Tips for 'must haves' when coming home from Knee op

 my hubby put up a hand rail up the wall of the stairs it was great and still is im never taking it down ,it also ment i had an extra pair of crutches up stairs so when i wanted to go upstairs i could let my crutches below and i could have a hand on each rail climbing the stairs( it was good for me as i had bi lateral ) and when i reached the top i had the other pair so no carrying !!! foot pedels were great to start off with the bend i used to go back and forth and then with practice i could do full circle  .

IrishLinda - you have just reminded me - I got a wall handle grip thing for the shower and a shower step so that my step up into the shower wasn't so high.

You need to think a lot more beforehand if you live on your own...and in a house.  We don't always have the luxury of someone who can stay more than one or two nights.  As people have said, a big bag is essential, especially when you are still using two crutches.  It can be used for everything, even taking clean washing upstairs.  I brought a bed down for my first knee, but I didn't bother the second time.  Going up stairs was OK holding one...coming down a little more scary.

One thing I found useful was a bottle for taking water upstairs to take your meds in the night.  Much easier than trying to carry a glassful.

It's also quite handy to tie a long rope to the upstairs bannister, so that you can tie things to it at the bottom, then go up the stairs and then haul it up.

People have mentioned loose trousers, but I find a floaty skirt to be much better...less pressure on the knee when you sit, and easier to pull up to massage your knee.

Some people have also previously suggested skateboards, so that you can run your leg backwards and forwards more easily.  I bought one of those exercise wheels that you normally use for your arms, but I use with my feet.

There's lots of things that can make life easier...so sit and have a good think of what you normally take for granted every day.

Patsy

As far as wearing clothes goes, I have been wearing shorts around the house I can't stand anything touching the scar yet. If I go out I wear a very lightweight pair of summer calf length trousers, which are very loose around the leg.

Patsies idea of the rope is a good one. My hubby was home for two weeks but then he had to go back to work so on my own all these sorts of things are really useful.

I firmly second the leg lifter, grab-stick (could be litter picker?) , and something to slide your foot backwards and forwards on - I used a big old birthday card, nice and shiny.

Rather than a cross body bag, I found a rucksack better - if you've got a flask, bottle of water, etc, the weight can easy get unevenly distributed and put you off balance.

A big silk scarf - real silk, not nylon, for when your leg is so sensitive you can't bear anything on it. It's whisper light, and feels nice.

I'd also recommend duplicating vital items, like the leg lifter and grab stick, so you don't have to keep carrying them up and downstairs. So frustrating when you've finally got settled and realised you've left them downstairs!

Make sure if you have a tv in your bedroom, and plan on using it, put new batteries in the remote just before you go into hospital.

Spare bulb for your bedside lamp, within reach of your bed just in case.

Oh, nearly forgot! Exercise pedals, about £20 off Amazon, invaluable for physio, and a Swiss Ball, again a massive help. I'm over 20weeks and still use the Swiss Ball regularly for Quad switches and straight leg raises. If it's good enough for the Physios, it's good enough for me!😉

There are some really great ideas here, wish I'd known about the toilet seat raiser!

I was lucky that I had my knee done in Summer in Australia so I wore sarongs all the time; easy to wrap around the waist and easy for access to the knee for massage, icing, etc

One thing I wasn't aware of was the possibility of constipation after surgery. I wasn't eating much after my surgey so it took me a couple of days to realise there was a problem. Upon discovering I was constipated I had to dose myself with with a couple of goods slugs of coconut oil to get everything moving again. I only had the large doses because the constipation was already prolonged when I worked out what was going on; for any future surgeries I would only need half a teaspoon of coconut oil each morning and evening.

Good luck!

Days ago I wrote about feeling concerned that my knee had limited ROM, in spite of making progress in other areas. In two days it will be one month since my surgery. I started to take 100 mg of Tridural. However the effect only lasts app. Six hours instead of 24. Thus today, following the advise of my GP I took  two tylenols two prior to PT and I was able to slightly increase my range of motion.  I am also doing two massages a week and my therapist reported the knee is beginning to look rinkled - a sign that the stiffness is beginning to wear of.  For the first time today I felt hopeful. I want to thank my fellow bloggers for their kind support.  I am still not sure if most of you are in the U K, but I must say this is the best support group yet. I never used support stocking. Lifting the leg above heart level and icing, icing, icing seems enough.   One of this days I will report  sleeping through the night; being able to roll on one side and discontinuing pain killers.  One day soon.  

An upside down walking stick is excellent for lifting leg in and out of cars!

I also bought a seat raiser for my armchair. Wasn't very expensive and works a treat. It raises the seat by about 4inches. I got it on Amazon.

Hopefully you can see this now deborah.