# Undergoing knee surgery this week -- how to prepare? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 26, 2015, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undergoing-knee-surgery-this-week-how-to-prepare/735760 "2015-10-26T00:33:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undergoing-knee-surgery-this-week-how-to-prepare/735760/21 "2015-10-27T02:32:56Z")
> [@Red\_Stilettos](#): > > Figure out how you are going to maneuver the bathroom. You won’t be able to bend your surgical knee so you’ll have to be able to sit with it sticking out. Also, think about hand-holds to get up and down. Beforehand, dig out an extra roll of toilet paper and set it handy. You probably will have trouble digging it out when on crutches. (And that’s when it will run out. Especially if you are are antibiotics for a while.) > [@Quercus](#): > > 1. You might think that canned soup is a great easy-to-prepare meal for a semi-invalid. And you’d be right, as far as that goes. BUT soup is **not** a great meal to try and carry anywhere when you’re on crutches. Keep to nice sticky, gloppy food that can stay on a plate that’s being tilted 40 degrees by a hand that’s trying to carry a plate AND a crutch (or food that’s OK being dropped). Instead of a suop bowl, get something like a tupperware container with a cover, to carry your soup in. Also, leave a set of silverware at the place where you’re eating; less stuff to carry around. And have a stack of napkins or a roll of paper towels there, too. Regarding meals, eating something is important even if you don’t feel hungry. (And the meds + inactivity do affect your appetite.) Soup is good because it takes little effort. Especially homemade that can be microwaved. Also stuff that can be eaten without the effort of food preparation: fruits, raw vegies & dip, cheese & crackers, etc. And if the meds are making your stomach queasy, things like crackers are non-offensive foods. (Actually, none of this may apply – if your mother is there, you will get meals just like when you were a child, all your favorites made for you, and probably nagged into eating, too.) Crutches will cause inflamed, sensitive areas on your underarms. Especially as you put a lot of weight on them. Have extra padding & some lotion on hand for this. And switching to a cane when you can will be a good change. (Sometimes, this will help – sore underarms may encourage to begin using your leg again, and prevent scar tissue.) ---
**Author:** ![Snnipe\_70E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@Snnipe\_70E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snnipe_70E)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undergoing-knee-surgery-this-week-how-to-prepare/735760/22 "2015-10-27T07:07:22Z")
For my wife’s total knee I built a stand for the recliner chair. Had the chair about 3 inches off the floor so when she sat down it was not as far as normal They make a thing to help pull on socks. Check out the car that you will be driving home in. Before surgery my wife put a leg brace on so she could not bend her leg. Then practiced getting and out of the car. We figured out how to adjust the seat so she could get in and out. ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undergoing-knee-surgery-this-week-how-to-prepare/735760/23 "2015-10-27T07:33:01Z")
From my experience with foot surgery: Make sure that any bath mats have a good non-slip backing. You’re going to be awkward and off-balance and you may be dizzy from pain meds. You don’t want to fall and you _definitely_ don’t want to do it in the bathroom. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undergoing-knee-surgery-this-week-how-to-prepare/735760/24 "2015-10-27T12:47:02Z")
> [@Doctor\_Jackson](#): > > These days crutches are not the only game in town. I see more and more people opting for [these](http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonkblog/wp/2014/09/08/children-with-married-parents-are-better-off-but-marriage-isnt-the-reason-why/). If you are able to access your house from the ground floor, this seems like a good option. > [@kayT](#): > > And **Doctor Jackson** , your link doesn’t go where you think it does. Oops, copy paste error! Try [this](https://www.google.com/search?q=knee+scooter&biw=1920&bih=955&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAmoVChMI_pLP1tfiyAIVgbgeCh3KQgPa). ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undergoing-knee-surgery-this-week-how-to-prepare/735760/25 "2015-10-27T13:32:53Z")
Thanks for all of the advice, everyone. There’s a lot of stuff here that I hadn’t considered ahead of time. > [@brainstall](#): > > I wish I’d had surgery - without it, it was almost a year to recover and feel normal again. > > Good luck with your surgery. What are they telling you about recovery times and return to functionality? Heh. About a year to recover fully. > [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > The longer you’re immobile, the more your muscles atrophy and that SUCKS. Yeah, I’m not looking forward to that part. This is my second ACL injury. After the first one, they just put me through rehab without surgery. Having to sit around after the second injury and lose all of the muscle that I had built up really did suck. > [@](#): > > You’ve probably already decided so can I ask what you’re using to replace the ACL? Your own hamstring or cadaver part? My own hamstring (or something similar – definitely something from my own leg, and not a cadaver part). ---
**Author:** ![Habeed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a587f6/32.png) [@Habeed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Habeed)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undergoing-knee-surgery-this-week-how-to-prepare/735760/26 "2015-10-27T13:46:36Z")
If you enjoy video games, they help a ton in helping you ignore the post surgical pain, that part that leaks through the painkillers. At least in my experience, if you play an engrossing enough game and the damaged limb is propped up in an immobile position, you stop noticing the pain at all. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undergoing-knee-surgery-this-week-how-to-prepare/735760/27 "2015-10-27T17:11:33Z")
Before surgery day, put a plug strip next to wherever you plan on cocooning for the first few days so you can plug in the CPM (continuous passive motion) and knee chiller. (and chargers for phones, tablets, etc. that may normally be elsewhere in the house) The newer chillers don’t even use ice and need no user intervention other than pressing “Start Therapy” The one I have right now (I’m one week post-arthroscopy) just has a small reservoir of water that it circulates and chills internally. Beware of frisky dogs (or cats) that may want to jump up on your leg… ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undergoing-knee-surgery-this-week-how-to-prepare/735760/28 "2015-10-27T17:35:00Z")
> [@Rysto](#): > > My own hamstring (or something similar – definitely something from my own leg, and not a cadaver part). That seems to be the best choice. Wish I had known that. Good luck with rehab. I was back to playing softball in 8 months, basketball after about a year. But not at as high a level as pre-injury. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undergoing-knee-surgery-this-week-how-to-prepare/735760/29 "2015-10-27T19:28:41Z")
On your rehab… don’t be a wimp. It’s going to hurt, but you can tell the difference between “ok” pain and “Oh shit… I’m tearing it again” sorts of pain. Do what they say- all of what they say, unless you feel that you’re re-injuring it. It’ll suck, but in the long haul, you’ll be glad you did. ---
**Author:** ![guitario](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3d9bf3/32.png) [@guitario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guitario)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undergoing-knee-surgery-this-week-how-to-prepare/735760/30 "2015-10-28T20:55:20Z")
For the love of God - stock up on toilet rolls! ---
**Author:** ![kferr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71e660/32.png) [@kferr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kferr)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undergoing-knee-surgery-this-week-how-to-prepare/735760/31 "2015-10-29T15:35:45Z")
Having it done at day surgery is pretty amazing, when I had mine done 30 years ago I was in the hospital for a week and on crutches for 6 weeks. They wouldn’t let me out until I could prove that I could manage stairs safely and get in/out of bed without help. The only advice I have that hasn’t already been mentioned is to attach a bicycle water bottle holder to one of your crutches. The hardest thing about crutches is getting from the fridge to the sofa with a beer. ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undergoing-knee-surgery-this-week-how-to-prepare/735760/32 "2015-10-29T17:14:54Z")
Well, the surgery is all done. It all went well. Now the hard part starts. Thanks to whoever reminded me that putting on pants is a bitch with a busted knee. If you hadn’t I probably would have shown up in jeans, and that would not have ended well. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undergoing-knee-surgery-this-week-how-to-prepare/735760/33 "2015-10-29T17:31:10Z")
Best of luck on your recovery. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undergoing-knee-surgery-this-week-how-to-prepare/735760/34 "2015-10-29T17:36:11Z")
I’d warn you to be cautious of opioid pain medication. A friend who recently had surgery took about a third of what was prescribed, and when he stopped taking it he felt like shit. His doctors told him he had withdrawal. My mom was on IV morphine after major surgery, and when they withdrew it, she cried for a full day. There’s data on back injuries that shows a strong negative correlation between how much opiate painkiller is prescribed and how quickly people get better – and yes, that holds up when you normalize for how bad the injury starts out. I don’t have personal experience with post-surgical pain, but talk frankly to your doctors about the options. I do have experience using NSAIDs for non-surgical pain, and in that case, I am completely on-board with “it’s easier to keep ahead of it than to push it back down once it gets going.” But I think that’s partly because of the anti-inflammatory nature of NSAIDs, and not just the painkilling aspect. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undergoing-knee-surgery-this-week-how-to-prepare/735760/35 "2015-10-29T17:47:10Z")
> [@Rysto](#): > > Well, the surgery is all done. It all went well. Now the hard part starts. > > Thanks to whoever reminded me that putting on pants is a bitch with a busted knee. If you hadn’t I probably would have shown up in jeans, and that would not have ended well. Glad to hear that part’s over. Have fun doing nothing for a few days. Surprised your doctor didn’t tell you to wear gym shorts for surgery. ---
**Author:** ![Lacunae\_Matata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lacunae\_Matata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lacunae_Matata)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undergoing-knee-surgery-this-week-how-to-prepare/735760/36 "2015-10-30T02:51:15Z")
> [@Rysto](#): > > Well, the surgery is all done. It all went well. Now the hard part starts. > > Thanks to whoever reminded me that putting on pants is a bitch with a busted knee. If you hadn’t I probably would have shown up in jeans, and that would not have ended well. Glad it went well! I hope your recovery goes equally smoothly. ---
**Author:** ![Lacunae\_Matata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lacunae\_Matata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lacunae_Matata)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undergoing-knee-surgery-this-week-how-to-prepare/735760/37 "2015-10-31T20:51:51Z")
So… how YOU doing? 😉 Seriously, two days later, how’s everything going? Ma making you crazy yet? Cabin fever setting in? Figuring out a routine and how to accomplish stuff? How’s the knee? ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2015, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undergoing-knee-surgery-this-week-how-to-prepare/735760/38 "2015-11-01T17:11:59Z")
It’s going quite well. My back is actually giving me more problems than the knee right now. And my mom has been great. The last few days would have been awful without her. ---
**Author:** ![purplehearingaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@purplehearingaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehearingaid)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2015, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undergoing-knee-surgery-this-week-how-to-prepare/735760/39 "2015-11-01T17:33:57Z")
The OP could rent a toilet seat elevator with handles . It would a good idea to have shorts to wear around the house , they’ll be easier to put on than pants . If the OP has no washcloths he should buy some to take a sponge baths in their bedroom , I would try to stay out of the bathroom as much as possible if it too small to use crutches safely. Their mom can bring the water into the bedroom . I had to give a lot of my clients sponge baths in their bedroom or living room. Made sure they have a phone close by at all time and rent some movies you really been dying to see. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undergoing-knee-surgery-this-week-how-to-prepare/735760.md?page=1)