The Old Guy Gets A New Knee

~ Bitchy After 60

For those who don’t know me well, my husband, AKA The Doc, AKA The Old Guy, is nine years older than me. That means his joints and especially his knees are nine years older than mine. For the last few years, those old knees have been giving him a lot of problems. With them getting progressively worse, he hasn’t been very mobile, and we haven’t had any adventures in a while. Also, he has been unable to get in and out of his new kayak. The one he bought so we could explore new lakes.

Finally last year this time, he got in to see the right people–the right people meaning the Ortho Clinic and the surgeon. It was confirmed that he needed new knees. Starting with the right one–the worst one.

The first thing that happens when you finally get the big YES for surgery is you wait. And wait. And wait. With promises of nine months, because he opted for day surgery, turning into a year. This is much better than two plus years if you want to stay in the hospital and be pampered.

Then you get the date with about five weeks notice Something that brings relief and a need to celebrate with a drink, not dancing. Ouch to dancing. Who am I kidding, it has been ages since the old guy and I danced. Someone needs to get married after this so we can dance.

Then there are tests, EKG’s, blood work, x-rays all to make sure that he is healthy enough to undergo the surgery and confirm the fact that his right knee really does need replacing.

There is an education session where we get so much information we feel we won’t retain it all. And we don’t. Luckily, it is repeated by many people many different times. Plus there is paperwork galore. Stuff to read and stuff to fill out. And informative PDFs sent by email.

There is necessary equipment to  arrange, a walker, a cane, a shower stool, maybe crutches. The Red Cross can lend much of this with a referral. We purchased a walker, a cane and a long-handle shoe horn. We got another walker, a shower stool and, just in case, crutches from The Red Cross. 

There is a recovery plan. In our case, he is moving to the lower level where there is a nice firm queen size bed, a walk-in shower, the TV (he does not want to miss baseball) and his hobby room. Everything he needs to make his days easier and reduce the need to climb up and down stairs as much. I keep saying that I will toss his meals down the stairs, but he knows I will deliver. Believe it or not, sometimes this bitch can be nice.

Finally the day arrives. He hasn’t eaten in 24 hours. We check in at 11:AM and wait. He dresses in the sexy gown and robe. We/he talks to the nurse, the surgeon, the anesthesiologist, the anesthesiologist’s assistant, another nurse. All of them ask him which knee he is having done. There is no mistaking that it is the right one, especially since the surgeon identified it with a marker. And then he is gone. Under the knife, so to speak at about 1:30 in the afternoon.

I don’t see him again until about six o’clock that evening. Had I known this, I would have gone home and come back. But we were under the impression that our day would be shorter. Although the surgery was under two hours, my husband had opted for the spinal instead of general anaesthetic, so thawing out from the waist down took a little longer. It is a much better option, though, as you don’t have that heavy sick feeling that happens when you wake up from anaesthetic. I remember that feeling well. As a matter of fact, it is pretty much the only thing I remember from all my surgeries over the years. That and the nice warm blanket they give you beforehand.

Look at the old guy, pictured above, post surgery, full of drugs and smiles. He did great. They had him up, walking and doing stairs before he left. We made it home just after 7:00, and he even ate some dinner. He slept off and on through the night. Needed a couple of pee breaks before waking up at 3:AM and not going back to sleep. There will be naps, scheduled drugs, and injections of Fragmin to help prevent blood clots. There will be walking tours with the walker around our lower level, reclining with his knee above his heart, and foot pumping exercises.

His second night might be worse because all the extra pain killers they pumped into his knee after surgery will have worn off. There are some heavy duty drugs to help in this situation. Drugs one needs to sign for. Drugs one uses with discretion.

Tomorrow the real work begins. He needs to start to continue the exercises he has already been doing for the past several months to prepare for this surgery, plus a couple new ones. Those who skip the exercise steps will take longer to heal and will feel more pain. Physiotherapy begins next week. The staples are taken out in two weeks. And no driving for six weeks, which makes me his chauffer. My husband is determined to get through this and be totally prepared for his second knee surgery that will hopefully happen in the near future. I have no doubt that he will do just fine. I am pretty proud of the old guy.

Thank you for reading. 

Photo:  Jenn Stone

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29 thoughts on “The Old Guy Gets A New Knee”

  5. Definitely from the second day onwards is much worse. I didn’t mind my first day or so after my new hip and then I had 6 pretty miserable weeks – the worst things were having to sleep on my back (I can’t) and having to inject myself in the stomach every day for 4 weeks (I gave up after 3).

    General anaesthetics vary with time. You used to feel awful when you came round, now, many of them, you don’t feel anything like as groggy and generally not sick. But you always have a sore throat from all those horrible tubes they stick down your throat while they’re manually keeping you ‘alive’ as it were.

    Was he conscious for his op? I insisted I must not be as fear makes me very violent and people approaching me with power tools aimed at me would make me very violent indeed. So, the surgeon took note of my comments and, while I didn’t have a general anaesthetic, whatever they gave me, I knew nothing for the whole 2 hours of the op. My mother, on the other hand, watches her operations – yuk!

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    1. We are expecting things to get worse before they get better but in the long run it will mean he gets a big part of his life back. It will be worth it. Especially after he gets the other knee done. The needles are no big deal for him. He is a pretty relaxed easy patient. He was not conscious for the surgery but woke shortly after.

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      1. I don’t mind needles at all but injecting myself in my stomach hurt at first and, after a couple of weeks, was agony to do. I got to the stage where the thought of injecting my stomach yet again was putting a cloud over my whole day so, after 3 weeks, I gave up. It’s not like I wasn’t exercising a lot anyway so didn’t really need anything for my circulation.

        It really is worth it after the 6 weeks when you do get your life back and the pain goes away – and you can sleep on your side once again!

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      1. I didn’t know that. I’ve had several spinals and they have always let me watch. To be fair, it’s all being messing about with plumbing rather than carving bits of bone. I don’t feel as curious about watching them use power tools on my knees.

        I hope he’s feeling OK. Knee replacements are like babies in my view – why would anybody volunteer to have a second one?

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  11. Best of luck to Doc in his recovery. I have had a number of friends who have gotten new hips or knees. While knees take a little while, practically everyone I’ve talked to says their lives have been improved immensely.

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  12. I’m amazed by what can be replaced within a person. I’m glad your husband was all smiles after the surgery and also understand about advance planning to make his return home as smooth as possible. I look at my knees and wonder how much longer they’re going to last.

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    1. Yes he plans to do that. He is a very agreeable patient who wants to get better. Already, the fact that he has been exercising his knees for months has made a difference. Very little swelling and he is quite mobile. But I will pass on your advice as a reminder. Thanks.

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