The knee op - 7 weeks on.

FrenchieBoy

Well-Known Member
As many of you will remember I had to have a partial knee replacement operation 7 weeks ago (6th February). A very good friend (A member of the Stalking Directory phoned me this afternoon to ask how my knee was now and when I got home an hour or so later I found that another member had sent me a PM to ask how the knee was so I thought it was about the right time to give an update.
There were a few "complications _ Firstly I had a bleed which made the upper part of my leg swell up and turned it a nice shade of purple and then I had to go in hospital with a suspected infection. I will not go into all the details of that but every thing worked out in the end and I was able to start getting back on track with the physio (Something that is very important for anyone who has to have the same operation, it really does make all the difference).
I was on quite a lot of pain killers, mainly morphine based which were making me feel quite ill. The wife says that there was in fact one or two days that I barely said a word to her because I was sleeping all day long, my appetite was non existent and quite often I didn't know if I was coming or going. I hate taking any drugs so I went to my GP and begged her to cut down on the amount of drugs I was having to take - In particular the morphine based ones. The outcome was that she cut down on the pain killers by over 50% and quite soon I started to feel better and more myself.
I had to see my consultant last Thursday and he was fairly happy with how things were going. I explained that i was still experiencing a fair bit of pain but he said it was down to nerve damage which was to be expected after invasive surgery. He was happy with the way I could walk so he told me that I wasn't to use my crutches any more (I didn't have the heart to tell him that I hadn't been using them for more than a week) and that I should now start getting more exercise (Walking etc) so that was that.
Since then I have been out for a couple of walks on one of my permissions but I have to be quite careful at it is very hilly and quite rough ground and the last thing I want to do is to twist my knee in the middle of no-where.
I have been clay shooting a couple of times but I have found out that getting to a couple of the stands gives my knee a fair bit of jip as I have to go down a dozen or so steps. It took me a while to realise that steps and stairs make my knee swell up and a bit more painful than normal, however you live and learn I guess.
When I got a call from Scooby270 this afternoon I had been up at my local bowling green to see if my knee would take the strain of bowling as out season starts in a fortnight - As it was everything was fine even though I had to put an ice pack on it this evening because it had started to swell and feel a bit more painful than normal.

All in all I am fairly happy with the results even though it is still a bit tender. One person asked if I would have the other knee done and I had to answer honestly and say only if it was completely unavoidable. I am at least mobile and can get about with a gun as long as I take it easy so all in all no real complaints. Let's hope for a better year than last year.

Take care guys!
 
Glad to hear your getting there Pete ,take it easy time is the healer they say .You need a trainee <sorry :coat:> to go out with you and do all the drags when you do go back stalking rather than risk your recovery atb
 
Slow down mty it's a big op you have just had, take the time to relax lol ?, yup like me your prob fed up looking at the walls . i found after around 10 weeks i was able to get in the back seat or the truck and have her indoors take me to the farms for a look around and keep a face to face with the farmers i did had back then it was far better than a gut full of pills and guts that were blocked up by the pain killers :roll:. chin up boss your get back on it in no time :tiphat:
 
Slow down mty it's a big op you have just had, take the time to relax lol ?, yup like me your prob fed up looking at the walls . i found after around 10 weeks i was able to get in the back seat or the truck and have her indoors take me to the farms for a look around and keep a face to face with the farmers i did had back then it was far better than a gut full of pills and guts that were blocked up by the pain killers :roll:. chin up boss your get back on it in no time :tiphat:

I think that's been one of the worst parts of it Paul, the being blocked up with pills, rather like a chicken laying a house brick!
Now I'm off the "heavy duty" pain killers life is so much easier!

Edit: On the up side of things - I must have some of the cleanest and best maintained guns in the county! :rofl:
 
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i know i can only put it as trying to push a football out a dry hosepipe without trying to push so hard ya rear end feels like its about to prolapse :scared: plenty of water and fruit helps and so will Fleet ? if its that bad :norty: . i tried real hard to get off them floating around the walls drugs ASAP , only as drinking a hot brew then falling asleep mid cup was a bugger :drool: .:rofl:
 
Had a full replacement 18 months ago, I found you cant rush the healing process too much, I was off work for a year and now need to have the other one done as well. DO THE EXCERSIVES they give you religiously, build up your leg muscles, and try to keep the bend in your knee as much as you can. Best thing I did was to buy an exercise bike and gently progress to rebuild the lost strength and suppleness due to the aggressive surgery. Old adage "time is a great healer" so is painkillers, and the determination to regain what you had lost prior to surgery, strength and mobility in the knee area. I cannot only say that sitting on an exercise bike and gently peddling while watching t.v. certainly helped me to get better, and get more than the 90 degree bend the surgeon aimed for. I will have to have my other knee done soon, and I know what's to come, and how to get the best outcome, simple, work through the pain to get your Quads etc, as strong as possible on your faulty knee joint B4 surgery, to help recover your mobility and recovery. deerwarden
 
Had my left knee worked on about 2 years ago, cleaning up inside. However it is nearing the point of a knee replacement, but I hope I can hold out for a bit longer yet. Glad it is all going well now, at least the summer is round the corner, warmer weather and longer days makes everyone feel better.

Keep going, glad its feeling and getting better for you.
 
Had my left knee worked on about 2 years ago, cleaning up inside. However it is nearing the point of a knee replacement, but I hope I can hold out for a bit longer yet.
I don't know if your going private or nh, but the Benenden Hospital near Cranbrook, are great, do the job no fuss and properly and know how to look after you.


 
I had a complete knee replacement in October, the best thing I have ever had done, I can now climb stairs without clinging on to the bannister.

The only problem I have is going down, the physio told me it takes 7 times more muscle power to go down stairs than it does up.

The other problem is my other ankle is fused in one position so I have no shock absorber as I step down, I was back at work in 6 weeks driving in 8 weeks and out stalking with Sikamalc in 10 weeks.

And after 20 years of pain I would do it again tomorrow.
 
I had a complete knee replacement in October, the best thing I have ever had done, I can now climb stairs without clinging on to the bannister.

I was back at work in 6 weeks driving in 8 weeks
And after 20 years of pain I would do it again tomorrow.
I couldn't agree more. and the opp has a fantastic success rate
 
You'll soon be ready to enter ar$e kicking contests :-D,

John

nice one john ;) , before my total knee replacement i could kick my own Rs, with the same leg i had the op on...not any more.


good going pete keep it up mate,

bob.
 
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