THE DREADED FIRST 2 WEEKS

If you do any research about total knee replacement the time frame emphasised over and over is he first two weeks.  It is built up as a frightening period of time which, once survived, might need to be forgotten like a difficult birth.

For me, it went by in a bit of a haze - probably due to the opioids but also because I had truly loving and excellent caretakers surrounding me.  What I can say is that each day there is a tiny but noticeable improvement. Each day while people are fetching and carrying and hauling me in and out of bed and up out of an ill chosen seat, I can tell I can do a bit more for myself.

The pain meds kept the throb to an ache, the brain kicked in enough to learn to lever the legs up onto the bed using a strap and when the home health tech arrived to do some PT, I was excited to have something definative to do during the day to aid the recovery.

My son's fiance is a nurse and she not only had the kindest touch but a grasp on what was needed to get things organized and tracked properly.  She created a notebook with each day scripted out for meds, other supplements, PT, icing, water intake, etc.  this helped keep track of when meds were taken and what needed to be done each day. I was also on a good schedule for my nutritional needs - and though my appetite was not that good and I felt some nausea most nights, I think I did ok with my bariatric surgery requirements.

At the end of the two weeks, I was so much more self sufficient, I could shower and dress myself, get around the house, and with thought and time, even make myself a cup of tea and get it to my seat. Hey -I am using  walker and there is a step and a water cooler in another room involved in this process!