7 days out and hurting

[slader]

My wife found this forum and it is really helpful. The next day after surgery the pt guy comes in(he was a very nice guy) and says lets move this leg. If I had been a prisoner of war I would have sold my wife for a 25 cents just to get him to stop( just kiddin) it was brutal. I am at home now and still in alot of pain. I have done the at home pt but found my whole leg swelled up all the way to my foot. I stopped the pt and am just on the passive movement machine. I can tolerate that fairly well but when I stand up and the blood hits my leg it burns real bad for about 3 minutes. Anyway has anyone experienced this? I start out of home pt tomorrow so pray for me.

 

[Nancyo]

Hi slader and welcome to BoneSmart!
I am soooo very sorry that your having this horrible pain! Are you still taking your pain medication? What type meds are you taking? Have you called your doctor to tell him that your having this problem?
If you'll read many of the posts listed on this site you'll find that numerous folks have had problems like this until they get everything lined out and working together. Always take your pain meds about 1 hour before you start your PT. That will surely help you out. Remember to Ice and Elevate frequently this will help too, but seriously. CALL your doctor and at least talk with his nurse. Is your leg hot or cold to the touch while your laying down? These are things you need to pass on to your doc. You really need to keep doing your PT it is so VERY important. Let us know whats going on. We care!
Prayers to you~~
Nancyo

 

[Jamie]

Welcome to you, Slader. So glad you found us here at BoneSmart. Nancyo is right on about making sure you stay on your pain med schedule once you are home. There is a LOT of pain associated with knee replacement surgery and if you don't keep it under control, it will get the best of you and derail your recovery. When you're in pain, your body doesn't heal as well, it's difficult to do the PT, and you get swelling which makes the pain even worse. Remember too that ice is YOUR FRIEND! Elevate your leg in such a way that your knee is above your hip and literally wrap gel ice packs around your knee (with a towel next to your skin so it doesn't get too cold). I used to ice like this all during the day and all night when in bed too for at least 6 weels following surgery.

Good luck and keep posting!!!

 

[maumeefootball]

Slader

I am 5 days out so I know what you mean. I too get the burn when standing but it does go away in a couple of minutes. I think it is pretty normal as I have experienced the same thing with other surgereys. If you think about it that's a lot of fluid moving rapidly through a very damaged place ,when you go from elevation to standing. I just kind of stand there for a couple of miuntes to get my balance and to let it settle down. As everyone keeps saying on this forum we are we for a long battle and there will be ups and downs along the way. The goal is to keep fighting.

Don

 

[NJLOU]

welcome to the forum. i agree with you on this forum what a great bunch of people . we should all go on a cruise . Jo or jamie let me know we can set it up. i got plenty of times of my hands.


As far as your burning pain i too experienced that itll go away soon . what i did was not only stay the course on my meds but i would use the walker then the cane or anything else for hat matter for support and i would extend out my leg a few times and that would take away that burning sensation.

my cousins mom in law actually warned me about that and i kinda dismissed it but whew i couldnt believe it when it got me but that for now is a distant memory for me so thats why i say itll go away soon


best of everything

NJLOU

 

[Hope810]

Welcome Slader-

I'm 4 weeks out and I took lots of pain meds for first 2 weeks - right on schedule - then tapered off last week. I didn't have the pain you mentioned when standing but my office PT last week didn't go so well. (You may want to read my posting under PT question about "talking" with your PT if it is too painful. I got a good response.)

One thing I would mention is to try to do some of the exercises on your own to warm up BEFORE the PT. It helped me if I limbered it up myself first. And take some meds 1 hr before PT.

Welcome to the club.

Hope

 

[Max Wallace]

Take the maximun amount of pain meds before PT. I had to try several different ones before I found my best combination. Don't stop the passive motion machine and do as much as you can. Each day will get easier and there will be some days you take a step back. PT is the key to recovery and it takes 4 to 6 weeks to see great improvement but it's worth it. 7 days is very early and the pain is not uncommon if you aren't getting any relief I would call the Dr. and get him to work with you on pain control.

Max

 

[Gretchendz]

The first 2-3 weeks are miserable...but it WILL get better....listen to the good folks here and stay on top of your pain meds....eventually all the pain will be all be a distant memory.

 

[backbay38]

All good advice from everyone. I'm at 9 weeks now and have already been pretty much booted out of PT --back to the gym. The first week is just getting used to your new knee and dealing with swelling and doing endless exercises and bending, bending bending... and sleeping anytime you can and feel tired. I took a lot of naps in the afternoon and went to bed early even though I didn't always sleep alot. We all go through similar stages but at different times -- and believe me the time goes very quickly. After the staples come out you really make big strides and then after 6 weeks when most of the healing is done --- you feel a lot better. But even then you tend to get tired now and then; this is major surgery -- as I was told over and over -- and takes a toll on your body. I think pain is very individual and so is your reaction to the pain meds so find what works for you and use them. Walking and exercising on your own -- and the PT itself is critical to a fast recovery .... My whole leg was swollen too and then one day -- I think it was in the 3rd or 4th week -- a knee emerged one morning! It would swell up some at night but at least when I woke up I would see a leg I could recognize. It got better from there. so do what you have to do and know that you have a lot of company and sympathy. I am doing things I haven't been able to do in several years and I can't tell you how happy I am. You will be too!!! And you'll forget all about these first weeks and all the pain..... And it helps to post when you feel you need to talk to people who understand....

 

[Nursepair]

Hi Slade

I had the same awful pain when first getting up. It lasted about a week and a half I think. My OS couldn't explain it and sent me for an ultra sound while still in the hospital to rule out a DVT. However I now see many others had the same thing. I think that pain bothered me more than any other kind. That was 14 months ago now and I still remember it as being the worse sensation I had. The other pains have faded to memory now. At least until I have my LTKR.

 

[BionicBoy]

I am two weeks out from LTKR and I felt the burn. It was so bad I didn't want to ever stand up, but it slowly disappeared and I now I don't have any burn. I still have my staples in, but the incision is what causes the knee to burn when you stand up. As your incision heals, the burn will subside.

After two weeks, I have little to no pain in my knee.

=BB


broken link removed: https://totalreplacement.blogspot.com/

 

[backbay38]

Bionic Boy I like your Blogspot blog page! Same basic template as mine. Although I haven't had a chance to post anything about the TKR yet but I plan to - on pain management - in a few days. I like your blow by blow!!! My blog is more a place to "publish" personal essays -- and develop a body of written work. So I'll add a TKR essay and maybe another from time to time... But I wish I had thought of doing what you're doing! It's great!
You will feel so much free-er when the staples come out; mine were out at 15 days and it made a huge difference in my ability to do exercises, bend and just feeling free! Sounds like you're doing great!

https://global-perspectives.blogspot.com/

 

[GaryM]

Yea it's tuff and it hurts right now. But it will feel so much better in a few months. Don't give up. The harder you work at it and do your PT the better the result. Don't stop moving.

Gary