u/togtogtog

I'm in the UK and had my knee done on the NHS. We were at the end of having a lot of work done on the house, which wasn't quite finished when I got home from hospital, and lots of friends had fed us while it was going on, so we owed a lot of meals (hence having all our friends over for food and me having to finish some tiling!)

Summary

2016 - diagnosed with osteoarthritis

Sept 2025 - left knee went really bad, I could hardly walk or stand

Oct 2025 - went to GP

Dec 2025 - appointment with musculo skeletal team

Jan 2026 - 6 weeks of muscle strengthening exercise

March 2026 - Back to musculo skeletal team, referral and x-ray

April 2026 - appointment with surgeon

8th June 2026 - Knee replacement op

week 1 - hospital for 2 nights, Didn't eat, didn't poo for 5 days, 13 lots of medicine per day (paracetamol, codeine, laxative, aspirin, omeprazole). Crazy fever dream of a visit to A&E because I thought I had a deep vein thrombosis. Sent for ultrasound the next day. Painful, but each time I was in pain, it was time for painkillers (every 3 hours). No real sleep. Glute not working, difficult to bend or do any exercises. 8 lots of laxative, then pooing every time I went to the loo.

week 2- Stopped taking codeine halfway through the week as I was fed up with my guts being all over the place. Taking antibiotics from A&E. Still wearing surgical stockings. Went for second ultrasound. Not really sleeping or pooing properly.

week 3 - had dressing changed, which was all glued onto me with a big scab. First visit to physio. Flexion 45°, extension 5°. Friday, had suture trimmed and main dressing removed. Stopped wearing surgical stockings and stopped taking antibiotics. Felt so much better.

week 4 - Exercises increased flexion but cause a 'pinging' sensation on outside of knee, so I stopped being so vigorous. Still uncomfortable to sit and get tired suddenly. Walked to postbox, but it was a bit far. Reduced paracetamol to 1-2 doses per day.

Week 5 - Saw physio. Flexion 95°, extension 5°. Soreness on outside of knee got better when I eased off. Went to the supermarket. Only need to use one crutch outside. Chipping out the old concrete for the hall tiles. Often flake out around 8pm. I wake up often around 5am, because of the light and my leg aching. Had a couple of lots of friends over for food - I've stayed up later, sat at the table, cooked, washed up and am sleeping better. Most scabs have gone. I tried silicone tape, but it made scar sore.

week 6 - New scabs where the tape had been, so stopped. I was overdoing it, so have to pace myself or my legs hurt at night. Stay up until 10pm, leg starts to swell towards the end. I sit on the sofa, sit at the table. Had more friends over. Aches down outside of my leg have gone, but calf sometimes aches. Tried to walk to the cemetery and back, and my husband ended up having to run home to get the car to collect me. Can do all exercises, pedal on the turbo trainer and go up the stairs one foot after the other without using the bannisters. Pruned the raspberries, which knackered me. Started chipping out concrete to sort out hall tiles.

Week 7 - Reduced my DIY concrete chipping to 15 minutes, which was less knackering. Drove around block, then to physio (I drive a manual car, so need to use my operated leg for the clutch). Flexion 110°, extension 0-5°. Gave me more exercises, no need for crutch and dismissed me! Walked around supermarket without crutch! Walked a mile carrying crutch but not using it. Felt tired and legs ached. Surgeon said I can try driving, kneeling, cycling and climbing. Practiced kneeling on pillow. Go down stairs one foot after the other using both bannisters. Went very short BIKE RIDE!

Week 8 - Cycled outside instead of on turbo trainer, which felt amazing! Used stairs one foot after the other only using one banister. Sleeping well and feeling very happy. Husband moved back to our room. More energy, not using crutches, only one when going for a longer walk. Went back to my Spanish group! Went to hairdressers, but used car for transport.

Week 9 - Went for a cycle with husband. Cycled to the climbing wall and back, but didn't climb, just had a coffee. Walked down to the club for a drink and back. Walked round the village, about a mile and a half. I feel a lot more normal. My friend who had her knee replaced three weeks after me found out that her 'infection' was actually an allergic reaction to the surgical glue, so was really happy. Had friends over for food and finished putting down the tiles.

Week 10 - Felt pretty good. My leg is still stiff when I straighten it in the mornings, and I still take one crutch if I go for a walk, but I can easily walk a mile and a half. I went to the park on my own to see the eclipse. We had friends over for food. We cycled to collect door handles we had ordered and to see where the playing fields had burned. My flexion is really good now - I can almost bend my leg as much as my unoperated leg (I'm still doing my exercises 3 times each day). My knee has gone really hairy!

The sort of day that would make a little film of golden happiness?

To grow things, you just need access to the soil.

The soil is there, in your garden, free. It is full of a microbiome of creatures, fungus and plants which help plants to grow. It is very stable in terms of both water access for the plants, and temperature. Root systems can grow as big as they need to.

Of course, if you have a balcony, you have no soil, and have to rely on pots.

Equally, if you are renting, with a concrete yard that you can't dig up, you might need to use pots.

If you can't bend down as far as the ground, you might need a raised bed.

Everything has its own strengths. But I hardly ever see people just dig into the soil now. Everyone seems to make raised beds or to use pots and then buy compost to fill them, rather than just using the soil that is already there.

Is it just that marketing has made us only want to have stuff that it's possible to buy with money?

At the moment, I'm doing 10 repetitions of 12 exercises, 3 times a day.

That is 360 exercises every day!

It's well worth it to see the improvement, but I can't imagine that I will have the time to continue like this for the rest of my life. I've finished physio, and when I asked them, they gave a vague, wooly answer.

I think there may be some exercises that it is worth doing in the long term - maybe to keep extension and flexion good.

But surely, as I start to walk more, ride my bike, go climbing, do yoga and live a fuller life, there must be some that I can happily let go, or do less frequently?

What was your own experience?

BKS (before knee surgery) I was always a cyclist, for transport to anywhere local and for fun. Because of the pain in my knees, I moved to using an electric bike. I tend to keep it on the lowest setting and it's let me keep cycling.

After my operation, my dressing was all glued into the wound with a lot of blood. Any bending exercises dragged the scab in the wound and so I couldn't really do them until my dressing was changed after 2 weeks.

At my first visit to the physio (I'm in the UK) at 2 weeks, my flexion was only 45°.

However, I was pretty conscientious with my exercises once I could do them, doing each one x10 three times each day. My flexion quickly improved and I started to use a little set of pedals that I bought. At first I could just rock backwards and forwards, but just before 3 weeks I could go all the way around. I just timed myself to do 5 minutes at the end of each set of exercises, so three times each day.

At my next visit to the physio at 4 weeks, my flexion was 95°. I asked about going out on my bike, but she said I would need to check with the surgeon.

Just before I reached 5 weeks, I set up my bike on the turbo trainer. I put the saddle as high as possible, and used a set of kitchen steps to gingerly climb on and off! Once again, at first, I could only rock backwards and forwards, not go all the way around.

I did 5 minutes three times per day, and it was only a couple of days before I could go all the way around.

I gradually increased the time I spent on the bike, adding 30 seconds when I felt I wanted to. I also kept on lowering the seat by a tiny amount when it was no longer stretching my knee. I was still doing all my other exercises.

When I saw the physio after 6 weeks, my flexion was at 110°. I wrote to my surgeon to ask when it would be alright for me to go back out on my bike, and he replied to say he was happy for me to do it.

At 7 weeks, my saddle was quite low, which made me think it would be OK to get on and off my bike once it was off the trainer and I could tilt it. I decided to go for a test ride! I got my husband to come with me, got the bike off the turbo trainer and got on it!!!!

IT WAS AMAZING! It was the promise of a return to normality. We just cycled to the end of the road and back, and I was grinning like a Cheshire cat all the way! We also saw our neighbour, and she waved and grinned like a crazy person because she knows how much we usually use our bikes.

This morning, instead of doing my 8 minutes on the turbo trainer, I went for a mini bike ride around the local streets on my own, which included coming down a bit of a steep hill at the end! It was wonderful :-)

I'm 5 weeks post op and mine's going strong.

How are things going? What is the thing that you achieved this week that counted as a real win?

I was very happy to sit and eat a meal in a dining chair at a table!

What were the joys, the trials and tribulations, the emotions?

I try to look to see what to expect, but it is so very different for each person and I always am surprised by the reality!

My main base is two single beds pushed together.

One is for me, and the star of the show, my leg.

The other is for my accoutrements; different covers depending on how hot/cold I am, books, medicines, yoga strap, mini rucksac for carrying stuff, tissues, extra pillows.

I have a mini freezer on the chest of drawers for ice.

I have a little pedal machine under a chair - I can use the chair to stretch my leg out.

I might live like this forever!!! :-)

I have to wear white surgical knee high stockings.

I'm finding it hard to regulate my temperature, so wore a vest, but then put a cotton, long sleeved white shirt over the top to add a teeny bit of warmth.

Now my husband thinks I look like a sexy schoolgirl!!!!!!!!!!!!! :-D

Every day brings a tiny success, even if it sometimes brings setbacks.

In the midst of those dark wakeful hours when there is nothing to distract you from your knee, and you can't sleep, and it isn't time for pain relief, I sneaked down the stairs and made myself a midnight feast!

I put icy milk in my thermos cup, and dug out the brownie that my husband had put in the freezer for me, loaded them into my little rucksac, and took them back to my lair for midnight consumption.

It made everything feel a lot better!

Oh, also, I finished the course of antibiotics I had been given, which means one less lot of pills to take and unbalance my equilibrium.

What has been your personal success of the day, no matter how small?

My husband is out. I've been based upstairs, as that is where the toilet is, plus I can easily ice or elevate my leg there.

I went downstairs (using my crutches as taught in the hospital).

I got a bottle of water and topped up the kettle, using just one crutch

I put a teabag in a thermal flask with a lid

I poured the water in and let it steep

I got the milk out of the fridge, removed the teabag and added milk.

I put the lid on the cup and put it in my dressing gown pocket

I went back upstairs!

I feel so proud of myself!!! :-D

1 I posted about not being able to do straight leg raises. I hadn't realised before surgery that a none firing quad is a common thing, and I found it quite shocking. I have strong quads! I cycle a lot! I realised that I use my quad for all sorts of trivial things; positioning my leg while sat on the loo, letting the air get behind my thigh...

Well, today, after reading everyone's advice and ideas, I just thought I would do loads of tries, using various techniques suggested on here. I just kept doing a few all day.

Then just now I LIFTED MY LEG!!! Only a little bit, and it was an effort, but I feel so encouraged! If I can do that bit, it will improve quickly.

2 I posted about coming off opioids. I don't quite know how, but I just assumed I would need to take them regularly, every 6 hours for the first two weeks. I didn't realise that I had any choice in the matter! I am quite an obedient person, and just followed the words on the packet.

They have played havoc with my digestion, and then today I was reading that you shouldn't take them too long, and got in a bit of a flap!

So I missed a dose. AND I WAS FINE! My leg wasn't in agony. I still took my paracetamol. I can take them if I need to in the night. I can take them according to my pain, not the clock.

SO THANK YOU LOVELY PEOPLE FOR YOUR COLLECTIVE EXPERIENCE AND WISDOM!

I feel so much more cheerful than I did this morning.

I like the pain relief, but I do not like what it does to my digestive system! When will the light at the end of the tunnel be?

edit: You guys are hardcore!

I went to prehab physiotherapy, and was expecting that having stronger legs would make the surgery easier, but there have been some most unexpected things that have also helped!

• I have had a bad lower back in the past, so did a lot of forward folds to stretch out my back, and as a result am quite flexible in that way. I've been able to put on a sock, or pick something up off the floor without really being able to bend my knee!
• I climb, so have good upper body strength. What a workout this week has been! Pushing myself up off the bed, using crutches, lowering myself to the toilet - it all seems to use my upper body!
• Being able to set multiple, named alarms on my phone. I'm taking my usual drugs, plus extras 12 times per day. My alarm goes off, the name of the alarm is the drug I have to take, EASY! :-) I would never be able to remember to take them all on time otherwise.