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TKR Dealing with RLS after TKR<

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@Softtail, I guess I’m the odd man out :flabber:. I had the same flexible, waterproof bandage covering (mine almost had a foam like appearance though), and I think I was told to remove it between a week and 10 days. Maybe it’s because I didn’t have stitches or staples, my incision was glued. I know I really liked that type of covering as it was flexible and didn’t seem to bother me by causing itching or anything.

I think I’ve got pics of mine posted also. If not I’m my post, then with all the other scar pics.
 
I was told to purchase a second one and replace it on day 8, the second one was removed Day 15 when my staples were removed. They were great, waterproof so could shower from the start. I suspect each surgeon has their own recommendations so if you weren’t told otherwise don’t worry.
 
I had no bandage from the start and I’m doing ok. My first post op appointment is on Monday.


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Looks like I didn’t make a big screw up then. Would have been back in office day 14(yesterday) but surgeon wasn’t available , so off it comes Monday. Feel a lot better about it now ,so thanks everyone.
As for day 14, sleep tonight was best yet. I wake up 1.5 to 3 hours, use toilet , take pain pill at 2 am n attempt to go back to sleep. Was like clockwork last night with added benefit of nearly no pain throughout night, which is first. Gotta love it. Will still followpain schedule thru till Monday then will attempt to drop oxy during day.
 
You can't buy a good night's sleep! What a blessing!:sleep:
 
@Softtail, how does the TED hose feel over the suture sight? I'm concerned about that. Also, I'm not sure I can bend my knee enough o get the TED hose on? Does the dressing that is waterproof irritate your skin?
 
Cementless my TED actually comes up just over bottom 3 inches of sutures and over the dressing there is no sensation at all. My wife helps putting on the hose, so I don’t really have to bend. It would be a bit of challenge done alone on bad leg in beginning so hope you have help. Either way put it on by first pitting plastic bag over foot . This allows the hose to slide on much easier since it is tight. Once on pull thy plastic bag out the bottom of foot. The dressing itself is definitely waterproof and did not irritate my leg at all. Only thing I had was elevated sensitivity just outside the dressing by my knee, (nerves coming back to life here I would expect) ,but that has settled down. Hope this helps. Bandage sticks like glue and is not uncomfortable at all for me other than slight tightness when knee is bent, but that may just be due to suture itself.
 
Softtail said:
Start of day 13, and after 3 days of trying to sleep in my bed, I finally gave up and returned to my trusty couch.
Now as my recovery continues ,for those that follow, please remember that along with my LTKR, I suffer from severe RLS. The disease is not deadly, there is no cure, but my quality of sleep is reduced, adding this to the sleep problems brought on by the operation, sleeping is definetly a challenge. So why the couch over the bed ? It restricts me from flopping around like a fish out of water while sleeping. My wife describes my sleeping pattern as someone through out night going thru epileptic fits. I can frequently have all my pillows thrown about the bed and end up twisted up in a ball. All this obviously not good for a leg that has just been reassembled. I can get on couch , get my leg elevated, and kind of wedge myself in ,and get 1to 3 hours of sleep at a crack , and wake up pretty much in the same position I set myself up in. Again I am passing this info along to any fellow recovery members , or those preoperative ,that may also suffer from RLS. Honestly it was the worry of how I would deal with the aftermath of surgery with RLS ,that kept me from pulling the trigger sooner. So far it’s been manageable, but there are some moments at night when the symptoms kick in , that push the recovery process right to edge. That said ,no regrets that I finally pulled trigger, and I will do right knee down the road, just wish I could deal with this without the RLS, but we all have our crosses to bear.
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I have RLS also, it doesn't sound quite so severe as yours but it's definitely something to factor in. I have found that sleeping in my recliner keeps me kind of bundled up and the surgical leg stays where it belongs. Now I've got a PT telling me "no recliners" and I think I've found The Holy Grail for my own issues ~ I'm getting good sleep. I think I'm going to listen to myself unless someone else can tell me why a recliner, something that works, is worse for me?
 
Softtail said:
a central bandage strip,encased in a rubber/latex like waterproof cover With a total width of around 4 inches wide. It looks like it’s a type of bandage that definitely wasn’t meant to be changed early on. I am almost certain my instructions were to leave it on till I saw the doctor ,
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It sounds just like my bandage, except mine was removed - along with staples - at one week post surgery. It was kind of padded, there was a layer of thin plastic that was very adherent over the whole thing. No seeping, no yuckies. They replaced that cushy bandage with steri strips that I am to just let fall off as they do, and my scar looks amazing at just 11 days post surgery!
 
Softtail said:
This may seem like a foolish question ,and I wish I had asked it earlier, but just got to thinking if I have screwed something up. My operation was done in upstate NY, and I left the hospital with a dressing covering my incision , unlike any I have seen before. I would describe it as a central bandage strip,encased in a rubber/latex like waterproof cover With a total width of around 4 inches wide. It looks like it’s a type of bandage that definitely wasn’t meant to be changed early on. I am almost certain my instructions were to leave it on till I saw the doctor ,who would remove it and stitches 14-17 days,( which is Monday). Again this may be redundant since it just dawned on me to ask this question 2 days beforeStaple removal, but just got to thinking about it and wondered if any other new TKR recipients have this type of dressing an d were told to leave on till staple removal? I hope answer is yes , otherwise no idea whatincision will look like post removal.
On my side there is no soreness, redness, or any kind of seepage that has escaped the dressing, and my temperature is normal, so it is what it is for now, but would sure like some assurance if anyone has left hospital with similar dressing
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My surgeon's PA told me to leave the dressing on (looks similar to yours) until my follow up visit, this Monday, 9/24. Although, from my recovery thread, you can see I got a sneak peek yesterday. Hopefully, it comes off on Monday.
 
Shanari said:
I have RLS also, it doesn't sound quite so severe as yours but it's definitely something to factor in. I have found that sleeping in my recliner keeps me kind of bundled up and the surgical leg stays where it belongs. Now I've got a PT telling me "no recliners" and I think I've found The Holy Grail for my own issues ~ I'm getting good sleep. I think I'm going to listen to myself unless someone else can tell me why a recliner, something that works, is worse for me?
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I've been sleeping in my bed since I got home, but wondered if the confinement of a recliner might be better for me. My doctor's PA said I could sleep in bed, on my side (sooooo key) if I wanted to, with a pillow between my knees, if I could tolerate it. It's a bit of a "groan" project to shift positions once or twice a night, but seems to be working.
 
I do envy those not suffering from RLS in that they can ,for the most part, go to sleep in one position and pretty much wake up in same position next morning. Trying to sleep in bed just didn’t work since moving would send that pain shockwave down my leg and wake me up. Once I can twist n turn the new leg again without pain, I will return to bed. How long from now remains to be seen.
I was able to turn on my side a bit last night, and that was nice since I am a side sleeper.
Anyway fellow RLS sufferers, at least this is doable
 
@Shanari, I wouldn’t worry about what your PT said about sleeping in a recliner! I slept in mine for at least two, maybe three weeks with no issues! If I wasn’t there, I was in a spare bed (futon) in our computer room. My issue wasn’t RLS, just unable to sleep the entire night during the early weeks of recovery and didn’t want my getting up throughout the night bothering my wife.
 
Yea Navy bothering the wife part came into play too. She has to go to work, and take care of me, so I told her she needs her sleep, and that wasn’t happening with me bouncing around every hour or so, and back to couch I go.

One more day and it will be 17 days post op and out come the staples. Looking forward to seeing how this bad boy (incision lol) is coming along.
 
When those staples come out you will feel so much better! I hated that pulling pain from those things and when they came out if was wonderful!
 
@Softtail, I remember when I finally got the staples removed from my abdominal surgery the second time. Had over 50 of them! Felt so great to get them out, but I have to admit I didn’t care for the process although I’d already been through it once before. I was so glad when I found out my OS used glue for the external closure. No staples, no stitches! Yea! A side benefit? My knee scar is barely visible, almost to the point that many people don’t realize I’ve had PKR unless I tell them, even when wearing shorts.

Hope your removal goes real well tomorrow. Your knee will feel so much better afterwards!
 
I'm almost 3 weeks post op. my left knee revision was on the 6th but I went to a rehab after I got out of the hospital due to I drive a semi truck for a living and have no permanent residence. I enjoy reading everyones recovery stories and see how they are doing compared to me. I'm on dilaudid 4mg for pain but inly take 1 before therapy and 1 at bedtime. Tylenol 1000mg every 6 hrs as well
 
Sistersinhim : yes really want to get this bandage off and see what’s what. Bandage in gauge area has one small dark spot on it which I assume is a spot where some bleeding may have occurred or possibly a staple came loose or out, and bled a little.
Either way will know tomorrow.
 
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