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TKR bertha's recovery

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Thank you I am being careful with PT. Not too much. But now as I am almost two weeks I still tire very easily. Like taking a shower at night leaves me exhausted. Or family stopped by today for a couple of hours, I was ready to kick them out and go to sleep.
 
i know what you mean, bertha. the bed sounds like the best place doesn't it?
 
Thank you for your input. So glad I found this forum. I am being good with PT, not overdoing it. So at 4 &1/2 weeks are you doing your normal things? Do you still take pain meds? Do you elevate and ice constantly? Do you have more energy? Sorry for this barrage of questions. My energy level is low and I tire very easily. For example taking a shower and getting ready for bed every night really tires me out.
 
I used ice to cool my knee temporarily. To me, it always felt good. I looked at it as if the heat was a sign of all the hard work my body was doing to heal. The heat fades and should be completely gone by about six months if not sooner. Mine was barely noticeable by around three months.

I suffered terrible energy drain and brain fog for nearly six months after my first knee. After my second knee? Hardly any at all. It will pass. I chose to rest when I felt that way so my body could focus on healing my knee.


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Some people take pain meds up to 3 months post op. I used a step down pain med for at least bedtime for that long. It helped me be comfortable enough to sleep. I continued to ice and elevate when I got home from work. My knee looked forward to that every day. The energy drain lasted for about two months for me and I slowly started to get increased stamina after then.
 
Today is two weeks! Yay! My walking is definitely better. Bending is better. Pain heat and swelling still there. Energy maybe very slightly better. Praying for patience!
 
Hey Bertha! Just today is my week 5 anniversary - so 3 days ago, here's what I was doing. I could finally sit in a chair normally (without leg elevated) for about 30 min before it started to swell. I took on washing dishes, doing all kitty duties, laundry, and helping to cook meals, and changing my ice machine. It was too much, and I'm paying for it now. I was icing and elevating but not as much - bad idea for me....gained some swelling (internal) and lost some ROM. So now I'm back to icing and elevating any time I'm not doing something in the house. I was tired after doing tasks, but not nearly as exhausted as I was in the first 3 weeks. I also no longer had the swelling pain - instead, I've developed nighttime bone pain. I had weaned myself down to 1/2 a pain pill in the morning and at night. When the bone pain hit, it wasn't enough. I tried to suffer through, but it was just causing me to backside... So last night when I went to bed, I took 1/2 pill - woke up with the night bone pain, and took 1 whole pill. That did the trick, and I haven't needed anything yet this morning.

In summary, I feel a little more like a normal person - but because of that, I overdid things. Now I realize that even though I feel better, my knee is still quite moody - much like a teenager, 'attitude' is it's new personality. Sometimes agreeable, sometimes not.

I was able to take advantage of my ultrasound treatment at the PT yesterday (it reduces pain and internal swelling for about 12hrs for me - a breath of fresh air, even if it doesn't last long), and made a stop by the local grocery to buy about 6 items. That was a biggie! Of course, I haven't stopped icing and elevating since I got home - I'm too afraid that excursion will bite me in the rear! Lol
 
Thank you for all this information. So sitting normally without elevating the leg doesn't happen even at five weeks! I guess you can't rush it, it needs time. I am now taking half a pill from the pain medication at night and another half during the day. In between I take Tylenol.
 
bertha said:
Thank you for all this information. So sitting normally without elevating the leg doesn't happen even at five weeks
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Ugh, for me, it doesn't - at least not more than 20 min at a time. I don't want to be discouraging b/c most days get a *little*bit better. But progressive is REALLY slow. And it differs for everyone. My body likes to stay inflamed , so you may have it easier than me.

Toodles!
 
Patience patience. Today the PT said it looks good. But I'm still on the couch elevating and icing. I'm hoping I will be able to tackle some work related emails and paperwork next week. It will be my fourth week.
 
I am trying to be good about elevating and icing but it is so confining! I still tire easily and find it very hard to sit on a chair and have my feet on the ground. No doubt that things got slightly better in the third week. Tomorrow it would be three weeks. I also have developed back pain after the surgery. I am trying to put hot pads on my back. The swelling and the heat still there. My PT has been coming three times a week but will start coming two times for the next two weeks and then I have to start going to an outpatient facility.
 
Hi Bertha [emoji3]
I had both my knees done. The right will be 12 weeks tomorrow and the left will be 5 weeks tomorrow. I'm amazed by your progress and it sounds like you're doing just great!
My first knee is still a bit of a problem child, but I found that there was a really significant improvement in the left between 3-4 weeks out, so just hang in there!
I'm a huge fan of icing and elevating and will probably be doing it for as many months as it takes. Having a brand new body part is a really big deal! I think we're all impatient at times, but it seems like we should expect it to take awhile to feel normal again, not wonder why our bodies don't just recover in a month or two!
Keep up the icing and hang in there!!
 
Oh wow! How were you able to get yourself back to the OR after 7 weeks? That had been my initial plan, to do my right knee after 6 or 7 weeks, but now that I know how it is, I am not sure I want to do it at all. I'm thinking maybe I can manage with one good knee.
 
After how many weeks will it become comfortable to sit with both feet on the ground?
 
I had mine done 15 weeks apart, and by the time it was getting close to time for the second one to be done it was getting so bad I could hardly walk on it and I was glad to get it done. It hasn't been easy, and it is hurting like crazy for some reason tonight, but I am still glad I had it done, because arthritis pain is gone, my legs are straight, and I know that they will only get better from here on out. I hope you will eventually feel the same way.
 
I could comfortably sit with both feet on the ground at 11 weeks but that was after my MUA. I have to keep remembering to get up and move around though after fairly short bursts of this.
 
Thank you for your input. I guess I will wait and see how this recovery goes and then how the other knee is acting. I feel that the worst is over. Today three weeks and my hope is things will start improving faster. I had so many plans after 6 or 7 weeks, now I am cautiously waiting.
 
bertha said:
I am trying to be good about elevating and icing but it is so confining! I still tire easily and find it very hard to sit on a chair and have my feet on the ground. No doubt that things got slightly better in the third week.
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@bertha I can't help feeling that you are expecting too much, too soon.
Complete recovery from a knee replacement takes a full year. Nothing is going to happen fast.

Right now, you need to spend most of your time resting, icing and elevating your leg and taking your pain medications on schedule. It isn't realistic to expect to be able to sit comfortably with your foot on the floor yet.

A knee replacement is major surgery. It causes a lot of trauma and your body needs lots of time to recover.
Of course you're still tired. Most of your body's energy is being directed towards healing your knee and there isn't much left for anything else.
Have another look at this article, which explains the energy drain:
Energy drain for TKRs
 
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