I found other posts helpful on knee replacement, so i just want to relay my experience.

I did not do any pre exercise plan, heard some patients do. I walk all the time but I cut back a week before surgery so I would not be all puffy.
Im 6 foot 205 pounds, and on good shape near 60. Knee was bad genetics, bow legged, and arthritis from heritage. I was bone on bone for years, and post op, the Doc said my knee was a mess. My wife is a nurse, so I did all steps and was home nursed by her plus visiting nurses.

As far as prep, I did most thing I could like change water filters, and some yard work before my month of couch time. I got a walker, crutches, and an nice air bike for exercise later. I got a toilet seat lift, but I had a higher commode to begin with, so I need to put towels on the floor to get foot contact. I did get a shower seat, but I do pretty good sponge baths in the bathroom/laundry room on the floor I am living on.
I am in my man cave so it is nice. Refrig with food drinks, and a microwave. Piss bottle is great so you don't have to get up often, and you need a lot of fluids. I have a heavy duty step stool that I use to push off the couch. Much easier that pushing on cushions, plus it has height.
I always have an ice pack available, and use it a lot. Ice pack helps a lot.

Had a famous surgeon, that runs a tight program. First class hospital. They run the operation, and somehow get you out in 23 hours. That way, it is out patient, and the Doc makes more money. This is told to the patient. They had zero problem with keeping me longer.

I went in 2 hours before surgery, and had all the prep. They did a spinal shot, and that was nothing. I was sitting up in bed, held a pillow to my chest and leaned forward. They stuck in a needle. They also shot my leg, and gave me a oral narcotic to settle down. I remember being slid onto the surgery table, then lights out.

Woke up could not feel anything. They had leg pump massager on both legs. They had a hot air blanket, and that was comfortable. Talked to surgeon and anesthesia doc. I could move my toes, but not feel the leg messager. Felt groggy but OK. Visited with my wife.

They asked me to raise my leg, and it was like 300 pounds of lead. Zero movement. After 2 hours I could feel the messager punp. 1/2 hour later the pain started. They gave me oxy, and dalude? via a IV push. That felt good. Oxy does not really seem to work for me. I drank a lot and pissed in a bottle a lot. Never got out of bed the first day, because the night nurses were terrible. Slept 1 hour. Pain was so bad it is hard to describe. Felt like a firehose of dull burning pain. I had super low blood pressure, and super low calcium. They kept me an extra 1/2 day, and planned on 2 days, but my wife convinced them to let me go home. She was a knee rehab nurse 15 years ago, so that made it happen.

At home I could not sleep due to pain. I was taking 1000mg tylenol plus two 5 325 oxy every 6 hours. Next AM I slept from 6-8 am, and that was wonderful to get 2 solid hours of sleep. Had a headache for first 5 days or so, I guess due to spinal? Anyway I read that was the reason.
Next 2 days had very little sleep. and insane pain. No way to get comfortable. It might seem silly, but my wife put a heavy rubber carpet on the couch to make it firmer and give support. That was simply a game changer.

I could walk with the walker, but it was painful. By leg was 90% paralyzed. Oxy stuff was bad for me, got me anxious, so I cut back to one pill every 6 hours and 2 at night. My wife wanted double dose at night. I could only sleep 2 hours tops. A miserable week, with first 3 days pretty insane.

On day 8 I quit taking Oxy because it seemed to bring on more pain when it wore off. I would get fidgety, then a bit latter the pain would turn on, and I had to wait an hour or so to have the oxy kick in. So I opted for just tylenol. That was a long night with zero sleep, but the pain stayed at a 6 maybe, and it did not escalate. It was good to get off oxy for a full day.

My wife said to get back on the oxy, but I was taking 2-3 a day, not 8. For me that was good. I could sleep longer, maybe 4 hours on lower dosage. I just got more pills because they will only fill 24 pills a time at walmart, and now it is 4 per day on the jar.

I have home nursing measure blood thickness for clots, and adjust meds. They said I am pretty much the average case, and not to do too much PT before 2 weeks. So I am doing the exercises they suggest, and really the damage just needs time to heal. On day 10, and actually slept 12/24 hours. I may have slept as much today as and 7 day period combined. So I feel I am out of the post op misery. I start PT in 5 days at the hospital. Naturally I am doing as much as possible to keep it loose and less PT pain.

Anyway I made progress everyday, so time heals. Oxy does not take the pain away as well as i hoped, and does not allow me to rest well. So 1/2 dose seems optimum for me. I am keeping the pills in reserve for PT.

Probably a lot of typos and grammar issues, but figured I would write stuff down before I forget.

The 5/325 oxys already have Tylenol. They should have cautioned you to not take more with it.

I found ibuprofen, as an antiflammatory, helped with both swelling and discomfort. That you can stack w acetaminophen. I did that schit for years prior to my TKA.

Good luck.

My kidneys got dicked from cancer drugs so tylenol is the only option. Wish I could do ibuprofen. They said ibuprofen is not the best with Coumadin.

“At home I could not sleep due to pain. I was taking 1000mg tylenol plus two 5 325 oxy every 6 hours.”

4000 mg is usually considered the max daily dose for an adult with no hepatic issues. The 5/325 oxy you mention has 325 mg of acetaminophen per tab. Not sure if you meant you were taking 1000mg of Tylenol per day plus two 5/325 q6 (1000mg plus 2800 mg; right below max) or 1000 mg Tylenol q6 plus the oxy (4000mg plus the 2800mg; too damn much.)

Glad you are on the mend.

Sorry to hear that. Still, be cautious w Tylenol.

Hope you've got the cooler that circulates cold water over your knee for the swelling. Good luck with the pt. My wife had a partial, & then a full replacement. That's a tough surgery from my perspective.

My wife had knee surgery a year ago but not a replacement. She has one of those coolers. They're neat the way they work, much better than ice packs. Our fridge has an ice maker and it easily kept up with her ice usage. That's not always the case as some people need to use it a lot more.

My wife had total knee replacement on the 29th. Out of recovery at 2pm they had here walk around the room twice. Next am walked her for 100 feet plus up 3 steps. Around. Noon they walked her down the hall and released her using a walker or course. Doctor prescribed home health and physical therapy for 2 weeks by the 6 day she was walking without walker or cane he released her yesterday she was at 0 degrees and 126 degrees. Goes to surgeon Monday to be released hopefully she took tylenol and tramadol main problem she had was nausea from being put under had spinal block. She needed both replaced but we did one at a time. Had it done at Baton Rouge ortho clinic one stop shopping everything done on site.

I just had my 3rd shoulder operation, the first time the E.R doc prescribed ibuprofen and by the time I got home to see my Ortho doc he asked me what they prescribed me I told him he said quite taking the ibuprofen immediately you see all that black and blue from your shoulder to wrist thats internal bleeding ibuprofen thins your blood he was pissed. Last 2 times the Docs told me absolutely no ibuprofen, Tylenol and pain meds only

My mom always was bowlegged and arthritis later in life, but the pain was finally too much to walk when she was in her mid 60's so she had both knees replaced- one at a time. The first one was a cake walk and mirrored wh06's experience. Up and walking next day, had the leg exerciser going pretty much 24 hours a day and released on the second or third day, can't remember now. The second one was more like the OP's experience and she experienced quite a bit of pain but was able to get through the PT and finally got back to normal. She always said it was one of the best decisions she ever made. She was able to walk and get around right up until she passed at 85 .... seems like just about everyone I've talked to who had knee replacement or hip replacement has said the same thing- they wish they had done it sooner...

Bob

As an NSAID, that’s a potential side effect.

Every drug has a side effect, and affects each user differently.

I am sorry I said the wrong amount of Tylenol. It is a 500 not 1000. My wife also said never more than 4000 per day. In fact she scolded me for thinking I was on that amount.
She gives me the pills, so I let her do the math.

Feels better everyday. I guess the surgery trauma is healing and the pain is now recovery/stiffness related. Pain level at this point is bearable, and really nothing like it was a week ago. Still can't sleep well, but I spend most of the day in bed. Hard to be tired doing nothing. I get the staples out in 4 days. I think I meet the PT team that day for an assessment.

I might switch pain pills to Tylenol3. I have those for migraines. I am a minimalist when it comes to drugs, so hopefully less is more. I have no idea of the need of pain meds for PT, but I will be using meds as a tool.

Wife says my staples are excellent. She just did a bath/sterilization/re wrap. Have the compression sockings off for a while while they are in the wash. Feels great to have thos socks off.

I had my hip replaced last year. The guy in the next bed had knee done he was in a lot of pain. The hip was a picnic compared to the knee I hope you make a speedy recovery.

FIL had the knee replacement. Knarly surgery. He is fit as heck for a late 60s guy.
He’s back to dancing and riding his bike ect....

Rehab bud. That’s the key.

Dayom.

Good for you,get up and moving as much as you can,do the P.T.and as others have said,watch that Tylenol ammount,bad for you.
I've had both knees replaced,i 've been through what your going through,it will pass,pretty soon you ll be up and about and it will have been worth it.

Well today is two weeks from the surgery. Pain was bizarre for me the first week. Manageable the second week.
After 10 days or so the bruises and the bone pain started to die out. I don't think I have any pain from the incision. Feels like joint pain in the missing knee to me?
Now after 2 weeks the pain is not pain, but maybe more of an ache. Really bearable. I am down to one Tylenol 3 per day, to help me with my exercises. No oxy.
Tomorrow I get the staples removed, and see the PT crew for the first time.
I walked down the driveway today, maybe 75 yards, and it was pretty easy with the walker. I can bend my knee maybe 45 degrees. My quads have very little strength. The knee is very stiff, but I feel I am making appropriate progress. Wish progress was faster, but I am happy that each day had progress.
I have high hopes that I will make rapid progress in the rehab. I think my body is healed up after 2 weeks, so this will begin the rehab chapter.
Thanks to everyone for their experiences and advice.

So 3 weeks and a day after the saws-all.
The pain is minor but the leg feels stiff, a different type of discomfort. Really minor.
Had the staples removed last week and my knee bend was 65 degrees. Leg straight was crooked by 10 degrees.
I did all the uncomfortable new rehab exercises religiously for one week. They are a PIA and I guess pretty tough. Certainly easy to get discouraged if you don't bear down.
Today I measured 90 degrees and 0 degrees. PT guy was really impressed because most people dog it.
Funny but I was trying the cane instead of the walker, and it was really stiff the last two days, so i really limited the cane, and walking. I did do stretches.
So today's good numbers surprised me. I may be on the edge of over working, so I put away the cane. Really too early for the cane until I get the muscles woke up a bit more.
Seems like every week is a new chapter if you work at healing.

Sounds very promising.

Been a month, and I am healing up nice according to the PT guy. My knee shrinks at night, and is stiff when I wake up. I do PT to loosen it up, but then it usually swells up and gets a different kinda stiff. Pain is like a stoved thumb and toothache, not really bad. I get pain spikes like electric shock a little, weird but not really painful. So stiffness is the hurdle now.
I actually cut grass on a big tractor today and tilled. It has hand controls, and the neighbor changed the implements. Naturally I bumped it a few times, and this was the most I was on the leg since surgery. I quit drugs totally, but I may have one to get to sleep tonight. Need sleep to heal.
PT guy said don't jump, but walking etc wont damage anything. So I am hoping today was good stress. It needs to be stressed to break the scaring, so I did that today.

At about 8 weeks you'll be doing a whole lot better.

Glad you are up and about!

Wow. I missed the first part of the thread until today. Glad to see you are doing well. It sounds like you are in the hands of a pro. The wife will keep you on the ball. With your attitude it will all work well. The Ruger is a great gun. Thanks again. I'm part of the 41 cult now. It was interesting to find the ammo, brass, bullets, and dies. I now have sufficient to shoot. Work hard and Be Well, RZ.

I have/had a 10” cut. Mine was Super Glued & tape covered. No staples, no sutures. I was able to bathe as soon as I could get into the shower.

Caught your first post and missed the rest until today.
Good to hear you are doing better Terry.

You have a great positive outlook.... hope you get back to normal soon!

Well for those that want to see how a TKR goes.
Pressing my activity was not a good idea. It really swelled up, and it was kinda impossible to do the stretching exercises.
So I may have been a few bad things at once. For me, my quads were 100% paralyzed. This comes from the tourniquet to tie off the femoral artery. It stuns the quad nerves according to the PT guy. So my locomotion is kinda peg leg and that causes swelling. Maybe, my body did not like those foreign chunks of titanium. So swelling could also be a reaction to implant or it is always fighting off infection. So overwork, peg leg, maybe healing, all lined up bad. Then I did not have PT that bad week because PT guy was sick, and no other openings. Very bad. Not damaging, but progress was halted.

The next week I got in with the PT assistant. She was great. She loosened my frozen knee cap, did electro stimulation on my quads, and did some really good manipulation of the joint. That changed my knee status 100%, put me from screwed to healing again. Pretty amazing work. I was at 89 degrees bending down from 90 the previous session. 4 days later in next PT I was at 94 degrees.

I worked on my quads for 4 days because they were waking up and I could get a little flex. I really really did as much work as I could but the quads were still mushy. Then yesterday in my PT session, the PT guy said do a stiff leg raise. I told him I was working on it, but I was still a wuss. I knew I was too weak, but he helped me with the first one, and I did the next 9 myself. Then 10 by myself. So that was huge. I got 97 degrees of flex too. So even though progress on the quads seemed disappointing, it actually worked. Something like faith.

So I hate to guess, but I really think with my quads woke, the swelling will continue to be controllable, and I am excited to make progress. So PT was yesterday, and a session tomorrow, so time wise I probably won't see too much measurable change, but it just feels so much better today.

I am now off blood thinner, and I don't need those damn compression stocking, although the chicks loved them. Kinda beyond sexy, so now babes may (just maybe) leave me alone in my scooter at walmart. Those stockings were just too much for most women, I probably caused issues in a few relationships. Glad to tone it down.

Terryk: Glad you are progressing.
I had my knee replacement done 2 years ago and I am so glad I did.
The ordeal of the operation itself and the painful recovery were well worth it.
I attended physical therapy 3 times a week for 14 weeks and every morning my first thought upon awakening was to pray it was not a physical therapy day (Monday, Wednesday or Friday!).
My physical therapy, I am certain, helped my recovery though - but I dreaded it to the max.
There was one machine the therapists hooked me up to and ran for 20 minutes that was just excruciating.
In fact I held the record for the loudest scream in this large Physical Therapy Clinic for 8 weeks!
Finally a lady college basketball player achieved a new record scream whilst she was attached to the same "machine" I had set my record on.
To this day I don't even like to drive down the street that Physical Therapy Clinic is on!
It is my understanding that the tourniquet needed during the operation is in use for 23 to 27 minutes - I had no "quad paralyzation" - maybe your tourniquet was on a bit longer than mine?
I am glad you are getting better and have kept your sense of humor.
Keep up with the therapy and best wishes to you.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy