Week 3 post TKR

i am at two and a half weeks since TKR - right knee. I have been walking with a cane for a week now , and probably no longer need it.
I am able to walk for probably 15-20 MIN before I get tired. Knee and foot still swollen although that is getting better each day. FINALLY ,
have slept an entire night last night - without jumping from the bed to the couch to the recliner. That's been the toughest part for me, just
could not get in a comfortable position to sleep '- hopefully the sleepless nights are behind me. I was prescribed oxi and tylenol but have stopped both about a week ago - not taking any pain meds now, I do take tylenol PM to help sleep before bed. I have lost a good bit of weight since my appetite is not what it was , not sure if that is common or not. If I lose enough weight I am hoping that it will not be necessary to do the second knee ... we will see , I don't even want to think about that now. Anyway , I have PT every day coming to the house , and will start out patient PT next week . I have 95 degrees bend as of right now .

I'll have to look at it again. There is so much info to look at. I hope I can recover ok. I'm kind of anxious and nervous about it. Thanks for responding.

Sounds like you are doing good. Did you have Robotic Surgery? At one of the Mayo Clinic’s?

You will do just fine - try not to dwell on it , it will only make you more nervous. Just think of how much relief you will be getting without being in pain or having limited movement. There is no getting around the fact that the first two weeks are rough , everyone I have talked to says the same thing . BUT , rough does not mean you will be in excruciating pain 24/7 - they will give you meds to make you comfortable - I am two and half weeks - almost three
and I drove to work this am - it was actually my left knee , I originally put my RIGHT knee - kind of ironic that my right knee was always my bad one - until the last year . Anyway - you will do fine just be uncomfortable for a couple of weeks. Hopefully you have a recliner - or couch - that is comfortable that you can lie back on - important to try to elevate the leg and ice ..ice...ice... -and you don't want it so low that's its tough for you to get up and down . Hopefully you have someone at home that can help you for a few days after surgery - you will need some help getting changed etc . Good luck - don't fret - you will do fine !!!

Hi there ... and good luck with the surgery . Actually the home PT is every other day now, and that will be over in a few days , I will then do outpatient PT twice a week . I would be surprised if you are only having PT twice a week right after surgery , I bet that is after the first couple of weeks . The PT the first two weeks require much more than twice a week , as far as I know. Good luck !!

So do you have someone come to your home to do your pt the first week or two? I assumed I'd have exercises to do at home and go to outpatient pt a couple days a week.

Yes, the PT folks came to my house every day I think for the first week , then it was every other day , and the visiting nurse was twice a week. The nurse was a waste of time , just took vitals etc . I had my last home PT a few days ago , and start outpatient this week . Its three weeks TODAY . I assume you will have home PT just like I did for the first week or two especially if you are not going into a rehab ? Are you ? A couple of my friends that had TKR were sent home with a motion machine that kept the legs/knee moving 24/7 even as you slept , I was not - I guess there is a change of thought as far as the effectiveness of that , maybe folks were too reliant on the machine and did not do much on their own. A good buddy of mine was 5 days in the hospital , then to rehab for a week , constantly on the machine , and was at home for a couple weeks after that - he was really not out walking on his own for a month. I was NOT on the machine , was one night in the hospital , did not go to rehab, and was walking without a cane/walker before two weeks . Maybe the robotic surgery they do now is more accurate and the recovery is quicker . who knows Just anxious to put this in my rear view mirror - and start getting back to normal . Good luck with the surgery .

Just another question. Did your insurance pay for the in home pt? I'm one year short of Medicare but I have pretty good insurance. I've also heard that machine isn't recommended too much. Thanks again for your help. You've been very helpful.
Carol

Hi Carol .... Yes the home PT was paid for by Insurance . I am 66 , have medicare part A only , and have blue cross to cover the rest - I always get confused who pays what LOL .... but the PT was fully covered . I think now that I am starting outpatient I just need to pay a small co pay when I go - not sure , first one is Thursday this week. My surgery was three weeks yesterday , still the toughest part for me is sleeping - I am still reckless tossing and turning , not painful just uncomfortable. know what I mean ? It is still swollen so am trying to ice it as much as I can ... once the swelling goes down it will be much more comfortable . Hang in there .... you will do great ... DEE