TKR February 6 2020 RTKR

Bird lady

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Hello all! Glad to have found this forum. My first week after surgery was not bad.......they have me on
tramadol and Meloxocam round the clock for first 2 weeks which has controlled pain fairly well. I was given oxycodone to take as needed but I have not needed that since postop day 6. I am day 10 postop and just feel very jittery, weak, slightly nauseated, quite teary (having a pity party today!!. I see where everyone says be patient! I am looking for reassurance!
 
Hello @Bird lady - and :welome:

It sounds as if you'e about where most people are at your stage of recovery. It will get better.

Here are our recovery guidelines, to help you:
Knee Recovery: The Guidelines
1. Don’t worry: Your body will heal all by itself. Relax, let it, don't try and hurry it, don’t worry about any symptoms now, they are almost certainly temporary
2. Control discomfort:
rest
ice
take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)​

3. Do what you want to do BUT
a. If it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physical therapist - to do it to you​
b. If your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again.​

4. PT or exercise can be useful BUT take note of these

5. Try to follow this

6. Access to these pages on the website

The Recovery articles:
The importance of managing pain after a TKR and the pain chart
Swollen and stiff knee: what causes it?
Energy drain for TKRs
Elevation is the key
Ice to control pain and swelling
Heel slides and how to do them properly
Chart representation of TKR recovery
Healing: how long does it take?
Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?

There are also some cautionary articles here
Myth busting: no pain, no gain
Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds

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 the 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 the member’s history before providing advice, so please post any updates or questions you have right here in this thread.
 
Hello Bird Lady. You're entitled to a wobble here and there. Not had surgery myself, just trying to support my husband, but feel your concern. Offering a hug to cheer you up. :friends:
 
Hello and welcome Bird lady. The first two weeks are horrid but it does get better. tearfulness is normal, and worrying about the various unexpected aches and pains, along with the expected knee ones. All the advice given above is good.
Lots of hugs. x
 
Hello and welcome Bird lady. The first two weeks are horrid but it does get better. tearfulness is normal, And worrying about the various unexpected aches and pains, along with the expected knee ones.
 
Have you been able to find anything to distract yourself? Focus is tough for a lot of us in those first weeks, even longer for some of us. I watched the Great British Baking Show, which is like the Jane Austen version of reality shows. It was easy and engaging, I also shut down with quiet music and simply followed it in my head like a path by a river.

It’s going to get better.
 
Hello Bird lady, as others have said it does get better. Each day, things seem slightly easier. I am 18 days post op now and although there is a long way to go, I certainly feel slightly better and have slightly more energy each day.
 
Hello, I am 1 day behind you, my surgery was on 2/7. But I’ve done this many times so that even though I have had a few teary moments, I know it will get better. I am also on the same pain regimen with Tylenol as well. Seems to be working well. I am hoping this is the last on the right as I believe I finally got the right doc. Hopefully we can compare progress. My doc. is a bit different in that nothing the first week, simple ROM exercises this week and start full PT next week. Most start full PT day one. So not much pain yet from PT. Good luck and hang in there!
 
Hello Bird Lady! I’m a Feb. 6 RTKR so I’m right there with you. At the moment life is good because I’ve done a few little morning chores, fixed coffee, and am now sitting with knee elevated and iced with Bob, our most senior kitty at almost 17, curled up in my lap.

Everything you describe—tears, frustration, feeling weird or nauseous due to pain meds—is so normal for so many of us. I agree with others—first two weeks are hard.

Since this is my second knee, I have a tentative timeline in my head of when using my stationary bike will become part of my PT and when I can resume swimming and Pilates. Every patient is different and every knee is different so I’m also reminding myself that “progress” and “improvement” may look different with this knee.

Hang in there! Before you know it you’ll be doing things you love —but without knee pain! Makes the long recovery road worthwhile.
 
Thanks for all your responses and support. I stopped taking the Tramadol and Meloxicam and got some Phenergan yesterday which has helped. They also asked if I had been drinking enough water and the answer is probably not! I forced fluids yesterday, rested. This morning I woke up feeling better but with a headache....something else for to worry about then I thought....you need coffee!
Life is good!
 
Hang in there my friend! Very early days for you. Hope your "blues" have eased a bit!
 
I went to my Internal Medicine doctor yesterday because I was still very nauseated, weak, jittery.
She thinks it could be because I did not wean off the opiods and just stopped cold turkey....maybe withdrawal symptons.....she gave we a bag of IV fluids which helped tremendously. Sent me home to take more Phenergan (had been taking since Monday) and sleep.
Today is the best I have felt physically since Sunday. No knee pain just stiffness. Here's to moving forward!!!
 
Sounds like water will help a lot.

It’s nice to have these good days. There will likely be more and more of them.
 
I went to my Internal Medicine doctor yesterday because I was still very nauseated, weak, jittery.
Oh dear - yes it's best to wean off opioids gradually. But I am glad your GP helped to resolve this. Here's to more good days!
 
Glad you are feeling better. Opioids are tough On the body no matter how you come off them. My first two weeks they were hard on my body and I cried a lot too, and not because of pain.

my mantra after surgery was “2 days, 2 weeks, 2 months” (hoping I hat after two months I would be basically up and running). Now at 5 weeks it is better but still have to coach myself every day
 
Hallelujah!!!!!! I am done with week 2!!! It's been rough but finally today the shakes and nausea are gone!!!! Only Aleve and Tylenol for this girl the rest of this journey! My PT said my ROM is very good at this point..... I know there is a long way to go . BUT today I say BRING IT!!!! Good luck to all my recovery friends and have an amazing long Mardi Gras weekend!!
 
Way to go BirdLady. So pleased you're beginning to feel chirpier (see wot I dun there?) :heehee: So sorry you had a rotten time of it with the painkillers.
 
So pleased you are feeling better,nausea is awful isn't it. I am still taking oromorph 2 x daily ( could have 4 x) but hate meds anyway. It does help, I did try to do without yesterday and ended up in a heap. We don't need to inflict more pain. Frustration plays a massive part doesn't it, we do our exercises etc., but why is this taking so long. Great to listen to everyone's stories, onwards and upwards x
 

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