Got home from Hospital today
Finally had the right total knee replacement done on Monday July 31, and now home on Wednesday. Basically, my doctor said I have no restrictions, except to use my head and logically, what I cannot do, well ... don't!
I can stand full weight on the leg, walk (with a walker for balance which they highly recommend for a few more days, but no problem if I want to tool around without it ... like in the house where I can kind of hold on to things for a steadier balance).
Therapy is extremely painful, but the affects of the actual surgery is 100% pain free. I have absolutely NO pain killers, not even Tylenol! The procedure they did blocked all the nerves in my knee by freezing them. (literally, it was pretty cool). So the knee is completely numb, even after 3 days.
But where the numbness stops is where is pain in therapy begins! And OMG! Some of those stretching exercises after a n hour or two of immobility feels like a rubberband stretch to the max right before it breaks! And everyone has assured me, the muscles will not tear!
Everyone says, by week 3, things will be back to normal. I certainly hope so. The knee and entire leg is swollen about twice it's normal size. That's what's really causing the stretching exercises to be so challenging at the moment.
I'm following Dr.s orders. I have all kinds of hospital follow up visits, rehab, Dr. Visits, blood tests coming up, and monitoring everything, watching progress, and keeping me on track.
Before leaving the hospital, I told my therapist I had a Travel Trailer and THE absolute most important thing I need to do was to be able to get up those steps! She worked with me, got a good system going how to do it (up and down), and the first thing I did when I got home was wobble over to the camper in the drive way, open the door, get up the steps, stepped inside, and said, "Hello good friend. I'm back."
We're planning on sleeping in the camper tonight, set up my Cryo/Cuff (Ice machine around my knee for swelling), and I'm off work for the next 11 weeks!
So, so far, everything has one well. The modern techniques for these surgeries is amazing! And I still have not had to use a single pain killer yet.
Just wanted to give everyone a report!
I can stand full weight on the leg, walk (with a walker for balance which they highly recommend for a few more days, but no problem if I want to tool around without it ... like in the house where I can kind of hold on to things for a steadier balance).
Therapy is extremely painful, but the affects of the actual surgery is 100% pain free. I have absolutely NO pain killers, not even Tylenol! The procedure they did blocked all the nerves in my knee by freezing them. (literally, it was pretty cool). So the knee is completely numb, even after 3 days.
But where the numbness stops is where is pain in therapy begins! And OMG! Some of those stretching exercises after a n hour or two of immobility feels like a rubberband stretch to the max right before it breaks! And everyone has assured me, the muscles will not tear!
Everyone says, by week 3, things will be back to normal. I certainly hope so. The knee and entire leg is swollen about twice it's normal size. That's what's really causing the stretching exercises to be so challenging at the moment.
I'm following Dr.s orders. I have all kinds of hospital follow up visits, rehab, Dr. Visits, blood tests coming up, and monitoring everything, watching progress, and keeping me on track.
Before leaving the hospital, I told my therapist I had a Travel Trailer and THE absolute most important thing I need to do was to be able to get up those steps! She worked with me, got a good system going how to do it (up and down), and the first thing I did when I got home was wobble over to the camper in the drive way, open the door, get up the steps, stepped inside, and said, "Hello good friend. I'm back."
We're planning on sleeping in the camper tonight, set up my Cryo/Cuff (Ice machine around my knee for swelling), and I'm off work for the next 11 weeks!
So, so far, everything has one well. The modern techniques for these surgeries is amazing! And I still have not had to use a single pain killer yet.
Just wanted to give everyone a report!
