TKR 3 weeks after

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Clk

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I am now 3 weeks post tkr. I just can't seem to stop hurting everywhere, and sleeping has become a major problem. My pt and exercises are going extremely well, but I can't feel comfortable yet. I remember this experience like a traumatic event and never want to go through it again. I had my left knee done, but my right is still bone on bone, which is challenging. I think if I had to do this again, I would die from the emotional stress. I still feel very depressed about the whole process. Some say I will feel feel different after a year, but I defy them stars!!! When there is this much pain and the recovery time is so long, it is so hard to stay positive and forget how you truly feel.
 
Amen, sister! I've recently been where you are now. It gets better, truly it does. The more experienced people will soon weigh in. Listen to them and use the resources. They have certainly helped me get past some of the emotional stress I have been experiencing. I've learned that depression after this is normal, that it can come in waves quite long after surgery, and that healing from TKR takes a lot more time and patience than I ever knew.
 
I'm between the 4 -5 week mark and I felt about the same at 3 weeks. Pain has gotten some better in the past week or so. I will probably need my other knee done too and have resolved not to think about that too much yet and just concentrate on getting this knee well. We all move at our own speed and all you can do is also you can do. Slowly you make progress and enjoy the small victories like sleeping longer or moving from the walker toutdoors a cane. Baby steps. My twin sister had the same knee replacement done over 2 years ago and told me I would spend the first two weeks regretting I did it and it would be a good hard climb from there. Today she has no pain at all and knee works perfectly. Hopefully we will get there too.
 
:friends: Hugs to you CLK! Words of comfort from one who is also at 3 wks out recovering from TKR #2......
It IS a long, hard recovery BUT you WILL feel MUCH better when it is accomplished. It is a marathon, not a sprint and must be approached as such. Celebrate small improvements. Look for them daily. Feeling blue is totally normal at this point. I also knew I was destined for #2, but at 3 wks the very thought of it made me want to throw up! Follow the BS mantra...ice, elevate, rest, take the pain meds!!!! Take one hour at the time if you have to. It will get better and you have many friends here to support you.
 
You're still in the hardest, most frustrating stage of this recovery. It is a long one, and that it disrupts sleep makes it seem even worse. You will turn a corner soon, but there's no magic number as to exactly when. Just know that you will feel better in the weeks to come. It's a gradual change, but you will get there and it will keep getting better.
 
I'm 3 weeks out as of yesterday. I had LTKR and right is bone on bone and vaglus also. My OS told me going in that assuming all went well I could have the right one done at 12 weeks. Right now, I can't even contemplate that. I totally sympathize with how you are feeling. We really do have to take it one day (hour) at a time. The small improvements really are milestones. I've found a lot of encouragement from people on here who have gone through the same thing and I'm sure you will too.
 
Clk - not to worry. I think we all felt that in the first three weeks. My OS tried to sign me on for my left TKR at my 6 week check up. I told him I didn't even want to discuss it. Now here I am at 3 months ( 1/4 of the way to recovery from my right TKR) and going for my check up this week with my OS. I plan on telling him he can add me to his list for the left! A lot can and will change over the next couple of weeks and months. Don't expect overnight miracles. Instead savour and celebrate each tiny milestone. And when you have a bit of a backward step ( which you will) then remember where you have been cause you will get there again!
 
Welcome to BoneSmart! As others have said above, you're still in the very early stage of recovery. Please take a look at the guidelines below to see if your pain could be from overdoing things. The activity progression chart in particular is helpful. It's also normal to feel down, our lives have been altered, but things will improve. TKR recovery can take up to a year, however you'll feel better before that point. Many TKRs notice small improvements between weeks 4-6.

Knee Recovery: The Guidelines

1. Don’t worry: Your body will heal all by itself. Relax, let it, don't try and hurry it, don’t worry about any symptoms now; they are almost certainly temporary
2. Control discomfort:
rest
elevate
ice
take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)
don't overwork.
3. Do what you want to do BUT
a. If it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physical therapist - to do it to you
b. If your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again.​
4. PT or exercise can be useful BUT take note of these
5. Here is a week-by-week guide for Activity progression for TKRs


The Recovery articles:
The importance of managing pain after a TKR and the pain chart
Swollen and stiff knee: what causes it?

Energy drain for TKRs

Elevation is the key

Ice to control pain and swelling

Heel slides and how to do them properly

Chart representation of TKR recovery

Healing: how long does it take?

Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?

There are also some cautionary articles here
Myth busting: no pain, no gain
Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds

We try to keep the forum a positive and safe place for our members to talk about their questions or concerns and to report successes with their joint replacement surgery. While members may create as many threads as they like in a majority of BoneSmart's forums, we ask that each member have only one recovery thread. This policy makes it easier to go back and review history before providing advice.
 
Hello @Clk
I'm sorry you're still in distress. As the others said, it is going to get better.

For you right now, I think the most important things are to keep taking your pain medications on a strict regime and to reduce the amount of exercise.

Your knee has been through a major operation and it needs time and gentle treatment, so it can heal and recover. What it doesn't need is lots of PT and exercises, because they just irritate and upset your healing tissues, giving you more pain than is necessary. Your knee will get all the exercise it needs as you walk around the house, to the kitchen and bathroom. So, give it a break from formal exercises and instead spend as much time as you can resting, icing and elevating that poor knee, until it calms down.
You won't lose any of the progress you've made if you take a break from exercises. MY surgeon doesn't allow any PT at all for the first month after a knee replacement. He says that your knee needs that time, to start on its journey of healing.

There's no need to worry about ROM (Range of Motion) yet, because it can continue to improve for a year, or even much longer, after a knee replacement. There's no "window of opportunity", no deadline you have to meet: Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR

It's not exercise that gets you the ROM - it's time. Time to for swelling to go down and time for your tissues to heal. Your ROM is already there inside your knee, just waiting for those things to happen, so it can reveal itself. Once some of your swelling goes down, your ROM will start to increase, all by itself.

One of the articles in the reading list that KarriB gave you talks about sleeplessness -
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it? . We all seem to suffer from it during recovery, but that also gets better, as we heal.

By the way, please will you tell us the date of your surgery, so we can make a signature for you? Thank you.
 
@Clk - as others have said, the first few weeks are the worst. Keep up with your pain meds, and sleep when you can.

If i could go back in time and talk to myself in the early stages, I'd say to listen to the advice of others here, listen to your body / knees, don't get behind on pain meds, and be patient. It's hard to do that when you're in the middle of feeling lousy, but please know that it does get better and you will get through this. I found it helpful in the beginning to look backward and see the progress I was making. Sometimes the progress was tiny, but it was worth noting and celebrating.

Take care and know that you have a lot of resources here for you.
 
You've gotten some good advice to start. I just want to chime in and say :welome: We get it and we're here for you.
 
Here's a welcome from me, too. Someone is here 24/7, so sign on anytime and know that you are among people that have been through the same things that you are. All you need to do is ADL to rehab your knee. Less exercise=less pain and swelling and more ROM!
 
Im almost at week 3. I feel exactly like you! The thought of going through this again is horrifying. The pain has been incredible. I've contemplated a million times that this was the wrong thing to do. As I read what everyone else says, I'm trying to stay hopeful. Good luck to you....I guess misery does love company, cuz its good to know I'm not alone!
 
I am at 4 weeks now. Despite being a super optimistic person, week 3 kicked my butt!! Feeling so much better this week. Take the pain meds as long as you need them. Rest. Be kind to yourself. I had no idea the toll this operation would take on my body and my psyche. But I feel much better this week than last. Hang in there.
 
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