TKR 8 months post TKR and still swollen

[Roy Gardiner]

I just read that I shouldn't lift anything over 40 pounds again

There are some on here who themselves weighed the thick end of 300lb when they had surgery. How does that work then... ?

 

[kneeper]

I was always so active and volunteer in their classrooms weekly and coaches their sports teams, so being a hand off Momma for any time is depressing for me.
.

Ah, but this is only temporary. Once you recover you will be able to be activeMom and without the pre-op knee pain. You will get there.
And as others have said, the pain meds can do a number on your mood.

 

[mrs cricklewood]

just to let you know that I have had some unbelievable emotional breakdowns myself ...for the first 6 weeks they were coming and going all the time ..and I spent many an hour sobbing on the bed ..so fed up and frustrated with everything...well mostly my knee !!...and I even broke down when I was at the physio ..who knows what he thought ..... but now at nearly 8 weeks they are getting less and less, though I can tell you I am still really fed up ! This is one hell of a journey...no wonder it affects us so much ... take care XX

 

[Minivertible]

Wonderful news!
It's been exactly 40 days after LTKR on 9/24. For the first time in 15 years i'm able to walk without a cane without pain. I wasn't expecting this monent for at least another couple of months & i'm prepared for setbacks. I walked back & forth down the hall a dozen times before I realized the strange feeling I was experiencing was no pain! Recovery hasen't been easy. I had a RTHR on 4/2/13 so I'm still recoveribg from that as well. I can't explain what's going through my head right now & I've been up & down several times to make sure i'm not imagining it. I've even pinched myself several times. I just had to share with everyone. After pretty much deciding I had a while to go before this would happen, it happened. Hang in there everyone & be patient. The last few days i've been incredibly lazy & have done very little pushing & stretching, but lots of icing & napping. I'm sure this helped. Don't give up. Your moment will come. For the first time I'm glad I had surgery.
Helen

 

[armywife]

How awesome! I'm had so many ups and downs myself. I'm still struggling a bit with bouts of depression and feeling useless as a Momma to my little ones. However, I've had some bright spots (Halloween) and I can't wait to get rid of the cane and pain! I start out patient PT this week, which I'm nervous about. I think my biggest complaint now (other than some pain) is the lack of quality sleep! I can't even sleep in the recliner now! Ugh.

So happy for you and hope it stays!!!
Heather

 

[Minivertible]

Thank you Heather. I still have trouble sleeping. I think it just takes time. I woke up @ 2am this morning & was up 3 hrs. I fixed a bowl of oatmeal & surfed internet. Love my ipad. I'm still working on the flexion as well. I'm up to 110 @ 6 wks. Stairs are still slow.
You're only 3 weeks out. At 3 weeks I was a miserable mess. You'll be amazed at the progress the next 3 weeks will bring. Less than a week ago Zi was telling DH how sick & tired I was getting from a lack of progress. He keeps reminding me of small daily things I can do but till today it didn't seem like much. Hang in there. I'll bet in a few weeks you'll have some wonderful progress to tell us about.
Helen

 

[armywife]

Ha - when I tell my DH that I haven't been doing anything - he tells me that I've been healing! I average 10 hours of sleep a night (before surgery and that's with a very active 5 and 8 year old plus a 1 year old lab pup). So the lack of sleep is probably my biggest complaint now. My other major issue appears to be swollen. Even the doc and PT said my swelling is above normal. I have gotten to 100 but it isn't easy because the swelling really interferes. The PT is afraid the doc may want to drain it. I ice like a mad woman (even take a cooler up to bed and ice in the middle of the night when I'm playing Fruit Ninja or checking Facebook. ;-).

I can't wait to feel normal!! Better than normal would be even better though. Ha
Heather

 

[referee54]

I'm had so many ups and downs myself. I'm still struggling a bit with bouts of depression

I understand how you feel---I would stand by my front window and watch the world go by. It is, however, normal and to be expected.
Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it

I think my biggest complaint now (other than some pain) is the lack of quality sleep! I can't even sleep in the recliner now! Ugh.

Again, I can certainly sympathize with you---I felt very much the same way---I would wander around the hosue looking for a place in which I could get comfortable!.

While it is frustrating, it will subside.

 

[referee54]

I actually found this site on one of my nocturnal sojourns around th house. I was like Diogenes---except that I was not looking for one honest man---I was looking for one good night's sleep!

I watched about every re-run of Law and Order that was ever filmed---and all after 2:00AM!

I started in my bed, then moved to the guest bedroom, then to the couch in the living room, then to the futon, and I would finally throw the futon mattress onto the floor!

 

[Jamie]

I had sleep issues as well. It is so common!!! Like Tim, I was a night stalker. About 3 a.m. I'd be up walking circles around the living area.....or doing slow turns on the exercise bike. Fortunately all this is temporary, so hang on. It will get better!!!

 

[Minivertible]

Heather
Are you elevating & if so , are you doing it the 'bonesmart" preferred way? It makes a huge difference. It sounds like i'm not the only person on this site who tries to "SLEEP AROUND". You know-running from bed to bed to recliner to futon etc. to try to get comfortable. Lololololol
I read that it takes many months to get back to a normal sleep cycle. I went 5 hours twice since surgery & that's the best so far.
Heather, i spend a lot of time in a glider chair & ottoman. It's similar to a recliner but in 2 pieces. The chair swivels & reclines as well. The ottoman is separate & it rocks back & forth with the chair. Like a rocker w/rocking ottoman. I pile about 3 firm pillows on ottoman & put my feet up so my legs are higher than my hips. I spend much of the day there. My neighbor had a moving sale & I picked it up for a song but they're a fraction of the price of a decent recliner. I find it much more comfortable than Zdh's recliner. My son has already claimed the chair when I no longer need it for healing purposes.

 

[maggie may]

I haven't had a decent nights sleep in 8 weeks and I think everyone shares this problem. We are in this together. My OS prescribed me Lunesta which doesn't seem to help. I alps take melatonin which doesn't help. Ah well. It is better than it was a few weeks ago!!!
Best to you!!!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Merela]

I had my first night of the living dead about three weeks into recovery before I found this site! At nine weeks out I still wonder at the horror of it all

 

[armywife]

I am icing and elevating almost constantly. (I finally decided the couch is the best place - with my leg propped on pillows and a blanket underneath the rest of the leg (toes above nose and knee above heart). I'm thinking that the PT may try to address the swelling tomorrow when I meet him. Ugh.
Heather

 

[bottomshollow]

with joint replacements is TIME & PATIENCE. We have to have (or find) the PATIENCE to give our knees TIME to heal at their own pace. Nothing else works like these two things and nothing can take their place. But it is a very hard truth to absorb in the beginning of our recoveries.

Recovery is what it is, and it's going to take as long as it's going to take. So be PATIENT and let TIME take care of things with some assistance from you.

You are only 4 weeks post op from a recovery that takes 52 weeks for most of us. Swelling is pretty common during the first months of recovery; and we all tend to do things that keep the knee from resolving this on its own. You're young and more impatient then us older folks---but you need look long range---recovery comes in weeks and months not days.

It WILL get better and you WILL get there---but knee is in charge of this and you can't rush or push it. So take care and keep us posted. We care.

 

[referee54]

had my first night of the living dead about three weeks into recovery

Very well stated! Well played!!

I think that my sleep issues were actually more frustrating than the limp that would show up in the middle of the day---it finally went away a little past the five-month mark; the sleep issues were, however, very, very bothersome!

 

[Minivertible]

Two steps forward & one step back. Well, today things took a slight step backwards. To begin with I forgot to take medicine on time. I take 1 norco every 6 hours & forgot the 8am dose. I remembered 5 hours later when pain returned. Too much excitement from last night I guess. I also iced & elevated more than I have been as a result. I was actually planning to start tapering off the narcotics some more today. Will probably wait a day or two now. I'm so glad I was prepared for setbacks. I'm sitting on my glider/recliner with my feet elevated relaxing tonite. My DH has been giving me leg rubs for the last few weeks. He's quite good at it. Now that I can lie on my stomach the past week or so, he's also been giving me a back rub as well. Feels so good after being on my back so long. I do hope I can get a bit more sleep tonite. This weekend has been bad. Lucky to get 4-5 hours total. I need to keep reminding myself it's still only 6 weeks. Actually 6 weeks tomorrow. Hoope everyone has a better night. Thanks again for all the posts & support everyone. There are so many of you wonderful people out there with a much more difficult time than i've been having. I feel very blassed to have this site available.

 

[Minivertible]

6 week OS appt today. I had a glowing report from my OS. xrays looked great & he was extremely pleased with rom & extension. He also said I no longer needed formal physical therapy if I was still doing it. Of course I never started & had been doing it on my own (UK method)
He also recommended waiting to get the other knee done when it started bothering me. From the start he recommended doing whatever I was able to do as far as exercise therapy etc. without hurting myself. I'm really happy with my OS for encouraging my own method of gentle pt. I'm over 120 on extension & the OS didn't even push to the point of resistance. There's still a bit of swelling around the knee & i'm still icing & elevating. Wonderful day. The only thing that would make it better is a good night's sleep. I won't hold my breath.

 

[amab]

Excellent!!!

Congrats and best of luck on that good nights sleep......sleepless nights.....been there done that.....

 

[maggie may]

Wonderful!!! So glad for you!