TKR When oh when oh when

[WillB]

Now that you're feeling better you'll be more active. And that brings more aches and pains!
Catch-22

Yes it does, but even with more aches and pains, the knee is getting stronger with every activity we do! At 3 months now my knee feels pretty strong…weekly progress is awesome!!

 

[Jammy]

@WillB - Oh my gosh, Will. I've read a lot of your posts and you are always doing WAY TOO MUCH! What a jock! Well, good for you! I'm glad you're feeling progress!

 

[Jammy]

@JusticeRider - I'm glad you both recovered, losing a paw pad can't feel good!

 

[Jammy]

UGH! I feel like I've had a setback. Setback #24 maybe? Har har. Had pretty bad pain after medium activity--I went to the store, and later took a walk around the neighborhood, 18 minutes. I broke down and took half a tramadol; the last one I took before this was on April 1. Hours later I remembered why I stopped taking it. My knee/leg seem to feel better but later I felt so trippy. Hard to describe but I wasn't comfortable in my head. I also felt somewhat nauseous and headachy. So, I guess all I can do for pain so far that doesn't mess me up is take Tylenol and Advil. Which isn't a great help since Advil messes up my delicate flower stomach, even when taken with food. I am looking into Meloxicam but it sounds like that could be trouble, too.

I think what I'll do is stay in bed until my one-year mark. Only eight months till I'm all better!

 

[EalingGran]

Sorry you had more pain again.
It really is early days and I was very backwards and forwards at your stage.
Doing just a bit more can cause pain and then you panic a bit, that it's something more serious. That happens a lot.
Even now certain things can still trigger my knee.
Walking on a flat surface- no problem.
Just done 5000 steps by 10 am walking through Heathrow Airport. Didn't feel my knee at all- feels as good as my good knee.
But did some very gentle exercises in a swimming pool a couple of days ago and obviously the water was deceptive. Felt sore afterwards for a couple of hours.
Also sat in a cramped seat at theatre a couple of weeks ago and my knee hated it! Warm and sore for a few hours.
Will be interested to see how it copes with the flight- currently delayed by an hour....

 

[WillB]

UGH! I feel like I've had a setback. Setback #24 maybe? Har har. Had pretty bad pain after medium activity--I went to the store, and later took a walk around the neighborhood, 18 minutes. I broke down and took half a tramadol; the last one I took before this was on April 1. Hours later I remembered why I stopped taking it. My knee/leg seem to feel better but later I felt so trippy. Hard to describe but I wasn't comfortable in my head. I also felt somewhat nauseous and headachy. So, I guess all I can do for pain so far that doesn't mess me up is take Tylenol and Advil. Which isn't a great help since Advil messes up my delicate flower stomach, even when taken with food. I am looking into Meloxicam but it sounds like that could be trouble, too.

I think what I'll do is stay in bed until my one-year mark. Only eight months till I'm all better!

I think you will find some relief by taking Meloxicam. I would get off any NSAID if on Meloxicam. I just got a prescription through the surgeons office but at half strength
or 7.5 mg…I was on it a couple years ago and it was awesome. Haven’t picked it up yet but at 12 weeks now I just take 1000mg of Tylenol at bedtime. Sleep has been improving even with the activity I’ve been doing. Stopped PT three weeks ago as I think I was no longer needing. Have a bit of a sciatica issue from the realignment with MRI forthcoming. But at 12 weeks I feel I’m in a good spot. Just remember things do and will improve each week!! And I don’t worry about ROM numbers…and fortunately the office doesn’t seem to talk about it much. Keep active but in moderation and expect some discomfort if you overdo it. Its just part of the process.

 

[Jammy]

I don't worry about ROM. About a week after surgery my ROM was 115 and it's never been lower than that, per my past times at PT. I can bend my knee pretty well. I don't know how people on the forum measure their ROM anyway. It seems the ROM number is a concern mostly for physical therapists. I have enough to worry about, like, what will today bring me? Lately I've had that tight band feeling on my knee which is uncomfortable. And not helping my walk. But, apparently this is "NORMAL." Like everything else! I got a script for Meloxicam but am not sure about taking it, since it seems you shouldn't have coffee, or drink grapefruit juice while on this. And not one cocktail. Geez.

 

[Flashlight]

My husband just started taking the Meloxicam and I reread the pharmacy printout. It doesn't say anything about not drinking coffee and grapefruit juice is known to have drug interactions with many medications, but it didn't mention in print out. I think some people have trouble with coffee upsetting their stomach. It just says to limit alcohol or talk to your doctor about it. My husband decided to take it after lunch with the recommended glass of water. He will continue with coffee at bkfst and will still have wine with dinner. His stomach is much better than mine, so he isn't worried about the med causing stomach upset. Time will tell!

 

[beachy]

Anything that excludes coffee and alcohol is a no go for me LOL
Seriously, I didnt even have a sip of wine for several months prior to and during tkr recovery.
None the less, meloxicam helped tkr pain, but made me very sick. If you have any side effects stop taking it. I hope it helps you and you tolerate it well.

 

[Cinders2023]

Definitely take it on a full stomach if you have a sensitive tummy. I can’t remember if you take an acid reducer, but omeprazole, Prilosec or something like that might be helpful also. I am lucky that nsaids don’t usually bother me, because I’ve had to take them frequently managing my naughty knee prior to TKR. Good luck, if you can’t tolerate meloxicam, maybe try Aleve? Just don’t take both at once.

 

[trinket]

I’ve been taking Meloxican for years. I drink gallons of coffee and it’s never bothered me. I don’t take it on an empty stomach; always with a meal or snack.

 

[EalingGran]

Good luck with meloxicam. You could try what I used to do with naproxen, when I took it. Take omeprazole on waking with water- then an hour later take the non- steroidal ( NSAID) with food. That worked fine but otherwise I would feel nausea.

 

[Jammy]

@Flashlight
This is where I got the info about coffee and Meloxicam -

Can I Drink Coffee While Taking Meloxicam?​

The short answer is, unfortunately, no. Meloxicam is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug used to treat pain and inflammation, and it can cause severe gastrointestinal problems when taken with coffee. So if you’re taking meloxicam, it’s best to stick to decaf.
From: https://ajecafe.com/blog/can-i-drink-coffee-while-taking-meloxicam/

@beachy - can you tell me how it affected you? You know about my delicate flower tummy.

I notice that a lot of things bother me that don't bother most people. Hmmm. Does that make me difficult?

My knee has just been unhappy. My whole leg feels bad. If I can't take a drug to fix it, then I'll have to take Advil which if I take two or three, gives me a big bellyache.

Also, I'm worried I need a revision or something. More awful PT? Something. It's almost four months now. Come on. Something's Got To Give.

 

[Jammy]

You could try what I used to do with naproxen, when I took it. Take omeprazole on waking with water- then an hour later take the non- steroidal ( NSAID) with food.

@EalingGran - Yes, I could do that. I may wait until after lunch. I don't eat a lot in the morning. Also, I take my thyroid drug in the morning at least a half hour before I have any food.
Hey, aren't you in Ireland?

 

[EalingGran]

Hey, aren't you in Ireland?

Yes but just peek in on my phone to BoneSmart.
Just a very short family trip.
Will post tomorrow about travelling/ knee.

 

[Jammy]

@EalingGran and all
I do take omeprazole in the morning, and any meds I take, I take after I eat. I have been waiting for @beachy to let me know what happened after she took meloxicam before I go ahead and take it, because I have a delicate belly. (Maybe she took some time off.) Meloxicam was free with my Medicare, so it doesn't really matter if I don't even use it. I think I have to decide if I want the knee to feel better, or my stomach to feel all right? I do know that several people here suggested I take Smooth Move for constipation and even that was not good. It gave me immediate cramps! So, in case anyone is like me and has a very delicate stomach, my doctor prescribed lubiprostone 24 M, a small pill which I take "when needed" for constipation. So far it's been working and hasn't given me cramps, and, TMI, the stool is soft, but I have only been taking one pill every other day or every two days. The script says twice a day, but that's probably for "normal" people. Not me. I do think it's much easier to do this via a pill like this vs. drinking a lot of MiraLax.

 

[beachy]

Hey Jammy, not much to report so I haven't been here in a couple days.
Meloxicam. I was ok with it until doc doubled the dose to make pain meds last longer.
Terrible stomach cramps and I spent a few hours in bathroom with the runs and vomiting.
You might be ok with a low dose, but that was my experience with increased dose. I think that happened in the first 2-3 weeks post op. Its in my recovery thread.

 

[beachy]

I was bored so I read my recovery thread.
Meloxicam was increased from 1x/day to 2x/day
at 9 days post op. It was to much for my delicate flower gut.
The PA increased it to help stretch out my pain meds at the time until ins co would refill.

 

[Jammy]

@beachy - thanks for looking that up! I might try it, my doctor gave me 7.5, I think that's a low dose. I've been okay with Tylenol and Advil, but I get so drowsy from it. I even fell asleep during my Brit show, Bodyguard, starring handsome Richard Madden. Now, that's not right! Of course I wake up at 1:00 am and can't sleep. Such is TKR life!

 

[EalingGran]

Good luck.Hope you can tolerate the lower dose meloxicam and it helps.
I found using a NSAID regularly did make a difference- although I have managed to stop naproxen now. They can take a few days to work I found- it's more the anti inflammatory effect than a direct painkiller effect I reckon. So persevere unless you get side effects.