Josephine
NURSE DIRECTOR EMERITA
United KingdomAs long as you took the highest dose which is 1,000mg 4 times a day.
No new meds as yet so far as I know. But have you tried a TENS machine?
TKR Cece’s new knee
- Thread starter Cecelia
- Start date
No new meds as yet so far as I know. But have you tried a TENS machine?
SherrieT
senior
@Cecelia - You have done so incredible. It's very inspiring to hear how you have persevered through everything that has been thrown at you. I'm 7 days post op and can't even imagine going through what you have.
I hope things will be easier for you and that the rest of your recovery is uneventful and boring.
I hope things will be easier for you and that the rest of your recovery is uneventful and boring.
SuperSnapper
post-grad
The decreased kidney function is a worry for you. I have to take such care with any medication and like you can’t take NSAIDs at all. Fortunately Tylenol is metabolised ( I think that’s the correct word) by the liver. Although I reduced those as quickly as I could. My GP prescribed capsaicin cream for arthritic pain in my hands but it’s made from chillis and if you get it in your eye it’s dreadful! I also found a TENs machine useful but not as good as ice. I even slept with ice on my knees at night. I had an ice machine at first but found that the large ice packs were just colder and really dulled the pain. A lot of physios advise not using ice for more than 20 minutes but with kidney disease severely limiting the use of painkillers, I followed the advice on here and it was a life saver. I hope you are improving and you get that pain within reasonable limits.
OP
OP
Cecelia
junior member
Thank you so much for the advice. Seems like the trick is not getting the knee angry by doing too much. Best advice ever from this forum. I too sleep with cool gel packs at night, changing out every few hours. Big elevation and ice really cut the pain.
OP
OP
Cecelia
junior member
It is coming tomorrow. Hope it helps. Did you use one?
OP
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Cecelia
junior member
Five weeks tomorrow. Wrote in my recovery diary all the positive things that have happened in the last two weeks. There were 16 improvements!
Walked to the mailbox and on our road, not too far.
Shower by myself with hubby as spotter
Getting my own water, making little snacks
Walking is getting more smooth
The hamstring is stretching, 0 degrees
Operative leg swelling is less
Feeling more positive and like my old self
Ability to take naps, sleeping short time on my side
Sleeping better at night
Tylenol and soothing creams only for pain
Gained 3 pounds after loss of 10
In and out of the car more easily
Regularity, very important
No more shortness of breath
Being able to do more normal activities like bill paying
Less pain during the day
I reread my diary and two weeks ago I had thrown in the towel, hopeless, crying all day, and feeling worthless. Feeling much more positive that there will be recovery down the road. Even made a list of how I would do it differently next time around.
Thanks for being there.
Walked to the mailbox and on our road, not too far.
Shower by myself with hubby as spotter
Getting my own water, making little snacks
Walking is getting more smooth
The hamstring is stretching, 0 degrees
Operative leg swelling is less
Feeling more positive and like my old self
Ability to take naps, sleeping short time on my side
Sleeping better at night
Tylenol and soothing creams only for pain
Gained 3 pounds after loss of 10
In and out of the car more easily
Regularity, very important
No more shortness of breath
Being able to do more normal activities like bill paying
Less pain during the day
I reread my diary and two weeks ago I had thrown in the towel, hopeless, crying all day, and feeling worthless. Feeling much more positive that there will be recovery down the road. Even made a list of how I would do it differently next time around.
Thanks for being there.
SuperSnapper
post-grad
What good news! I’m really pleased you are feeling so much better and seeing progress.
Having had serious chest problems myself, I know how exhausted a bout can make you feel and that’s without the knee surgery. So you’re doing remarkably well.
Having had serious chest problems myself, I know how exhausted a bout can make you feel and that’s without the knee surgery. So you’re doing remarkably well.
jboles
graduate
You really have made lots of improvements in the last 2 weeks. It seems to hit all, or most of us, around the 3 week point, the hopeless, crying, am I ever going to be better feeling. I’m there now. My daughter likes to call it “Pity City”. I think I have a room there
Super excellent report!
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Cecelia
junior member
Thank you.
OP
OP
Cecelia
junior member
You really have made lots of improvements in the last 2 weeks. It seems to hit all, or most of us, around the 3 week point, the hopeless, crying, am I ever going to be better feeling. I’m there now. My daughter likes to call it “Pity City”. I think I have a room there
Thank you for saying that. Yes three weeks was the worst. I hope you feel better soon.
OP
OP
Cecelia
junior member
You really have made lots of improvements in the last 2 weeks. It seems to hit all, or most of us, around the 3 week point, the hopeless, crying, am I ever going to be better feeling. I’m there now. My daughter likes to call it “Pity City”. I think I have a room there
Thank you.
OP
OP
Cecelia
junior member
PT started doing some gentle manipulations on Monday. I was scared silly as our forum has such horror stories about PT forcing your knee. I took the advice here and said when I say stop, you stop. Also I held on to my thigh as the PT did gentle passive knee bends. That way as soon as the Knee said no I could stop the movement. At no time was there pain. They were even able to hear an adhesion pop. That night was okay, no additional swelling or pain.
What does BoneSmart say about PT manipulating the knee including gentle massage and slight pressure on knee? I don’t know what the normal is for PT. Five weeks out from surgery. I have 1/88 with8 degrees lag.
What does BoneSmart say about PT manipulating the knee including gentle massage and slight pressure on knee? I don’t know what the normal is for PT. Five weeks out from surgery. I have 1/88 with8 degrees lag.
SuperSnapper
post-grad
My physio never touched my knee at all. Personally I didn’t think manipulation was necessary. The only movements were ones I did but then I only saw a physio twice and she eyeballed my bend and extension and showed me a couple of stretches to do at home. That was it! But good news that you set out your own guidelines for your treatment with your PT.
SusieShoes
Former BoneSmart staff member
I did allow my therapist to bend my knees --once-- and like you told him he'd better stop when I said stop. And he did. He never asked to do it again, probably because I told him I was only interested in ROM I could gain on my own. He did, however, massage my knees every other session, and was gentle. I enjoyed the massages, which relaxed the muscles around the knee, and can't think of any reason to discourage them.
BoneSmart discourages letting anyone forcibly bend or straighten the knee, including yourself
. The reason for that is aggressive forcing can make matters worse. Not all therapists are gentle or understand how TKR makes a knee difficult to bend, so they force it and cause damage. Some therapists don't even tell the patient what they are about to do, and just do it. 
For lots of reasons, we would rather patients just say no to manipulation.
BoneSmart discourages letting anyone forcibly bend or straighten the knee, including yourself
. The reason for that is aggressive forcing can make matters worse. Not all therapists are gentle or understand how TKR makes a knee difficult to bend, so they force it and cause damage. Some therapists don't even tell the patient what they are about to do, and just do it. For lots of reasons, we would rather patients just say no to manipulation.
We say that there is no need for PT to touch your knee at all and that passive bending is a waste of time - you get the best results by using your own muscles. Also, allowing your PT to bend your knee and apply pressure could tempt her/him to apply too much pressure in an attempt to bend it further.
Gentle massage is OK later in recovery.
