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MUA 1 Week post op

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Tramadol is a step down med, is that all you have? Do you wake up with pain?
 
I have percocet 10/325 but stopped taking that on day 2 after I got home from hospital. I hated the way it made me feel, my skin feel and I didn't think my pain warranted a narcotic. I really don't have pain except the occasional out of the blue stabbing and stiffness and tight as if there's a band around my knee..,vertically and horizontally. Thots?
 
I can't imagine my recovery with Tramodol. I was on oxycodone for 4 weeks until I had to have emergency surgery for an infection. I was taking oxy on schedule. Stiffness, tightness are both pain and I couldn't sleep or do PT with that pain. Oxy made me fuzzy, but I was thankful to not feel the pain at all.
But if the pain is only bothering you at night you could take the percoset just at night. I think 11-7 is a long time between pain meds, but maybe icing through the night is carrying you through.
 
And lots of people sleep with the cyro cuff on, instead of peas.
 
I did nothing for 4 weeks - absolutely nothing but get out of bed, walk around the house, sit in a chair with my knees bent as best they could and maybe a stray leg raise here and there. My PT consisted of massage, managing my gait, and walking. I used a walker for 4-5 weeks, then a forearm crutch for a few weeks, then a cane, which I finally ditched a couple of weeks ago. You cannot beat your knee into submission as I learned from my 1st knee. I would have killed for an ROM of 90 at 4 weeks with knee #1. Swelling and tightness are just part of the recovery game and I would sit in ice (I used 3 bags of frozen peas and a flat blue ice pack for the back of the knee) for hours at a time. Not only did it feel good, but it did help with the swelling - and I have a very strong inflammatory response. I did set my alarm and I did medicate religiously, yes, I stepped down the dosage after the 1st 2 weeks, but I continued to take the Dilaudid & Tylenol pretty much on a schedule for the 1st 4 weeks. Ease up on yourself is my best advice, this recovery takes a while!
 
From past experiences and my other joint replacements I learned that it does NO good to be a pain martyr. I too got itchy and icky feeling from narcotics and my first hip surgeon asked me this question. (Which I never forgot)... if you had a choice between feeling the pain and swelling you have today or the narcotics side effects , which would you prefer to have? Of course at first I can live much easier with medicine ickies vs surgery pain! The moment the tables are turned and the medicine side effects are worse than your discomfort, then think about stepping down.. me thinks you might be undermedicating and shooting your recovery in the foot. That reminds me, 11:10, time to ring the nurse for my next dose, bring on the relief! !! I wish you all the best in your journey (one that I am just beginning)..
 
@Poz222 look at all of your surgeries...wow! And you and everyone else are probably
right about me being under medicated . I've upped my tramadol to 4x day instead of 2. And doing no exercises unless @Josephine advises otherwise. Are you home yet? How is the tka compared to the hip?
 
I think the hip is easier. It is a BIG pain, but it just kinda works. The complexity of the knee and the specific targeted painful spots are annoying. Shoulders by far were the most difficult recovery... remember, there are no martyrs in pain relief! Do what you gotta do.

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KameronSteele said:
except the occasional out of the blue stabbing and stiffness and tight as if there's a band around my knee.
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Honey, that IS TKR post-op pain! The full Monty!
KameronSteele said:
I've upped my tramadol to 4x day instead of 2.
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Even 50mg is too little. This was my schedule for my first knee which strangely didn't work so well for my second one so I just stuck with 100mg Tramadol and 1,000mg paracetamol every 6hrs by the clock.
(paracetamol is what we in the UK call Tylenol!)

[Bonesmart.org] 1 Week post op


KarriB said:
I can't imagine my recovery with Tramodol.
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I couldn't imagine recovery without it! They gave me oxycontin and oromorph in hospital which made me vomit! Tramadol was my choice and always will be.
 
@Josephine tramadol did absolutely nothing for me. I didn't really need oxycodone after the infection surgery, so Tramadol was prescribed. Nothing. Is that possible for it to do nothing for me? I know lots of people use it all the time.
 
@Josephine, I'll use the tramadol schedule you provided. Is there anything at all I should be doing or just nothing at all until I can bend? Someone here suggested easy heel slides..
 
KarriB said:
tramadol did absolutely nothing for me. Is that possible for it to do nothing for me? I know lots of people use it all the time.
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Anything's possible! oxycontin and oromoprh did nothing for me, except make me hugely sick, while Tramadol worked a treat. We're all different, aren't we? However, I have often found that when Americans say that - and they also say it about Tylenol - that they are taking doses that wouldn't touch a mouse!
KameronSteele said:
I'll use the tramadol schedule you provided
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Well do try it but remember I said it didn't work for me the second time around and I had to go with the Tram and paracetamol every 6 hours. The last hour or so was often a tough wait but it was worth it as I got completely relief after I'd taken it. We're all different! If that should happen to you, mess around with the doses but do take 8 Tramadol and 4,000mg Tylneol every 24hours. You will likely find you can start reducing after about 3-4 weeks give or take a bit!
KameronSteele said:
Someone here suggested easy heel slides..
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Yes indeed - I did about 2-3 twice a week! truly! Read this Heel slides and how to do them.

You might also like to read my recovery threads to see how little exercising I did!
First knee. Knee recovery - UK style
Second knee. Josephine's 2nd knee story - short version where I did even less!
 
@Josephine..after again reading your recovery threads I am totally convinced I am doing waaaay too much. I'm forcing my knee to bend and that's why it's staying hard and swollen. I was just so terrified of having to go thru an MUA I was pulling and tugging daily to get anyincrease in ROM I could. I haven't done any exercises in 2 days and I'm back to what looks to be about 30-35 and it's definitely tight and stiff but I'm not gonna stress about it and just ice, elevate properly and take more meds. Wow I've been way under medicating. I'm still blown away at your lack of exercising, no walking aides and needing no help at home. I'm 4.5 weeks out and still on 2 sticks and need someone here w me :(
 
It's still very early days. Josephine's recovery threads are very informative, I've done very little Physio and my ROM is about 115, unfortunately my extension still isn't zero but the that's ok. People on this forum are really supportive and always willing to support members.
 
KameronSteele said:
I'm forcing my knee to bend and that's why it's staying hard and swollen. I was just so terrified of having to go thru an MUA I was pulling and tugging daily to get any increase in ROM I could.
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KameronSteele said:
I haven't done any exercises in 2 days and I'm back to what looks to be about 30-35 and it's definitely tight and stiff but I'm not gonna stress about it
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Good attitude! There is bound to be some reflex swelling but it should settle down maybe in 1-3 weeks. Nothing in this process happens quickly!
 
Josephine said:
Good attitude! There is bound to be some reflex swelling but it should settle down maybe in 1-3 weeks. Nothing in this process happens quickly!
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@Josephine , the reflex swelling and time frame to settle down is really good info to have. I wasn't aware..so thank you. I'll check in say in a week or so unless I need talking off a ledge again! Thank you all so very much. One of the many and perhaps equally important things I've learned thru this is ..the TKA rehab/recovery process is as much mental -if not more -than physical! And to have everyone who's been thru this commenting, is so reassuring bc you've actually " been there done that" and you know what you're talking about! Toodles till next time!
 
Josephine said:
"Toodles"! That always cracks me up!

But don't be a stranger and leave me in suspense! Please keep me updated at least every other day.
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Aww really? Ok! I was thinking I was posting too much but I certainly will check in EOD. PM or post here?
 
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