PKR 3 weeks post PKR: question about pain meds

The things that helped my pain most were ice, elevation, and alternating ibuprofen with acetaminophen every three hours (so each of those meds were every six hours). The ibuprofen isn’t really a pain reliever, but it seemed to ease the inflammation and swelling that was causing some of the pain. I was able to skip the oxycodone after the first four or five days, which was good because it was making me feel awful. If you think about adding ibuprofen, check with your doctor because it can be hard on your stomach and other systems.
 
I haven't figured out how to reply individually yet.
To answer an individual just put the @ sign in front of their username. I will do it to yours and you will see that you will get an alert in the bell up on the blue bar. This calls attention to the person tagged. @Rosy. Make sure you put NO space between the @ and the username.
 
Question: 4 weeks past op. Had a super couple of days. Just had the mother of all cramps all along the outside of my operated knee. My guess it’s because I’ve been tensing up while I limp/walk. Calling my physio tomorrow for help. Any thoughts? Has this happened to you? Also does anybody know how I can change the title of my thread?
 
Same thing for me yesterday (toddler knee 11 weeks post TKR)! I'm used to the zinger pains that are more nerve oriented as TKR heals. The cramp feeling was new! I think I was rushing getting in and out of my car too much on our snow and ice.

Your new knee is still a tender baby, so it may just be things settling in (muscles, tendons, implant). I'd only concern myself if it persists or gets worse. Keep us posted.
 
@Rosy, I can change the title for you. What would you like it to be?
 
Welcome and happy new partial knee!

I have 2 lateral (outside) partials. Like you, I found the fatigue the most taxing. As you know, you keep your ACL and posterior ligaments with a partial, so the return to a normal feeling knee is often described as quicker/easier, but every knee is different.

I ended up spraining a medial ligament (my thread is PKR Ligament Sprain in the “Good” Leg) so in any future surgeries, I will pay much more attention to the soft tissues involved.
I also think I gave up the elevated toilet seat w arms too soon and twisted my “good” leg while the soft tissues were still recovering.
Good luck!
 
@Rosy - I am now a little over five weeks out and can relate to the inner knee pinching/squeezing pain. I mentioned that to my PT and she did some deep massage on the inside of the leg above and below the knee and felt like there were knots in those muscles. The area was very tender and the massage was a bit uncomfortable. But amazingly from the following day until present, which was two weeks ago, that pinching pain has not returned. I am thrilled. Now I just have the usual soreness and ache when I do too much. Best wishes to you.
 
@Josie1054 thank you. I am seeing my Pt on Tuesday. Hopefully she can help me figure it out. So many types of pain! One almost needs a pain dictionary to know what causes what.
 
What I find that helps with leg cramps since I started eating I havent had any at all are Bananas ...zingers or sharp nerve pains are normal it's all part of our healing process these will lessen with time xx
 
@Jockette did you find that all that Tylenol affected your stomache? And would you take Tylenol for the muscle pain too?
For me, no, I haven’t had a problem with the Tylenol that I took/take.
 
I forgot to answer the part about muscle pain. The Tylenol bottle does say it addresses muscle pain, so you could see if it works for you.
 
When I'm on Tylenol for a few days, I take milk thistle. It scrubs the liver. I've even used it on my cats when they are on meds. My vet approves. Look it up and learn about its benefits.
 
5 weeks post op today. I am pretty much back to normal e.g cleaning and work. Still walking slowly and I have lost a LOT of muscle in the operative leg. Off pain meds except for a Tylenol or muscle relaxant (I sometimes get muscle spasms) now and then. I am just still so tired. If I walk too far I get dizzy and I feel faint and shaky, and I get nauseous really easily. Has anybody else had this experience. Off to take a looong nap now. Thank you for all the support and info in this forum.
 
You're doing very well, Rosy, but try to be careful not to overdo your activity.
it's still very early days in this year-long recovery. Yes, it does take a full year for everything to heal, even with a PKR.

You might like to check your activity level again with this article:
Activity progression for TKRs
 
Thank you. I will check it out right now.
 
Phew 6 weeks tomorrow. I really should make a point of coming to write something on good days, because there is so much improvement. Today is hard though. I am so glad for this forum: mostly I take a lot of time to rest and I try not to push myself physically (this is a real challenge). Everything is manageable, but I am just so tired from the pain. I had no idea there could be so many kinds of pain: quad pain, nerve pain, burning, stabbing: but mostly the aching. It's not bad enough for morphine. Really it is quite manageable, it's just so consistent. I just want an off switch for a day or two. Wow, this is a big complain. Thank you for creating this forum where I can complain. Only the people who have experienced this can relate.
 
It's good to get it off your chest Rosie. We're told this will be a long and painful recovery, but reality still strikes hard. I don't think we're told enough about how the surgery can affect so many different areas, hips, back etc.

Don't overdo things. Only once did I experience the nausea, dizziness etc and that was when I walked too far one day last year and was in so much pain with my back (not the knee) so it sounds to me as if it might be your body's way of telling you to slow down. I hope tomorrow is a good day for you.
 
@Lindylee thank you for the empathy. I had no idea this surgery was going to impact life the way it has. Totally unprepared in that sense. I am naturally an extremely active person, so the second I feel good I zip around as much as I can. Yes, my biggest battle right now is slowing it down. I am trying to figure out what I can learn from this experience :) Thank you for the kindness.
 
Experiencing very similar issues as you have. The pain/ache is tolerable, but consistent. It makes sitting and sleeping very difficult. The occasional nerve zinger reminds me that all is not well yet. It seems once I feel I have turned a corner, I get slapped back into reality. 7 weeks post op this Tuesday , and would have never had guessed I wouldn’t be at least 80%, at this point..time is our friend...
 

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