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Bilateral TKR 4 Months Post BTKR

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Today my ROM is 0 and 95 for both legs. I went up and down stairs using one crutch and the handrail. I feel great because I can do stairs. A lot of improvement in one week post-op, I am quite pleased. Sleeping is still difficult because of the pain but I am hoping to hear back from my doctor's soon regarding my pain meds.

@Big Bend--sounds like you're doing great!
 
Great! And don't worry about us not finding your new questions all in the same thread--it's the best way for us to find you and answer your questions!
 
You need something more for the breakthrough pain. When I was 1week post op, I was taking something every 2 hours and setting my phone alarm to take them at night. I took Benedryl to help me get to sleep, slept in a recliner for the first 4 weeks.
Your ROM and extension are great!



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Hello Everyone! 10 days post-op from my BTKR.

I can stand without any assistance. I can walk without any assistive device but I choose to be safe and use the walker around the house. I've taken 3 showers since I got home from the hospital. Yesterday, I did not do a good enough job saran wrapping my knees so the knees did get wet in the shower. I let them air dry and then put new dressing over the area.

I can go up and downstairs (in a town home) using the handrail and one crutch; I don't need the help of anyone for this although I have my daughter following me one step in front (going down) or one step behind (going up) just in case I lose my balance.

I am taking 2 Hydrocodone every 4 hours. I am still in a lot of pain but my OS is quite conservative and although I had asked if there was anything else that can be done for the pain, I was told to ice the knees, which I already am doing around the clock. The good news is I made it through 10 days post-op.

I am thankful my in-patient PT only pushes me to the point where I signal "stop" and never beyond that point

ROM is 0-95.

I am glad I had both knees done at the same time, even on my days! I am still glad.

I am getting tired, will post again soon!
 
Great progress @Wellness in Virginia ! Your pain should start easing. You've got great ROM for this early. Keep up the good work.....being careful not to overdo it just because you can!:hugzz:
 
Hello Everyone! 13 days post-op from my BTKR. ROM is 0 to 100+ on both knees. I am a lot stronger but I still feel a lot of pain. 2 Percocets every 3 to 4 hours. I will wean this down but right now this is what I need in order to manage the pain. Please let me know if this seems in line with most other people's experiences with pain meds post-op. Thank you.

I can stand and walk short distances without any assistive device. I am still using a walker around the house but will use a cane this Wednesday when I go to my first post-op follow up appointment with my OS.

The incisions on the knees look dry. No drainage.

I must admit that night time is the most difficult time. The pain sometimes makes it too difficult to fall asleep. Other than that, I am doing quite well.

I can go up and downstairs in my town home with just the handrail.

Will post again soon! Thank you for all your support.
 
Oh, one other thing, several days ago, 10 days post my BTKR, I could already prepare simple meals for myself. Washing the dishes, getting dressed, showering and shampooing, etc. In short, I could be independent with the exception of not being able to drive to pick up prescription meds, etc.
 
You're doing great. I'm about a month ahead of you, and I was just about where you are when I was ten days out. It is sooooo much better today. There are some very good days ahead of you.
 
I suggest you try icing your knees both front and back at night while sleeping. It should help you. Be sure you take your pain meds through the night on schedule. It is perfectly normal to be using meds like you are at this stage of recovery from a BTKR.
 
Hi, Wellness, you are doing incredibly well!
Wellness in Virginia said:
I am thankful my in-patient PT only pushes me to the point where I signal "stop" and never beyond that point
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:thumb: That's brilliant.

The key now is not to push too hard, let the knee heal and don't do too much. Your progress so far is marvelous in my view, but it is possible to mess it up by doing too much.

There's me the pessimist, able to pull some miseryguts out of anything, so I say again you're doing brilliantly well so far!
 
Today is exactly 14 days post-op from my BTKR. I can sleep fine with 2 Percocets every 3 to 4 hours. I am out of Percocet though after today. Please let me know if most of you are taking Percocet or some type of narcotics pain meds past the 2 weeks post-op mark? My daughter called the OS for a refill of Percocets and she ran in to some difficulty. How soon post-op before you switch to Tylenol Extra Strength for pain relief?

I still have to take Xarelto (a blood thinner) for 10 more days. How long are you taking blood thinner meds post-op?

For in-patient PT today, I walked around the block in my neighborhood using crutches (like canes) and going up and downstairs. Tomorrow is my first follow-up post-op appointment. I hope they will remove the stitches and the steri-strips tomorrow.

I can wash my own dishes, water plants, pick up around the house, cook simple meals, wash, shampoo, getting dressed etc., putting shoes on etc. without any assistance. I keep a cane with me so I have something to lean on if I should get tired. I can get up and down from any chair, sofa, loveseat without assistance.

I was the passenger in my daughter's car today and we went grocery shopping together. I used crutches for safety but found that I could walk or stand without relying on them. Yeah, all this, exactly 2 weeks post-op. I am quite pleased with the recovery so far.

There is pain though. And so please share with me what you all are doing for pain management, how many, how frequent, and for how long post-op etc.

The incisions look nice and dry. There is minimal swelling and bruising around the knees.

I ice for 40 minutes every hour. Drink a lot of water. I move around every hour.


Thank you for taking the time to read this and for sharing any advice.

Wonderful HEALING to all of us!!!
 
I went off my pain meds (percocet) going from 2 every four hours in hospital to 1 every four hours a day or two after I got home. Two weeks I stretched to 1 every 5 hours, then 1 every 6 hours. Three weeks post surgery I quit them. I find icing is as good a pain reliever as oxycodone, without the fuzzy head and constipation! I mainly rely on Tylenol now but have a stash from my last narcotics refill for an occasional assist.

Sometimes I think I went off pain meds too soon. Mostly I'm glad I'm done with them. This is another very individual thing. Some people need them for months. Use them if you need them. There are no extra credit points for stopping! As always, listen to your body.:chillpill:
 
Hopefully you are aware that in taking 2 percocets every 4 hours, you are at the upper limit of tylenol (4000 a day) as there is 325mg of tylenol in each percocet.

Many of us have found that our regular doctor rather than our ortho were better at pain management. I suggest to call him or her and get in ASAP.

You need narcotics for as long as you need them! I know people who were tylenol only at day one! And then there are people like me who needed narcotics for 6 months (I had some recovery issues).

Overall you are doing very well. Great job on the icing and elevating. If you try a day of rest (no dishes, cooking, outings), see if your pain lets up. Sometimes doing less is just the ticket!
 
You're doing very well. I was where you were five weeks ago, and I can tell you that it only gets better. At seven weeks I'm at 138 and 135 ROM, walking very well without assistance, climbing and descending stairs easily, and doing much of what I was able to do before all of this.

I don't think, though, you want to be switching to only tylenol too soon. I tried that and it didn't work very well. Now at seven weeks, I'm taking Tramadol and Tylenol at night and only Tylenol doing the day (although I did take a Tramadol for my grandson's birthday party). I'm not totally ache free during the day, but I have the Tramadol if I get too uncomfortable. Tramadol is not as strong as the Percocet, and they don't seem too reluctant to renew prescriptions.

Now that I'm done with the blood thinners (for me six weeks) I may try the Tylenol/ibuprofen cocktail someone recommended in another thread. If I recall correctly, this is Tylenol four times a day and ibuprofen three times a day together or alternately. I would not suggest this for you this early in recovery, but maybe in three or four weeks if you continue to do as well as you have been doing.

You're doing great.
 
If your doctor is reluctant to prescribe more Percocet, you might ask about Tramadol. It is not an opiate and many surgeons are much more at ease prescribing it when needed for pain. Usually with a BTKR a person needs prescription pain meds for several months, so don't feel guilty about requesting them if you hurt.
 
Wellness in Virginia said:
I was the passenger in my daughter's car today and we went grocery shopping together. I used crutches for safety but found that I could walk or stand without relying on them. Yeah, all this, exactly 2 weeks post-op. I am quite pleased with the recovery so far.
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I have just been reviewing my own recovery (one forgets...) which was very fast; but you are way ahead of that, it's truly extraordinary, IMO.
Wellness in Virginia said:
There is pain though. And so please share with me what you all are doing for pain management, how many, how frequent, and for how long post-op etc.
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The word here is to take your drugs whilst you need them; when you don't, you'll forget to take them.

You are doing far more than most (certainly than me) at a very early stage in recovery. Medication might be making it possible to do stuff that otherwise pain would prevent. At the risk of droning on, I'll say again that 'less is more' and that you won't slow things down by sitting around doing not much.
 
Thank you ALL for your advice regarding pain meds and doing less. I will limit my stairs climbing to only one flight up and one down per day starting tomorrow. I will also limit the other pain exercises. I already am icing 40 minutes every hour round the clock so there is not much more icing I can do, but I will elevate more.

I will ask about Tramadol tomorrow. Hopefully with doing less, resting more, I will need less prescription pain meds.

I scaled way back on my use of Percocets. I switched to Hydrocodone (7.5 mg; 325 mg Acetaminophen) prescribed as 1 to 2 tablets every 4 to 6 hours. I started taking this 1 table every 4 and 1/2 hrs.

The pain will wake me up 45 minutes before my next dose. I simply change my ice packs and read threads on Bonesmart while waiting until it's time to take the next Hydrocodone.

Tomorrow is my first post-op visit w/ OS. I presume an X-ray will be taken, and stitches will be removed. I will post when I get back so you all can chime in if anything seems amiss.

Thank you for your support on this journey.
 
Hi, I
You need way more than OTC pain relievers at this point....in my humble opinion!

Your primary care doctor might be a better alternative to help with the prescriptions.

I have a son in VA so it warms my heart to see your thread pop up.

Do follow the suggestions given , they are all good one, just because we can doesn't mean we should!

Hope the appointment went well



4/1/2014 TKR
 
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