TKR 2nd knee, 2nd recovery

[Sara61]

Hopefully a couple more hours of for me, just taken my 04:00am Paracetamol ( Tylenol) why on earth do they make these pills so huge to swallow you'rd think by now that would have invented a smaller powerful pill.
Bom Noite as they say in Portuguese até amanhã xx

 

[Jockette]

Sweet Dreams!

 

[Sara61]

@Jockette - Thank you

 

[Sara61]

Bom Dia
What a day to wake up to, I knew before I even opened my shutters, from my 2 year replaced that our weather had changed. Its raining cats & dogs, that limits my exercises to indoors today. Just checked the forecast and it's 90% rain until the 27th only plus side is that it will fill our borehole, the Algarve was desperate for it.

I'm hoping that once the staples are removed this week that this will allow my knee to bend easier, it so extremely stiff especially on awakening in the morning as I'm sleeping on my back, as for the life of me I can't sleep on any side despite trying numerous times during the night.

I'm hoping to start PT on the 26th, I wasn't allowed to start prior to my surgeon permission, as if anything should occur to the knee the surgeon would not be held responsible, so I'm hoping on Wednesday for both removal of staples and a green light, as my PT lets me use the cpm machine, I love it as its a gentle movement and eases up my knee.

 

[Mrty2019]

@Sara61 I am a side sleeper and have found if I sleep on my right TKR side, with my knee bent and flat against the mattress I can place my left knee on top and rest comfortably. Does this not work for you?

With all that rain I hope your joints don’t ache like mine do when it rains.

 

[MARYCOOL]

Interesting how different surgeons want different things! I was on the cpm from the time I came out of surgery for the next 21 days! Also, I was told to start PT right away, which I delayed for one week!
Hope your healing goes well!

 

[hawk2go]

I have to say that it took lots of tries before I found comfort sleeping on my side. At 3 weeks out, I believe I was still trying different sizes and styles of pillows between my legs to avoid the knees touching. I finally found a cervical pillow that looks like a normal pillow but has an indentation running the length of the pillow. It looks a bit like the one below but with a sewn seam down the center.

The pillow allowed me to protect my leg from knee to ankle when I was lying on my right side. It allowed me to rest my full leg on the pillow with my right leg behind the pillow when I was lying on my left side (so the pillow wasn't a part of a leg sandwich, it was the pillow on the bed and the right leg on the pillow). It took quite a while to figure out what the knee wanted but in the early days:

• The Knee didn't want to support any weight, not even the other leg
• my ankle had to be aligned with the knee - ankle being lower or higher was painful
• my hip needed to be rotated in, so that I was closer to sleeping on my stomach than on my back

I needed to adjust frequently because there was no position that satisfied more than a couple hours straight. I think I used the Cage Match analogy because it was a fitful fight with nightclothes, bed covers and pillows - all while trying to keep from screaming out in pain when The Knee was annoyed.

Luckily all of this passed and I can sleep on my side, restfully without pillows. I hope this helps, the struggle is real!

 

[Sara61]

Thank you all for your tips, I think most of my problems stem from the bruising I have down the outer side of my operated leg, I even find the sheets are uncomfortable, like @hawk2go - I spend most of the night fighting with my bed.
@Mrty2019 my knees detest the cold damp wet weather, the houses in the Algarve are not built for Winters, as mostly it is warm & sunny a bit similar to Calefornia.
Anyway fingers crossed on Wednesday once staples are removed I'm able to move easier and hopefully sleep better, although I do enjoy my early morning banters with @Eire1 at approx 04:00am

 

[DEL2022Jan-23]

@Sara61 I enjoy our chats too!
Best of luck on Wednesday for your staples removal, I found it easier to move around once they were out - if you end up over sleeping I will meet you online in the morning for a nice coffee

 

[Susie-Q]

Hawkie, this is EXACTLY the pillow I have been using for quite awhile now. I use it when sleeping on either side, in between both knees and sometimes when I'm on my back and my left leg rests in the channel. I used it a LOT with my first knee replacement too, when camping I'd put it on the camp stool and lay my knee/leg in the channel and again when I went scrapbooking in late Oct, on a camp stool with this pillow on top. I was just marveling this morning how useful this pillow has been for me over the years and I'm glad I never got rid of it. It was originally bought for my son years ago as a neck support pillow but he didn't like it. And yes, it's still a bit of a cage/wrestling match, changing positions and getting the pillow in the right place with flannel sheets and pjs but once I do, I'm comfortable and cozy until the next position change. When we moved into this house 6 years ago, I tucked it away in the closet, knowing I would use it again when I had my second knee done.

 

[Sara61]

Amazingly I slept much better last night, I fell asleep at midnight and then briefly woke up at 2am took my midnight dose of Tramadol at 2:30am and immediately went back to sleep till 6am .


Last night prior to going to bed, after 5 days of no bowel movement, I had to resort, to taking my first ever laxative, (Bisacodilo 5mg ) as I have never taken one before I took just 1 pill, (was concerned about side effects/medication etc ,) anyway upon awakening as nothing appears to be any different I took another 1 so now not sure what to do, I didn't have this issue with my 1st surgery how long do these take to work? and is there a better solution, I am trying to eat more fibre, yesterday I ate a huge plate of broccoli, am drinking more water and trying to move more.

Also another question, I would like to start reducing my medication, what is the best away of doing this at the moment I'm taking Tramadol 3 times a day ( every 8hrs ) & Paracetamol 3 times a day again every 8 hours leaving 4 hours in-between taking Tramadol & Paracetamol last night this altered as I only took my midnight dose of Tramadol at 2:30 am
This is a rough idea of my daily pain med schedule

Paracetamol at 04:00am
Tramadol 8am
Paracetamol 12 noon
Tramadol 4pm
Paracetamol 8pm
Tramadol at midnight

And so forth, most days, due to sleeping /forgetting, this schedule can be with an hour or two difference or is it too early to attempt altering this I'm two weeks today post surgery.

 

[Jockette]

Give the laxative time to work before you take any more. You don’t want to cause the opposite problem by taking too much.

 

[Scaredycat10]

I was given two doses of laxatives a day in hospital and they didn't work. The threat of an enema combined with a rather powerful third dose of something I know not what, on my third day did the trick.

I was sent home with a box of the laxatives and told to take two a day until I started 'getting regular'.

They work and as has been mentioned, you don't want them to work too well.

 

[Sara61]

Someone else has no intention of getting up today

 

[Rubyroo]

Awwww Mali! All snug as a bug in a rug.

 

[hawk2go]

I fell asleep at midnight and then briefly woke up at 2am took my midnight dose of Tramadol at 2:30am and immediately went back to sleep till 6am .

@Sara61 - When I weaned myself off my oxy schedule, I used 1 oxy at 2 or 3am when I woke with pain. The midnight oxy worked so well that I got my doctor to prescribe 15 pills that we both understood would last me 2 weeks, taken only in the middle of the night, and always partnered with a Senna tablet.

I took a laxative, Senna, and a stool softener, Docusate, as long as I took oxycodone on a schedule. I went quite a while, I think 5 days without a bowel movement after surgery. This may be too much info, but I was released from the hospital because I was passing gas periodically, so they understood that things were happening. I called it all smoke, no fire - lol.

 

[Susie-Q]

I made the mistake of using too many methods to try and unstop things and ended up with the opposite problem, which was a mess!!!! I ended up finding the Smooth Move tea (with Senna in it) that someone recommended on here and as long as I drank at least 1 mug of that a day, I was regular while taking the oxy. Not sure if they have something like that in Portugal.

 

[Jockette]

@Susie-Q How does that tea taste? What flavor did you get?

 

[hawk2go]

I made the mistake of using too many methods to try and unstop things and ended up with the opposite problem, which was a mess!!!!

Than goodness I didn't have that problem. As long as I was taking the oxy round the clock, things were, er, um, hard. The things the doctors never tell you! By the way, I left the hospital with both the laxative and the stool softener, each prescribed 2x a day. I like the idea of the tea, but never needed anything - didn't even finish the 30 day prescriptions.

 

[Sara61]

@Susie-Q not seen it here, but I'm sure there must be something similar, the laxative did it's job but I'm not sure I want to go down that route again, as its left me feeling a tad uncomfortable.

Due to torrential rain/wind I cancelled the hairdressers, it wouldn't have been safe walking on the road with crutches, so weather permitting, I will go tomorrow afternoon, one more day isnt a problem, I have extremely dry hair. This rain is playing havoc with my bones, everything seems to ache, unfortunately we are usually spoilt with warm dry weather that a day or two of rain is a disaster

Hopefully staples will be removed tomorrow, although I know it doesn't hurt its just the thought of it, there seems to be an awful lot to remove I'm hoping afterwards my knee will move a bit easier and I can start to think about some gentle PT with my friend.

Also hoping to get permission to remove the compression stockings, they drive my legs crazy, I've stopped wearing them at night as just too constricting, I'm sure they are the wrong size, I read somewhere that one's legs should be measured prior to supplying, in my case the nurse just took a guess as no-one measured me.
Do any of you get the injections into your tummy?
I'm having to have 26 days of them, my tummy is already black n blue, also after I've been injected it hurts for a while whilst the liquid goes wherever its supposed to go I assume this is normal.
Hope you all across the ocean are having a good day , and those of you closer a good evening /night for a uninterrupted one xx