Frankfort Regional Medical Center

Ste--Ste Guid  To schedule an appointment with a Frankfort Regional orthopedic surgeon, call Consult-A-Nurse at 877-FRMC-MD1 (877-376-2631). READY FOR CHANGE On the day of surgery, you'll complete paperwork, review your medication list with a nurse, receive pain and nausea medication, choose whether to have general or local anesthesia, and briefly meet with the surgeon. Following the approximately one-hour procedure, you'll spend an hour in a recovery room before being admitted to a regular hospital room; a physical therapist will be there soon after your arrival. You will stand, and, perhaps, even take a short walk, just hours after surgery. Physical and occupational therapists will work with you twice daily during your two- to three-day hospital stay. "If patients are concerned about stairs or any other potential barriers at home, they should tell the physical and occupational therapists," says Kelly Harrod, RN, BSN, CAPA, Clinical Coordinator of Outpatient Surgery and the PACU at Frankfort Regional. "Therapists can work with each patient to find ways to overcome those obstacles." STARTING A NEW CHAPTER You will likely be discharged to home from the hospital, unless you're still a bit weak or you live alone and need a little more time to feel confident enough to manage on your own. In these cases, you may go to an inpatient rehabilitation facility for a short stay. Once at home, you will probably have in-home physical therapy before transitioning to four to six weeks of outpatient rehabilitation to rebuild your strength, flexibility and mobility. "Patients can return to sedentary jobs within six to eight weeks and to standing jobs within three to four months," Dr. Soucy says. "Most individuals are very pleased with their results. It's not unusual to have no pain after surgery. Patients should avoid heavy lifting and high-impact activities, but they can walk, jog, ride bicycles and live more satisfying, active lives." 2 3 PUTTING PAIN IN THE PAST Dr. Soucy replaced Beth's left knee in January 2014. After four weeks of in-home rehabilitation and six weeks of outpatient therapy, Beth had a knee that felt as good as new—and she began planning to have the other repaired. Preparation for the second knee replacement included an important difference from the lead-up to Beth's first procedure: Three weeks before surgery, she attended Frankfort Regional's new Total Joint Boot Camp, which didn't exist before her first operation. "The Boot Camp facilitators explained the procedure visually and provided great information about who I would see and what I would be doing in the hospital after surgery," Beth says. "I learned things about the process that I hadn't known before." Beth had her right knee replaced in November 2014. She did so well following surgery that she was able to skip home-based rehab and go straight to outpatient physical therapy, which she completed during the winter of 2015. "My quality of life is 100 percent better; it's much easier to get around now," Beth says. "I know so many people who think they have to go to a bigger city for surgery, but I want them to know it's better to stay in town and go to Frankfort Regional." 2 3 Replacement 5

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