New Zealand
Go easy on all this walking, Doreen! Your knee is still very new. It only needs short walks, and doing too much, too soon won't make it heal faster, but will make it angry and swollen.
TKR Doreen’s Post Op journey
- Thread starter Doreen1063
- Start date
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Doreen1063
member
I took a muscle relaxer and two Tylenol pms at 9:00 last night. Stayed in bed till 4 am...mostly sleeping. Did get up once to potty but eventually up due to pain and stiffness.
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Doreen1063
member
My PT wants me taking lots of 5-10 minutes at a time several times a day but not really able to. I don’t even want to do outpatient pt but dr said 6 weeks of it.
Babushelen
junior member
I hate nights too! So hard to get comfortable and the skin on the surgical leg is so sensitive. There is also the pain after being in a certain position for a while. I’m a side sleeper and love to bend my knees when I sleep. I use pillows between my legs and make conscious decisions to keep my leg straight but that is so hard to do.
My only consolation is that this is temporary. We will get our sleep back. We will be whole again. Everything you describe is part of the journey. Thanks to BoneSmart we don’t have to travel through it alone.
Hugs!!
My only consolation is that this is temporary. We will get our sleep back. We will be whole again. Everything you describe is part of the journey. Thanks to BoneSmart we don’t have to travel through it alone.
Hugs!!
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Doreen1063
member
The Tylenol PM was Very helpful! I actually slept. I mean really slept! I got up cuz my knee was painfully stiff but I stayed in bed about 6-7 hours and then got up for a couple hours and went back to bed for a couple hours. I am tired of sleeping in this hard chair! Lol feeling pretty good.
Carpediem
junior member
You are so lucky to get sleep like that this early! Sensitive skin was keeping me from getting comfortable. I found that a very loosely wrapped ace bandage, no compression, actually helped from the rubbing of my bed covers. I don't do this a lot, just sometimes. I feel so much better when I get a few good hours of sleep.
Babushelen
junior member
@Doreen I haven’t tried Tylenol PM. I did try Aleve PM and it did nothing for me.
Babushelen
junior member
@Capediem I tried the Ace bandage but I had to remove it after an hour or so. It did help for a little while. I’ll have to try it “loosely” as you mentioned.
You do not have to take any PT, no matter what your PT or OS say. You will rehab it just doing your ADL.
Walk around the house as you are able. The PT and OS can’t force you to do anything, especially when you are home and they are not in the house with you!
If you feel you must go to PT to make them happy control the session and don’t do anything there that you feel you can’t. And do not let them force bend your knee!
I understand how you don’t want to have a hassle with your OS about PT. But, if it causes you pain then it is counterproductive. Many members on here have proved a good recovery can happen without PT or painful exercises.
Your OS and PT do not have pain after your sessions, you shouldn’t either!
It’s your knee and you have the right to choose what happens to it. Your knee would love for you to protect it instead of doing things that makes it hurt.
If you feel you must go to PT to make them happy control the session and don’t do anything there that you feel you can’t. And do not let them force bend your knee!
I understand how you don’t want to have a hassle with your OS about PT. But, if it causes you pain then it is counterproductive. Many members on here have proved a good recovery can happen without PT or painful exercises.
Your OS and PT do not have pain after your sessions, you shouldn’t either!
It’s your knee and you have the right to choose what happens to it. Your knee would love for you to protect it instead of doing things that makes it hurt.
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What your PT wants and what your knee wants and needs are two entirely different things.
Your surgeon and your PT are there to advise, but you have the right to choose whether or not to accept their advice. It's your life and your knee.
Saying no to therapy - am I allowed to?
CONSENT: what it means and how it can be used
Listen to your knee and do what keeps it happy. It needs time and gentle treatment, so it can heal after a major surgery. It doesn't need the stress of being forced to do more exercise than it needs.
If you don't want to do out patient PT, then don't do it. Your knee will get all the exercise it needs, just from being used in your activities of daily living.
Walk around several times a day, yes, but don't worry about it being "5 or ten minutes at a time." Your knee will tell you how much. Probably not 10 minutes for a while yet.
I agree with Kneeper. It'll be enough to just walk enough to do your daily activities such as getting a drink and/or a snack, brushing your teeth, taking potty breaks, washing off, such things as these. It is a really good idea to follow the activity guide for your activities of each day left for you in post #3.
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Doreen1063
member
Lots of knee swelling last night. Could not get comfortable no matter what meds I took. Ended up in the recliner in the middle of the night to finish sleeping. Makes for a long day today...still swollen if I get up at all. Tried to take a nap in the bed but the swelling hurt too much. Up to ice and elevate which I don’t think I’m doing very good with elevating.
How are you elevating? My hospital sent me home with wedge to put my leg up on. It wasn’t comfortable at first as the leg is just plain upset.
This is one of the articles you got when you joined Bonesmart. Check it out again:
https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/elevation-the-dos-and-donts.7602/
This is one of the articles you got when you joined Bonesmart. Check it out again:
https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/elevation-the-dos-and-donts.7602/
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Quite a lot of us found that in the first couple of months we slept better in the recliner than in bed. You can elevate you leg while in the recliner, too, by adding pillows underneath your leg and foot.
During this early stage of recovery, sleep where you can, when you can, and how you can. Take daytime naps to make up for sleep lost at night.
During this early stage of recovery, sleep where you can, when you can, and how you can. Take daytime naps to make up for sleep lost at night.
I was back and forth between the bed and the recliner for at least the first couple of months. I took lots of naps, too. Sleep as much as you can. You heal more while you're asleep.
SusieShoes
Former BoneSmart staff member
My OS is really big on walking for rehabbing TKR, and he set out these goals for his patients that I simply could not meet right away. So I figured, “Well, I’m not making that. I’ll just do what I can.” So I walked a little a few times every day, just not anywhere close to what he wanted. And every couple days I’d extend how far I walked. After about six weeks... I was walking as far as he wanted a person at six weeks to be walking!
Slow and steady for the win! Your knee tells you what it is capable of doing. It lets you know if you did too much. And it lets you know if it can do a little more. We all become knee-whisperers in time. Listening to our knees makes recovery less painful and stressful.
When it comes to sleep... sleep wherever is best for you. Whenever you are able. Sleep can be an elusive beast in the first few months. Whatever works is what you do.
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Doreen1063
member
The restlessness and hyper sensitivity is ridiculous! And evenings are the worst. So flippin miserable.
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Doreen1063
member
I just ordered a wedge from amazon. I’ll have to modify it cuz it is the one that is flat on top and it’ll be here Wednesday.
