No date yet for knee op

Start with this...

https://patient.info/forums/discuss/tkr-pre-op-expectations-622045

For the vast majority of us, a full recovery takes a year...accept it...own it. There are no expectations, no promises, no timetables going into this thing.  You DO NOT control this recovery...the knee does.  If you think that you do, you are sadly mistaken and this only leads to expectations, frustration, anger and depression.  You really don't want to go there. 

This is the most brutal surgery you will ever encounter and cannot be taken lightly or with any expectation that you will be fine in a few weeks or even a few months.  I'm 2 1/2 years post-op and have read close to 5,000 posts on here.  I can count the number of people who skated through this quickly on less than one hand.  The likelihood that you will fall into that group is very, very small.

The typical progression is that it takes the first 90 days to get past the worst pain, wean off the heavy duty meds and work like hell to get your ROM back.  The next six months will be taken up with all the muscle rebuild work which will get you to walk correctly again, regain your balance, enable you to start doing stairs again like a normal person and get back to work (depending on your job and recovery).  You might start feeling more like your old self around 9-10 months and then dance at your one year anniversary.  Some stiffness, minor pain and clunking sounds may persist for another six months.  That's very typical. 

Lots of strategies available to take your mind off the pain during recovery and you will be moving the knee as part of the recovery.  But you CANNOT push a knee like you can a hip or shoulder.  It will only swell like a balloon and set you back.  This is the reality of a TKR.  You are better off knowing this now than hitting the brick wall we all did later on.

Finally, understand that your normal life is waiting for you but it's down the road over the horizon.  Minuscule chance for an immediate, painless recovery.  Just doesn't happen.  And you NEVER compare your recovery to that of anyone else.  Statistics, even the above descriptions, apply only to a full population of patients...never to a single individual.  Your experience will be yours alone and no one can tell you in advance how YOURS will play out.

I have tons of discussions out there on pain, sleep, depression, exercise and more.  Read the one on Post-Op Depression...a common, well documented condition following the loss of a body part.  If you can anticipate it, you can deal with it since it is a very short-term state.  Just click my name and then scroll down in the discussion box to "See All Discussions".  Arm yourself with knowledge...it's your best and only defense.  The knee will be the knee.  Listen to it...

Hello!

I am now about 9 months post Right TKR.  And I can say I am still healing but very glad I had it done.   

I had a spinal anesthetic plus a drug so that I didn't know what was going on (like the ones they give you when you have a colonoscopy).   Like you I was worried about the spinal but for me it was the right choice since the recovery time is faster than having a general.   Not sure what you mean about not being able to sit still?  All I remember is sitting, them putting the spinal in and then I was out...but I am in the US and not sure how they do it where you are.  

 I didn't find this site until about 6 weeks after the surgery and by that time I was very depressed and wondering "why in the heck did I do this surgery" and "Will I ever walk normally again".  This site became my knee recovery lifeline.  

Read all of Chico Marx's post...and download his picture of the Reality of TKR recovery...I used it as my screensaver on my computer for the longest time and now it is hanging up where I see it everyday...I still need the reminder!

Best of luck.

 

Hi I was anxious about this but was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was - in all honesty having blood taken can hurt more and take longer - and my advice is to ask for the strongest possible sedation - I knew NOTHING from the moment the anaesthetist said ‘starting the sedation’ to when they woke me up!  See my other posts for my recent learning from experience especially the need to make sure you get enough pain relief going and once at home, and the virtues of buying an icing device ( cryocuff).

Hi I had a spinal anesthetic & it was fine. I also had some other anesthetic to keep me under as I didn't want to no anything about it. You don't have to have a spinal, talk it over when you go to your pre op & also with the anesthetist, he'll advise you. Good luck

Take a look at my knee journal. Go to my profile and copy address in browser.

I wrote all about my knee journey. Might find it helpful.

This forum is good too.