Knee replacement ??

  I am getting a knee replacement tomorrow..  For those of you who have had it done, how long before you
could get in and out of your Motor Home ?  We had wanted to head to Padre Island in December, but not
sure if I will be healed enough to try the up and down the stairs...  TIA.

Bob

I am contemplating the same so I am interested in what answers you get. Knowing the rehab from the injections I had, they had me doing steps in just a couple days. I am now worse than what I was before the injections and struggle with the steps in my MH.

I'm not sure about how long... but you are going to get a bunch of people telling you to do the psychical therapy exactly as instructed.

I'm looking at the same thing.

My brother just had his left knee done,, the therapy takes a lengthy time and he is a hikeing freak ,so he is moving right along and hopes to be ready for Quartzsite in mid January.>>>Dan

Had my right knee replaced 5 May 2012. I was up and walking in a week and only 1 week of PT doctor said I was his poster child. I would say it took about a month and I could do about anything I wanted. Glad I had it done.

Brother said he will be limited to 120 degree's of movement in that knee.>>>Dan

Everything depends on you...your physical condition, weight and how you work on your post-op physical therapy. If you want to work hard, you can be up and around in a few weeks.

I had my right knee done May 20th 2012.  I agree with what everyone else said.  Each person is different.  My Dr said they strive to get you to 120 degrees.  I only made it to 118 and I worked my you know what off.
Good luck and keep updating us to your progress.

I had my knees done in 2006 & 2008.  At the time, I lived in a condo with a private entrance and 14 stair steps up to my unit.  7 stairs up and then a left turn and another 7 stairs.  Before they let me leave the hospital, they made me prove I could climb those 14 steps.  I did it at 3.5 days, which was when they usually dismissed patients.

For me, the pain was on bending, not weight bearing, so I could do the stairs, albeit a bit slowly.  Also, I got cabin fever and drove at a little over two weeks, although that is not exactly recommended.

What you WILL need, most importantly, is to be able to prop your leg up several hours per day to cut down on swelling.  Preferably, you will want to raise your leg higher than your body so fluids can drain.  Another problem is kneeling.  They cut nerves while replacing your knees, so it feels really weird and dead for years.  It will also hurt to kneel in the first few weeks, so you will need to find other ways to do things that require kneeling.  Even better, find someone else to do the kneeling for you.

[quote author=JudyJB]For me, the pain was on bending, not weight bearing..[/quote]

My other half had a knee replaced a week ago, and that's what she's telling me.

What you WILL need, most importantly, is to be able to prop your leg up several hours per day to cut down on swelling. Preferably, you will want to raise your leg higher than your body so fluids can drain.

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Aye, and that's been stretched stressed by the home therapist.

We normally drive 2500 miles (by car) this time of year, to be near kids and grandkids, and DW does most of the driving. But we decided ahead of time to cancel travel plans for Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. Meanwhile, Chris had hip surgery scheduled for early January (before she'd scheduled the knee surgery); The two Docs talked and agreed she should re-schedule hip surgery to early February.

Choose your doctor ( I use the term loosely) carefully. Mine admitted to cutting the bone crooked twice! Blamed it on me having the hardest bones he had ever tried to saw. Then shimmed up the prosthesis with adhesives. The nerve block didn't work and I woke up in recovery screaming. I was on a walker and opioids for 4 months. Lucky me, no addiction issues.  3 1/2 years later, I still experience more discomfort from the knee replacement than the other knee.  I have been to several other specialist with no resolve to the the tissue damage. I have full mobility but will be stuck on pain meds the rest of my life.
We now have regenerative cartilage treatment as an option for knee replacement surgery. Wished that was an option 3 1/2 years ago.
Good luck with you surgery.

Richard

My wife had a partial knee replacement 5 years ago and is scheduled for a full replacement of the other knee on Dec 18. Things have changed a bit since she had the first one done. For the first one she spent 2 nights in the hospital, though they had her out of bed on the day after surgery. She had a nerve block inserted and the release schedule was based upon the surgeon removing the nerve block. Then she had a machine at home that exercised her knee for hours and she had a schedule that she had to keep and use it at nights. After a couple of weeks she was pretty much up and around and had another 4-6 weeks of physical therapy. After that she was in good shape.

Fast forward 5 years - This time the surgery is on an outpatient basis and they use a different type of nerve block that doesn't require removal. I think they said the surgeon packs the knee with something that acts as a 48 hr nerve block before he closes up. They also no longer use surgical staples - current practice is to use a surgical glue which dissolves as the incision heals. Provided that she is responding OK, they will release her sometime in the 24 hrs after surgery maybe as soon as 4-6 hours after she wakes up. The surgery center is a bit like a min hospital, but they don't keep anyone for very long.

The dreaded knee exerciser is a thing of the past as they say they have found that it doesn't really shorten or improve recovery. She will have a phone app that will nag her to do a set of exercises though. She will get a thing called a Knee-Hab which is an electronic muscle stimulator. She pulled out her old one and discovered that the make them in left and right types, so she gets to buy another. The first time it wasn't covered by insurance (about $200) and this time around also might not be. We are on my corporate retiree medical program, but that has changed every year since then, so who knows what they may or may not cover today. I can only figure it will be less.

First time around insurance was no problem in getting approved for the replacement. This time its been an endurance contest that started a year ago. The Dr wanted to try a gel injection, but the insurance company wasn't buying it (isn't wonderful that an accountant can overrule your Doctor?). So she had to go with two courses of cortisone injections, which didn't work (why would it with bone on bone degradation?). Each of these had to be 90 days apart. Then...they gave permission for the gel injection, but only with "their" gel - not the one the Doctor wanted to use. That was marginally effective and at least got us through the summer - but with no hiking. They said it would be good for up to 90 days, but she got maybe 60 days. She went back in September and finally got the go ahead for the replacement - but couldn't get on the schedule until. Dec 18.

So the hope is that things go as well as they did last time around and that she's doing well and ready to head out in the motorhome by spring. We ended up canceling a couple of planned trips last year, so we have to make up for it.

Just found out this morning that babies are born without knee caps. Interesting.

TonyDtorch said:

I'm not sure about how long... but you are going to get a bunch of people telling you to do the psychical therapy exactly as instructed.

I'm looking at the same thing.

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Even better, do the amount required and then add 50%. I've had a few ortho surgeries, 14 to be exact, including a total knee and PT is the most important thing you can do. Expect 6 weeks to be comfortable and do the PT.
RichH

aquablanco's signature says:

"Never underestimate the power of very stupid people in large groups"  Amen!!!!!

I have seen it in spades!!

Now, where were we.....

I have had both knees replaced and the right one replaced for the second time.  I fell and broke the replacement.  That was hard to do from what I was told because it took them 4 years, and 5 more surgeries and a new doctor to figure it out.  I can tell you to get ahead of the pain with ice and meds.  I wanted to use the ice as much as I could.  I had heard so much about pain meds and was afraid to use them too long.  As others have said do the PT and then do it at home.  I had right knee replaced for the second time on Nov 30 2016.  I finished PT in about 5 weeks and now doing about everything I want.  I am still scared to jog but the doc says to go for but slowly.  I love to hike and my longest has been about 7 miles in the Smoky Mountains.  It really helped when the wife gets me to push my limits and do more.  Best of luck.

I had both knees replaced Sept 28th in the hospital.  Surgery was on a Thur. and I was supposed to be released on Sat., but had a unrelated complication and didn't leave until the next Wed. They got me out of bed right away and had me walking,trying stairs, stationary bike, etc.  I went to PT for 6 weeks, 3 times a week.  I am doing the exercising at home and using the stationary bike alot.  Left knee is doing well but right knee is taking more time, Dr said he had to do more on that one.  Overall recovery has gone well, off meds @ 4 weeks just using Advil and walking pretty well.  Stay with physical therapy program.  Best of luck and here's to quick healing!!

BIL had a knee replaced, and also had complications. He had a heart attack during surgery. They ended up moving him to another hospital that had better cardiac care. His knee got negelected, and has not been right since. He's tried everything to get it to where it should be, but has been told many times by many places that it will never be right because of the lack of initial therapy.

kdbgoat said:

BIL had a knee replaced, and also had complications. He had a heart attack during surgery. They ended up moving him to another hospital that had better cardiac care. His knee got negelected, and has not been right since. He's tried everything to get it to where it should be, but has been told many times by many places that it will never be right because of the lack of initial therapy.

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Oh goodness, I'm so sorry!  My complication wasn't that serious, but couldn't get up for a couple of days so they had that constant movement machine.  Even though some say they don't do any good, it worked for me during that time.  I hope he's not in pain.

Arch Hoagland said:

Just found out this morning that babies are born without knee caps. Interesting.

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Ours were born without common sense. Found out it can't be added later.