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TKR Christine's Post Op Recovery

It's time to dance!!! I am so happy for you. Just in time for the Holidays. What a great present. Florida is not warm this week. Today it's only 48 and won't get much warmer.
 
Wow, I can tell it's been a while since I've been on here when I can't find my own thread! Work has been very busy and my brain has limited capacity for anything else. On the knee front, I still have pain on weight bearing and getting up from a chair is still very hard. It takes a few steps until I can walk with lurching. I saw my family doctor on Thursday and she has prescribed Tramadol for the pain. I'll start it tomorrow and see how it goes. I want to get out and walk but it's still too sore. I hit the 20 week mark on Wednesday and I'm surprised that it is still so sore. We have so much happening over Christmas and it looks as if I'll be working most of the days between Christmas and New Year. Every year I say I'm going to be organized and every year the holidays seem to arrive completely out of the blue and take me by surprise. You would think that by now I would have learned!

I hope that all of my bone smart buddies in the US had a wonderful thanksgiving and are now in a turkey coma with no thoughts of knees or surgeries or pain!
 
When I was at my doctor's I asked for a copy of my operative report. I always want to know what the surgeons do to me. It said my IT band was very tight and had to be released using the, "pie crust technique." Having just made a turkey pot pie I was curious. Apparently they put pin holes in the IT band to release it. That might explain a lot of my early lateral pain.
 
Let's see...the replacement is like carpentry and now baking!!! Love it! I am sorry you are still having trouble. I pray you have some down time to enjoy the holidaze.
 
I haven't heard about surgery to release the IT band, so I'm going to ask @Josephine about it.
 
cairistiona60 said:
It said my IT band was very tight and had to be released using the, "pie crust technique." Apparently they put pin holes in the IT band to release it. That might explain a lot of my early lateral pain.
Click to expand...
Not actually. These procedures shouldn't add to the post-op pain over-much.

The so-called “pie crusting” technique using multiple stab incisions is a well-established procedure for correcting tightness of tligaments, also known as needling. The soft tissue is progressively stretched using multiple needle punctures into the tense fibres, while applying a continuous stress. Every 5 to 10 punctures, the balance is reassessed until the appropriate result is achieved. Usually, this occurs progressively after 15 to 35 punctures, depending on the severity of the tightness.

[Bonesmart.org] Christine's Post Op Recovery
 
Thank goodness for weekends. I did not cope well with work yesterday and if I had to stay 5 minutes after home time I would have been on the floor rocking back and forth and yelling at anyone who came near me. It was a busy week. I wish I could stay home all weekend but I have to go to Toronto for an annual Christmas dinner with friends. Some of them I only see once a year so it's not something I'd miss. The knee has been misbehaving this week and I'm not sure that Tramadol is working.
 
Christine, I do hope you have a nice time at your dinner. I am sorry you are having pain. Take some ice packs with you and try to elevate once you get there.
 
We need to get you a Tardis! Either that or a stretch limo. Or something which would allow you to travel to and from Toronto in comfort and style.

Very good to have you check in, Christine. It is a long recovery, but will be worth it in the end. Promise. Hope you have a good time with your friends. And that you relax and don't do anything but rest on Sunday.
 
My pain increased when I went back to work Nov 2nd. It is frustrating at times to wonder why the pain is still there. I hope the tramadol helps you and you have a wonderful time with your friends tomorrow.
 
Thanks folks, we had a lovely time but the knee is not doing so well tonight. I don't think Tramadol is the drug for me. It is doing nothing. I've tried it with Tylenol and still it doesn't work. It doesn't hurt when I'm sitting and I can sit for hours at a time but as soon as I stand up it is really painful. I see my doctor on Thursday and maybe I have to increase the dose or something.
 
Hope knee settles down, Christine. I know Josephine and Celle have discussed pain medication protocols and schedules in various posts here -- not sure if the info is readily available in the library, but it might be worth a few minutes of forum-searching to see if their information/advice can help until you get to see your doctor.
 
I have read all I could find about pain management and I think I have tried every combination out there. It is frustrating when the only thing that works leaves my brain so foggy that I can't function at work.
 
I'm sorry to hear that you haven't been able to find a medication to help you and leave you alert. I hope there is another combination you can try to help you.
 
Oh, dear! I hope you soon find a combo that will give you relief. I had the same experience with Tramadol. Might as well have been a placebo. I was on Demerol and had NO pain.
 
I went back to my family doctor today and she increased the Tramadol from 100mg to 200mg per day. She also suggested that I go back to see the surgeon because the clunk noise did not sound good to her. I called my OS and I'm booked in to see him on December 21. He wants me to have another X-ray just to see what's going on. I missed three days of work this week because of the pain and I can't keep doing that.
 
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