TKR Back again in 2021 ☺

[Celle]

I feel like I haven't really got the pain under control yet, which is frustrating.

I'm not surprised. It's only 2 weeks since you had major surgery. You still need more pain relief than Paracetamol can provide.
Ask if you can have Tramadol as well. It's a synthetic narcotic, but it's not as strong as the heavy-duty ones they give you initially. You can safely take them with Paracetamol, as well.

Also I am not good at being patient. Hubby is now back at work and I get frustrated just sitting there. I start doing just one little thing (pruning the rose Bush in the front garden which has been battered by rain) and then find I have done 2 loads of washing, prepared dinner, Fed the dogs, done 2 sets of pt, done a five minute walk and wonder why I am tired when my daughter gets back at 3pm.

This entire recovery is going to be a huge test of patience for you, so start digging deep, and find a hobby you can pursue while you're resting. If you keep doing too much for your new knee, you could slow down its progress.

Try not to think of resting as "lying around, doing nothing." Instead, think of it as working hard, to give your knee the best possible chance of healing well.
In other words, when you are icing and elevating and watching TV, you are not 'lazing around' - you are "engaging in a carefully considered, proactively designed, heuristically programmed, dynamically structured recovery programme".

 

[dogwalker2]

Thanks Jockette and Celle. I think i needed to see in print what I know inside, namely I am doing too much. I like "engaging in a carefully considered, proactively designed, heuristically programmed, dynamically structured recovery programme" as opposed to feeling I am lazing around. I need something like that to say to myself, thank you!! Yes, I realise I must slow down and allow healing. I just wanted to push through and get it all done asap and I must make myself see that it doesn't work like that. Sigh. I struggle with sedentary hobbies that I used to love, like reading, drawing and cross-stitch as I also have arthritis in my neck so it is hard to look down for long and I can no longer do fine work with my hands. However I can set up the laptop and do a little bit of work (I am a part-time administrator for a medical group) and i can watch all the david attenborough dvds, that will be fun. I will read the link on recovery again, thankyou.
're pain relief, unfortunately Tramadol made me feel really dizzy and nauseous every morning so I stopped it on day 6, is there anything else that might work?

 

[Jockette]

I struggle with sedentary hobbies that I used to love, like reading, drawing and cross-stitch as I also have arthritis in my neck so it is hard to look down for long and I can no longer do fine work with my hands.

I have arthritis in my neck also, and I can’t do the hand quilting I used to love to do, or any other hand sewing projects.

 

[dogwalker2]

I sympathise Jockette. Hated having to give up my lovely cross-stitch. Hey ho x

 

[dogwalker2]

Back home having had 29 staples removed!! I was dreading it but it hardly hurt at all☺☺ scar looks great. Discussed pain relief with nurse but as I cannot take either Tramadol or Codeine I don't have many options really.
Celle: I took my last dose of paracetamol at 12 last night and slept through to 6am when I took the first of today's doses. Less pain, so good plan. What I will do from now is to take my last dose as late as poss and the first dose as soon as I wake up and adjust the rest of the day round that first dose.

 

[dogwalker2]

Something a bit odd that maybe someone here will have seen before. I attach a photo of my knee (no, that's not the odd thing, honest!!) If you look you will see a red area which is painful to touch and hurts at intervals. It has been like this pretty much since I left the hospital but kind of got masked with everything else thats going on.

If you look down at your knee it is on the right (inside) area. It is always hot as is the same area on the other outside edge of the knee. But that side is numb and the inside is VERY touch sensitive as well. Any ideas??

 

[sistersinhim]

I am going to tag @Josephine, our forum director and nurse to address your questions.

 

[dogwalker2]

Another question. I had a total hip replacement in 2016 which has been brilliant, but it has suddenly started hurting every time I elevate my left knee. This is worrying. I suppose the knee elevation put quite a strain on the hip, I am going to have to find some compromise as I can't afford to mess up my hip replacement- that would be a disaster!!!! I elevate and ice when sitting, would laying down stress the hip less or shall I reduce the elevation? If its not one problem, its another.

 

[klinkmcbear]

It is always hot as is tge same area on the other outside edge of the knee. But that side is numb and the inside is VERY touch sensitive as well. Any ideas??

I don't know about the red area, but the warmth around your knee is normal. My doctor mentioned this to me at my follow up visit, and mine is definitely warm. At that same visit I asked my doctor about the numbness (lateral) and hypersensitivity (medial), and he said that was normal too - as did my PT. I've been told that the hypersensitivity goes away and most of the time the numbness does too, but for some people the numbness only decreases in size.

 

[dogwalker2]

Thankyou klinkmcbear, that is reassuring☺

 

[Jockette]

You can fine tune your elevation to what’s comfortable for you. I agree, you can’t be aggravating your hip.

I had my leg “toes above the nose” when I was in bed. My bed is adjustable, so often I would raise the head a little bit which took the pressure off my lower back, and my leg was on the foam elevating wedge.

When I was not in bed, but on the couch, my leg was on an ottoman. Not ideal, but definitely comfortable for me and worked well enough for me.

Try different positions to see what works for you. And as you heal more, you might find what doesn’t work now will work later. I did not like my wedge early on but came to love it after a while.

 

[dogwalker2]

Thanks Jockette. At the moment I am icing but using very minimal elevation while my hip is complaining. Swelling is not too mega an issue for me at the moment and rest and icing will have to do. At night I have the foot of the bed raised about 2inches, so that is better than nothing!! I will try adding in a small cushion tomorrow and see how that goes.

 

[lisabl]

@dogwalker2 I found that putting a really soft squishy cushion under my bottom when elevating really helped the pressure on the hip and I could wiggle until it relieved the discomfort (although not hip replacement, I did have ITBand problems after my 1st PKR last year, and had pain from hip to knee so I am very aware of minimising any pain near the hip so I do not trigger another flare up.

With regard to The Chiltern hospital physio I find them excellent, and I did hydrotherapy fro. day 4 after op, as the hydro pool in the hospital is designed for post op patients (hence their protocol to get you in pool ASAP after op, preferably before discharge, to help mobilise joints and muscles using waterproof dressings). I had 3 sessions and loved them.

 

[dogwalker2]

Just put my scar picture on the scar forum!! Looks quite good for day15 and just 1 day after staple removal. Will start bio oil tonight. Pain better today and slept 12thro 6am, which is almost my normal amount. Still sleepy and have just had 1hr sleep in bed with my 2 dog nurses - though they keep stealing my elevation pillows!!!

 

[dogwalker2]

@Benay. Perhaps I am using bio oil too early then? I identify with biggest fear being yr cat landing on your scar, I have two 10kg cavalier king Charles spaniel that are massive snuggle monsters BUT they have got jolly close to using my knee as a take off ramp if they hear the doorbell.

 

[Josephine]

But that side is numb and the inside is VERY touch sensitive as well.

Well it's was only 2 weeks out when you took that photo so I wouldn't worry. It will settle in time. Just ice it.

I had a total hip replacement in 2016 which has been brilliant, but it has suddenly started hurting every time I elevate my left knee. I am going to have to find some compromise as I can't afford to mess up my hip replacement

You won't mess up your hip! ! It's just the muscles that have been pulled around during the TKR. Don't worry about that - just be comfortable.

Just put my scar picture on the scar forum!

Will start bio oil tonight.

I sincerely hope you don't!

 

[Celle]

It's too early to be using Bio Oil, or anything else on your scar.

You need to wait until your skin is completely healed, with no open areas or scabs. If you put lotions or creams on before then, you run the risk of introducing infection.

 

[dogwalker2]

Eek!!! I have done the bio oil!!! The nurse who took out the staples said I could use bio oil or a light moisturiser. Oh heck!!!! Ok, trying not to panic, what's done is done and can't be undone. Won't use anything else... what about if i shower and use antibac hand wash, will that remove whatever infection i may have introduced????? She genuinely said it was ok to use it.......

 

[Josephine]

what about if i shower and use antibac hand wash, will that remove whatever infection i may have introduced?

We never said it would cause an infection, just that it might !!

 

[dogwalker2]

@Celle, @Josephine, please read above - I used the bio oil early this evening. Totally freaking out here. Shall I use anti-vac as a wash?? Oh heavens I really don't want a scar infection.. How soon will I know? Or should I make an urgent doc appointment for the morning and ask for antibiotics? My scar still has scabs and some reddish bits...