Dianne10

I had my left knee done in 2009 and I did all the therpy plus some on my
own. I was walking without assistance at 4 weeks.Just do what they tell
you and you will be fine.

Betty Boop

I had knee replacement on my right knee on 12/15/11. The first two weeks were the worst for me. It has now been a month and I am walking with a cane, sometimes without a cane for short distances. I am so thankful not to have the pain I had before surgery. My left knee is as bad as the right one was, except it responded to gel injections and will be able to wait a while before it needs done. DO your exercises faithfully. I have an ice machine that was send home from the hospital. USE ICE. Every two hours if you need to. I just turned 70 and I guess I am doing well according to therapy. Total recovery takes a few months, so don't get discouraged. Good luck!

Ikesgram

Thank you all so much. I knew I could ask this board and get helpful suggestions. I have been through pre-op but have some other tests that my primary doc wants done; then hopefully I will be cleared for the 31st of January.

I live with a constant pain in my face so pain management is really important to me in the time after the surgery and so far the docs seem to be OK with letting me continue meds for the face pain and then adding what I may need Post-operatively. I really want to get back to near normal so that I can have the other knee replaced. It is in worse shape, they tell me, but the right knee hurts more now.

My daughter is a physical therapist and will not let me NOT do the exercises even though she is not my PT. After
I had my hip replaced 10 years ago, she was so helpful in answering my questions and explaining why things worked the way they did. I cannot ask her to help me but wait until she offers!! She has a busy life with her job and in being a single parent to a 14 year-old boy so sometimes she just needs to drop the PT hat--our name for it !!

Thanks again for all your good thoughts and advice.

tutty

The doctor wanted to replace both knees though one at a time but my cardio doctor said no to wait . try to lose more weight and go back to the accupuncturist and pain management treatments first. Well the accupunture is helping and they also do electrical and massage and accu pressure warm heat and now I've start repair-vite. then he wants to work on my liver then the thyroid. There is help out there before jumping in with both knees ! Still have bad days but not using advil ( not supposed to anyway ) and the lido derm patches for pain. Going next week for a differint type of accupuncture , the needle will have some type of herb on tip. praying this will make the final difference and dh will let up on wanting me to go ahead with the replacement surgery. Lord knows.

fabric_lover

I've had both knees replaced and instead of home health care which was offered, I chose rehab. It was GREAT. You exercise every day, have access to machines when you are there, have 3 delicious meals you don't need to plan/cook/worry about, snacks too. Second knee replace. I couldn't get into my rehab since they had no openings till 2 days later, It gave my knee a chance to move more on the CPM machine while in bed (no walking in hospital). Only thing, once released from rehab you need to keep up w/exerises otherwise you lose movement what you have gained. If you have Advanced Health Care in your area that's a supurb #1 rated one. Before surgery you NEED to go to dentist-after replacement, you need to take meds before any dentist visit and you need to tell dentist you had knee replacement to avoid the above mentioned infections. Your dentist will prescribe med for you to take before visit. I watch knee replacement video on U-tube so I'd be more familiar w/it and read up a lot knowing what to expect. ...OH, also pre surgury they give you packet including special medicinal soap to wash with. Follow those directions to avoid infections. I chose replacements as needles only can last 2 yrs and can only work several times. Do replacements when I am "younger" and didn't need to fool around wasting so much money.

finchelover

I am a retired nurse and my advice is do everything they tell you to,I had both done but not at once,only thing I can say is make sure they check and have the right size of knee replacement on my last one they just about goofed but doctor caught it. I needed a large and they sent a small. I had some discomfort last year and had fallen so went to see my O.surgeon and he couldn't believe it was over 20 years. I can't kneel also the doctor told me not too.
good luck and let us know how you do.

walkswithwolves

I had knee replacement 16 yrs ago. Still going good no problems with it.

HoneysMom

My husband, age 53, had his right knee replaced on Nov. 18th. He is doing wonderful. Hopefully, they send you home with a polar ice machine. My husband refers to it as his new best friend. If you cannot get a higher toilet, see about purchasing the raised handles that attach to the toilet seat. We also purchased at Walgreens a stole for the shower. If you doctor has you use a CPM machine, USE IT do not skip a session. Also, do as the doctor tells you, change the bandage as they tell you to. He had home health nurses twice a week and home PT for 3 weeks. At 3 weeks he had his stitches out and started PT at a facility. After three weeks of out of home PT, he went to doctor. He was doing so good he was told to ride a stationery bike at home and do stretching exercises at home and stop the out of home PT. He told me he cannot ever remember his knee being as stable as it is now. He will get his left knee replaced next fall. Good luck. Keep us posted on your progress.

QultingaddictUK

I had my right knee replaced last March, 2011, the best advice I had from my consultant was to try and lose weight, he says "I know it's difficult with your lack of mobility but every ounce will help" I went to my Doctor who put me on Xenical, a fat remover and went on at low fat diet and by the time I had my Op I had lost nearly 50lbs! The other thing I did was to attend a "Fall Prevention" program that is given free here in the UK and it taught me how to sit up from a bed or chair properly, boy that helped. The one thing I have a complaint about was the lack of Post Op information that I was not given, no one told me, until I saw my Physiotherapist that it takes up to a year for it to feel completley healed, what a bummer.

My best friends turned out to be ICE PACKS they helped the inflammation pain and swelling so much more than any pain killers. I put them on the knee for 20 - 30 minutes and then put on a warm pad for 20 minutes, I did this quite a few times a day as it was the one thing that really helped, the other thing was when I still have some discomfort I massage it with a small hand massager and walk my doggy every day, something I haven't been able to do since I have had her and she is now over 11 years old, so I would heartily recommend the Op but do have patience.

GreatStarter

I had a knee replacement two years ago and it was best thing that ever happened. I had lived with horrible pain due to a freak knee injury when I was just 14. Back then they said they couldn't do anything through surgery. After three arthroscopic surgeries on that knee (while they waited for me to be old enough-grrrr) I finally had knee replacement surgery. Was there pain, yes, but nothing compared to what I had lived with for 40 yrs. Do your exercises. I was home after 4 days (they kept me longer because my blood count was too low). Got home and they sent out a pt for a few weeks. She said I was doing great BECAUSE I did my exercises multiple times a day.
As soon as my specialist tells me I need my other knee done, I will schedule it. My quality of life was so poor for all those years, now I rarely even think about that knee. My specialist and my dentist both still insist I take antibiotics hour before appt at dentist. This is after the new recommendations came out.
Good luck and don't be afraid, just do what they tell you and keep the doctor appraised of any concerns you have.
Kat