TKR - Leaving hospital and then what??

jalith3

Back again I'm afraid.
You go into hospital, have the works done and then you leave ( I hope?!).
I kind of skimmed the bit in the hospital brochure about what happens if you die ( 'overleden' in Dutch) because I'm already feeling somewhat apprehensive about the event when it happens.
I've been trying to read some personal experiences from the web having been told nothing here of what to expect or plan for when coming home, but most of the accounts are from people in the US and they use terms I'm not at all familiar with.

* Stairs - I've read that climbing stairs can be a real problem after a TKR. Unfortunately my other knee is also well due for reconstruction so I cannot rely on that. For those that have children out there - our house resembles that of 'Winnie the Witch', rather tall and sharp in outline - three floors + food store below ground. I can still manage the fairly steep stairs very slowly, one leg at a time, hoisting myself up with my arms but I hold onto the banisters with a death-grip because I've had a couple of scares.
Is it sensible to plan to live on the ground floor for the first week or so??

I'm also quietly considering booking myself into a nearby hotel for a week and leaving them all here to get on with things. There I can enjoy food prepared and services provided - an unlikely scenario if I come straight home!!!

I assume I will be given a physio but not sure whether I will get visited at home initially.

* Driving - Is it really several weeks before you are allowed to drive?
* Cycling - When is it likely that I would be allowed to go out on the bike, a semi recliner ( my sanity!) Is cycling after the operation a safety concern ( ie you must not fall off) or is it simply s case of the amount of 'knee bend' that you have developed so you can get on and off and pedal??

I would really appreciate some more wonderful tip and advice.
Many thanks
Sarah in the Netherlands

elnafinn

Hi Sarah

Bumped up some of my TKR "diary" for you but remember we all react differently after an op and I had quite a lot of pain but good mobility but all came together in the end and I have no regrets.

Love
Elna x

elnafinn

Hi Sarah

I have got to get ready to go out now but will write laters.

Lovely weather here - hope you are sharing the same, although my arthritis does not seem to like it too much at the mo.

Love
Elna x

elnafinn

Hi Sarah

Driving can usually be performed after 4-6 weeks providing that the knee is pain free and you are able to control the car with foot pedals and make an emergency stop. I don't drive so this is what I have read and been told.

I got back to cycling fairly soon and had a quick glance back at my 2008 diary but cannot see the actual date I started back on the bike again. As you say, you have to feel confident you will not fall off and have a sufficiently good knee bend to pedal ok. I was very nervous the first time I cycled up the road and wanted my hubby watching me - he would not have been any help if I was half way down the road and fallen off - but anyway it gave me the confidence I needed to get back on the bicycle. All went well and I did not look back after that!

Generally before you leave hospital you have passed the test with the physio regarding stairs. As you have so many stairs at home it may be a good idea to live on one floor for a short while. If you do, still practice on some stairs though. You could go to a nearby hotel but you may be lonely - or perhaps not! You will feel very tired and need to nap in the day especially if the nights are not always too good for a short time after the op. You need to do your exercises regularly too - very important!

I did not get home visits from the physio. I went to the hospital once a week and either got a lift or took taxis.

Hope that helps, ask away if you have more questions,

I hope your day is going ok.
Love
Elna x

lindalegs

Hi Sarah,

I can't be alot of help as I had both knees replaced at the same time and I can't drive and haven't cycled since having RA - but I slept downstairs for a week after coming home on the advise of the physios. Remember that your operation is going to give you alot of pain relief - it does hurt a bit afterwards but the pain is very different and not like the horrible grinding destructive pain you're experiencing now.

Luv Legs

PS I, too, thought I was going to die during the op - although my knees were in such a state and life was so difficult for me I was ready to :shock:

alicea

Hi sarah i had my TKR last july and yes it took me 6 weeks to get back driving, I think everyone is different as to what they can do after the six weeks but everyone seems to go through about the same in the first six weeks as others say you have to be able to show you can get up and down stairs before you leave the hospital and walk with crutches, I didnt get any pysio after i left the hospital and only had them twice in hospital just to see if i could bend my knee to 110 degrees seems this was what my hospital needed you to be able to do before you are allowed home. You get painkillers to take home but after that your GP looks after your needs, mine did visit me for a couple of times when i went home and i rang him for pain relief meds. I think you will be fine at home it could be lonely in hotel. I slept down stairs for the first week just until i felt steady and confident on crutches, I tried to do my exercises that the physio gave me (you should be given them) when the house was quiet as it is hard work at first you will be fine i really am glad i had mine done life is so much better .. all the best sandra

angel1

Sarah hello, I had my TKR just over two years ago, and it, quite simply, gave me back my life. I had no pain, mobility was excellent, and I was able to leave hospital after three days, using one stick. I was driving after four weeks. However, not everyone is as lucky.

Like you, I researched the whole subject until I could have written a book. The best advice I was given, however, came from the surgeon who was to perform the op. He told me that whilst it was good to have as much knowledge as possible in order to make an informed choice, once that choice is made, listen only to the surgeon and his team. No two people have the same experiences.

Regarding your thoughts about after care, would you perhaps be better spending some time in a convalescent/nursing home, rather than an hotel? They would understand your needs better....Angel.

jalith3

To all of you that have replied, thanks so much.
This is really so helpful. I will print these out and then make notes.
So sorry that it has taken a couple of days to get back on here to thank you. It has been a school holiday so I have my small boy around. My daughter is slap bang in the middle of GCSEs, doing well, extremely focused but needs Mum to talk to. My husband is away. Bedtime, stories, washing etc..last night I called the rabbits (yes rabbits!) down to bed after midnight. Evening gone!
I will get back within the next couple of days.

Sarah

angel1 wrote:

Sarah hello, I had my TKR just over two years ago, and it, quite simply, gave me back my life. I had no pain, mobility was excellent, and I was able to leave hospital after three days, using one stick. I was driving after four weeks. However, not everyone is as lucky.

Like you, I researched the whole subject until I could have written a book. The best advice I was given, however, came from the surgeon who was to perform the op. He told me that whilst it was good to have as much knowledge as possible in order to make an informed choice, once that choice is made, listen only to the surgeon and his team. No two people have the same experiences.

Regarding your thoughts about after care, would you perhaps be better spending some time in a convalescent/nursing home, rather than an hotel? They would understand your needs better....Angel.