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TKR Ellejay's recovery threads, first and second

Hi there

I am 10 weeks post op and don't need painkillers anymore. I couldn't take Tramadol and coped on co-codamol until around week 6. After that, just paracetamol and have managed fine. Night times are the worst and I would suggest some good reading material. It's not even the pain, just discomfort that wakes you up and then you start to worry and think about everything. I was told to take one day at a time and it works. Just think about the day ahead and nothing else. Do your exercises as advised and keep referring to this site. I think it's fantastic and Josephine is a star. Any worries just ask as there is always someone who is or is going through what you are. Good luck.
 
Hi Ellejay ... Just found your thread and had a read. You are doing so well. You are very relaxed and although you sound as though you have had a couple of "moments" when you have doubted that doing so little was the best, you stuck it out. I am sure this relaxed first couple of weeks will help you enormously with recovery. I must admit one of your posts when you referred to your husband as saying he was viewing it as contributing to your "joint futures" did give me a chuckle :snork: although I am sure you weren't referring to the knee joint.

It was lovely to read such a relaxed and comfortable thread. Keep up the good work (and relaxing).

Take Care ... Ellen :flwrysmile:
 
NetballKnees said:
I must admit one of your posts when you referred to your husband as saying he was viewing it as contributing to your "joint futures" did give me a chuckle :snork: although I am sure you weren't referring to the knee joint.



Take Care ... Ellen :flwrysmile:
Click to expand...
:giggle:

Thanks for that Ellen,no, I hadn't meant to make the pun - but it was good wasn't it? He he.
 
Day 19..... 1st physio session today and I'm exhausted! It was a group session specifically for replacement knee patients, about ten of us with six physiotherapists. They were very gentle and supportive, nobody was forced into anything. We did a circuit of activities for about 40 minutes, this was the first of four weekly sessions, we were given exercises to do at home, some of which I will do, many of which I will wait a couple more weeks. Two pieces of general advice in the leaflet - 1. Continue to take your pain meds :angel: But - 2. Apply ice, wrapped in a damp towel, but for no longer than 10-15minutes twice daily :gaah:. I love my ice and use it all the time.
I got my first measurements after the class - 0-100 which isn't bad.
Hope everyone has a comfortable tonight.
 
Hi Ellejay ... 100 - not bad????? It's fan-blooming-tastic. And already straight and flat - well done. I wish I could do this to congratulate you :dancy: but I still can't move that well, so I will do this instead :spin:.

I'm sure you would be exhausted after physio - first you have to get there and then do the exercises and then go home. I like the sound of the group physio though. Nothing like that was ever mentioned or offered to me. Not sure if it is available in other states or hospitals.

I hope you have a good night's sleep after your physio day.

Take Care ... Ellen
 
Thanks Ellen, do you know I had the best nights sleep since my operation, it will get to the stage where I'm looking forward to the physio class!!!!!
I think I've been very lucky to be offered a place on the class, it is a long way from my home but none of my local hospitals seem to offer anything like this. The big puzzle is WHY I was offered a place in the first place, it could have been that the physiotherapist at the hospital I had the TKR done recommended me but I don't know. I was the youngest one on the class, and some of the others were really struggling, it made me realise how lucky I was to go into the whole procedure relatively fit and well.
I'm having a very lazy day today, it's lunch time and I've only just come downstairs. A friend is going to call round later to take me out to have a cup of tea - I've never been so spoilt as I've been for the past few weeks, but we've been through a lot and we deserve it don't we?
I do hope your recovery is going well. Is it hot where you are? It has rained here for weeks and weeks, luckily it's not been too cold, we have that joy to look forward to. I'm glad I had the operation done at this time of the year, at least it's acceptable to sit watching a DVD during the afternoon now.
Take care, xx
 
Three weeks today, although it has been incredibly boring, it has also gone very quickly. I celebrated with my first solo outing - I walked to the village shops to buy the newspaper all on my own and I felt very brave. I met a few neighbours who were surprised to see me up and about so that was good for my ego.
I had my first full, hot, soapy shower yesterday, no dressing at last, it was sheer bliss. But I realise I need to take care, this morning the wound was very slightly open, so I've applied a steri strip and covered it up again.
I bought myself a small exercise peddler to use two or three times a day, I can't use my bike yet, but because I can lie back in my chair & pedal I can do the full rotation. I find that as I am gradually doing more, then sometimes my knee is slightly more uncomfortable, it doesn't swell as I elevate and ice immediately after any exercise. I am taking paracetamol during the day and Tramadol at night, should I start using the Tramadol more during the day - any advice? It does make me sleepy but that's not a problem, I just doze whenever I feel tired, and I'm sleeping quite well at night now.
 
ADVICE PLEASE.......3 weeks after RTKR ......
I have Tramadol and paracetamol, to be taken 'as required'????
Now I'm doing a little more, over the weekend, I found myself in pain - probably level 6-7 -for the first time, obviously I haven't got my meds quite right for a (slight) increase in activity - ie from nothing to just starting to potter, and to do a few more exercises. When, how often and how many should I be taking? I have been taking 2 x paracetamol (500mg) 4 times during the day and the Tramadol (50mg) at bedtime and once during the night. I am still resting, icing and elevating most of the day.
 
Hi Ellejay - It is early in your recovery. In my opinion you need more medication. Try taking the tramadol during the day too. I always took my medication on a schedule - every four hours no matter what. I was on percocet two every three hours which i took that way for five weeks. I stopped them shortly after five to six weeks but then took Vicodin And ice as much as you can. To me icing and elevating was they key to reducing pain. Don't be afraid to try the tramadol during the day! Good luck!
 
Thank you so much Jozilla, I'm really grateful for your reply. I can't understand how badly this operation has affected my confidence in myself to make decisions - I was an assistant headteacher, used to running my entire department, but now I can't even decide on my paInkillers. I will increase the Tramadol during the day and see how it goes. I've just spent the last half an hour with my legs up the wall and ice strapped to my knee, so hopefully that will give me a good start to the day, I'm just heading off to the recliner and a good book. Thank you again.
 
It is funny what pain can do to you. Everyone I have spoken to about this surgery says it is the most difficult thing they ever did. I really did nothing in the house until six or seven weeks. I was just exhausted. I ended up very anemic which is finally better. It is hard to think of anything when you are in pain - it was hard deciding which bad tv show i wanted to watch. It didn't matter as my concentration level was so bad i did not have the attention span to do a crossword puzzle! Finally at the seven week mark it was like someone switched a switch and I felt so much better. I felt like cooking and cleaning and i had the energy and lack of pain to do it. Today at eight weeks is my first week back to work. I do feel almost normal. I am an office manager and can sit or stand as long as I need to. Remember everyone is different and every knee is different. Take your time in your recovery and do not rush anything. Mostly take care of yourself
 
Well I've done very little today, a friend visited this morning but I still elevated and iced whilst she was chatting, and then I visited my elderly Dad this afternoon, but again kept my leg raised and took my cryo cuff with me. I've done nothing at all in the house, taken Tramadol during the day and have had no pain, so hopefully I can get back on track now.
 
Sounds good.
 
Hello @Nana moon 27, @yiayia3, @dogwheels, @glazed151, @NetballKnees and everyone else,
Reading other threads, today seems to have been a shopping day for a few of us. A friend took me to our local M&S, supposedly for a coffee, but we ended up walking around far too much, and my poor knee was screaming for ice by the time we got home, but it was lovely to get out and I got some bargains.
Yesterday's group physio session went well, there were eight of us in the class, all basically at the same stage after our TKRs with three physiotherapists, everyone is really nice and we can encourage each other. I discovered that one of the other ladies had her operation on the same day as me and was actually just four rooms away from me in the same hospital! We are certainly not pushed too far, in fact I was told I should only be walking for five minutes at a time, I'm sure I can do a bit more than that (oops, I did a lot more than that this afternoon).
I am envious of those of you who can do hydrotherapy, or use pools in the sunshine. my OS said not to go swimming until he sees me for my six week check, so two more weeks to go, not that I fancy going to my local public pool, it would be horrid coming out of the pool into the cold and really wet weather we are having here.
I hope everyone has a good evening / day / sleeps well and continues with good recoveries.
 
Hi @Ellejay I'm sorry not that much from me. I'm not well asthma playing up think I caught virus off my grown up kids they came with on Saturday. Weather defo not helping. I'm glad you got some bargains though. I managed to get a half reasonable ice pack and holder from Lloyd's chemist. Far superior to the one I have been using which melts in no time at all. I'm glad you're physio went well. I hope you sleep well and recover well. Speak tomorrow!!!!!
 
Really sorry you're not feeling too good @Nana moon 27, I won't keep you now, just to say I' m thinking of you, hope you manage to get a good nights sleep, see you here tomorrow for a chat xx
 
Hi @Ellejay I'm a tad better today but I cancelled physio, which is rotten cos I enjoy the class x thought it made more sense to rest and relax and allow myself to get well x x x
 
Bizarrely I did sleep eventually after doing more limericks on the social games site...hilarious xxxx
 
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