I’m mostly ready. Main concerns are the meds, how long were you in them before going to OTC pain killer?Good luck with your upcoming surgery. It sounds like you’re doing everything the right way. I just got my second total knee replacement surgery on Friday, so it’s still too soon to say how I’m progressing. I had my first knee replacement on September 7th, just over four months ago. Both of my procedures were done first thing in the morning and I was home by late afternoon.
On my first total knee replacement, I was back to golfing with zero pain in 6 weeks. Now that’s not to say I had full confidence in it because I still have my doubts. I did take the PT very seriously and am starting off the same way with this knee replacement. I’m 52 years old and got tired of the alleged quick fixes of cortisone shots and gel injections. To me it just prolongs the misery for it to wear off and start the whole process again. Not to mention your quality of life. I had plenty of friends that had replacements done and have had issues with it. And with my uneducated opinion the general consensus was they could have taken the therapy more seriously. I know this is just a general overview of my experiences and I’d be happy to answer any questions you might have. I’ll obviously be on my phone quite a bit theses next couple weeks
One thing to add, my doctor fully cleared me at MMI on December 1st with no restrictions. Although he said not to be running, jumping or playing football which all those days are long gone for me anyway.I went back to work after 6 weeks. Light duty status was accommodated because I’m in an office. But just like my doctor had allowed me to golf was doing it at my own pace.
I was off the oxycodone after 4 days and I plan to use them till tomorrow and I’ll switch over to tramadol for a week and a half. When I saw my doctor to have my stitches removed after two weeks all I was taking was Tylenol and he approved me to start driving again. I’m expecting not to get cleared to drive as early this time because this replacement was on my right knee. So it may take another week or two to get my strength up.
I know everyone’s pain level is different but the only pain I feel is my quad muscles are very tender but my knee where I had all the pain prior to surgery isn’t there. I golfed the day before surgery to try and get one last round, which I highly recommend if you can
Thanks. I think I’ll keep things in here, did entertainment value or to keep others who may need this, um, aware of progress and failure.
Roughly 3 months! Great to hear!
Appreciate that. So one thing. I don’t have a medical followup (barring complications) for close to a month. So I’m assuming the incision will be super glued? I mean with my hip i think it was about 10? Days to staple and that stick on covering removal?
On both of my knees I had a follow up appointments at two weeks. For me anyway, yours might be different, but at two weeks is when they removed my stitches and that’s the plan on this one as well.
What do ascribe the residual pain to?
I would imagine you will be seen 1 week out for wound evaluation and staple removal. The 30 day is likely an evaluation and rehab ordeal
Tumor removal. They sliced through all of everything in my knee to get to removed. It was very uncomfortable recovery.
Thanks. Rehab begins same day, then about 1-2 weeks of it in house, then I’ll go to my PT practice that is sports med related.
I can not see a scenario in which you are a month out for a follow up examination of a surgical wound. Something will be done before then.
It may have been from playing so much golf and for so many years, but it is interesting that my trail leg was knock-kneed and my front leg bowlegged. Thus, the only real issue I had with either knee replacement (mine were done separately) was with the first one. Due to arthritis in my lower spine, the anesthesiologist for that operation didn't give me a spinal, just a femoral block. That worked great for the knee itself, but if one is knock-kneed or bowlegged, they straighten the leg as part of the procedure. As a result, muscles that were shortened on one side of my leg from being knock-kneed for many years got stretched and when I woke up from the anesthesia my muscular pain was intense to say the least. It actually took them two hours to get my pain under control. From that point on, by comparison, everything else was a piece of cake. A different anesthesiologist, for the 2nd replacement, kept moving up the spine until she was able to actually insert the needle and give my a spinal. No pain issues to speak of as a result when I woke up in the recovery room for that one.
So, I am told this is usually 100% outpatient (for surgeries in the AM) and for the PM surgeries (including mine), it's a lets see when he wakes up and how he does with the post op PT to decide on an overnight stay or if I go home. But, curve ball, I too have a knock-kneed right knee - the one they are fixing. No idea why, And when I was in presurgical PT they said yes, you do, but it's not super pronounced. So no idea how this will play out. 10 days out. Plan to hit a few balls in the net this afternoon, round on Wednesday, maybe hit a few balls again Sunday (or sooner), have a some friends coming for the weekend may change what time I have for swinging clubs after Friday.
Scar tissue, yes, i forgot about that. Fortunately, my wife has not. Already had some vitamin e stuff and i will be sure note that at PT. My last surgery, PT did a lot of scar tissue massage for exactly that reason, thank you for the reminder.
I was so bitter, lol!
That's always been my clue to stop the narcotic painkillers... when I "need" something to help get to sleep, it's time.
