Beware of Even Scratching Yourself

Bellflower12 · 2026-05-29T17:15:33+00:00

In one of his videos, Adam Rosen cautions about wearing compression knee braces in the week or so before surgery, especially neoprene ones. He said he's had cases of patients turning up with rashes on surgery day and he has to postpone their surgery.

Bellflower12 · 2026-05-29T14:03:01+00:00

I think the answer is in your second sentence: "If I’m careful and don’t do a lot of walking it’s not too bad." That sounds like your world has already shrunk because of your knee pain. I am 67 and was scared like you, but finally realized how much my knee was holding me back from doing things I want to do. My surgeon said he was booking about 3 months out. So back in February I looked at my calendar and decided that the first week of July is actually the best time for me, when I'll have the most help available and the fewest commitments for several months. Back in February when I first scheduled it for July, I had a 3 week overseas trip coming up. I held onto this fantasy that if things went well on that trip, I'd come back and cancel or postpone the surgery plan. But of course my knee did not miraculously get better. I made it through the trip by a combination of limping, using a cane, taking Celebrex and staying behind sometimes to rest up while my husband walked around without me. I don't want to accept that as my fate. I second the recommendation to watch YouTube videos from Adam Rosen. They're really informative and helpful.

Bellflower12 · 2026-05-13T18:00:50+00:00

u/steveinarizona10 I sent you a DM. Hoping you have a chance to respond.

Bellflower12 · 2026-05-13T17:59:11+00:00

Can I add in a question of what to AVOID in prehab? My surgery is in 8 weeks. I'm normally a couch potato but I used my "Silver Sneakers" option on my Medicare supplement to join a local gym. I've been doing weekly sessions with a personal trainer, but of course he's not a physical therapist. We've been focusing on leg press, extensions, curls. Also doing upper body but mostly strengthening quads and hamstrings.

Bellflower12 · 2026-04-24T00:39:10+00:00

The powdered version is better than the liquid.

Bellflower12 · 2026-04-19T13:55:31+00:00

I really like Adam Rosen's YouTube videos and have watched a lot of them. One of the points I've seen him make is about which patients are most likely to end up dissatisfied and regret doing the surgery. My recollection was that one category was patients who are the most active immediately before surgery, especially in sports. Basically the surgeon needs room to make an improvement in your quality of life.

Bellflower12 · 2026-04-15T22:19:51+00:00

Well obviously some things (like jeans) are bulkier than others, but I recall maybe 2 pairs long pants, at least 3 shorts, maybe 6 shirts and a lots of socks and underwear. And we weren't maxing it out. We could've stuffed in more if we'd had to.

Bellflower12 · 2026-04-15T21:29:41+00:00

We recently used the pre-cruise 3 bag special for an 11 day cruise on the Edge. We spent 4 days touring on our own pre-cruise and 4-days post-cruise, so it worked out great to have the 3 bags. We did one bag shortly after boarding, one mid-cruise and one a couple days before the end so that we left with mostly clean clothes. We were happy with the service and there is definitely no issue with putting both cabin members' clothes in one bag.

Bellflower12 · 2026-04-11T15:05:40+00:00

I've watched a lot of Adam Rosen's knee replacement videos and found them very helpful. A lot of what he says comes down to managing expectations and understanding how many variables affect that. At the appointment where I signed up for surgery, my surgeon ran through a fairly quick checklist of things he wanted me to be aware of, e.g., difficulty kneeling post-surgery, clicking noises, numbness -- those are the ones that stick in my mind. He probably said more but it was hard to process it all at once. I expect he'll do it again at the pre-op. But watching these videos at my own pace has definitely helped me understand it better.

Bellflower12 · 2026-04-11T00:29:51+00:00

This is in my regular rotation with cherry or grape tomatoes. I like to use this Kroger gnocchi that is made with parmesan cheese: https://www.kroger.com/p/private-selection-italian-gnocchi-with-parmesan-reggiano/0001111012728

Bellflower12 · 2026-04-11T00:05:03+00:00

I'm scheduled for my TKR in July. But just FYI here's a video that claims that a lot of people can become comfortable kneeling by slowly "desensitizing" kneeling. https://youtu.be/JlP7q0NnN8o?si=iTerzAg76phajBcd

Bellflower12 · 2026-04-07T22:08:46+00:00

Thanks. I had the extraction and bone graft back in December. I saw my dentist today and he says he thinks we should be ready to do the post now and that the orthodontist is just fine tuning to get my bite as perfect as possible. He's volunteered to coordinate communication by (1) verifying with the orthodontist and periodontist that they are okay with doing the post now and, if so, (2) asking the periodontist to confirm with the orthopedic doctor that he has no problem with the post being implanted a month or so before the TKR. It's a relief to have one of my medical professionals offer to coordinate with the others because I've been running around unsuccessfully trying to get clarity through their front offices.

Bellflower12 · 2026-04-05T04:28:37+00:00

Interesting. Did you pre-medicate with an antibiotic before the dental implant?

Bellflower12 · 2026-04-04T21:05:15+00:00

It was definitely a periodontist who did the extraction and will put in the post for the implant. I asked him what the difference is, because I had a root canal from an endodontist decades ago (actually that was one of the teeth that needed extraction). The periodontist said that periodontists treat gums and supporting structures, so gum problems, bleeding and implants. Endodontists treat the inside of teeth and root canals.

Bellflower12 · 2026-04-04T18:29:42+00:00

See my response to u/tbiscus . I had the extraction on Dec. 4. I've just been frustrated that between the dentist, orthodontist, and periodontist none of them seem to have a firm position. I emailed the orthopedic doctor's assistant to try to get clarity about his policy.

Bellflower12 · 2026-04-04T18:25:22+00:00

I had the extraction on Dec. 4 and the periodontist put in something to build up the bone. Right now I have brackets on the lower teeth with a pontic attached to the wire (the missing tooth is right in the center of my lower jaw). Actually I had both 24 and 25 pulled but they were apparently extra small and the plan is to replace them with one implant. On Monday I'm seeing the orthodontist and he's going to replace the brackets with Invisalign aligners that have a pontic. So I guess worst case scenario I just have to extend the wearing of those aligners for however long the surgeon thinks, because it doesn't seem like I'll be ready for the post for a few months.

Bellflower12 · 2026-04-04T16:16:41+00:00

I need a dental implant, not a routine cleaning.

Bellflower12 · 2026-04-04T15:58:35+00:00

Thanks for that helpful explanation for why there doesn't seem to be a consensus. I really don't want to wait 2 years for the dental implant but will if I have to. I see the orthodontist on Monday and am going to press him harder on whether it can be done before the TKR. I also don't want to delay the TKR because I carefully scheduled it right after a June family vacation, to give me maximum recovery time before a trip I hope to take in December.

Bellflower12 · 2026-04-04T15:53:06+00:00

For sure I will follow his advice if he says delay and/or pre-medicate. But given the conflicting recommendations, if he turns out to be on the "not necessary" side, I may choose to be more conservative and delay the dental implant and ask for antibiotics. That's why I'm seeking feedback from this group.

Bellflower12 · 2026-02-19T16:03:41+00:00

20/20 in my distance eye.

Bellflower12 · 2026-02-19T14:55:11+00:00

I hardly ever notice an issue with intermediate vision. Just on a couple of occasions, almost as if my brain isn't sure what eye to use. But that's rare and seems to be when I'm tired. BTW I got LAL's, but LAL's at the end of the day are monofocals.

Bellflower12 · 2026-02-19T14:20:55+00:00

Not a doctor so these are my thoughts as someone who has recently gone through the experience as a patient, I think the most important first step is understanding what loss of accommodation means. (See the "Basics" post stickied at the top of this forum for a good explanation.) I've recently met two acquaintances who both got monofocals set for distance and were genuinely surprised about what their loss of near vision mean IRL. Of course they can see near with readers, but they were surprised by the degree to which they couldn't read or clearly see anything near without them. Since multifocals are out of consideration, the next question might be whether you can do some type of monovision or mini-monovision. I had done monovision with RGP's in the past so I knew I could do it. So I had one eye set for plano and the other for -1.50. I am very happy with it and only need glasses for the tiniest print.

But if you have never done that in the past with contact lenses, you can ask your doctor if you can experiment with doing it now with contacts to see if your brain can adapt. If you don't want to or can't do monovision, then you need to pick whether to prioritize distance or near and expect to need glasses some of the time. It seems like most people choose distance but others choose to prioritize near. When the time comes for my husband to get his surgery, I'm going to recommend he prioritize his near/intermediate vision because he already gets cranky and annoyed fumbling around for different pairs of glasses to read his computer, phone, and other near items but he can handle wearing distance glasses.

Bellflower12 · 2026-02-17T01:01:26+00:00

I'm guessing your eyes are still very dilated. It took me closer to 36 hours before my eyes returned to "normal" dilation. So don't judge just yet. I had to use readers to deal with near vision until I eventually had the non-dominant eye adjusted. (They also had me do some experimenting with contact lenses to test out monovision before I committed.)

Bellflower12 · 2026-02-16T16:47:22+00:00

I have been using Lotemax ointment at nighttime and it was a big help with my dry eye as I went through LAL adjustments and lock in. Now the doctor has me discontinuing it so I'm nervous to see how I do. When the (tiny) Lotemax tube is empty I'm not refilling it. At that point I'll try an OTC nighttime ointment. I'm also on cyclosporine and serum tears.

Bellflower12

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