It’s
been 7 weeks since I had my right knee replaced. There is still a lot of pain
at times, but I’ve been pushing through it. The first few days were horrendous.
I was kind of prepared for that, since that’s the way it was when I had the
left one done 14 years ago, but WOW!! That pain!! I was trying to follow the
instruction on the prescription bottle and trying to take as little as
possible, but that just didn’t cut it. I was crying all the time. Once we
figured out that I could actually take a fair amount more than was on the
bottle, things went a lot better. I still watched the clock, though.
Progress
seemed to take forever before I was able to do simple things again. Being able
to get in and out of bed without crying was great. I spent a LOT of time in my
recliner to get my leg as high as possible to get the swelling down. One thing
that I did that wasn’t emphasized the first time around was WALK. Walk a LOT. If
I wasn’t in my recliner, I was walking around the house. I think that was one
of the most important things I did. The PT from the home health gal was
incredible those first two weeks. Something else that was different from the
first time. I was doing exercises every day.
When
I started outside PT my goal was to really push myself. And I did. I surprised
myself a bit with my determination. It helped that a good friend was with me,
since she had to drive me there. We joked a lot and the sessions went very
well.
I
can now drive myself to PT, as it’s very close. Short distances are OK. It’s
sitting in one position with my knee bent for very long that is the problem.
You can’t get up and walk around a bit when you’re driving…
I
was always able to dress myself, a bit awkwardly perhaps, but shoes were hard.
I can now put on socks AND shoes AND tie those shoes ALL BY MYSELF! My range of
motion when I started PT was 94. As of yesterday it was 115. Goal is 120. I
know I can make it.
Basics:
The
grace of God and Marv’s help was essential. I was so blessed that Marv could
take a week off work to be with me that first week. And of course, God’s grace
is ALWAYS a plus. Having a prayer chain on your side is pretty important, too.
Take
the meds!! Stay on top of the pain, don’t chase it! Unless you already have a
problem with substance abuse, you will not become addicted. Every time I took a
pain pill I wrote it down. Every time. I had a clear record of when and what
dosage. I’m down to a bare minimum now, but I still write it down. Even if it’s
only ibuprofen.
MOVE!!
Do as King Julian says and move it, move it. So important. At the hospital, PT
had me up and moving the afternoon after my surgery. Then I had 2 sessions the
next day, complete with navigating stairs, since there were steps into the
house and into the family room. The result was that I did so well I was able to
go home after only one night in the hospital. The usual with a knee replacement
is at least a two night stay. I am really angry that this was not hammered into
me the first time around. It was pretty much, ‘do the stuff, but if it hurts
too much, stay in bed.’ And that’s what I did. It hurt, so I stayed in bed. The
result is that I don’t have nearly the range of motion with my left knee that I
have with my right knee at this moment. And I know the right knee will still
improve.
So
there ya go. It’s not a fun thing by any means, but I really needed this
operation. It had gotten to the point of needing a cane even inside the house.
And outside, forget it. I can go up and down the steps to the family room just
fine with holding onto the rail lightly. I still take a cane with me in the
car, whether I’m driving or not. Just in case something happens and I end up
needing to walk any kind of distance, but I can navigate pretty well without
it.
The
biggest plus in my mind is that I will be able to fully function when Lia comes
at Christmas break. When she was here this past summer, there was not a whole
lot we could do together because of my limitations. She would even ask me
“What’s your pain level on a scale of 1 to 10?” before suggesting any kind of
activity. There should be no problem this visit.
Still…getting
old SUCKS!! However, compared to the alternative…
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