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Beatification Candidate |
Yes, you are correct. Surgery is scheduled for tomorrow. I'm waiting for the call from the hospital to tell me what the scheduled time will be. I will confess that I'm anxious because a good friend of mine died after knee replacement when his incision reopened. On the other hand, I've heard excellent results from other people I know. I'm encouraged that the pre-surgery preparations to avoid infection seem to be very thorough. I hope I can report good news in a little while. Big Al
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Has Achieved Nirvana |
Any updates from Big Al?
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| Beatification Candidate |
I'm home now. Surgery was Wednesday morning and I was discharged Thursday afternoon. Wednesday night was bad because my leg became very tight, like a cramp where they had apparently applied a tourniquet during surgery. I'm gradually regaining motion in the joint, although the thigh is still tight. Initially, I could not get out of bed until a Physical Therapist came early Thursday morning and was able to get me onto my feet. A home nurse came Friday and inspected my dressing and rewrapped it. I got a set of bed risers on Friday and what they call a bed cane yesterday and those have been very helpful in getting up onto my feet so I can walk with the aid of a walker. I borrowed another walker so I can have one on each of the upper levels of our split-level house. I make my way up and down the steps with a cane on the side where there is no railing. That has worked pretty well. I'll see the Physical Therapist tomorrow morning and then my PCP wants to see me later in the morning. I'll see the surgeon on Thursday for an update. Hopefully, I'll continue to progress and will be able to report more physical accomplishments. Big Al
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Has Achieved Nirvana |
Glad to hear you’re up and walking! And stairs too! 
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| Has Achieved Nirvana |
So glad to have you back! I haven't had knee surgery, but I definitely got an appreciation for what it takes to come back from an injury when I fell and really smacked my knee last year. I can only imagine how much more challenging it is to work through the recovery when surgery is involved. Like you, I had a walker on each floor of the house and used a cane to navigate stairs. It was so painful to move the injured knee that for a while I had to have Mr wtg support the leg and help me swing it sideways to get in and out of bed. I also used the guidelines for navigating stairs that Mr wtg's physical therapists gave him when he had his hips replaced. When walking up the stairs, lead with the good leg. When walking down the stairs, lead with the bad leg. The assistive devices are invaluable. Even though we have ADA height toilets, I ended up using a safety rail to help with sitting down/getting up. Made a huge difference, especially when my knee was really swollen and the pain was at its worst. 
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| Has Achieved Nirvana |
How is the knee feeling?
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| Beatification Candidate |
It's coming along. I've had relatively little pain after the night following surgery. I've had some complications with apparent cellulitis in the operative leg and have been taking an oral antibiotic which seems to have worked pretty well. The knee is still tight when I bend it to around 90 degrees, but I think that will improve. I've had in-home physical therapy up until yesterday and will start outpatient PT next Monday. The staples were removed from the incision last Tuesday. The wound healing seems to be generally progressing although there is still a bit of drainage from an area near the bottom of the cut. I have a loose dressing retained by an elastic sleeve over it to protect it and absorb the drainage. I'll see a PA in the doctor's office after the Pt on Monday to check the wound status. All in all, I feel like I'm progressing and I'm looking forward to regaining full mobility without aids. I used a walker initially but now am mostly relying on a cane to get around the house. I can walk without the cane, but it is an important aid going up and down stairs. Thanks for asking. Big Al
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| Pinta & the Santa Maria Has Achieved Nirvana  |
I'm so glad to hear you're progressing! Every day is better at this stage, it sounds like. Good for you. | |||
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| Has Achieved Nirvana |
Update on how you're doing?
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