Being a grade one Wuss I have put off the TKR for a few years but now getting stiffness on some occasions after walking 2500 steps and have to limp down stairs.😪. Anyway I think at 74 I need it doing sooner or later and having no close friends nor family I'm going to need to be self sufficient. ( Put the tissues away). Will I be okay to cope on my own, "bit" overweight but fairly physically fit. Other concern is pain relief as I am allergic to codeine based tablets. Are there any others that I can take?
Thx
Tony L
Written by
KCRoyals
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I penned this a few years ago.. as I live on my own, although did get grandson who was at local college to stay for one night for all 3 replacement [all done within a 2 year period]. It’s on another forum, but you can read it no problem whether you are a member of it or not [but you are, recognise the name 😊]
You need to discuss your medication at the pre op appointment so it can be entered on hospital , and then the discharge form will reflect that- hopefully your GP notes already list that…but worth double checking. I had Oramorph (a trade name for liquid morphine) in hospital and enough for 5 days on discharge.
Try and build up the muscles around your knee as much as possible pre operation - that will help enormously..
Maybe have a read of this from versusarthritis site-
Can you get anyone to come and stay with you after you come out of hospital? There is the possibility of going into a convalescent place. My mother went to one which was incredible, it had amazing facilities and physios, but was not cheap on the other hand.
I worked as a ward sister in orthopaedics and nurses many patients after joint surgery, many of who live alone. If you have someone who could stay a few nights, that would be good. As Dorsetlady says, you need to work on building up your quadriceps before surgery, otherwise you are likely to struggle. There are plenty aids that make doing day to day activities easier. If you are on your own, you will likely struggle more with swelling, simply because you’ll be on your feet more, getting cups of tea etc. It also needs to be elevated above the level of your hip, to successfully reduce swelling.
Oramorph is generally not given on discharge now. Tramadol is a strong opiate that can be used by patients unable to take codeine, but has similar side effects like drowsiness etc. Non steroidals they tend to avoid, as they can delay healing. Ice is very good at relieving pain, we used to find patients skeptical about the cryocuffs we used, but when we went to take them off, they were reluctant to part with it. You’re also likely to struggle with the compression stockings that you have to wear after surgery, to reduce the risk of blood clots. Unfortunately it’s a grey area, with district nurses not seeing it as their role, and carers won’t do it either. So you’d be either relying on neighbours, or having to leave them off, which then increases your risks slightly. Some patients find the pain post-op easier, than the horrid arthritic pain they’ve suffered.
You’ll probably roll your eyes-but when I knew I wasn’t getting anyone to help, I left my compression socks on for long periods -having a shower in them. In the summer the sun dried when I sat in garden, in winter, the hairdryer sorted them out.
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