but it's things like the toilet that I'm worried about, and the chair in hospital.
cheryl90571 chris00938
Posted
Hi Chris!
How you will move will depend on how soon after surgery it is, whether you have a nerve block, and the "rules" the nurses and aides must follow.
Here was MY experience:
My TKR was done around 8am, and took 3 and a half hours. There was recovery room time and I was back in my room around 1pm. I had some water, some applesauce, and some sliced peaches. I felt pretty good! I had a nerve block on my surgical leg, so pain was minimal. There also were options of various pain meds on my dry erase board and the times I could request them. I chose Toradol by IV, and that worked great.
I had the use of a BEDPAN until the next morning, and that was a good thing because the nurses kept encouraging me to drink my ice water to help rid my body of toxins from the anesthesia and medication. Also my IV pole had a bag of sodium and glucose and a bag of Lidocaine which was going into my nerve block. I was urinating about every 20-30 minutes!
The PT people came the evening of surgery. Three people helped me to sit on the edge of the bed. They kept talking and talking, but I couldn't listen. I was quite dizzy and TOLD the PTs that. They wanted me to STAND UP ANYWAY! I tried, but I KNEW I was DEFINITELY going to faint and sat back down. FORTUNATELY my Angel Nurse Cassie walked in just then, took one look at me, put her body between me and the PT people and gently helped me to lay down. She checked my blood pressure which was 80/60. She put a cold washcloth on my forehead and took my temperature. She then said to the PT people: "This physical therapy session is OVER!"
(Told this account to my daughter-in-law who is a physical therapist. She said that the physical therapists NEVER EVER should have kept going with me after I told them I felt like I was going to faint. She said that I was "UNSTABLE" and definitely needed the attention that my nurse had given me.)
I tell you this because YOU are in charge of your own body. NOBODY has the right to tell you to continue ANYTHING if you KNOW that by doing so you will harm yourself!
Later, when I was more stable I talked to Cassie. I told her I was sorry I couldn't do what the PT people asked me to do. I thanked her again for intervening. She said that the PTs SHOULD NOT have asked me to continue. She also said that they wrote down on my chart that I was "UNCOOPERATIVE". Cassie said that she ADDED her comments that I felt FAINT and documented my low BP and how the situation was remedied. She also ASSURED ME that she would be making sure that my NEXT PT session would be much better.
Fast forward to the next morning...
Two DIFFERENT PT people came in. They ASKED ME if I felt up to trying to sit on the edge of the bed. They were quiet and LISTENED to me. I sat up, and then they ASKED if I would like to TRY standing with assistance. I said, "I will try my best."
One explained about my nerve block and how it worked. The other told me how to "lock" my knee and THEN step out on itby kicking it outward. ( Nerve blocks cause your knee and calf to feel numb, so you must lock your knee in place before your quad sends you forward to step.) I had one PT on each arm, my walker, all my tubes, my IV pole, and an aide to move the pole! I DID IT, though, and actually walked about 10 steps to the bathroom. It was HILLARIOUS with all of us walking across the room and all of us getting me into the small bathroom with all my tubes and my IV pole. I started to GIGGLE!😁 They closed the door, making sure that I knew to pull the cord when I was done and ready to come out.
I got REALLY GOOD at walking with my entourage of three other people BECAUSE I continued to need to urinate every 30-30 minutes or so ALL NIGHT LONG!
My nerve block was removed after about 24 hours. That next morning a different PT came in. I was helped to sit, then walk with my walker, and then over to sit in the chair. That worked fine. I was surprised how tiring it was to sit in a chair, though, and I asked if I could go rest in bed after about an hour.
Later, in the afternoon I did the sit on the edge of the bed, walk, sit in the chair and had lunch and dinner sitting in the chair. I was feeling stronger.
That evening a DIFFERENT PT came and asked me to "march" my legs up and down as I was seated in my chair. I TRIED, but the most I could "march" was the TOES of my surgical leg. I got the giggles again just looking at the face of my PT when he realized THIS GIRL was NOT going marching on THAT DAY!😊
I felt pretty good that next morning and was told I was being discharged that afternoon. My PT session for that day was to practice STEPS. I was wheeled to the PT room and did steps...VERY SLOWLY, I might add! They talked about my "Good" leg and my "Bad" leg. I told them I had a SURGICAL LEG and another leg that ALWAYS HURTS (would need surgery in several months). I took charge and the PT began using MY TERMS! Did better than I expected!
The day I was discharged I had been off the nerve block for several days. I walked slowly, but was getting the hang of it. I used my ARMS a lot as I got up and down from chairs. Use a hard chair. SO MUCH easier to get out of!!
I hope this gave you some insight and answered your questions.
You'll do fine! Remember to ALWAYS speak up when you need something! Treat your nurses really well and always be kind to them. They are your GUARDIANS!
I hope you get an Angel Cassie like I did!😇
chris00938 cheryl90571
Posted
Oh Cheryl, that was SO helpful! Thank you! When you got up from the toilet were you able to put any weight on the operated knee? This is what's concerning me - I don't stand a hope of just using arms and one leg. I loved your description about the 'good leg' - my feelings entirely LOL! I'll have an 'operated leg' and another leg, but it certainly will be far from my 'good leg'. The surgeon asked which one I wanted done first, so it was 'choose one, any one'!
cheryl90571 chris00938
Posted
I never found my new prosthetic knee to be very painful! At first the nerve block took care of any pain, aided by the Toradol by IV. Then I had my "steak knife" pain in my thigh which I later discovered was due to the TOURNIQUET placed there during surgery to prevent blood loss. This "steak knife" pain felt EXACTLY like somebody thrust a STEAK KNIFE into my thigh! No kidding.
(Now, before you go running or crawling for the hills, I MUST tell you that I had NONE of this "steak knife" pain with my RIGHT KNEE TKR three and a half months later!) 😁😄🤗😁🙋
Also, as you have said, prior to surgery the PAIN can be and WAS extremely awful, so pretty much ANYTHING was assured to be better than what I had been enduring for four years prior to my surgery.
Walking on the new leg felt unusual at first, and I needed to learn how to walk properly after walking in a very bent-leg manner for a really long time. Having the absence of terrible pain made me notice how bad my OTHER LEG was. That was the reason I couldn't WAIT to get #2 done!
Coming home from the hospital felt really good. We were having a new walkway and driveway put in, so I needed to walk all the way around our house, across the backyard, up a couple steps onto the deck and then FINALLY into the patio door. It took awhile. I stopped a few times, BUT I did it.
The key to all walking, getting up and down from chairs, getting in and out of the car is QUAD MUSCLE STRENGTH. At my homecare PT we started to work on quads. I wasn't very good at it. Later on at three weeks my outpatient PT sessions began to focus on the quad muscles. On this first day of PT I was supposed to engage (squeeze) the quad muscle on my surgical leg then let it relax. As usual, I broke into a huge bunch of GIGGLES!😁😊😄😁 The reason? I COULD NOT EVEN FEEL MY QUAD MUSCLE!!!
I put my hand on my thigh, thinking maybe THAT would help. NOTHING. I was sitting there just WILLING that quad muscle to DO SOMETHING!
The PT that was doing my evaluation made a suggestion: Try it with BOTH LEGS at the same time.
OK. I'm game! I concentrated getting both legs to engage quad muscles. 😬😬
WELL, it WORKED!!!😁🙋😊😁
The Right leg actually sent information to the Left leg, and TOGETHER I DID IT!!!
I learned an extremely valuable technique that day! Be sure to remember to try this yourself. Honestly, it feels like a MIRACLE!
Take your time as you begin to walk after surgery. Put your heel down first and roll your foot to your toes. I walked in bare feet so I could really feel each muscle, each joint, each part of my feet. This puts you in good control. I did virtually all of my PT in my bare feet, too. I felt VERY sure-footed that way.
Balance exercises were very helpful, too. I like being outside in my garden, weeding, putting in plants, working in my flower beds. My PT, Sandy got me all ready for balancing and handling moleholes and uneven grassy areas. Balance practice, work on the Total Gym, and lots of stretching really helped me.
I walked around in the house every hour in those first few weeks. I stood at my kitchen sink and did toe raises while my tea was brewing. I practiced lifting my leg using a belt looped over my foot and used the rest of the belt strap to HOIST my heavy leg onto the ottoman. Every time I went to the bathroom I stopped afterwards and put my foot on a step then held onto the railing as I leaned into bend. These things were more interesting to do than just setting aside time for an exercise session. I ended up doing LOTS more than I would have done if I just did all the exercises IN ORDER at one time.
I think you will be surprised at how much better your leg feels without that painful bone-on-bone feeling! I have arthritis in many parts of my body, but on achy days MY KNEES feel GREAT! I'm not kidding!
My husband and I went to a rally in June, just one year after my first surgery and eight months after my second surgery. We stood for EIGHT HOURS, and my knees DID NOT HURT! My back was killing me, and my hips weren't great either. My shoulders and ankles were aching. My knees were real troopers!
I am SO HAPPY I did not wait one more second to get surgery.
Wishing you much success with YOURS!😊🙋😁😊🙋
chris00938 cheryl90571
Posted
I'd read about this Cheryl - where people couldn't lift their operated leg at all until after a few days because the message from the brain just wasn't getting to it but that's so useful to hear that it will respond if the other leg gets the message LOL! I like that:-))) And that is SO encouraging. I just can't begin to imagine what it will be like to walk without pain. I was first offered knee replacements eight years ago but thought I could go on for longer but the last couple of years have been so bad, so the time had come. This sounds a silly question, but once you've had two knees done do you actually walk without thinking about it, unlike when you've got awful arthritis, so you're thinking about each step?
cheryl90571 chris00938
Posted
Hi Chris!
It took me a number of weeks of faithfully heading to PT and working VERY hard there with all the exercises, balance work, being on the bike, and stretching, stretching, stretching as well as careful thinking about each and every step I took in order to feel confident enough to walk without THINKING about walking!
It might sound weird, but I wanted to keep thinking about each step so that I could relearn the NORMAL way of walking. I had been walking with bent knees because I was BONE-ON-BONE and the bending was taking SOME pressure off the bones. Of course I wasn't really AWARE that I was doing this. I had developed this weird gait just by necessity. It was our youngest son that told me WEEKS after surgery: "Mom! You're looking GOOD when you walk!" This was a real wake-up call for me to realize that my way of walking prior to surgery was telling people how much my knees hurt. Honestly, I THOUGHT I had been hiding it quite well.
As I mentioned before, walking in bare feet and concentrating on each and every movement was very helpful to me. Stretching my legs out on my ottoman when I watch TV or read and engaging my quads for awhile then relaxing them is something I continue to do TO THIS DAY! My husband calls it my "OTTOMAN TRAINING!"
Walking outside in the grass, walking with ANY of my family (all of whom are TALL and LONG-LEGGED!) while I am short with short legs in comparison, and my Ottoman Training have gotten me to develop much longer stride and a much more normal gait. I had been taking small little bent-leg steps. Who knew???🙄
It honestly took me a very long time to think about OTHER things rather than thinking about my KNEES. For so long prior to surgery my knee pain engulfed my every thought. It has been nice to just feel normal and move onto other things!
It will happen for you, too! It takes awhile to break old habits, though.
Having my knees fixed has changed my life. I feel better, more capable, able to move in ways I didn't think I ever would again, and lots more confident. I can focus on the BEING THERE instead of just on the HOW DO I GET THERE.
Great feeling!😊
chris00938 cheryl90571
Posted
Cheryl, that is SO encouraging! I was seriously wondering if I would EVER be able to walk without thinking about each step! I've tended walk, locking my knees straight rather than bent, so developed a 'waddle like a penguin'. Before I get out of bed every morning I stretch my legs straight because if I don't then just standing is horrendous, so I have to sit back on the bed and stretch them before attempting it again. I guess we all do what works best for us when we're in such pain. It might sound crazy but I am SO looking forward to it being done! It's the beginning for me:-)
cheryl90571 chris00938
Posted
Oh, I know EXACTLY what you mean about being SO READY to have the surgery!
One thing that helps a lot is focusing on how good you will feel WITHOUT THE PAIN! I was willing to put up withe the surgery, the recovery, even the swelling and learning to walk again IF I could just get rid of that HORRIBLE PAIN!
Keeping a positive attitude helps, too. I kept a journal and even took it with me to the hospital. I wrote every thought, every feeling, every tiny bit of progress, every setback-- EVERYTHING in that journal. It was really helpful to have it took look back on and to help me measure my progress.
You will do GREAT! Keep in touch, OK? I love hearing how everyone is doing!😊
chris00938 cheryl90571
Posted
Thanks Cheryl:-)))))) Yes, I certainly will keep in touch, and hoping I can really encourage others like you've encouraged me:-)))) And answer those little questions that you don't find answers to easily on the net:-)))
lyn32416 chris00938
Posted
Hi chris. Both my legs were weak and I did not have a good leg either. BTW in Australia they use catheters so we do not usually get up for toilet breaks for 24-36 hours. Around 6 hours after my two knees were replaced on Mar 21 2016, my PT asked me to sit up. She was instructed to do this by my surgeon. I promptly vomited and they both left me alone to sleep until the next morning. Do what you can and forget what you cannot do in the first 24 hours. Get your pain under control, persevere with PT exercises as soon as you are able to. The results are amazing and quick. I was using a elbow type walking frame 24 hours after my operation and two walking sticks 48 hours after having both knees done. The body has to re-learn to walk and it's pretty amazing how quickly we recover and start getting mobile. The PT exercises cannot be avoided. My friend did not do them and ended up in Hospital with scar tissue and little movement.
As for me, 10 months post op I am over the worst of it. I have never experienced ANYTHING quite like TKR's and do not wish to EVER again.
Trust your surgeon, trust yourself and research here as much as you can. Keep your weight down and be as fit as possible BEFORE surgery. Don't worry. There is life after this awful, brutal surgery.
chris00938 lyn32416
Posted
Thanks Lyn:-) Yes I really believe that exercise (and icing?) is the secret to a successful recovery. I'm doing my treadmill and recumbent bike now (have been for the last couple of years) and weighed myself this morning so will lose a few lbs before the op which is..... FOUR WEEKS TODAY! YAY! I think having restricted mobility for so long is going to mean I won't be so much worse off initially as if I'd been able to do more. I've not done stairs for about 6 years because I just couldn't do it and we have been so restricted with what we've done. My husband's now talking about a holiday because for so long I haven't been able to walk anywhere so we've not even gone away! I've got a little mobility scooter but that's so hard for him to put in the car that it's not been used much. The plus point is that I have pretty good mobillity - I can get the knee straight with no problem and also bend it more than I expect to after the op, but that's because I've got Ehlers Danlos (hypermobility). Lyn, did you have a general or spinal? We have spinals here for the most part and I don't THINK you're likely to get as much sickness with those?????