Total Knee Replacement

I'm confident that she knew what she was saying. The scar is very sensitive, she suggested I rub it with anything rough to help de-sensitise it. She suggested a rough towel, brush or a nylon scourer. I do also have to massage it with E45. I have been combining the nylon scourer with the E45. The wound is healed well enough to take a bit of rough treatment.

When I had a carpel tunnel op a few years ago, I had similar advice from the surgeon to prevent the scar becoming sensitive, I used an old electric tooth brush then.

Ginny, I am now 3 weeks in and am able to do most of the things I used to do :-
Sit with my feet up
Watch TV
Read my book
Eat my meals
Get DW running around after me
Etc.
Definitely back to normal.

Goodness pompa that's a bit drastic ! Not something I would do even on good skin. I was told to massage with moisture lotion.

Nearly 4 months on now from my 'op. Very pleased although as I am waiting to have the other one done I am probably not getting full benefit yet. But the pain has gone from that knee, which is wonderful.

Reading about what others are and aren't doing and at what stage is interesting. After the first couple of weeks I was doing most of the everyday things e.g. housework, hanging out washing, shopping, cooking . Obviously at a slower pace.

I was told to use face cream and massage the scar to stop it tightening - but not while it was leaking. I think you should ring and check about the scouring, pompa. Sounds too drastic to me.

Are you sure she didn't say a big metal rasp?

I agree - please do not do this thing!!! - especially as your wound is not wholly healed and is still leaking. Leave the poor thing be to give nature a chance!

pompa I think that you misheard. I am not sure what information she was giving you but attacking your recent knee wound with a scourer was not it!

A scouring pad - FFS! If they suggest that to me I might direct them to the nearest cliff!

I have 3 other large operation scars and no-one has ever suggested such a thing. They just sit there very merrily unassaulted by outside intervention.

Whatever next!

A scouring pad, pompa? Are you sure you heard aright? That sounds a bit
fierce! My physio recommended tapping firmly up and down the scar with my middle finger. I also used Bio Oil to keep the skin supple.

Just got back from Physio, she thinks that the bleeding is caused by an internal stitch that is working its way out. She seemed very pleased with progress, down to one crutch now.
Now have to attack the scar with a scouring pad , apparently this will help to de-sensitise the scar.

Serves you right Pompa. I am surrounded by paper too - been putting it off for weeks waiting for a rainy day (which it is)

Saying I was bored may have been a mistake, Linda dumped a huge pile of papers/folders for me to sort through.

If you are getting bored pompa you must be getting better!

I am in the same situation with a quilt that I am itching to get on with, and some curtain material that is lying about waiting for me to make up for my DGD's room. I cannot sit at the sewing machine as I have to sit on a high chair to keep the hip angle right. It is very frustrating!

I hope you will be beavering away at your boat soon pompa.

I guess I must be getting better, I'm starting to get very bored with sitting in a chair. I need to get back into my workshop and make some mess.

My oldest & best friend died a year ago, his wife bought me a model boat he was intending to restore for me to continue his restoration. It is a model of a Fairey Marine Swordsman, considered by many to be the most beautiful power boat ever produced. (see pic in my gallery) This along with the Fairey Huntsman is still one of the classic boats for racing, with a top speed of over 30 knots.

My friend was a very skilled boat builder and made this model many years ago and it deserves to be run again. I have done all I can indoors, but the next stage involves a bit of mess, Linda will not be happy if I do that indoors (can't understand why)

I wanted to say that Granjura, but didn`t dare, lol!!

Your leg over Pompa- oh my, you must be feeling better ;)

Well done upwards and onwards enjoy this little Indian summer

All good news pompa - well done. I wish I could go out, but we live in a very steep hill and I think it would be far too risky at the moment.

How lovely it is to be able to shower myself again, even if I have to have my minder standing by !.

Going to try to walk to our village ASDA this morning. That may not seem very exciting, but it's only another 500 yds to the village tea room , will I make that today, will try my damnedest, even if i have to get a taxi home.

Still getting some bleeding from the wound,but i guess it will heal eventually. definitely getting stronger and more mobile every day.

All those positive messages from you GN'ers really helped.

You'll be back on your horse before you know it pompa!

Milestone today, managed to get my leg over (or up at least) this morning, Been glued to the bed until now.

And you really do have to work the knee, so that it "learns" what is expected of it. My new knee needs exercise, and if the hip pain is really bad and I have to rest it, I go back to the knee exercises to keep it mobile. It feels OK, though. I think the hip pain is far worse than any I had with the knee, but then, I suppose one forgets?

DeeDaa, sorry that your Mum's result wasn't so good. I'm sure the point you make about "leaving it too long" is spot on. My knee was not that bad, I was still walking significant distances and able to do most things reasonably normally, so long as I took painkillers. However my Dr. and consultant said that it would only get worse, and it was better to operate whilst the muscles were still strong. I'm sure this has helped my recovery (the same applied when I had my hip replaced). OK, maybe I could have soldiered on for many months, but I'd rather go through the pain sooner than later. Also, you are right, worthwhile exercises are going to be painful as the object is to push everything beyond what it is currently capable of.

Keep up the good work and fingers crossed all continues to go well

To redress the balance a bit, my mother in law's knee replacements were a total waste of time and money. Mainly because she waited far too long to have them done and was barely able to walk at all. She still had continual pain after the operation and wouldn't keep up with the exercises because they were difficult. She had several falls and ended up unable to walk. I think she could have had a better result but she wouldn't do anything that felt "uncomfortable"

GillieB, thank you so much for posting. I`ve been deliberately keeping off here, because I didn`t want to be the only negative one. I too find that although the pain has gone, I`m no more active and mobile than before. I also am suffering from numbness in parts of my knee, after a year and one week. I`m having problems with the other knee now, but am reluctant to go through it all again, but I suppose it will depend on how bad it gets. My sister had her knee replacement about 18 months ago, is having the other one done soon, but she`s also had problems.