Re: New to group -- having TKR in September

[Guest guest]

Hi quiltlingblue cat. I recognize you from the QVC board I had my

second tkr this past February. E mail me privately and I will tell you

more. My e mail is blueheronlove@...

On Aug 6, 2006, at 2:46 AM, quiltingbluecat wrote:

> Greetings. I am having total knee replacement of left knee in

> September. I am eager to learn from your experiences about best ways

> to

> prepare. Thanks!

>

>

" If you are all wrapped up in yourself, you are overdressed. "

[Guest guest]

My suggestion would be to go to the webpage and go through all the old messages.

You will find much information there.

Joint Replacement/

You can put in the search box tkr "new here" and it will bring up the latest responses to the last person who came in new and waiting for a tkr.

after that you might still have more questions. I haven't had a knee done but have had a hip done twice. Every surgery is different.

I hope you will find the group supportive and informative.

Aussie MargaretRTHR 1990 revised 2004

New to group -- having TKR in September

| Greetings. I am having total knee replacement of left knee in | September. I am eager to learn from your experiences about best ways to | prepare. Thanks!| | | | | |

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 8/6/2006 3:50:44 P.M. Central Standard Time, zztinau@... writes:

Greetings. I am having total knee replacement of left knee in | September. I am eager to learn from your experiences about best ways to | prepare. Thanks!|

Have all kinds of easy meals, like frozen or I was hooked on fruit cups and yogurt, peanut butter and jelly. My husband would freeze a bottle of water for me and I would drink it as it melted. At the hospital they keep the water coming, at least they did for me. I had a walker when I left and I hung a backpack from it to carry things around in. Or when I got up finally to get my own food I could put it in there. I'm 5 months out of my second TKR and I know that there are so many other things that I'm forgetting.

[Guest guest]

do lots and lots of pre tkr exerciseElaine Poage <meuw@...> wrote: Hi quiltlingblue cat. I recognize you from the QVC board I had my second tkr this past February. E mail me privately and I will tell you more. My e mail is blueheronlove@...On Aug 6, 2006, at 2:46 AM, quiltingbluecat wrote:> Greetings. I am having total knee replacement of left knee in> September. I am eager to learn from your experiences about best ways > to> prepare. Thanks!>> "If you are all wrapped up in yourself, you are overdressed."God bless all our heros PMSM LCPL JOSH India 2nd plt.

Messenger with Voice. Make PC-to-Phone Calls to the US (and 30+ countries) for 2¢/min or less.

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Congratulations & best wishes on your upcoming surgery...I am 50y/o &

had my left knee replaced in February(traumatic injury back in 1980).

I'm sure you'll get a lot of good advice...So I'll toss mine in too.

1. Start doing a lot of stretching excercises now.

2. Get a pair of comfortable, rubber soled slippers. Some people

recommend tennis shoes, but it is a lot easier to put on & take off

slippers...Acctually, I bought a pair of deck shoes, inex[ensive & the

soles had good traction.

3. I bought a couple of cases of bottled water (16 ounce size). The

meds will really make you thirsty. I put 1 case in the fridge & the

other in the freezer. I would take a frozen bottle to bed with me each

night so I would always have something to sip on...Whnever I finished a

bottle, I would refill it from the sink, but it was definitely easier

to have bottled water than it is to keep filling glasses up.

4. Your sleep patterns will get really thrown out of whack, so be

prepared sor that...I had a whole stack of books that I'd hoped to read

while recovering, but the meds & lack of sleep made it hard for me to

focaus for more than 10 or 15 minutes at a time...I ended up reading a

lot of magazines,,,the articles were just the right length for my

attention span...Old Reader's Digest were the best.

5. The pain during your rehab will keep moving. One day it'll be your

knee, another day it will be your ankle or calf....What really

surprised me, was how much my butt hurt. It seems that there's a large

muscle between your knee & lower butt & it really takes a beating to

get it stretched back...I'm 6 months post-op, and my soreness now is

pretty much confined to the outside of my knee & my butt.

6. I don't know where you live, but I had a choice of several PT

Clinics & I visited a couple of them pre-op & was lucky enough to find

a really good one.

7. Cellophane wrap really does work good for keeping the leg dry while

showering.

8. I guess that's about it for now...Good luck,,,oh, & if you want to

have a little fun, you can go to www.edheads.com & you can do

a 'virtual surgery' on yourself...It's animated, so there's no blood,

but I replaced my knee several times on-line & it really helped me to

understand the procedure...They have also recently added a 'virtual hip

surgery' also...

9...Oh yeah, the pain from the rehab was worth it. And although I'm

still sore at times, I can at least walk, sit & lay down without being

in constant pain...I can actually go for hours at a time & forget all

about being sore. It's a wonderful feeling.

>

> Greetings. I am having total knee replacement of left knee in

> September. I am eager to learn from your experiences about best ways

to

> prepare. Thanks!

>

[Guest guest]

Oops, I forgot...

Flexible ice packs & frozen vegetables... After each of my excercise

sessions I would cover my knee, on top, underneath & on both sides with

frozen stuff for about 10 or 15 minutes..One simple ice pack won't

cover the whole area...I liked the frozen peas the best. I just kept

refreezing them, but at least had the sense not to eat them,,,and

although I hated to waste food, a few bags made all the difference.

>

> Greetings. I am having total knee replacement of left knee in

> September. I am eager to learn from your experiences about best ways

to

> prepare. Thanks!

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Aussie Margaret,

I have learned a lot in the last few months from your experiences &

advice,,,so let me now take a moment to say " Thank you "

I hadn't heard about the Metho-Water combination,,,but it makes

sense...My problem is that I don't quite trust the 'zip lock bags' to

not break open & make a mess in my freezer,,or else I would worry

that I didn't quite 'zip lock' it properly(I guess that it's one of

my personal paranoia's)...But I used at least 5 bags of 'frozen

things' to surround my knee after every PT session, & I felt more

comfortable with 'pre-packaged' items...

On the other hand, I live in the United States, where everything is

pre-packaged...(shame on us)... But anyone who's had TKR or THR have

learned that every operation & recovery is different,,,and the more

questions we ask, well, the better off we will be...

Bob, or Jack....I answer to either name...

> | >

> | > Greetings. I am having total knee replacement of left knee in

> | > September. I am eager to learn from your experiences about best

ways

> | to

> | > prepare. Thanks!

> | >

> |

> |

> |

> |

> |

> |

> |

> |

[Guest guest]

Hi Elaine,

I hate to sound dumb also, & so sometimes I just blunder my way through

e-mails...But I think, and am fairly convinced, that what Aussie

Margaret refer's to as " metho " , is what we would refer to as " rubbing

alcohal " ....(my Mom used to rub it on my sunburns)...The 'alcohal'(sp?)

will never freeze, & mixed 50/50 with water will allow a lot of

flexibility & is totally reusable....It is kind of like putting

antifreeze in your car's radiator, but dilluting it with a little bit

of water...The " Anti-freeze " is 2/3rds " Metho " ,,,but you can stretch it

out by mixing in some water....This is a frozen tundra mechanic's

trick....But it has served me well over the years....

Bob...(Not actually Jack...)

>

> > The local physio says to make your own flexible ice bags by placing

50%

> > metho and 50% water in a zip lock bag. Freeze.

> >

>

[Guest guest]

AMEN TO THAT!! LOL

***** unless there is a discount liquor store close by then everclear or even cheap vodka will work well too****

[Guest guest]

it's reassuring when someone has actually WORE THE SHOES your preparing to buy!

How wonderfully put and how true!