WELL EVERYONE I'M READY TO TAKE THE PLUNGE.

Hi David!

First of all...RELAX!

Take some deep breaths in and let all that worried air right out!

I'm 64 and had my left knee replaced last June. Yes, I had swelling and YES, YES, YES my leg felt like a tree trunk filled with CEMENT for several days, BUT I have to say that with the nerve block while in the hospital I wasn't NEARLY in the PAIN I HAD been experiencing for the previous five BONE-ON-BONE years. Also the nurses kept me quite comfortable with additional pain medication. There was this white board that let me know when I could request additional pain medication. They came right away and were VERY helpful and understanding.

I had some difficulty with the first physical therapy that evening because when I tried to stand I got very dizzy and faint. My great nurse, Cassie, intervened, got me laying down and took my blood pressure. It was 80/60. Of COURSE I was light-headed! She took my temperature, gave me ice water and a cold cloth on my head. She monitored me and sent the physical therapists away. I was fine after that.

I busied myself that night by reading, writing in my journal, texting everyone to let them know I was OK, and drank ice water to flush out my anesthesia. I ended up getting PLENTY of exercise going to the bathroom every 20-30 minutes all night long. It was HYSTERICAL with two nurses, each holding one of my arms and an aide manning the pole of IV fluids, antibiotics and the medication for my nerve block! Four of us in a tiny bathroom to get me situated was even MORE crazy! It was like something Lucy and Ethel would get into!

Anyway, by morning I felt much better and with all my walking back and forth to the bathroom all night, I felt a lot stronger, too. Physical therapy was interesting as I attempted to lift my tree trunk leg. I managed to move my TOES. That was all for THAT session! At least I didn't feel faint or dizzy.

I found that I kept drifting off to sleep. Pain wasn't bad. My next PT session went better. I walked out of the room a bit and back. I also sat in a chair for awhile.

I was released after three days. Crutches worked good to go up stairs. I learned how to loop a belt and place it around my foot so that I could hoist my Tree Trunk wherever I wanted it to go. Gave myself my blood thinner shots. Got help from my husband in placing ice packs then covering me with blankets.

I quit the PAIN meds after my blood thinner shots were done because the Oxycodone was making me pretty LOOPY and not helping much with pain. Ibuprofen worked A LOT better for me.

My husband cooked for a couple days, but then I was feeling well enough to get busy on making good myself. I tried to walk around every hour and iced and rested in between.

I felt pretty good after week three and was ready to trade in my homebound status for outpatient PT. I was very fortunate to have wonderful therapists who guided me gently and taught me many helpful exercises.

I tried to grab naps as often as I could throughout the day and night. Finally around nine weeks I managed to flip over to my stomach and got my first straight four hours of sleep in about eight years. Ahhhhh!

Twelve weeks was another breakthrough time. I began to feel more human and less robotic. I was doing better at STRAIGHTENING MY legs and walking better.

That's when I had my next appointment with my surgeon. I scheduled KNEE#2 surgery for several weeks later! (My SURGICAL leg was doing good. My OTHER Leg was really holding me back!)

Fast forward to October. I had Knee#2 done. Minimal swelling and no Tree Trunk leg this time! All my PT must have helped me be more ready for THIS surgery. I was discharged after two days.

I knew the drill, so things were easier. I found I kept leaving my walker in different rooms, so I chucked it and just used my CANE. After awhile I decided to practice walking around the house without my CANE. I used it when we went out. Then I did away with it altogether.

I hope this helps you to see that although there is some discomfort and annoying aspects of getting new knees, it isn't all horrible. I can now shop without being in agony. I can shovel the walkway and driveway with only my back and shoulders hurting. My knees feel great!

I am SO HAPPY I had both surgeries. The inconvenience and the pain and even my Tree Trunk was worth it.

You will be fine.

I'm not depressed. There's some confidence for you!!

I had TKR on 3/21/2016 and returned to work on 4/11/2016.  The key is to do your therapy even though it hurts. I quit the narcotics after the first week because I was an itchy mess.  I am able to control pain with 800 mg ibuprofen and Tylenol.  I am also able to bend to 130.  I am walking and riding a recumbent bike.  After the first 3 or 4 days the therapy gets easier.  I can honestly say that the pain after surgery is less than the pain before surgery.  Just keep positive thoughts and work hard, but don't over do. 

Have you ever thought about the success stories......

You will NEVER find one on any pain forum

There is a .+% percentage of being in pain, think positive and STOP scaring your self half way to death. It is painful, take the meds

Hi David. Take a deep breath and understand that the surgery while painful is well worth the effort. I had my first knee done Sept 1 and a wonderful recovery. Pain was pretty much gone by 3 weeks, I was driving by 2 weeks (it was my left knee) , still using a cane because of my other knee and looking forward to doing the other one.

My doctor warned me to not expect the second knee to be the same. Again the hospital stay went well, pain medication every 4 hours with an occasional boost of IV meds. I went home the next day. While this knee was a slower recovery I have been extremely happy with the results. At 10 weeks I had a significant improvement. Off the cane, walking up the stairs normally and a decrease in pain medication to half a pill a day after tough PT or a significant walk.

Sooo, look forward to the results of your surgery. Yes it's more painful than a hip but certainly manageable. Rest, ice, hydrate, do your excercises and be patient. The results can be wonderful.

And Cheryl is a great cheerleader, let her keep you motivated.

Now you KNOW the any group like this is self selecting. Those who have something to say will vent it! We all need a space to talk about how we can manage the snags and difficult days, but that isn't the wider picture. The happy bunnies with uncomplicated recoveries just get on with it without comment. Here you can put your own experience in proportion & get useful ideas.

My recovery has been good, despite a wound infection which held up the healing for a week or two. The pain was there at first and ebbed over 3-4 weeks, but I managed it with lots of painkillers so that I could do my exercises properly. You get the mobility you work for, so just sofa rest won't work to get your muscles and new joint functioning without the tough exercises. It was never so bad that I couldn't get comfortable.

Now I can go without drugs for the first time in 9 years. It's been so worth it. If the other knee goes bad on me, I'd cheerfully have another knee replacement. I'm just 12 weeks postop and already heading for my local mountain walks.

You've already had a rotator cuff repair. I don't think TKR can be anything like as painful as that! If you're generally healthy, this is nothing to fear.

Mind, I can relate to those crazy excursions to the lavvy every 2 hours!

Hi David

Glad to hear that you were feeling more positive than the last time you wrote.

Your friend is right at the beginning of her journey...probably just come off the morphine drip and trying to get the pain relief right.  She has hard work ahead of her, but she may be one of lucky ones who makes good progress and gets a good bend, whilst managing to keep the leg straight, too (which has been my problem).

As we've all said, every knee is different.  My friend's husband has made a great recovery, so keep that positive feeling.

Wishing you both all the best.

Remember...most people that sale through probably wouldn't even look for a forum.

Depressed?

Never. My problem is getting the smug grin off my face. My only regret is that I didn't get my knackered knee replaced sooner. I could've saved myself years of pain and frustration when I got too sore to walk all day in the hills.

One of the big surprises for me was that it didn't hurt to stand up and walk within 24 hours of surgery! Honestly, not a bit!