4+ Weeks post op-I'm getting tired of this!

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@Aprilgirl, I am going to tag @Josephine for you. It will be very helpful to her if you could give her the info requested below before she replies:

Can you tell me the location of this pain using this chart?
Each square needs a double reference like so BR1 and say if it's front or back..

Can you tell me the exact site of your pain using this chart? Each square needs a double entry, i.e., D/R2, B/L1.

 

[Aprilgirl]

Thanks for your reply! My pain and redness is centered on the lower end of my incision so that is about DL3. The other end is at about CL3, that end is also red, but not as sore. I'm not running a temp but I do feel very tired. Does one have to have a fever to show an infection? I do see my OS next Tuesday. Again, thanks for your caring!
Lori

 

[Haze]

You where you should be for four weeks. The first four weeks are the worst. I found the pain incredible at that time. Everyone is different on their recovery but I think you will get a lot of similar responses to mine. I thought the pain would never end. I am two months out on Monday. My.surgery was Feb 3 and I really feel I have turned a corner. This is a very aggressive surgery and the recovery is slow and challenging. However the rewards are amazing. Please hang in there. It will get better.

 

[Josephine]

DL3. The other end is at about CL3,

You've not given me usable references. I need a horizontal AND a vertical for each square you want to refer to. Like this

Then she says, " you shouldn't feel so sore this far out from surgery." What does that mean?

That she doesn't really know what she's talking about! Weeks 4-6 can be the worst period for pain for most. Certainly was for me. I actually had to increase my dosage at 6 weeks.

She is a great PT and has not hurt me but encourages me to hold positions for as long as possible -I feel like I could throw up sometimes! I am making a few degrees at a time progress; last week it went from + 83 to +89 and stretching from -8 to -5 but it is so painful.

These two comments in bold tell me one thing - she DOES hurt you! Both those things - holding a position for too long and pushing on your knee - are not only bad therapy but dangerous too. They will cause your recovery to be delayed and lots of pain and swelling. Refuse to do this forthwith!

I also do home exercises 5 times a day, I want to get better!

FIVE TIMES A DAY?! Ye gods and little fishies! That is NOT the way to get better. You cannot force this process for all the reasons I have said before. Very dangerous. Have you not been paying attention when you read around here? Gentle and careful is the way to do it.

I was taking Tylenol #3 as needed but my PT wants me back on Oxy on a regular schedule so I will feel better and get better results-but boy do I feel loopy when I'm on them and spend many hours napping.

There is a very good reason for the napping - it makes sure you rest a lot! You cannot manage this period on Tylenol 3, that's ridiculous. If you want 'better quickly' take the pain meds for at least another 4 weeks.

Now I have some questions to ask you: (and don't forget to give me the proper references from Judy's leg chart)

1. what are your pain levels right now? (remember the 1-10 scale: 1 = no pain and 10 = the worst you can imagine)

2. what pain medications have you been prescribed, how much are you taking (in mg please) and how often?

3. how often are you icing your knee and for how long?

4. are you elevating your leg, how often and for how long?

5. what is your activity level? What do you do in the way of housework, cooking, cleaning, shopping, etc., and

6. what kind of PT/exercises are you doing? How much and how often? (and detailed details would be appreciated, please! Reps, sets and session and all that)

 

[Celle]

I'm sorry you're feeling down and anxious. A month out from surgery is about the time when we all feel frustrated and worried about slow progress. Most of us feel depressed too. What you feel is perfectly normal. It's hard, because this recovery does take longer than a lot of surgeries. There's no magic cure to speed up progress. Tough as it is, we have to learn to be patient and let the knee heal in its own sweet time.

I agree with your PT. You're only just over a month out from surgery and most people still need heavy-duty medication. If you're in pain, you need it. Spending much of your time napping is just what you should be doing right now!

Remember our mantra - no pain, more gain - and don't do those exercises to the point of pain. That you feel like throwing up sometimes tells me you are overdoing the exercises. If they hurt so bad, don't hold them as long, or don't do them so hard. And once or twice a day is plenty for doing those exercises at home. Overworking your knee will just irritate all those healing tissues and may actually slow down your recovery.

Also, you might be trying to do too much, too soon. You can't rush this recovery. It's a marathon, not a sprint. Strangely enough, for recovery from a knee replacement, less is more. The harder you push yourself, the slower you will recover. Truly! So give yourself and your knee a break and take it easy for a while.

I know you're worried about how your new knee will be in a month's time, when you have the second knee done. It will be fine. Your new knee does not have to be 100% recovered in time for your second surgery. It just needs to be on its way. Think of the people who have both knees done at once. They manage OK, and so will you.

 

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:iagree:

 

[Aprilgirl]

Hi There- Aprilgirl's is back. I am two days post-op of a partial right knee replacement. Eight weeks ago I had a revision left knee replacement And I can say now that was a huge surgery. I know that I should NOT be comparing one surgery to another, but for me it is remarkable.

Just before signing the paperwork ( in the pre op area) with my surgeon for the partial, I mentioned how my other knee had still not bent to much beyond 90 degrees. He suggested right away that he could add a manipulation to my left knee if I wished. He usually didn't do them much before 12 weeks at a less degrees but since I was going under anyway.... I agreed to it and was immediate relief-well after I woke up in recovery! I could bend my knee over 120 degrees and my partial knee had a great bend in it too. I'm so glad to have the first knee bending!

I can tell now how different theses surgeries were. I spent far less time in surgery, receiving less drugs, and having a much easier time coming out of it-I was actually hungry, not sick to my stomach and groggy. I did not have tourniquet pain and much less bruising over all. My pain level is about the same, but easier to control with less meds. There is also a huge difference in my stamina level. Last time I was not able or interested to get out of my chair for much more than the bathroom. This time, I'm up getting my own stuff-which is very confusing to my hubby-("do you need my help or not?")

I don't write to try to scare anyone and this was just my experience, but I wished someone had clued me in on how much pain and PT work is involved in a revision! Now, after the fact, my surgeon told me he knew it would be this way...could have shared it with me earlier! I am not out of the woods yet with either knee, but I'm guessing my revision knee will always be the weaker knee.

Also, in my case, the manipulation was very successful without much extra pain. (It's hard to tell because I am on pain meds already!) I can't wait to get back to my out patient PT and demo what I can do now!

Good luck and quick recovery to all my fellow April Rainbows!

Lori in Minnesota