Write on this time line how it felt to go home and the first weeks in recovery
Hi, I think you would need some really long posts on here for us all to post that sort of detail. I have a personal blog I kept from the first day to date (not every day of course)....But can't post the link on here. If you would like to read it, send me a personal message and I'll send you the link...
Though it would for people to have snap shots of the kind of things and timescales people are going through.
Being home was difficult at first. Trying to move around, lug my leg into bed because I couldn't easily move it on it's own. Pain meds on a regular basis. No appetite. Home nursing care and home physial therapy for first 3 weeks. Pain wasn't easy. Elevation and ice was a constant..
First week at home very painful
loss of appetite due to sickness
My first week slept a lot in day time. I remember my leg aching through the night . Watched a lot of night time tv.
went for little walks to the coop round the corner.
seem to wee a lot too
Home PT the very next day after arriving home, lasting 2 weeks until I started going to private PT.
Zero appetite and took about 2 weeks to adjust to pain meds. Was taking too much ( I thought I had to every 4 hours!) and my blood pressure dropped and I was on verge of passing out when my PT figured out what was happening. I really did not have a lot of pain like others have described, I think because my knee was so numb. After numbness starting wearing off, the pain was not nearly as bad as it was before my TKR, so I was fortunate.
My PT was a life saver, starting me with my exercises immediately.
Betty
Strange how everyone responds differently to a surgery. You said you seemed to wee a lot. I was just the opposite. I usually go what seems like constantly but after surgery I hardly ever went.
Ah I remember those days . I had to use a scarf to get me leg onto the bed. It's funny how quickly you forget.
Hi
What can you say, really tuff going. Little or no sleep, lack of appetite, drained, emotions all over the place. But then i soon realised you needed little things like an anti slip mat for the shower (ohh and a plastic garden chair that fits in the shower)! , easy to put on shoes and clothes. A little peddle bike.
Make sure your handrail up the stairs is on securely, on my first day at home i managed to pull mine off with wall plugs and screws still attached... Oops.. Bless my partner managed to sort it after a morning of drilling and some industrial fittings!
When you feel a bit better hide your bank card or switch the internet off... I had a shopping delivery nearly every day of the net... Spent a small fortune on jigsaws!!
I don't want to make light of the difficult recovery after this very serious op, but after many tears I do look back and laugh to myself about some of things I got up to. ☺
My experience was different ...I just did online food shopping and saved a fortune by not browsing the shops and buying...."might come in handy stuff."...lol....
Jean
The delivery people got to know me and knew I couldn't rush to the door ☺
I even hung out of the window and said I was on my way down the stairs. I am going to have a sale with all the jigsaws I bought. I found them therapeutic and stopped me thinking "of the knee" and that was my excuse. ☺
I found the hardest part was lifting my leg onto the bed. It was agony, I ended up using a belt to lift it.
Also lying in one position in bed and not sleeping.
Hi I am just home yesterday 4 days after TKR op I am 61 I was given advice by staff nurse in hospital to use your good leg under op one and lift it in to bed. It works wonders.
Was exhausted just getting from hospital to home. Didn't realise how tiring it would be.
Day five after TKR. Home yesterday hospital was fine. Only thing I don't get is giving you paracetamol for knee surgery when it doesn't even take a sore headache away!!! Although you can ask for stronger Which of course I did.many times.
Journey from hospital home was exhausting. Glad to be in my own surroundings.