Yet another knee surgery thread

[aaronc879]

W2R, could you please provide a link for the ice machine you use. My Mom is planning a TKR for next Spring and I would like to make sure she has that ice machine before the surgery. Thanks.

 

[Chuckanut]

Apparently certain people are studying the success of knee replacement surgeries by looking at the percent of people who have told the researchers they have ‘forgotten’ they have an artificial knee.

https://www.oarsijournal.com/article/S1063-4584(12)00639-5/abstract

“ However the patient may report that the knee, although free of pain, does not feel normal. As a result, the patient's assessment may be less favourable than the surgeon's assessment of the outcome. A “forgotten” knee is a joint that feels completely normal to the patient and is therefore the best possible outcome from the patient's viewpoint.”

 

[W2R]

W2R, could you please provide a link for the ice machine you use. My Mom is planning a TKR for next Spring and I would like to make sure she has that ice machine before the surgery. Thanks.

The Ossur ice machine is the one I have. I don't know how it compares with other ice machines, but it's pretty good. Also remember that my knee is pretty messed up, with both bone on bone degenerative arthritis of many years' duration, and also a badly torn meniscus and possibly other injuries. So, my ice machine might be helping me a bit more than it might help the average TKR patient.

The "Game Ready" brand of ice machine is supposed to be the best, from what I am reading from surgery patients online, but it is too pricey for me.

 

[W2R]

Apparently certain people are studying the success of knee replacement surgeries by looking at the percent of people who have told the researchers they have ‘forgotten’ they have an artificial knee.

https://www.oarsijournal.com/article/S1063-4584(12)00639-5/abstract

“ However the patient may report that the knee, although free of pain, does not feel normal. As a result, the patient's assessment may be less favourable than the surgeon's assessment of the outcome. A “forgotten” knee is a joint that feels completely normal to the patient and is therefore the best possible outcome from the patient's viewpoint.”

I can't even imagine. Just being able to do stuff is as far as my imagination goes right now. Forgetting about the surgery sounds amazing.

 

[aja8888]

I can't even imagine. Just being able to do stuff is as far as my imagination goes right now. Forgetting about the surgery sounds amazing.

That's the way my 10 year old new hip is. I don't even know I have it unless someone asks. I hope your new knees end up the same way!

 

[W2R]

That's the way my 10 year old new hip is. I don't even know I have it unless someone asks. I hope your new knees end up the same way!

Aw, thank you!!!! ER Forum people are the BEST....

 

[Moemg]

. Just before my surgery day I should do my laundry and clean the house as much as possible. That's about it, AFAIK.

Last year when I was so sick I hired a cleaning lady . It was so wonderful to be able to just concentrate on healing .She would also do laundry and change sheets if needed .Well worth the money !

 

[W2R]

Last year when I was so sick I hired a cleaning lady . It was so wonderful to be able to just concentrate on healing .She would also do laundry and change sheets if needed .Well worth the money !

Hmm!!! That idea is worth considering, for sure!

 

[Idnar7]

W2R best wishes for a successful surgery and quick recovery. Hopefully in a year or so you will say it was the best thing you ever did.

 

[W2R]

W2R best wishes for a successful surgery and quick recovery. Hopefully in a year or so you will say it was the best thing you ever did.

Thank you so much! I hope so. My surgeon says he will do the other knee too, as soon as I feel ready for it.



In other news, today's adventures included cooking and freezing some meals ahead of time for the recovery period. Got that all done.

 

[W2R]

Today I had my last appointment with my knee surgeon before my August 13th total knee replacement surgery. I asked all my questions and got my answers. I found out that I will be his second surgery on the morning of the 13th, so I am to get there at 7 AM (although the surgery scheduler will call me the day before and confirm or let me know of any changes).

He said that most of his knee replacement patients spend 1-2 nights in the hospital although some need more time there. After I go home the PT guy will be coming to my house the first couple of weeks, and then I can go to the PT guy. He mentioned a machine in the hospital which I gather is the CPM (Continuous Passive Motion) machine, and I told him that I would probably not be able to tolerate that at all. Loved his reaction which was that sure, it was OK if that was the case.

So far, so good.

Tomorrow morning at the hospital I have the (educational) joint class for joint replacement patients, followed by the hospital's pre-surgical interview. I'll be meeting with the anesthesiologist, answering questions about my medical history and what prescription drugs I regularly take, and so on. They will go over my lab tests, maybe do more lab tests, answer questions, etc.

I am so glad Frank is going to all of these appointments and meetings with me for support and to help me remember everything that is said. It's nice to have somebody to lean on. OK, there's an earworm.

In other news, I have been cooking and freezing meals to supplement whatever F brings over for me during my recovery period. And, I have been icing that knee (the surgical knee) for 2 hours most days which does seem to help. Recently my other knee is feeling like I twisted it mildly somehow, which is a little unnerving. I am going to start icing it also, tonight, and being very careful with it, elevating, resting, and so on.

 

[bclover]

AWESOME!! I'm predicting a total success.

 

[ivinsfan]

Remember being on Medicare you have more options open, such as staying a few days at an inpatient rehab facility if you feel you need some more time before heading home or don't feel you are quite where you should be.. I have more then a few friends that took 2 or 3 days there to get more rest and feel a little more confident before going home.

Have you checked out any possible facilities to see if you would be satisfied with them. It's good to do a little research even on-line so you aren't caught off guard.

 

[pacergal]

Best Wishes for a speedy recovery W2R!
Look forward to reading your followups.

 

[MichaelB]

W2R, rooting for an uneventful knee replacement and pain free recovery!

 

[Chuckanut]

Best wishes for a successful surgery.

But, keep in mind after the surgery is when the hard part starts. I can't emphasize this enough. Social Media is full of support sites where people gripe and complain about everything in the recovery process - from the pain, to the size of the scar, to their unsupportive idiot spouses. In fact, I suggest you ignore them, as they will convince you the the surgery has a 90+% failure rate, rather than a 90+% success rate. Heck, you might even be one of those lucky people who fall into the Forgotten Knee group. So much success that you 'forget' your knee ever had anything done to it.

 

[SumDay]

Best of luck, and speedy recovery, W2R!

My hospital hooked me up to that CPM machine post surgery - not sure what they'd have said if I'd refused.

Anyway, I found the slow, monotonous pace of it very relaxing, so much so that I actually slept while on it. Hospital made me use it 6 hours a day, but once home, I probably used it 3 times a day for an hour at a time. The first few days I had ZERO energy and was pretty fuzzy mentally, so I probably would have done zero movement had it not been for the CPM machine. I at least felt like I was moving it early on, which apparently is key. You have control of the ROM and speed, so it's not going to make you do anything you're not ready for.

The medical supplier just came and picked it up. I was actually kind of sad to see it go.

Of course, YMMV. Again, good luck, and looking forward to hearing from you on the other side!

 

[Moemg]

Best wishes for an uneventful surgery & recovery . My Mom at 92 also had the CPM machine and she read while it exercised her knee .

 

[mamadogmamacat]

Best Wishes for a good recovery, and many years of enjoying the new knee (and your two new knees when the time comes to replace the other one).

One thought came to mind when you mentioned the mtg with the anesthesiologist. Perhaps, on Medicare this is not an issue, but do you need to make sure that Dr, and any other medical professionals who will be part of the surgical team, are in your network, or at least employed by the hospital. i had a problem once with an ER Dr was a contractor. His bill was neither paid by my insurance nor did he accept the insurance mandated fee limitations, or whatever they are called. I managed, with some assistance from the insurance co, to convince his office to reduce the bill, and insurance ultimately paid part of it. But it was quite a hassle.

 

[Ronstar]

Best wishes for a smooth surgery and quick pain free recovery, W2R! And hopefully Frank has a shrimp po'boy for you when you emerge from recovery. (At least that is what I would want)

 

[W2R]

Thanks so much, everyone, for all the wonderful good wishes! I hadn't expected that and they are so nice to read.

I have heard from several people elsewhere online, as well as SumDay and Moemg above in this thread, that (surprisingly) the CPM machine is actually not a medieval torture device after all and in fact is helpful. So despite my initial horror at the idea of hooking my knee up to such a machine, I do plan to try it and give it a chance.

Today I went to the following:

1) "Joint class" (educational class for joint replacement patients). It was pretty useless but they gave me a spiral bound booklet with all the information in it and I will review it later to make sure I didn't miss anything.

2) Nursing staff interview: The joint class was followed by a private interview by a nurse taking down my medical history and each family member's medical history, plus an explanation of what to expect at every stage, plus just everything else imaginable.

3) Anaesthesia interview: Next was another private interview by a nurse anaesthetist, wanting to know in detail about things like prior experiences with anesthetics, seizures, allergies, any removable dental appliances (I had none), and so on, blah blah blah.

4) Lab work: That was followed by lab technicians doing even more lab work on me. I thought I had had it all done, but there were a couple of tests that had been missed. Plus, they measured my height and weight so that they could compute my BMI. I was thrilled to see that my weight was a couple of pounds lower than I had expected, but not so thrilled that my height, which has always been 5'9", is now 5'8". I guess this means I am officially older than dirt.

All of this took four hours, and between each I had to walk several times the maximum distance that I can walk with this crummy knee. All this walking was in hallways in the same building, but I had to stop and sit in my walker to rest before continuing more than once. They offered me a wheelchair but like a fool I refused to take them up on it. I was so glad that F was with me every step of the way to give me courage and strength. If I had been alone I think I would have just dissolved into tears of exhaustion and pain (being basically a total weakling).

By the time we got home, my pain was through the roof but I DID IT and as exhausted as I am, that is a glorious, victorious feeling - - - because now, there is no reasonable chance of further obstacles keeping this surgery from happening as scheduled.

F drove me home, got me into my recliner, got my ice machine going for me, and then brought me lunch. What a man! Wow. Guys, if you want to know how to impress your woman, F is a perfect example to follow.

One week from today and I will have a new knee.

 

[W2R]

Got my hair cut really SHORT today, so that it will need as little care as possible while in the hospital and in recovery.

Then, we drove around the hospital complex to make sure we know where to park and where to enter at around 6:30 AM on Tuesday, when I report for surgery.

Came home and iced and napped all afternoon. Then tonight I prepared and froze three more dinners for the recovery period.

While cooking them in the InstantPot, I reorganized my freezer. With so many frozen dinners, plus a dozen and a half water bottles for my ice machine, and two huge gel ice packs maybe 14"x18" each, plus everything else, space was getting pretty tight in there. All better now.

Also checked the house again for minor falling hazards. Everything is about the knee these days.

 

[Chuckanut]

Also checked the house again for minor falling hazards. Everything is about the knee these days.

That's the truth!

You are about to embark on a long, difficult process - regaining your mobility. There will be times when nothing appears to improve and then suddenly you realize you can put you socks on without help. Yea! A small victory! At times you will go backwards a bit. We don't heal in a straight line that shoots up like rocket to 100% healed. Instead the process goes up and down and sometimes the 'ups' are a very gently slope up, hardly noticeable.

Most important, take the pain meds, ice, elevate and remember that range-of-motion trumps everything else for the first three months. Having thighs of steel is of little value if you can't bend your knee more than 80 degree or you can't straighten your leg. You can work on strength later on.

Oh, they will pump your knee up with meds after surgery and you will feel like you can kick field goals for the local football team. Don't be fooled. The day after it will probably hurt like Heck. Get the pain meds before you leave the hospital.

 

[W2R]

That's the truth!

You are about to embark on a long, difficult process - regaining your mobility. There will be times when nothing appears to improve and then suddenly you realize you can put you socks on without help. Yea! A small victory! At times you will go backwards a bit. We don't heal in a straight line that shoots up like rocket to 100% healed. Instead the process goes up and down and sometimes the 'ups' are a very gently slope up, hardly noticeable.

Most important, take the pain meds, ice, elevate and remember that range-of-motion trumps everything else for the first three months. Having thighs of steel is of little value if you can't bend your knee more than 80 degree or you can't straighten your leg. You can work on strength later on.

Oh, they will pump your knee up with meds after surgery and you will feel like you can kick field goals for the local football team. Don't be fooled. The day after it will probably hurt like Heck. Get the pain meds before you leave the hospital.

Thanks, Chuckanut. Your advice and posts about the experience are so valuable to me since you have "Been There Done That" and are speaking from personal experience.

Perhaps it is to my advantage that for whatever reasons, my knee has been rapidly getting worse during the past month. At this point, I really don't have any choice but to get the surgery done.

I haven't been able to straighten that leg since May 13th, due to the torn meniscus. Still, I know I will miss being able to bend it all the way like I can now.

 

[Ronstar]

I don't know if this would help anyone with knee replacements, but could help those with knee issues pre knee replacement.

I went to my holistic dr for blood work check, etc. I explained that I had sore knees, etc after running, biking, hiking. She recommended Xymogen Synovx DJD.

I quit running, and Ive been taking 2 of these pills a day for the last month and knee pain is gone, baker's cyst is gone. Dr said that taking this could extend the life of one's knees.

Just thought I'd throw this out there.