Knee Replacement

[daisy_duck]

My husband is having a total knee replacement 4 weeks before we are scheduled to arrive at Disney. He will definately rent a scooter. Has anyone done Disney this close to a knee replacement and if so how did you make out and any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[arminnie]

I have not had a knee replacement, but I've taken care of others who have. My 83 year old father and another friend who was 78. In my experience as a "health aide" I'd say that you DH should do fine with a scooter. A knee replacement is a big deal, but one can walk (a little) in just a few days.

Physical therapy is critically important. So make sure that your DH does everything required, and that he has a plan for when he is away because he will not be finished with PT at 4 weeks.

You should be able to have a great trip with him in a scooter at 4 weeks. If you'd said 1 or 2 weeks I'd have said to forget it.

 

[Hoodie]

Definitely talk to your PT continuously up to when you leave and have a plan. No doubt he will need a scooter, but possibly also a cane or other assistance device. My grandfather had a complete knee replacement and around 4 weeks was when they wanted him doing as much as he can unassisted and walking assisted as well. Everyone heals differently - he may be needing the scooter full time or he may be at the point where his PT needs him to just take it occasionally and walk more. Unfortunately there's no real way of knowing until right before your trip.

For other ideas: bring some large ziplock bags. You can get ice nearly everywhere and you may need to ice his knee, especially if his PT wants him to try to use it. Also, be prepared to alter your touring plans. Again, you won't know his range of motion or strength. Rides like Frozen and Pirates could be hard to get in and out of. Rides with moving walkways could be hard because his balance can be off. It all depends on how he heals. I've seen some people return to work after 4 weeks. Others never get "normal" again. Hoping for quick healing and a great trip!

 

[charmed59]

My husband had a full knee replacement 5 weeks ago and has no trouble being on his feet all day. He's been golfing a few weeks now. Walking is not a problem. However, he does need to ice still, and I'm not sure how or where he could sit to ice without a wheelchair/scooter. Make sure he doesn't just use the scooter all day, do some park and walk, as sitting for long periods of time with the leg in the same position is not good for healing.

Have the PT go over how to get up and down steps and into rides and such. There is a trick on which leg goes first.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I had bilateral knee replacement and did not get the OK to travel until 2 months after the operation. WDW was our first travel destination, but I was not ready in 4 weeks.

My knees are now 2 years old!

 

[CJN]

I did WDW six months after a knee replacement and got a few very painful reminders that even after that length of time everything was not healed up internally. Even something as simple as bumping it against the seat in front of me on PotC could hurt like heck. I hope you and your husband have a wonderful trip, although, personally, I would never schedule a trip that close to knee replacement.

 

[FortForever]

On another site, a woman said her husband did Disney just two weeks after getting a double knee replacement. Since I am getting both of mine replaced this year, it gave me a lot of hope to read that. He said it was just great physical therapy to be walking all day.

 

[FortForever]

I did WDW six months after a knee replacement and got a few very painful reminders that even after that length of time everything was not healed up internally. Even something as simple as bumping it against the seat in front of me on PotC could hurt like heck. I hope you and your husband have a wonderful trip, although, personally, I would never schedule a trip that close to knee replacement.

This kind of thing happens to me now. Some rides are excruciatingly painful on my knees, especially if they get banged against something. I really can't wait to be able to have a normal life again. Right now I can't walk hardly at all. I can't take NSAIDS due to kidney disease, so I can only take narcotics and try to do so sparingly. I want my life back.

 

[arminnie]

I can't take NSAIDS due to kidney disease, so I can only take narcotics and try to do so sparingly.

I can't take NSAIDS either, and I choose not to take opioids except sparingly too. I do not want to become a victim of opioid addiction. I can't tell you the pain I have experienced. But rather that than being trapped in addiction. A young person I know just died from an opioid addiction. It is so common and so destructive.

 

[FortForever]

I can't take NSAIDS either, and I choose not to take opioids except sparingly too. I do not want to become a victim of opioid addiction. I can't tell you the pain I have experienced. But rather that than being trapped in addiction. A young person I know just died from an opioid addiction. It is so common and so destructive.

I totally agree and it doesn't take very long to get physically addicted. I was on pain pills for over a year, a few years back. I felt like I was 90 years old and hurt everywhere. I realized the pills were making me worse, so quit taking them at that time. I was quite sick for nearly a week, and not back to completely normal for over a month.

Found out about the kidney disease last summer and went from then until a few weeks ago before breaking down and getting some hydrocodone. I am only on the lowest dose (5 mg) due to my reluctance to take them at all. I am prescribed 3 a day but only take 1 a day at most. I only take them when I really, really need to.

I tried cortisone shots and nerve blocks with very little, to no, success before caving on the opioids. Not only are they extremely addictive, but I don't want to kill off another organ. Medications already compromised my kidneys, don't want my liver to me next due to the added acetaminophen in these pills.

 

[lizziepooh]

I had my second knee replacement 9 weeks ago. (My first knee was replaced 8 months ago). I can't imagine going to Disney at 4 weeks or even now with either one of them. I've been in PT for 6 weeks now plus daily exercises for the second knee. Still have a LOT of pain, extreme swelling in my leg and foot, and difficulty sleeping because of the pain. I can't take NSAIDS due to kidney function. I hope your husband has a better recovery, but for me, Disney would not have been possible at 4 weeks even with an ECV. Again, every person's recovery is different.

 

[asta]

I hate to be negative on this but I have had a knee replacement and can't imagine going to WDW that soon. The joint itself will not hurt because it has been cut out and the source of that pain is not there anymore. But I still had a lot of pain from the tissue that is damaged during surgery. Soft tissues and muscles take time to heal. At four weeks I was still in PT and working hard to regain my range of motion. I was encouraged to walk but not for long lengths of time. Being able to bend the new knee would be challenging getting on and off the the rides. As mentioned above it will be critical at that stage to ice the new knee after it has been used. I think most doctors send you home with a machine that circulates ice water around the leg. I also believe that at 4 weeks I still had to spend a certain number of hours in an immobilizer.

 

[PatMcDuck]

Arminnie you read my mind. My daughter has had both knees replaced (ages 19& 20). (Long story, but the short story is, that it was bone damaged from side effects to Chemo and steroids).

The PT is the main priority after TKR. My daughter was using the RPM machine (which not all surgeons order), and was focusing on getting full

 

[Selket]

Just following with interest as both my knees need replacing but I'm hobbling along as long as I can (not willingly - my HMO seems to want people to be closer to 60 before replacing knees). From what I've read it would seem to be a difficult trip to make at 4 weeks. I'm wondering a person would go, rent a scooter, not plan to ride too many things (like Splash Mountain - things with a sharp knee bend and hard to get in/out of), go back to the hotel and rest and ice the knees down - it could work.

I returned a couple of weeks ago from a spring break trip with my younger son who got the flu..then pneumonia... while down in Orlando and was hospitalized. When they let us out we went on to our Disney hotel where we spent most of the time in the room while he slept and rested. We did get to the parks a few times - mostly to eat a lunch or dinner. I think he realized how exhausting it was just to go back and forth to the parks - much less to do things. I'm glad we have annual passes so we didn't feel bad about spending only an hour or two in the parks. I'm thinking on the one hand it could be fine to go if you and he wouldn't be disappointed if he doesn't feel like doing much - and just go and enjoy the resort and whatever of the parks he feels like doing. If it's a long planned trip and you rarely get to go - I'd be inclined to wait until you'd know he will be able to maximize the time.

 

[Debbie Jean]

I had staged bilateral knee replacements... both knees done one month apart... 4 years ago. For anyone contemplating or facing this surgery, the pain is horrific and seems endless, the PT is unimaginable. BUT, it is absolutely the very best thing I could ever have done! I have my life back. I always loved walking and now I can go miles and miles again. No I can't run, I can't kneel and I can't play tennis LOL and I still need to be careful I don't bang my knees on anything. But other than that I cannot begin to express how grateful I am to be able to lead a "normal" life again.

For me a trip to Disney 4 weeks post op even with a scooter would have been challenging. My range of motion was limited so that bending and stairs were still issues. I would definitely consult with my PT to be sure you are keeping up with the prescribed exercise protocol and make arrangements for icing the knees every day... ice packs, bags, etc. A cane would probably be useful as well for stability.

My best advice is work hard in therapy... it hurts... bad... but the results you get will be directly related to how much you are willing to do in PT even when there is pain. The recovery is long... I don't think I felt completely healed for a year... but so very worth it!

 

[Tallis]

I know this is an old thread, but wondering how the trip went with the OP's husband.

I had a total knee replacement of the left knee in March and the right knee just 3 weeks ago. I can't begin to imagine going to Disney right now. The pain is still horrific from the most recent one. Even the one from March is still sore at times. I can't imagine having to hold my knees bent, the way you have to on many rides, at this point. I could do it with my left knee (4 months out) but no way with this 3-week-out right knee.

We don't have a trip planned until December and I'm still thinking about renting a scooter. I don't know what I will feel like then. I suppose I could always cancel it (the scooter rental) if it gets close and I feel like I could handle it.

Reading about the guy who said he went out two weeks out, I hardly believe it. This is a brutal surgery and at two weeks I was still in 24/7 agony, keeping my ice machine on my knee unless I was doing PT. Wasn't leaving the house, that's for sure.

 

[KPeterso]

Not the original poster. My Mom had a knee replacement in December 2017 (1 week before Christmas leads to a miserable Christmas for all). She still needs the second one done, but has decided that it is a no-go for her after how horrible the first one was. We did start going to Disneyland for a day here and there starting about 2 months post knee replacement, but we live locally and have passes, so we never go too long and just went one rides easy to transfer onto (Soaring, Toy Story are 2 rides we did that I can think of), but we skipped a ton too. We used a wheelchair then (and still now). We also went to WDW last September (so 9 months post replacement) and she had a scooter and she will again this year. Her knee still bothers her to this day (numbness and don't touch it). I have no idea how people were doing at 2-4 weeks --- my Mom was told to not go out much as the risk of infection is so high and that was true for the first couple months.

 

[Tallis]

She still needs the second one done, but has decided that it is a no-go for her after how horrible the first one was.

I almost opted out of my second one for this very reason. Nothing can prepare you for how horrific the recovery actually is. I know everyone is different, but not THAT different.

I also agree about the risk of infection. I can't imagine even thinking about going to Disney prior to the two month mark. My surgeon told me that complete, internal recovery takes 12 - 18 months.

Prior to my second knee replacement, I was able to walk 5 miles a day with my one knee being good. But that was my limit. Disney requires more walking than that and I was four months out.

 

[Debbie Jean]

My two knees were done one month apart. I asked whether I could just do one and do the other the following year. Nope. He said too many people had the first and refused to do the other because of how horrible the recovery is. If both need to be replaced you don't really get the full benefit of the surgery doing only one. That was his experience anyway.

I never sugar coat the recovery which is brutal but so worth it! It was months.... certainly not weeks before I was ready for Disney. And that was with a scooter!

Hopefully OK will update is. Interested to see how it all worked out.

 

[sweetpeama]

My parents went 2 different times within 4 months of each of them having a double knee replacement surgery.
1st trip that they did this was after mom's. They rented a wheel chair in the park and my sister pushed her.
2nd trip was after my dad's. He spent a lot of time enjoying benches and being the holder of the shopping bags. Perfectly happy to do a slow try a few drinks around the world with my brother. Slow as in go to a country brother goes and gets a couple of drinks brings them back they would sit and sip and watch people often catching a show or something going on. Hour or two later when the shoppers were done get up and move onto the next country. Occasionally call my cell to see where we are and say you might want to see this and where are you. I didn't have a lot of money for doing shopping infact we actually had a budget of $100 gift cards that our kids were given for each one, a $50 dollar gift card for me and DH, and I did get a $25 gift card from Disney for doing a how long did we wait for different attractions and how much we liked it survey on day that they were just catching people. Needless to say I was not spending my time seeing what I could buy in the stores unless it had specific things I was looking for. My kids were more into getting character autographs and pictures so that is what we were concentrating on. I honestly think my dad went on very few rides especially ones that were outdoor but then he would eiher sit or stand there and get video. (Yes someone gave him a video camera and we went through the bad home movies video phase-thankfully he seems to be over that though the kids starting to hit the teen years and hiding from the camera definently helped). There were a few days that my dad was wishing that they had taken the space to bring the cyrocuff (basically a water cooler with a hose attatched to it and a wrap that goes around in order to ice with a really cold mixture). It is the size of a 1-1.5 quart water cooler that you would flip the top up and pour. Luckily my sister was able to get bags of ice easily enough though there were a couple times that she was questioned and asked if they needed first aid-until she pulled out her professional card indicating that she is a certified athletic trainer and got ok if you say you need this from the cast member she was asking for a resealable bag for some ice because the ones we had with us had ran out we will get it for you. My sister had also made arrangements with others in her profession that she knows from national meetings in the area to get a cyrocuff if it was needed for free. There might be places you can rent something like that for your trip.