diet change before knee surgery

[Nancy R of Cburg]

Cathe, I noticed you have had surgery on your knees. I'm facing arthroscopic surgery on my knee and I would like to know if and how you adjusted your diet beforehand to compensate for pre-op fasting. I don't want to lose the lean muscle mass I've worked so hard to gain. Thanks!

 

[spyrosmom]

Hi!!! Not Cathe here, but I had knee surgery last fall. I really wasn't required to do any pre op fasting, but just no eating after midnight the night prior. My surg was at like 6 am so it didn't really matter. However, I did really try hard (not always successful) to cut out the junk a few weeks before hand, because I knew I'd be off my knee for a while and burning less calories. I figured it'd be easier to adjust before hand to a lighter diet then when trying to deal w/ post surgery knee owies and sitting on my butt.

 

[Nancy R of Cburg]

Thanks for the reply, spyrosmom. Unfortunately I also have to stop eating at midnight, drinking at 6 am, then I check in for surgery at 12:30 pm. I'll be missing 3 meals by the time I come out of it and I lose weight at the drop of a hat. I'll be a good 5 pounds lighter after the IV fluids leave my system & I'm afraid what I'll have lost is muscle mass since my body fat % is about 17% upper body and 22% lower body. Just wondered if I should be stuffing myself beforehand so I don't lose so much ground.

 

[alsrnbsn]

Syprosmom- How long did it take you to recover from your knee surgery? I am mentally preparing myself in the event that I am going to need it (have been having knee issues since last December). I know that mine would be arthroscopic as well. Thanks!

Cathe- You can answer this questions as well;-) .

 

[tneah]

Not Cathe here, but when I had my knee surgery, I ate more protein which is critical for repair.
I also eliminated all the junk in my house, so I HAD to eat the healthy foods I had bought before surgery, you are not to mobile or in the mood to go out and buy junk food either which is a good thing!
I am having my hip replaced in July and intend to follow my own advice again, this time I will be out about 6 weeks, so I really have to watch it!

 

[Gayle]

Hi there,

I went through ACL reconstruction 6 months ago. Trust me, you won't lose any muscle mass during the brief pre-op fasting stage. It's really not long enough to do that...but that first post-op Popsicle that you get to have afterwards is gonna taste mighty good! Also, you will most likely have nurses offering you as many fluids during your time in the recovery room that you can keep down.

 

[spyrosmom]

Mine was a plica band removal and a "clean out the junk" surgery. I was walking same day - no crutches allowed. After about a wk bike riding was allowed as well. After about a month of PT I was allowed to do what I wanted along as it didn't hurt (I jumped the gun a bit on that one). Then I has about another month of PT to get the full strength back. Dr said full healing would take about 6 months. I had some aches and pains up til about that point but nothing major. Still aches when its going to rain. Dr and PT both said that I will eventually get arthritis in that knee - they said all surgical knees do, so I guess I have something to look forward to! All in all it wasn't that bad. I still get the occasional ache or whatever, but no real pain, it was worth it!! Good luck!!!

Nan

 

[Nancy R of Cburg]

Thanks everyone for your replies. My Dr had to postpone my scope due to emergencies so I go in on 5/24. I'm taking in a lot of protein, about 45% of my calories, and a little extra fat for my body to hopefully heal better. (I've read that a little fat is necessary for protein synthesis.) I'm really glad I listened to my body & went to the doctor. Evidently a bone spur behind my kneecap broke off when I was stretching. It wasn't really painful; it felt like something moved. Then I couldn't put weight on the leg for a little while. But after 1/2 hour I could limp around so I figured it would get better on its own. It wouldn't have, I know now. Pain is meant to tell us something- I'm glad I listened. Will let you know how it turns out.