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TKR Coming up on 9 weeks...

The first 6 weeks is the toughest period. The next six are better but you're still recovering.
You mention icing at work. Is there a refrigerator you can keep some gel packs in? It's challenging to ice at work, but do try it, at least on your lunch break.
 
hatingthis said:
Heading to the doctors this week for post op check in which will bring me to almost 7 weeks. My hope is that he can recommend a different pain management as taking Tylenol and Ibuprofen is reeking havoc on my stomach and well in the long run will lead to other problems.
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If you're getting stomach problems it most likely is the ibuprofen and it would be a good idea to stop taking it even before you see your doctor. The suggestions in a previous post for using Extra Strength Tylenol were right on target and if you're not taking them on a set schedule, please do that. It makes a difference. Don't wait until you start to hurt or you're always playing catch up with the pain. It actually takes more pain medication to manage pain this way than if you keep a constant amount in your system.

If the Extra Strength Tylenol does not get your pain under control, explain that to your doctor when you see him this week. See if he thinks Tramadol would be suitable for you. It can work quite well with the Tylenol. Another thing to consider is slowing your exercises down a bit to every other day and just letting your activities of daily living (with some gentle bends and stretches thrown in during the day) be your exercise on the "off" days. Remember....ANY activity is exercise for your new knee. You are more likely increasing your movement around the house and maybe even out for an errand or two. You don't always need to do that and formal exercises too. Even the smallest amount of swelling in your very compact knee capsule can result in pain. Ice is helpful as much as you can, as is elevation. The idea is to keep both pain and any swelling at bay.
 
Thank you! I appreciate your advice and thoughts...I will attempt just the Tylenol for now and see how it goes. If in fact that does not help, I will also ask my doc about the Tramadol...
 
Thank you Chicklet! I'll keep you posted as to how my first week back to work goes....Hopefully it won't be too bad as my students are not due to come back until the following week.

Have a great day and thank you again!
 
Well had my post op checkup and according to doc all is well! Have a picture of the bionical that has taken the place of my original and by all accounts looks good. Doc says, and I will hold him to it, "6 weeks from now you will be glad you did this!" Ummm, I for sure hope so......!

That being said, here I sit, at 2:53 a.m. because I gave up the battle with sleep and came downstairs....:( This for me is the hardest thing, lack of sleep. Pain and discomfort throughout the time I try to sleep. I keep doing all the things mentioned here, but try as I may, just can't get the relief. Hoping this will change over time, but would love for that to move a bit faster.

Once again, thank you all for the great advice, but most of all for helping me to know that all that I am feeling is not so out of the ordinary. Time is what I need and in that time it will get better.
 
Sorry you couldn't get to sleep. Sounds like the OS is pleased with the result though and that you will be glad of having done it in another 6 (long!) weeks. Hang in there!
 
@hatingthis Hi, i still don't sleep through the night, it does get better though, just go with the flow and you'll feel better. My TKR was in January and MUA in March, i sometimes wonder why i'm still in pain but just come on the forum and it makes me realise i'm actually OK :)
 
Sorry to see you didn't sleep well. I know that feeling. I am often awake at 2am frustrated. Other nights I sleep sound. I slept last night but the night before I was awake until about 3.30am. Just couldn't get my knee in a comfy position. Hopefully we will all get back to normal as the healing continues.
 
I do sleep more or less OK but wake up at odd times in the night. What is it about 3.30ish?! Somethings waking us!
 
I've always been a night owl, so going to sleep at midnight or 1 a.m. isn't uncommon. Since my surgery, I find it hard to fall asleep before 3 am, and then I wake up a few hours later needing my next dose of pain meds. What I've just started to do is tweak my schedule for the Tylenol so I take it about an hour before bed, and then I set an alarm to wake me a little before I'm due for the next dose. That way I can take it before the pain kicks in and if it's set out next to my bed with a cup of water I may do it without quite waking fully. It's worked the last couple of nights and I'm feeling SO much better from the extra rest!
 
I really appreciate being part of this forum. It has made me realize that what I went through was completely normal.
We all question the wisdom of our decision to have the surgery in the first 2 to 3 weeks post op and feel ratty for the first month or so. It is really comforting and inspiring to hear everyone else's story and progress reports!
 
Well back to work these past few days!.....Can't say that it has been easy, but I'm thankful to my colleagues for all their help and support. The knee is holding up during the day, but by the time I get home the pain is amped up and swelling to the max. I know eventually this will subside, but right now, I am struggling to get past that part. I am just soooo tired of being tired, and having constant pain.....Hoping that what my doctor says is true and that the next 6 weeks I'll be glad that I had this done. Here's hoping!
 
@hatingthis, this too will pass! Although you may think I’m crazy, I’m serious when I say that keeping your thoughts and focus on the long term positive outcome and minimizing the focus on the short-term discomfort and frustrations will go a long way to getting to the point your OS is trying to get you to.

Lack of sleep was a big challenge and frustration for me. I must have spent at least 4 or 5 weeks sleeping either in my recliner, on the sofa, or in the spare room because I was constantly getting up after only an hour or so. Sometimes I let it get to me and I’d get short tempered with loved ones around me, but they also held me accountable for it. That helped me refocus my attention where it needed to be rather than where I wanted it to be at that time.

You will get there! Not maybe, not hopefully, but definitely, positively will! By the end of August into early September you will look back and be proud of what you accomplished and be glad you did! Life with your new knee is going to be great! Just believe it!
 
Well, I am getting to the 9 weeks mark.....I was hoping to be a bit more pain free, but this RTKR is unwilling or has other ideas. While the pain is different, it is still pain none the less and this girl is getting so tired of it. I continue to follow and stay above the pain with over the counter pain relief and icing. I bring my ice packets to work, and elevate even there. Once my students come back in a few days, I'm sure they will get a big kick out of my icing antics....

Looking for any additional suggestions or thoughts on how to alleviate constant ache if there are any. I am walking throughout the day, going to PT 2x's a week, but still, not able to say yet, I am pain free. Sometimes, I am feeling as if something is not right in there.
 
Hello @hatingthis - and :welome:

Unfortunately, recovery from a knee replacement takes a long time - as long as a full year for complete recovery, although you will feel much better long before that. If you think of it as a race, it's more like a marathon than a sprint.

So, it's still early days and there is lots of time for improvement.

We try to keep the forum a positive and safe place for our members to talk about their questions or concerns and to report successes with their joint replacement surgery.

While members may create as many threads as they like in a majority of BoneSmart's forums, we ask that each member have only one recovery thread. This policy makes it easier to go back and review history before providing advice.
 
hatingthis said:
I am walking throughout the day, going to PT 2x's a week, but still, not able to say yet, I am pain free
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Walking and PT won't help to reduce pain.
hatingthis said:
Sometimes, I am feeling as if something is not right in there.
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It feels odd for ages, but it gradually gets better and better. Very unlikely there's anything wrong.
 
@hatingthis
You'll notice that I have merged your newest thread with your original recovery thread. For several reasons, we prefer that you only have one recovery thread:
  • That way, we have all your information in one place. This makes it easier to go back and review your history before providing advice.
  • If you keep starting new threads, you miss the posts and advice others have left for you in the old threads, and some information may be unnecessarily repeated
  • Having only one thread will act as a diary of your progress that you can look back on.
So please post any updates, questions or concerns about your recovery here. If you prefer a different thread title, just post what you want and we'll get it changed for you.
If you need an urgent response to a question, just tag a member of staff.
How to tag another member; how to answer when someone tags you

Here are the instructions on finding your thread, How can I find my threads and posts? . Many members bookmark their thread, so they can find it when they log on.
 
Most of us do not start to feel better until the 3 - 4 month mark, you still have a ways to reach this early part of recovery. Our soft tissue will continue to heal over the next year+, getting better and better with time.
 
Work, walking and PT twice a week! That's a lot. What would happen if you dropped the PT?Apart from anything else it must be difficult to fit into your busy weeks.
 
@hatingthis, I’m just past 4 months and I still have aches! The pain is different, definitely not the sharp intense bone on bone pain before surgery. This is more of a general deep ache more associated with the muscles and other tissues still healing from the trauma of surgery. Each week it gets better. By one year, I expect it to be completely gone. Most times I don’t notice it at all. You will get there too. Just stay positive.
 
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