Up and coming TKR - couple questions

I hope this helps?

My experience from 2 x TKR's, March and October 2014 was terrific and I could not praise the local health authority enough. I reside in the south east of the U.K in Kent, although my local hospital does not have the best reputation the care I received on both occasions was exemplary.

The hospital issues a very informative booklet covering absolutely everything from pre-op exercises, any additional occupational health equipment you may need such as toilet seat boosters and frames to your aftercare and physio'. They also organise a 'joint club' where potential recipients can meet members of the medical and surgical teams, actually handle the components of the new joint and talk through any difficulties you feel you may encounter, all to ease you gently into the pain hell you are about to enter.

No it's not that bad really, they do their best to put your mind at rest but the not knowing exactly what is going to happen to you is the most terrifying part of the whole procedure, unless you have previous experience of surgery of course, I had not.

Post operation do your bed exercises as instructed, if the nurses offer you pain killers, take them, try and sleep as much as you can in hospital I know its difficult but there is worse to come. The physio' team will visit you day one or two and get you up walking with a frame, do your best to do as they say, you won' t feel like it but it does help for later. Go for crutches as soon as you can (hopefully day 3) and push them to take you to the stairs and complete the up and down exercise, this is your ticket out. Once you have completed that and they are happy you have a carer or support at home you are on the road to freedom usually day 3 or at worst day 4. They don't want to keep you in any longer than necessary, they are terrified you might catch something horrid and they want your bed.

You will find it fairly easy to get the straight leg and the 90° bend to satisfy their discharge criteria whilst you still have the anaesthetic in your system, push hard on the bend you can do it even if you break into a sweat or tears. Unfortunately you will not get the straight or the same bend once at home it all tightens up and becomes sore. A fellow forum member described it on here as like having barbed wire in the joint and it can feel like that.

It does get better though and remarkably quickly once you are at home, again keep up with the exercises, ice regularly, elevate most of the time. Try and get out every day for a walk, not far at first, down the garden or around the block will do, slowly extend your distance if you can, maybe to 1/4 mile perhaps, then ice as soon as you get home again.

There is a whole load of helpful information and advice from really sincere like minded people on this forum, reading the discussion's was an absolute boon to my recovery, I feel very lucky now to be virtually pain free and hoping to live life again, you can do it, nobody can do it for you, but it is worth in the end. Dave.