This TKR recovery is a long haul! We WILL get there in the end. I am still looking back from time to time to my time in hospital. I was fortunate to have a very positive experience, which was a relief because I have had some bad experiences in hospital in the past. What I would like to suggest for this thread, as a bit of entertainment more than anything else, is for people to post ONE (just one!) hospital highlight and ONE (just one!) hospital horror. Probably keeping fairly brief would be best if possible. It could be entertaining! My start is:
highlight...the first time I stood up. I could feel my operated leg was wonderfully straight and it hasn't been that way for years!
horror...the time I realised that my nightdress was just that little bit too short. I hadn't factored in the fact that when using a walker you have to lean forward. I also hadn't registered that my fellow patient had visitors as I trundled off to the toilet...leaning forward!!!
Oh LOL! That's funny:-)))) The lady in the next bed to me had the same problem LOL!
Highlight - how easy it was to walk with the walker - there was no stopping me and the physio told me I was the star of the ward LOL! Horror - Debating this one - I think it must be the first time I went off to do a wee and I STILL don't know how I did it but I SOAKED my nightdress and knickers LOL! Had to come back and change LOL! But debated that answer with this one - I clearly wasn't with it after the op and fell asleep in the chair. The doctor came round and asked if I'd done a first wee yet and I told her I'd done it yesterday, so she looked puzzled and repeated the question and I repeated the answer. She then told me I'd only come in that day and it was the same day as the operation LOL! I thought I'd been there at least a day LOL! But I did remember doing the wee and the consequences LOL! And in case anyone is wondering, I had a spinal and sedative, not a general anaesthetic LOL!
This sounds like fun. Something to get our mind off rom.
Horror- in the hospital they wanted you to be up and dressed everyday.
On the second night I wanted to go to bed so the night nurse came in. She had been fairly unfriendly and I worked hard to get her to talk. Anyway, that night I was having her help me and im sitting naked , no shame, I got my nightgown on. As she left I,said" thanks ma'am for all your help. She turned around and said, "you know you've been calling me ma'am for two days and I'm actually a guy." I turned a horrible shade of red and felt pretty stupid. Stupid too because I was flinging clothes around thinking I was getting undressed in front of a woman.
The funny thing was in PT the second day. We, all the knee replacement people wee sitting in a circle. She had us doing heel slides. One old guy next to me was moving his heel back and forth like no tomorrow. The PT said "sir, you need to do that with your other knee". Huh, he said being hard of hearing. You want me to do what? You need to use your other leg. He said, I just had that operated on, I can't do that. Well, everyone got a good laugh at that.
Better idea. Go to a costume shop and buy one of those HUGE fake butts. Strap it on and walk around with the back of your gown wide open!!!! Damn, wish I had thought about that a year ago. But wait...I still have one knee to go! Woohoo! This time I'll be prepared!
Should have done a better job checking my posts. Wee in a circle should have been we were. I'm still laughing about wearing in a circle. Yea, that's what they teach us at pt in Mercia, wearing in a circle. Gotta know how to do that before they release you from the hospital. Heck with the rom🤣🤣
Highlight, laughing with the theatre tech (who also moonlights as a singer!), nice to go into theatre laughing!
Horror, the dreaded morphine, talking to my son & I just fell asleep...mid sentence. Also talking to the Physio ditto! Food & drink not staying down, you name it......
Still went into hospital 12.30 Monday, discharged Thursday 13.30...Heaven (apart from the dodgy knee)!
I forgot to say about the horror of waiting just outside theatre, shivering with cold, and then they say 'cold liquid coming down your back' and you feel as though a bucket of iced water has been chucked at you LOL!
Admitted 07.30 saw anaethetist who converted me from planned GA to epidural plus sedation due to neck and jaw restriction meaning difficult to intubate. Mortified as remembered the noise of those bone saws /drills from my student nurse days. Just kept repeating I am able to listen to my music aren't I? ! In fact I'd now have my second the when needed under epidural as they were able to top up the pain relief which helped.
Highlight: ( there were several 🤡🤡
A 93 year old tkr patient , an ex school teacher, in the bed next to me who was inspirational and such fun. Her and I were having a better time of it than the 2 tkr ladies opposite us. They just kept asking how we could lift our leg in out of the bed so easily as it hurt. She point blankly told them you've had bone carpentry just get on with it of course it's going to hurt.
She was a hoot, well read and great company.If my physio had given me information she had not got she would be on their case.
I had a great hospital experience. I had a private room. It was like a country club. My actual surgery that I was scared "poopless" about was great....spinal anesthetic and some versed concoction in my arm...woke up 3 hrs later, both knees done, "fresh as a daisy"!😉 My most unlikeable experience was PT coming in the next morning saying time to get up!😳 I had heard it would probably happen but I was like horrified that they wanted me to get my 3 ton knees anywhere near the flippin floor!😳😳😳😳. So we tried and I proceeded to faint but thankfully on the bed! Tried again, got up, "walked" a few steps and back to bed! For flippin sake, what did that accomplish? I just wanted to lay on my rear in bed! What is this walking stuff when you're still druggy, tired, etc?? I know you have to do it and should do it but I sure as hell didn't have to be happy about it especially with my rear so lovingly displayed! And I won't even go into going up steps the next day!! PTs are crazed!!🤣🤣🤣🤣 Again I know it's their job and thanks to them I'm walking and doing pretty good 12 weeks post bilateral! Have a good day "kneebies" as Chico says I believe!!☘️🙏
