TKR April 11 Surgery done!

MonarchMom

junior member
Joined
Mar 19, 2022
Messages
32
Age
66
Country
Canada Canada
Gender
Female
Good morning! I had my left knee replaced yesterday. Was going to go with nerve block but I passed out in an awful way. I could see and hear everyone but could not speak, close my eyes or breathe (or so I felt). I heard them say I was breathing but it didn’t feel like it! An ECG was done to make sure all was well, then I was totally sedated. The rest was a breeze!
Today my leg is more swollen as expected but I can still put weight on it. But I’m vomiting from the pain meds, which sucks.
Trying to eat and drink water but it seems to just come back up. Any suggestions?
PS I’m a 65-yo female school teacher
 
Ugh! I’m so sorry you’re having a bad morning. Try to get your leg up (elevate) as it will help with the swelling, coupled with lots of icing. Consider checking in with your surgeon’s office and see if they will adjust meds or prescribe something for the nausea. That has to be awful. :console2:

I’ll leave a copy of the Recovery Guidelines on this thread also since you’ll be receiving feedback and support here.

Knee Recovery: The Guidelines

As you begin healing, please keep in mind that each recovery is unique. While the BoneSmart philosophy successfully works for many, there will be exceptions. Between the recommendations found here, your surgeon's recovery protocol and any physical therapy you may engage in, the key is to find what works best for you.


1. Don’t worry: Your body will heal all by itself. Relax, let it, don't try and hurry it, don’t worry about any symptoms now, they are almost certainly temporary
2. Control discomfort:
rest
elevate
ice
take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)
don't overwork.
3. Do what you want to do BUT
a. If it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physical therapist - to do it to you
b. If your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again.
4. PT or exercise can be useful BUT take note of these
the BoneSmart view on exercise
BoneSmart philosophy for sensible post op therapy
5. At week 4 and after you should follow this
Activity progression for TKRs
6. Access these pages on the website
Oral And Intravenous Pain Medications
Wound Care In Hospital


The Recovery articles:
The importance of managing pain after a TKR and the pain chart
Swollen and stiff knee: what causes it?
Energy drain for TKRs
Elevation is the key
Ice to control pain and swelling
Heel slides and how to do them properly
Chart representation of TKR recovery
Healing: how long does it take?

Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?

There are also some cautionary articles here
Myth busting: no pain, no gain
Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds


We try to keep the forum a positive and safe place for our members to talk about their questions or concerns and to report successes with their joint replacement surgery. While members may create as many threads as they like in a majority of BoneSmart's forums, we ask that each member have only one recovery thread. This policy makes it easier to go back and review history before providing advice.
 
Yes, please try to get some anti-nausea medication from your doctor. I hope this gets resolved quickly. Best wishes on your recovery!
 
I had to take anti-nausea medicine with the prescription pain medicine. After I started taking acetaminophen on day two, the nausea stopped and the pain was minimal.

It will get better! Hang in there! ❤️
 
InkedMarie: Am hoping for rest of school year off! Having to fight a bit for doctor note.
Having lots of nausea and vomiting this morning. Yuck. Can’t keep anything down…not even water.
I’m the kitchen manager at an elementary school....I planned mine so when my surgeons 8-9 weeks is up, it’s summer vacation. It ended up being 10 weeks but he signed off anyway.

So sorry you’re sick. Do you have anti nausea meds?

Marie
 
Thanks! I took one Gravol and it seems to be working. I got some soup and a banana down. Did 2 sets of exercises and iced most of the morning. Just took more meds. they stay down!
 
Followed advice on resource page and used king pillow under my leg last night. I noticed a big positive difference this morning both in swelling and pain. I made sure my whole leg was on the pillow and knee was slightly bent. Slept soundly and well.
 
Followed advice on resource page and used king pillow under my leg last night. I noticed a big positive difference this morning both in swelling and pain. I made sure my whole leg was on the pillow and knee was slightly bent. Slept soundly and well.
Hi @MonarchMom , congrats on your new knee!! Very good to hear things are looking up. Pretty amazing that you were able to sleep soundly and well!! Hopefully it'll continue on that way!

All the best on your recovery/rehab. We'll soon be "classmates"!
 
My only worry now is that I haven’t had bowel movement. I’m drinking prune juice, eating bran muffins and Bran Flakes and am drinking lots of water. I am not in any discomfort. Should I be worried? I see the surgeon today and will ask him, too.
 
It was about 5 days post-op before things got going for me but I really wasn’t eating much. Be careful not to “over bulk” which can have the opposite effect than what you want as I have experienced. I recently discovered blueberries have a softening effect. See what your surgeon recommends.
 
After surgery, many of us miss our daily visit(s) from the "poop fairy". It's very normal, and you'll soon have your visits again. My doctor prescribed a mild laxative as a matter of course; sometimes after a surgery I needed it, sometimes I didn't. I suggest you don't overdo on any of the methods used to help things get moving again as you could end up with the opposite problem.
 
My only worry now is that I haven’t had bowel movement. I’m drinking prune juice, eating bran muffins and Bran Flakes and am drinking lots of water. I am not in any discomfort. Should I be worried? I see the surgeon today and will ask him, too.
Hi @MonarchMom , my "magic" formula (based on a sample size of a few hours post-op) has been - kombucha, low sugar yogurt, prunes (actual ones, not the juice), smooth move tea. Hopefully that aspect of life will still be good for me tomorrow and coming days.

All the best on your recovery and the force be with your movements!
 
If you aren't already on a daily stool softener, you may want to start. The pain meds definitely stop you up. My OS sets everyone up with some right away.
 
Having had bad experiences with oxycontin after previous surgery, this time I was given tapentadol50mg and it didn’t cause any bowel problems at all. A very good pain reliever.
 
I was cruising around the site and saw a guide to recommended activities and times during recovery. I forgot to get a screenshot. Can someone post it here for me again or direct me there?
 

BoneSmart #1 Best Blog

Staff online

  • Jamie
    Staff member since Feb, 2009
  • mendogal
    Staff member since November 10, 2023

Forum statistics

Threads
65,179
Messages
1,597,053
BoneSmarties
39,363
Latest member
HikerWalker
Recent bookmarks
0
Back
Top Bottom