Hi everyone. Its encouraging to read all of the posts. I am 7 weeks post surgery for tkr and still have a lot of pain. I saw my dr. last week because my incision was infected. She will not prescribe any more medication for pain. My therapist is great. I developed bursitis in my hip and pulled a hamstring while exercising. She has been so encouraging and treats me as a whole person. I'm not sure what I should do about the pain. I will be getting a tens machine this week and start using medication patches on my hip. Luckily I am a teacher so I have extra time this summer to recover before school starts again. I'm also still using a cane because of hip problems and a dysfunctional gait. My dr. made me feel like a failure as she said I should not still be using a cane. Thanks for listening!
TKR chubby but still changing my life through TKR
- Thread starter sophie03
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sophie03
junior member
Haven't checked in for a while so thought I would give an update on how I am doing. I am now 11 weeks post op and have been back to work since week 8. I started out part time - for 2 weeks - and now I have been working full time since about June 17th. It is going well for the most part. I am still using a cane - which frustrates me - but I find I limp pretty significantly if I don't use the cane. Still taking about 2 Tramadol a day with 2 Extra Strength tylenol mixed in if I need it. I guess when I had this surgery I thought that I would be doing really well by my birthday which is June 29th. Although I am up and about, I still have pain and I had hoped it would be better by now. My next goal is to be significantly better by the time my grandson is born which will be around August 24th. I am thankful to be able to be back to work and driving myself. That is huge! My energy level has returned to normal and I am not fighting the extreme fatigue anymore. So, all of that is good. Guess I just needed a place to whine a bit about slow recovery. Again, I am so grateful for this site that allows us to do that. Hope you are all doing well and having a great summer!
DAJ
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well consider yourself lucky you're not in Italy,Ive always been big boned andrecently 10kgs over whatI used to be.. but although 172cm and weigh 86kgs the doctor/admissionsnurse has written "obese" all over my charts. crazy!!! they are obsessed.
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sophie03
junior member
Thought I would check in with an update and a question. I am 13 weeks post op right TKR. I came back to work part time at 8 weeks for about 2 weeks and have been full time since then. This is going fine. Did fight that horrible fatigue for about the first week but after that it leveled off and I have felt good. My question is this. Although I walk fairly well now, mostly unassisted, I still have a slight limp and some pain - especially at the end of the day. I had been taking 1 Tramadol when it got too uncomfortable - mostly in the evening. I called my OS office for a refill yesterday and his nurse said that they were not going to refill it. Said "they don't like to keep people on pain meds long term." I guess 13 weeks is considered long term. I guess I don't agree with this when you are dealing with a TKR. Taking one a day I really don't think I am abusing this medication. I guess what I want to know is this - should I just expect to be in discomfort right now and wait for it to heal more or should I get more aggressive and ask for some pain control meds? I actually have an OS appointment tomorrow morning. I guess I want to know if I am just being a baby about this and should just put up with this for now. I know I have read on this forum that some people are off all pain meds much earlier than this. Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Thanks!
I would ask the doc. He may want you to just try extra strength tylenol (2 500 mg pills) and if that doesn't work may give you more tramadol. I was taking only tylenol by 13 weeks, but everyone is different.
Dulcimer Diva
graduate
Do you have a family physician rather than just your surgeon? FPs tend to be a bit more realistic about pain than OSes (so many of whom had been athletes and project their stoicism and body image issues on to patients). If you hurt, you hurt. Every body (literally) is different. Eventually you will find that losing the pain will go a long way towards helping you lose weight.
As to the notation "obese," know that "med-speak" is different from standard English (whether UK or US). "Obesity" has a specific medical definition tied to absolute BMI (body-mass index). BMI is calculated strictly by height and weight--and fails to take into account bone density, muscle mass and fat. Fat weighs less than muscle & bone. So "obese" on your chart does NOT mean "fat" in the colloquial sense! You're only as "fat" as you feel: how your physique affects your mobility, comfort, endurance, other body systems, how your clothes fit and how you feel about yourself. Don't let anyone slap labels on you--and don't misread those labels without understanding what the criteria for them are!
BTW, last year when I had my RTKR, I was 234 lbs. and 63". A blood-lipid-test scare in Jan. caused me to drastically reduce refined carbs and I lost 30 lbs. by this year's surgery date. Now, after my LTKR, I am down to 197 and up to 63.25" due to my legs finally being the same length. And the opioid pain meds may temporarily reduce your cravings for sweets, starches and fats (they all produce endorphins)--which may carry over into your preferences once you're off your pain meds!
As to the notation "obese," know that "med-speak" is different from standard English (whether UK or US). "Obesity" has a specific medical definition tied to absolute BMI (body-mass index). BMI is calculated strictly by height and weight--and fails to take into account bone density, muscle mass and fat. Fat weighs less than muscle & bone. So "obese" on your chart does NOT mean "fat" in the colloquial sense! You're only as "fat" as you feel: how your physique affects your mobility, comfort, endurance, other body systems, how your clothes fit and how you feel about yourself. Don't let anyone slap labels on you--and don't misread those labels without understanding what the criteria for them are!
BTW, last year when I had my RTKR, I was 234 lbs. and 63". A blood-lipid-test scare in Jan. caused me to drastically reduce refined carbs and I lost 30 lbs. by this year's surgery date. Now, after my LTKR, I am down to 197 and up to 63.25" due to my legs finally being the same length. And the opioid pain meds may temporarily reduce your cravings for sweets, starches and fats (they all produce endorphins)--which may carry over into your preferences once you're off your pain meds!
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sophie03
junior member
kneeper and Dulcimer Diva Thanks so much for your responses. I am trying today to go without any pain meds at all. I'm not too miserable but I still have some pain. Maybe I will just try the tylenol and see if that gives me relief. Sandy - I agree with you about the medical definition of obese however I am significantly overweight and know that I would feel so much better if I could take this weight off - and my knee would thank me too! I know I am heading for the other knee to be replaced also and would love to take some wieght off before then so that recovery might be easier. Ah well....everything's a process!
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