Revision TKR _My Saga of a Hopeful Happy Ending - Nerve Burning??

[LaPaz]

I am out of my pain medication and need to change to another weaker med. Has anyone heard of or used Norco? I am wanting something easy on my stomach.

 

[RestAssured]

Nancy, when I left the hospital 2 times they prescribed Norco! Works very well for me. I had the 10's and then I asked for the 7.5 and then the 5 after each refill. If the pain was bad I knew I could always double up!

 

[1ELISEA]

Yes, Norco worked well for me too; it is hydrocodone with acetaminophen. I used the 10/325 as it had a lower dose of acetaminophen, allowing me to take just acetaminophen alone when needed without worrying about going over the daily maximum dose of acetaminophen.

If money is an issue, they are scored so you can use half a pill of the 10 dosage which is less expensive than getting the 5 because you get twice the amount for about the same price.

 

[LaPaz]

Nancy, when I left the hospital 2 times they prescribed Norco! Works very well for me. I had the 10's and then I asked for the 7.5 and then the 5 after each refill. If the pain was bad I knew I could always double up!

Sonja thanks a lot for your information. I can't believe how many drugs there are out there for pain. So what is Norco is it another synthetic? How is compared to Percocet?

 

[LaPaz]

Yes, Norco worked well for me too; it is hydrocodone with acetaminophen. I used the 10/325 as it had a lower dose of acetaminophen, allowing me to take just acetaminophen alone when needed without worrying about going over the daily maximum dose of acetaminophen.

Thanks Elisea All this Oxy and hydro drugs confuse me as they all sound about the same.

 

[LaPaz]

Great news today at PT I was able to get 91 degree flexion when doing a wall slide and using my other foot as weight. I was a little afraid of having to have a manipulation if the knee would not flex but now I feel much better.

 

[1ELISEA]

Ah, I did too.
My dr said to remember "contin" as "continuous". That was the one people abuse because they use it continuously. (Oxy"contin") And he never prescribes it.

 

[1ELISEA]

PT I was able to get 91 degree flexion

See! What have we been telling you?!!
Excellent! Slow and steady and no marathons yet, ok

 

[Jamie]

Nancy, Norco is a commonly prescribed pain medication for knee patients. It is an actual narcotic, but is considered "milder" than Percoset. When I had my second knee done March 8th, I was given a choice of drugs to take immediately following surgery from strongest to weakest. They were morphine, Percoset, and hydrocodone (Norco). So they considered it to be the lowest level of narcotic.

I took 5/325 for about 4 weeks and now have switched to Tramadol. That may be an option for you as you step down. Tramadol is a synthetic narcotic, but it works well for a lot of people. I find it takes care of my pain and I am not at all fuzzy headed. I'm at the point now at 8 weeks out where I just need the Tramadol at nighttime.

I think you are doing so well with this recovery!!! I know this has been such a long road for you. I find myself feeling like I want all this OVER and NOW, so I can just imagine how you must feel with all you've been through. Hang in there....you ARE improving and you will continue. You're doing all the right things!!

 

[skigirl]

Nancy, I used Hydrocodene much like Jamie. It took Percoset 5/325 in hospital and for the first week. Switched to Hydrocodene for the next two weeks. also took 5/325. At four weeks, I switched to tramadol which is much easier on the body. by eight weeks, I was not taking any pain meds, except for an occasional tramadol.

I found that when I began to get nauseated, I was needed to decrease the pain meds. When they are not needed for the pain, or, you are taking more than you need, I think you get more side effects.

 

[Janet2012]

The great thing is I can control the temp of the water so I don't make it too hot just enough that the muscle will relax and allow me to work it. We have a pool also but it is 78 degrees which is too cold for me. I have the water about 86 degrees which feels real comfortable.

86 is perfect! That's about what they keep the pool I go to at. Cool getting in, but not cold. When they let it get down to 82, it's harder to get in, if it were 78, I'd likely stay home, too. Sounds like things are coming along pretty well for you now!

 

[LaPaz]

Wow, what a weekend. I started taking Norco Fri. night and started to feel funny and my knee still really hurt. I took another one about 3 hours after the first and went to bed and didn't take another for about 5 hours later at night. Woke up in the morning feeling light headed, ears ringing, and like I was having withdrawls. It scared me so I stopped taking it and switched to percocet. All of Sat. I felt real out of it and weak but at least my knee did not hurt anymore. That feeling kind of stayed so when I woke up on Sunday I was still weak and decided to reduce my dose to 1/2 pill to see if that helped. I was scared and did not want to go back to the Norco which made me even feel worse and did not help my knee pain so I decided to go to the hospital to see what I should do. They recommended to continue with the percocet and to keep trying to lower the dose. They did not want me to go back to diludid and I agreed as it is a very strong drug and I was trying to wean off it. My OS could not phone in the perscription of percocet but he could Norco so that is why I was given Norco. The Emergency Room gave me a written prescription for the percocet that should last until I see my OS on Friday which is 3 hour drive. Guess I was lucky I had a few pills left.

My whole weekend was spent mostly in bed just head spinning. Tomorrow is my PT and I am hoping to feel good again to continue my progress without not much a set back. I wish this recovery thing was easier. I am just about ready to throw in the towel.

 

[LaPaz]

I found that when I began to get nauseated, I was needed to decrease the pain meds. When they are not needed for the pain, or, you are taking more than you need, I think you get more side effects.

You may be right as I did feel nauseated and get all those side effects. Glad I cut back on the percocet. I felt the Norco just gave me a drug high and did nothing for my pain. Actually it felt more like drug withdrawls. I had reduced the diludid down to about 1 pill every 5-6 hours which at first I was taking it every 3 hours.

 

[skigirl]

Nancy, yes, I also found that percoset was much more effective in the early days, however, at 2 weeks, it was too much and I switched then to Hydrocodone (Norco). Diludid is the strongest of the pain meds, but it just never worked for me. My husband swears by it== he is morphine resistant (it does nothing at all for his pain) and diludid is the best for him. We are all different, need to take whatever works.

But, when nausea hit, I usually tried to decrease the strongest med and that seemed to help.

 

[LaPaz]

Finally some better news just over 6 weeks post. I have returned to my boat in Mexico Monday and have started my own therapy program. Actually things seems much better now that I am more comfortable at home and not having to deal with helping my 85 year old mother and all her issues. I am much more focused on my recovery.

I saw my OS last Friday and he felt that I needed to manipulate my knee 3x's a day so it does not freeze up at 90 degrees which he felt it was. He recommended for me to have a friend help to put pressure on it. He also helped me with pain management. Recommend to stay with the percocet but to take 600 mg of ibuprohen to help take me off the pain med and help with withdrawls. Has anyone used Ibuprohen to help with getting off pain meds? He also gave me something for my stomach. After 2 days of the ibuprohen 3xs a day my stomach was cramping so I dropped a dose and now am taking just twice a day which my OS said would be fine.

My home program consist of all the exercises I was doing at PT plus workouts on my stairs with bending the knee until it hurts pain then holding 30 seconds also doing heal rises and climbing using my body weight. Stairs can really be helpful for workouts. I am using a band to do my heal slides and again holding 30 sec with pain. I also am going to a nice 86 degrees pool each day for about a 40 min workout about 20 min total legs 20 min upper torso and mixed exercises. I use to be a water aerobic instructor so I am doing a routine based on my recovery. Well now for the good news yesterday I measured my flexion in the morning after stretching out and I measured 115 degree bend. During the day with all my activity my knee begins to stiffin and I know it will not bend 115 degrees but it will pass the 90. I am really happy that I am doing all this on my own without PT. I will return to Calif. June 11 and will have a week of PT and see my OS again and then will see how I am doing. As for pain, it has increased slightly with all the pushing I am doing but I am only taking percocet 5/325 every 5-6 hours which my OS say not to worry about right now. I just hate these drugs and what they are doing to my stomach and who knows what else. Yes, I do ice and elevate regularly after workouts like a good bone smarty. Maybe all that Ibuprohen has helped me to bend more too. because from 90 to 115 is a big just in 6 days more or less.

 

[1ELISEA]

Hi Nancy
Sorry I missed this earlier update.
How are you doing this weekend?

 

[LaPaz]

Hi Nancy
Sorry I missed this earlier update.
How are you doing this weekend?

Hi Elisea thanks for checking in. In fact, I am doing terrific. What a huge change from 3 weeks ago.

I am now 2 months out tomorrow and my flexion on my right knee is about 125 degrees so no more worries. I hope to make a 135 where I was before 2 years ago. My left knee which had surgery the month before is about 130 degrees which may still improve.

As for pain medication; I am halving my percocet 5/325 and have been for about a week now plus taking 600mg of ibuprohen 2 x's a day. I can usually go a full 6 hours before taking another half but I defiantly still need something. There was a couple of days that the pool temp dropped due to the heater needing a part so I did not go swimming and the pain almost left so I know exercising sets it off but that I need to do. I also rode my bike for the first time about 1 mile on flats. I was ok until about 1/2 way back and starting aching a little. That night my Quad knotted up and hurt most the night. I used my TENs on it along with pain meds that helped alot. Boy the muscles are so weak. I will be going back to the states in about a week to see my OS and to do about a week of therapy there. I am hoping for them to set me up for about the next month with therapy I can do here in La Paz.

 

[1ELISEA]

Wow that is FANTASTIC!!

Seeeeeeee, didn't we tell you that when you were at 2 weeks and thinking you should be progressing quicker!

Our muscles are tough, aren't they. We talk about babying the knee and expect the muscles to work as usual even though they've been under utilized for many months and then through the same surgery.

Just take it easy and work up to it, ok?! Hard to take advice like that, I know, after being on the sidelines for so long, first thing we all want to do is a 10 mile jaunt to try out the new equipment.

 

[Josephine]

Nancy, that's so good to hear!

And I know you are keen to get up and going but do remember you are only 8 weeks out. Those muscles aren't weak, they are injured, so go easy on them, okay? Last thing we want is to hear you have developed tendinitis somewhere which will be so easy to do right now.

Any strength training can wait another month without harm. Remember: not a sprint, a marathon! So PACE YOURSELF!

 

[Jamie]

Nancy, this is such great news. I'll second Jo's advice to resist the urge to forge ahead too quickly. These new knees are precious and you need to be as gentle as you can in the coming weeks and months until you are fully healed. You've been through so much.....a little extra time in recovery will soon be just a blip on your radar screen....way, way past. Congratulations for never giving up and showing that even a botched surgery can be fixed with the right surgeon!!! ((((HUGS))))