This ain't the 1st time!

[treefarmer]

Over the years I have shared some serious issues here on the Upper Room that have involved members of our friends and family, it is a good place to come to.
About 10 years ago I had my left knee replaced and this morning it will be the right knee. This joint replacement stuff seems to be getting easier, that is today's is supposed to be outpatient surgery if there are no complications. The other 3 joint replacment surgeries all merited a 3 or 4 day hospital stay.
I would appreciate your prayers for both Miss Joy and myself to get through this process.
Thank you in advance.
Treefarmer

[djknife13]

Phil, I'm already doing that and will keep on until it's all healed up. From what I've observed from all my old friends, the knees are a little trickier than hip replacements to heal without complications so I'll be praying all goes well for you and that Miss Joy helping you recover.____Dave

[1967redrider]

Prayers for a speedy recovery!

[OLDE CUTLER]

Over the years I have shared some serious issues here on the Upper Room that have involved members of our friends and family, it is a good place to come to.
About 10 years ago I had my left knee replaced and this morning it will be the right knee. This joint replacement stuff seems to be getting easier, that is today's is supposed to be outpatient surgery if there are no complications. The other 3 joint replacment surgeries all merited a 3 or 4 day hospital stay.
I would appreciate your prayers for both Miss Joy and myself to get through this process.
Thank you in advance.
Treefarmer

Good luck, prayers, and best wishes on your knee replacement. Next Friday it will be me getting my left knee done. Did they have you get the frozen nitrous oxide treatment to the nerves in the knee area? I'm interested to know how that works out. It is supposed to deaden the nerve for 90 days and result in less pain from the procedure. I had that freezing procedure done a week ago.

[Quick Steel]

Phil, you certainly have my prayers that all will go well for you.

[Colonel26]

TF, and OC, you both have my prayers.

[Mumbleypeg]

Prayers for both of you.

Phil, you’re right that these joint replacements are becoming more common. I’ve not been through it myself but several good friends including my BIL have. Since you’ve been through it before you probably already know that besides a good surgeon the key to successful results seems to be doing the follow up physical therapy. One friend who thought he’s a tough guy blew off the PT, said he didn’t need it. He’s has had continual problems and pain. Others who diligently followed the PT regimen have had good results.

Anecdotal maybe, but that’s what I see.

Ken

[glennbad]

Phil,

My prayers will be with the both of you, that the process will be successful and free of difficulty!

[eveled]

Prayers sent.

[rea1eye]

Had my right knee replaced 3 1/2 weeks ago. Best of success to both
of you. Agree what was said about PT. You need to really push yourself,
and even then progress will be slow. Follow your surgeons and PT
advice to the letter.

Also, don't be afraid to take your pain medicine including oxycodone or
hydrocodone. The opiate epidemic needle has slung too far now. You are not going
to become an addict when you take those meds for 1 week. Pain
is expected but you should get relief when needed.

Bob

p.s. Get yourself a good knife after your surgery. You deserve it. Mine
should come sometime next week. You all probably will see a post. I am excited

[KleenCut61]

Good luck Treefarmer . bless you and speedy recovery , . Joe

[Gtrclktr-351]

Good luck treefarmer
positive thoughts, vibes and prayers coming your way
PT can be a little tough, but worth the effort and pain meds are your friend
just don't let the initial pain get out of hand...staying on top of pain makes controlling it easier

Had my right knee replaced Jan. 16 and my left on May 30 and almost back to my 73-year-old normal

[bighomer]

Prayers sent for a successful surgery and rehabilitation.

[OLDE CUTLER]

Prayers for both of you.

Phil, you’re right that these joint replacements are becoming more common. I’ve not been through it myself but several good friends including my BIL have. Since you’ve been through it before you probably already know that besides a good surgeon the key to successful results seems to be doing the follow up physical therapy. One friend who thought he’s a tough guy blew off the PT, said he didn’t need it. He’s has had continual problems and pain. Others who diligently followed the PT regimen have had good results.

Anecdotal maybe, but that’s what I see.

Ken

You are right about the rehab Ken. A friend of ours sister had a knee replaced. She went home the same day, tore off the bandages and jumped in the hot tub. Refused to do any PT on the knee. Several years later and she can still not walk normally on that leg and still has pain.

[treefarmer]

Over the years I have shared some serious issues here on the Upper Room that have involved members of our friends and family, it is a good place to come to.
About 10 years ago I had my left knee replaced and this morning it will be the right knee. This joint replacement stuff seems to be getting easier, that is today's is supposed to be outpatient surgery if there are no complications. The other 3 joint replacment surgeries all merited a 3 or 4 day hospital stay.
I would appreciate your prayers for both Miss Joy and myself to get through this process.
Thank you in advance.
Treefarmer

Good luck, prayers, and best wishes on your knee replacement. Next Friday it will be me getting my left knee done. Did they have you get the frozen nitrous oxide treatment to the nerves in the knee area? I'm interested to know how that works out. It is supposed to deaden the nerve for 90 days and result in less pain from the procedure. I had that freezing procedure done a week ago.

I'm not familiar with the procedure you mentioned, I would sure love to have some deadened nerves right now! I haven't taken anything for pain other than Tylenol until just now. Took a Hydrocodon and Robaxin at 9 pm just in time for bed. The surgeon that did my left knee and right hip said if you can make it through the day on light weight pain killers do so and use the hot stuff for bed time. He said sleeping is when most of the healing takes place. Seems to have worked in the past for me. I may get different advice from the home health and extended rehabilitation they are expecting me to do. I never have gone to the rehab center yet but just did the exercise they kept increasing. This lap may be different.
Freezing the nerves, did that give any relief for you before next week's surgery?
The procedure I had is loosely referred to as MAKO knee surgery. The femur and tibia are not cut off nor metal rods placed in the bones, the knee joint is separated and ground down and some sort of an insert is used. Seems like the joint is hollowed out following a 3D computer model of the knee. The doctor controls the grinding even though he is assisted by a robotic arm, I think. Some sort of glue is used at times according to my limited research.
My first knee and hip replacements were made by Smith and Butcher.
Hope and pray your knee surgery goes very well.
Treefarmer

[orvet]

Philip, I will be praying for you and OC.
I had a procedure similar to what you describe Philip. It has worked very well for me. I can even kneel down, which I was told you couldn't do with knee replacements.

[OLDE CUTLER]

Over the years I have shared some serious issues here on the Upper Room that have involved members of our friends and family, it is a good place to come to.
About 10 years ago I had my left knee replaced and this morning it will be the right knee. This joint replacement stuff seems to be getting easier, that is today's is supposed to be outpatient surgery if there are no complications. The other 3 joint replacment surgeries all merited a 3 or 4 day hospital stay.
I would appreciate your prayers for both Miss Joy and myself to get through this process.
Thank you in advance.
Treefarmer

Good luck, prayers, and best wishes on your knee replacement. Next Friday it will be me getting my left knee done. Did they have you get the frozen nitrous oxide treatment to the nerves in the knee area? I'm interested to know how that works out. It is supposed to deaden the nerve for 90 days and result in less pain from the procedure. I had that freezing procedure done a week ago.

I'm not familiar with the procedure you mentioned, I would sure love to have some deadened nerves right now! I haven't taken anything for pain other than Tylenol until just now. Took a Hydrocodon and Robaxin at 9 pm just in time for bed. The surgeon that did my left knee and right hip said if you can make it through the day on light weight pain killers do so and use the hot stuff for bed time. He said sleeping is when most of the healing takes place. Seems to have worked in the past for me. I may get different advice from the home health and extended rehabilitation they are expecting me to do. I never have gone to the rehab center yet but just did the exercise they kept increasing. This lap may be different.
Freezing the nerves, did that give any relief for you before next week's surgery?
The procedure I had is loosely referred to as MAKO knee surgery. The femur and tibia are not cut off nor metal rods placed in the bones, the knee joint is separated and ground down and some sort of an insert is used. Seems like the joint is hollowed out following a 3D computer model of the knee. The doctor controls the grinding even though he is assisted by a robotic arm, I think. Some sort of glue is used at times according to my limited research.
My first knee and hip replacements were made by Smith and Butcher.
Hope and pray your knee surgery goes very well.
Treefarmer

Glad to hear that your procedure seems to have went well. The freezing treatment I had is called "iovera", Google it for more info. It seems to be working, I now have numbness below the knee on the outside/front of the leg, which seems to help the knee pain now and will help the post surgical pain also. We will see how it goes when surgery happens on Friday. I too am having what is called the Mako process of robotic assistance. I am already on the schedule to start physical therapy on Monday following the Friday surgery. They sure dont let grass grow under your feet. Having had 5 previous joint surgeries (none of which were joint replacements), I know how important PT is to recover full range of motion. There are a couple of YouTube videos of how the Mako process works. The Dr that is doing mine is known for his attention to every detail and has done hundreds of knees. On my first appointment with him, he spent a half hour explaining in great detail everything that would happen and what to expect. Its very important to have a good Doctor and trust him.

[treefarmer]

OLDE CUTLER,
The therapy folks have already made their 1st appearance! As before these sessions start slowly but are quite intense and of course they get worse as time goes on. The home health bunch will transfer my therapy to a local facility in a couple of weeks.
Treefarmer

[OLDE CUTLER]

Had my right knee replaced 3 1/2 weeks ago. Best of success to both
of you. Agree what was said about PT. You need to really push yourself,
and even then progress will be slow. Follow your surgeons and PT
advice to the letter.

Also, don't be afraid to take your pain medicine including oxycodone or
hydrocodone. The opiate epidemic needle has slung too far now. You are not going
to become an addict when you take those meds for 1 week. Pain
is expected but you should get relief when needed.

Bob

p.s. Get yourself a good knife after your surgery. You deserve it. Mine
should come sometime next week. You all probably will see a post. I am excited

I am interested in how you are progressing?

[OLDE CUTLER]

OLDE CUTLER,
The therapy folks have already made their 1st appearance! As before these sessions start slowly but are quite intense and of course they get worse as time goes on. The home health bunch will transfer my therapy to a local facility in a couple of weeks.
Treefarmer

How are you doing Phillip? My worst day so far was yesterday when the block wears off after 3 days. Today I have my first PT session at the PT clinic. I have been pedaling the Romtech device at home 5 times a day. The meds have controlled the pain well so far.

[wlf]

God bless you all. I know the PT is worth it all, as my wife has had both.

[treefarmer]

OLDE CUTLER,
Your knee looks better than mine! They took the water proof bandage off yesterday and the incision looks pretty rough to me! The nurse said it looked great and explained what we we looking at: the shiny clear stuff is glue, the purple lines are match lines, the dark red is dried blood in the incision. Instructions were specific, don't submerge in a pool, tub, creek, river or the Gulf! Shower normally, don't rub or scrub the incision, let all that stuff come off on its own. The incision is healing from the inside out.
Therapy comes 2 more times and I may or may not continue with structured therapy. This is my 4th joint replacement and we haven't needed to go further with therapy. The doctor will write a prescription if I feel the need to continue.
Sorry if this looks gross to anyone.

Bandage with knife from Glenn.

Bandage removed by nurse yesterday.

Sore and stiff, motion returning slowly. Meds include an antibiotic 3 times day, additional 81mg aspirin along with Plavix for clots and a bunch of oxycodon for pain. I chose to only take 2 of the oxys at bed time and Tylenol during the day. Got a follow up on Oct 7 if nothing derails our progress.

Treefarmer

[orvet]

I'm glad you're doing so well with that Philip!
Keep doing that PT, everyone I know who didn't do the PT regrets it.

[OLDE CUTLER]

OLDE CUTLER,
Your knee looks better than mine! They took the water proof bandage off yesterday and the incision looks pretty rough to me! The nurse said it looked great and explained what we we looking at: the shiny clear stuff is glue, the purple lines are match lines, the dark red is dried blood in the incision. Instructions were specific, don't submerge in a pool, tub, creek, river or the Gulf! Shower normally, don't rub or scrub the incision, let all that stuff come off on its own. The incision is healing from the inside out.
Therapy comes 2 more times and I may or may not continue with structured therapy. This is my 4th joint replacement and we haven't needed to go further with therapy. The doctor will write a prescription if I feel the need to continue.
Sorry if this looks gross to anyone.1000000441.jpg1000000446.jpg
Sore and stiff, motion returning slowly. Meds include an antibiotic 3 times day, additional 81mg aspirin along with Plavix for clots and a bunch of oxycodon for pain. I chose to only take 2 of the oxys at bed time and Tylenol during the day. Got a follow up on Oct 7 if nothing derails our progress.

Treefarmer

Looks like they used a dull knife to make that incision. lol
Hope mine looks that good when the bandage comes off a week from Friday. My knee has a LOT of swelling too.

[doglegg]

I would share healed photos but your healing photos are more impressive. Thank the Lord we live now and not 100 years ago when we would have been left to hurt and hobble. Glad you two are progressing. Thanks for the pics.