What items do I need post TKR during recovery?

JK: time has dulled the memory, but I still distinctly remember him using a tiny wire spiral to screw up into the incisor along the nerve, hook it, and pull it out (by the root, I guess).

@saeternes : one last comment before your surgery. I’m sure you have read up on many issues regarding rehab after TKR, wanted to make sure you came across the suggestion to find an indoor pool to use once the incision has healed. I, and many others, found it so much easier and less painful to do the PT exercises in water. Other than that, you’ve certainly done your homework. Best of luck!

@ellerbracke, I wish I had found a community like this when I was facing my replacement in 2006 – The pool is something I wish I had known about then to avoid the extended/rough rehab I experienced. I used a pool to assist in the rehab of my rotator cuff repair and it definitely helped me bounce back quicker. I think it would have done so for my knee as well had I tried that. Another benefit if the pool is a bit cooler is the water feels fantastic on a swollen joint.

@ellerbracke it sounds extremely painful, I still think your dentist is a sadist! So after extraction he did a root canal too? I am shuddering.
JK

JK: he just pulled the nerve, left the tooth. Don’t ask me why. Then packed the now empty space with whatever goes in there to end up being called a root canal. Actually, I am pretty tolerant of dental pain in general. Frequently, if I have a minor cavity, I’ll have the dentist drill without numbing. I prefer 90 seconds of acceptable pain to dead feeling in mouth, cheeks, and jaw, for hours. However, the Swiss incident was not by choice.

I agree about the pool. A friend suggested pool walking when we were on our winter break. It was a heated pool, and it did more for my rehab in four weeks than I had in past three months since surgery. Our local Alberta winter pool doesn’t cut it for walking or exercise space

@glasgow46 : no idea about the size of your community. We have several indoor pools, mostly at sports facilities like the YMCA and assorted fitness centers. However, I lucked out when I found a 10x10 meter heated indoor pool in a wellness/fitness center attached to a senior living community. As long as I avoid the time of water exercise classes, and the 1st half hour after opening, I very often have the whole pool to myself. Love it! I can swim laps or do whatever I like. Once I’m good and tired, I take 10 minutes in the very warm 6x18 ft. whirlpool. Heavenly! Does something similar exist where you live? If a friend had not mentioned that one can have guest memberships in the senior center exercise facility I would have never thought about it.

I had "Cool-lief" nerve ablation done for my knee almost 2 yrs POST partial knee replacement since the knee replacement didn't help with the pain at all! I was not sedated at all for the procedure - he just did lidocaine injections in the areas near where he was freezing the nerves. Very, very painful! BUT...I would say after I healed from the procedure, it took away about 80% of my pain. I'm now back to walking and working out which I hadn't been able to do for over 3 years so am happy with that even if I do have a bit of residual pain. Hoping this lasts for a while!

We have several sports and pool facilities, all indoors due to cold winters. However accessing a heated pool with safe room for me to walk and do my exercises safely is not possible, and I can’t swim, so limited in what I can do. When we go south I will have access to a heated pool, conducive to walking etc so looking forward to it for sure.sounds like you did luck into your pool situation!

@ellerbracke et al, thanks for the suggestions. I will look into the pool idea. A week to go.