Healthy Living in Connecticut Blog
My TKR Came and Went — Here’s How It All Went Down
On March 17, I headed to the surgical center with my neighbor. It was about an hour drive, and we arrived around 7:30 in the morning. I was one of the first scheduled cases, though the surgery didn’t actually begin until around 9:30.
When I first arrived, I had to sign a stack of consent and liability forms. After that, they brought me up to the second floor, where I changed into a gown. They checked my vitals and placed an IV in my arm, though it wasn’t hooked up to anything yet.
I waited for what felt like about an hour. They periodically checked my vitals, and eventually the anesthesiologist came in. He walked me through everything, and I mentioned that I preferred not to have opioids administered through the IV, since I was planning to manage pain afterward with other medications.
My surgeon came in shortly after. He has a great sense of humor. I told him I was nervous, and he joked that he wasn’t nervous at all—he’s done over 3,000 knee replacements.
After he left, they checked my vitals one more time, and then it was time to head into the operating room. They transferred me onto the table, and everything became a blur from there. I believe they gave me the “smile injection” first, but I honestly don’t remember much after that.
The next thing I knew, I was waking up—it felt like only five minutes had passed, and I didn’t even realize the surgery was already done. They administered the nerve block afterward, so I was fully aware of that part.
I was then brought into the recovery room. I told them about my diet, and they brought me a great salad. I rested there for a few hours with my leg elevated and iced. Eventually, a physical therapist came in and had me walking around the room and practicing a set of stairs, which was helpful since I have stairs at home.
They told me I could go home after dinner. They brought me another vegan dish, and by 6 PM, I was discharged. Getting into the car was a bit of a challenge, but I managed. Once I got home, I had to figure out how to navigate the stairs, which I did successfully. After that, I settled in and focused on resting.
