“I’ve got to admit it’s getting better (Better)
A little better all the time (It can’t get no worse)…
Getting so much better all the time
It’s getting better all the time (Better, better, better)
It’s getting better all the time (Better, better, better)”
- Lennon/McCartney (1967)
It’s been exactly two weeks since my total knee replacement, so it’s time for an update. I’ve discovered that if you’ve made it to your golden years, the odds are pretty high that you or someone you know has had a knee replacement (or two). Everyone’s experience is different, but here’s my story.
I remember my very first knee problem happened when I was 50 years old. I was on a rather long walking tour of Berlin, Germany, and I noticed my knee started hurting. It swelled up like a balloon. I got through the trip, but when I got home I went to the doctor, and he drained off fluid from my knee. I pretty much recovered from that, but would subsequently on occasion notice some knee pain on particularly long hikes or runs. In a day or two, I always recovered, so it wasn’t a big deal. About 8 years later, I decided to take a challenging hike (for my age) up Mount Fuji. It was a 2-day trek, with a guide. I was the oldest person in our group of about 25 hikers from 7 different countries. I managed fine getting to the summit, but the trip back down was brutal. My knees were absolutely killing me. While some younger hikers were literally running down parts of the mountain, I was close to asking for a rescue, thinking I might not be able to get to the bottom on my own. But I persevered, limping my way down the mountain and finished the hike.
When I got home, I got checked out and they told me I had severe arthritis, and they prescribed physical therapy. That helped a lot, and I was back in business. I (perhaps unwisely) continued to hike and run, but the periods of knee pain continued to worsen. I’m sure the 8 years of kicking bags and breaking boards during TaeKwon Do training when I was younger, leading to my third degree black belt, didn’t help my arthritis. I went to an orthopedic doctor and tried physical therapy again, and well as an injection, without much relief. The doctor did tell me I was most likely headed for a knee replacement, but it would be up to me to decide when it was impacting my quality of life to the point where I felt I needed to do something. When I had to stop hiking completely and could no longer sit or stand for long periods of time, I decided it was time.
Grandview Hospital does a significant number of knee replacements. When Eva (my wife and caretaker) and I went to the pre-surgery training session, the room was packed with people hobbling in on their bad knees. They thoroughly prepare you for what is ahead, and what you need to do pre- and post- surgery. I then passed all the required pre-op tests (including a clearance from my dentist- who knew?) and had the surgery on October 7th, 2024. If all goes well, you are in and out the same day. Since the anesthesia includes a spinal, you need to get the feeling back in your extremities, walk properly with the aid of a walker, and get approval from the physical therapist before being discharged. You also need to urinate. That was the stumbling block for me. I wanted to get home so bad, but couldn’t seem to pee. I think the spinal messes with the nerves down there. My “private part” was the last thing to get any feeling back. Luckily I finally managed to pass some urine by their 8:00 PM deadline for same-day discharge, and was able to go home that night.
I went home with a bunch of prescriptions (9 medicines in addition to the other 4 I already take daily) and instructions- ice, elevate, move with a walker, pain medication, spirometer breathing exercises, physical therapy exercises, etc. The first few days were tough. I didn’t do well on the oxycodone, and stopped it after two days- a combination of constipation and a severely overactive bladder made things difficult. Dexamethasone once again gave me an unending case of hiccups, although I only had to take that for 2 days, so it wasn’t too bad. Once I got off some of the meds that were giving me difficulty I started feeling better. I managed the pain with just the tylenol and ibuprofen, which was good enough for me.
It’s a slow process. Two days after surgery I started attending physical therapy. That was extremely helpful, and it felt good to get out. It generally takes 4-6 weeks to be able to drive again (depending in part on which leg had the surgery), and 3-6 months to fully resume most activities. The biggest difficulties for me are in bending the knee fully and putting my full weight on my operated leg. My first big milestone was one week after surgery, graduating from the walker to a cane. That was also the first time I could take the dressing off and have a look at the incision. It wasn’t pretty, but seemed to be healing nicely. Thanks to my friend Keith, who had the same procedure a few months before, for lending me a lot of his equipment (shower seat, cane, ice machine, aid to help put on socks, etc.) and answering my questions along the way about what he experienced.
It’s now two weeks in and I’m continuing to make progress. I went for a short walk down my block with a cane. I can go up and down the stairs pretty easily. My range of motion when I bend my knee is gradually improving. I’m not a fan of taking too much medication, as I am well aware of potential side effects and drug interactions, so I am constantly tweaking my Tylenol and ibuprofen dosages to a level where the pain is still manageable. A compression sleeve seems to help with the swelling. It’s great to finally be rid of the arthritic pain, now I just have to work away the post-surgery pain. My days are primarily made up of elevating and icing my leg, doing my PT exercises, and binge watching TV (“From”, “The Perfect Couple”, “Only Murders in the Building”, “Nobody Wants This”, etc.) Last night for the first time I went out for dinner with Eva to see our friend Cliff Hillis at the Troubles End Brewery. It felt good to get out of the house, although I was a bit sore afterwards. Slow progress, but I’ve got to admit it’s getting better, getting better all the time!
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