Preparation for Hospital stay for TKA.

There are three things that I found indispensable for my next total knee replacement op in two days.
Drawing on my experience from my first TKA (done about twenty days ago) I can say that when you need pain control there never seems to be a nurse around. If you find one they usually have a pat statement like "I cannot authorize anything until tomorrow when your doctor comes in".
I am taking my own supply of pain meds with me this time. I don't like being on the losing team of pain.

Next I highly recommend taking MiraLax which is a tasteless powder (over the counter). Ask your doc for a generic Rx and it will cost half as much. I took one tsp per day for four days before the operation, then 2 tsps per day for the next week and after my first bowel movement I dropped to one tsp and will continue on that until I am off all pain meds.

Lastly, take some music to listen to...over and over. Forget about reading material you won't feel like trying to focus your eyes.

Take some gum or cough drops to restore moisture in your mouth which feels like cotton from the pain meds.

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Education

Tags:

• constipation
• Ben Blyton TKA
• Ben Blyton
• TKA
• Total knee replacement