TKR Greda's recovery story<<

[Jockette]

Maybe it is the weather...has anyone else had a lot of pain in cold weather?

Yes, I have! My knee aches in the cold. Especially, obviously, outside, but also inside if I’m at someone’s house who keeps a much lower temperature than we do at home, and even in the grocery store in the refrigerator section. This did not happen to me before surgery.

Stormy weather makes my knee hurt, also.

 

[Motherbone]

I have pain when the weather changes as well.

 

[Kiwigirl62]

I notice quite a few comments re aches and cold weather going hand in hand. Not experienced but we are now into summer in Australia -i wonder how I'll go next winter.

 

[Jockette]

I notice quite a few comments re aches and cold weather going hand in hand. Not experienced but we are now into summer in Australia -i wonder how I'll go next winter.

Maybe you will be healed enough by them that the weather won’t bother you. Not everyone has this problem.

 

[Greda]

I am still having so much pain. Our temps have been in the single digits every night. The temps are going to increase to the 30s this week and not get quite as cold at night. The pain has been terrible. I had to go grocery shopping yesterday and could hardly walk by the time I got home. Today is a day of icing and elevating. I have had pain since after my OS’s appt on 11/29. I am considering calling my OS. I am having more pain than before the surgery. If things don’t improve when the weather warms up I am going to call my surgeon. I know it is still early in the grand scheme of things but there just doesn’t seem to be much I can do. At times like yesterday I just sucked it up and did the groceries but am paying majorly for it today. Thanks for listening...I am starting to wonder if I made a huge mistake in doing this surgery. I just looked at the calendar and it will be 16 weeks since my surgery on Wed.

 

[Greda]

I guess I am wondering if this pain is anything to worry about. The pain is at the top of my tibia and the end of my femur. Mainly when I am standing or walking but can happen when I am laying down. When it begins I have to take the weight off the leg. I just don’t want to walk. Ice is the only thing that helps. The worst pain feels deep and not in the joint but above and below it. My knee still feels hot all the time. There is a little swelling but not a lot. When I don’t have the bad pain it just aches. I keep wondering if this is a part of healing or should I try and see my surgeon. I keep thinking every night tomorrow will be a better day.

 

[Jockette]

I’m so sorry you still have so much pain.

I am going to tag @Josephine to address your concerns.

 

[Josephine]

Well I have a suspicion what it might be but can you indicate where this pain is by using this chart?

Also I'd really like to offer you some structured advice but in order to do that, I also need to ask you some questions. Are you willing for me to do that?

I would point out that I responded to your answers on these before (post #27) but I've just read through this entire thread and you never made a comment about my advice which leads me to suspect that you never actually read them!

So let's do it again, yes?

 

[Greda]

The pain is my left knee C L3 and L4 and E L3 and L4. It is directly above the knee and below the knee. I did read your answers and made adjustments. My pain management Dr continued giving me Percocet. I stopped taking it for a short period of time because I didn’t need it. I started taking it again when I started have the achy feeling again. At this point it does not help this pain.
I stopped doing all exercises. Have just done ADLs and before this pain started rode my stationary bike a couple times a week. My OS has never measured anything. He eyeballs it and is happy with where I am at.
I would be happy to answer any questions you might have. I truly appreciate all your advice and knowledge.

 

[Josephine]

The pain is my left knee C L3 and L4 and E L3 and L4

Those are not proper references! If you look at the smaller image on the left, you will see that a reference includes the 3 characters from the row across the top and the single letter from the column to the left.

 

[Greda]

Sorry missed the one letter. It is E LF3 and LF4 and C LF4 and LF3. It is like a line on the front of the knee above and below the knee. I have been wondering if it could be tendinitis?

 

[Greda]

@Josephine I am answering your questions hoping for some insight. Again sorry for doing the references wrong.
The area hurting is E LF3 E LF4 and C LF3 and C LF4

1. Pain levels vary. Generally there is an achiness between 3-4. The worst pain in the areas listed above is an 8. The 8 pain happens mostly when standing and walking and on stairs. It can happen when doing nothing late in the day.

2. Percocet 10/325 mg 1 pill every 6 hrs (ends up being 3 a day) I had been able to stop but when the sharp pain started I began taking it again. It does not give much relief.
Tylenol 500 mg 1 pill every 6 hrs (take at same time as Percocet)
Ibuprofen 200mg 2 pills every 6 hrs

3. Moderate

4. My doctor does not measure. I saw him 11/29 and he was happy with my progress. I am able to straighten almost completely. I am able to do everything I need to with my bend.

5. Icing all night long. Lately several hours during the day due to pain. It is the only thing that truly helps.

6. Elevate all night

7. Caring for 4 cats (5 litter boxes, feeding, and cleaning their area), fixing meals for me and for my husband and myself in the evening. Cleaning kitchen, laundry, had been vacuuming and sweeping (stopped last week), our house is a split level so I go up and down stairs multiple times a day. To open and close shades for the window I have to us a step ladder for 3 windows.

8. Rode stationary bike 3 times a week for 10 minutes. (Have had to stop due to more pain while riding due to achiness).
Practicing go up stairs using alternating feet and both hand rails. I was trying this 3-4 times a day on a set of stairs with 7 stairs. (Have had to stop as of 2 weeks ago due to achiness).

9. No PT just ADLs

I thought the achiness was due to the cold weather, then to practicing stairs so stopped 2 weeks ago. Pain just increased from achiness to sharp pain. In my prior post I wondered about tendinitis— I had it before but it was always either above the knee or below the knee never in both places. I am hoping you have some insight on what is going on and what I can do.

 

[Josephine]

1. Pain levels vary. Generally there is an achiness between 3-4. The worst pain in the areas listed above is an 8. The 8 pain happens mostly when standing and walking and on stairs. It can happen when doing nothing late in the day.

Okay

2. Percocet 10/325 mg 1 pill every 6 hrs (ends up being 3 a day)
I had been able to stop but when the sharp pain started I began taking it again. It does not give much relief.
Tylenol 500 mg 1 pill every 6 hrs (take at same time as Percocet)
Ibuprofen 200mg 2 pills every 6 hrs

You know, your pain meds are rather inadequate. You could increase it to the following
Percocet 4 times a day
Tylenol, 2 regular (325mg) 4 times a day.

I would recommend you don't take the ibuprofen as it's not a very effective pain med and also has rather nasty side effects
Medications: acetaminophen (Tylenol, paracetamol) and NSAIDs, differences and dangers
NSAIDs Diclofenac. ibuprofen increase risk of heart problems: new study

3. Moderate

Okay

4. My doctor does not measure. I saw him 11/29 and he was happy with my progress. I am able to straighten almost completely. I am able to do everything I need to with my bend.

Well then I'm happy with it too!

5. Icing all night long. Lately several hours during the day due to pain. It is the only thing that truly helps.
6. Elevate all night

Exactly!

7. Caring for 4 cats (5 litter boxes, feeding, and cleaning their area), fixing meals for me and for my husband and myself in the evening. Cleaning kitchen, laundry, had been vacuuming and sweeping (stopped last week), our house is a split level so I go up and down stairs multiple times a day. To open and close shades for the window I have to us a step ladder for 3 windows.

Okay

Rode stationary bike 3 times a week for 10 minutes. (Have had to stop due to more pain while riding due to achiness).
Practicing go up stairs using alternating feet and both hand rails. I was trying this 3-4 times a day on a set of stairs with 7 stairs.

Nope - stop all that. That's why you have pain.

 

[Greda]

@Josephine
Thank you for your advice. I see the pain clinic Dr on a Friday and will ask him to increase my Percocet. I was doing so much better we had decreased the number of pills I was getting because I was not using them. The new sharp pain is bothering me. I have enough to increase Percocet until Friday. I will increase the Tylenol as well.

 

[Jockette]

Is practicing the stairs foot over foot a new addition to your day?

 

[Greda]

@Jockette
Before all the pain started I noticed I could get up from the couch without using my hands so I thought it would be ok to start practicing on the stairs foot over foot. The main reason for having this surgery was to be able to do stairs because this house has so many stairs. I guess I started trying too soon. All week I have limited everything even going upstairs and downstairs. If I do the stairs I don’t go foot over foot. I am still having pain. I still wonder if it is tendinitis—after every other knee surgery PT usually caused tendinitis. I had hoped I would avoid it but not going to PT...it feels more like that is what is going on. I am at 16 weeks now and am feeling like I am going backwards instead forwards.

 

[Jockette]

I know how it is to try to do something to help us rehab but to have it backfire with another issue, like tendonitis. I’ve been there.

I tried working on foot over foot, also, only to cause myself a week of additional pain.

I can manage foot over foot better if I have a railing in one hand and my cane in the other.

My son has a full flight of stairs to get up to his living level and last time I was there my cane was not available so I went up just one foot at a time, but my non operated leg was a bit upset the next day from having to do each step. Sometimes we just can’t win!

 

[Motherbone]

I had pain over my shin below my knee on the operated side when I first started weight bearing and walking on it. It went away and I think it was like the shin splints I had when I first start running and wasnt conditioned for that activity. Hopefully that is what you are experiencing.

 

[Josephine]

so I thought it would be ok to start practicing on the stairs foot over foot

To be honest, I've found that this comes naturally and it's much better not to try and push it and do it intentionally. I've also noted that ascending returns to normal much before descending.

 

[Greda]

@Motherbone
I had shin splints years ago and it is truly awful. I think it is tendinitis. I didn’t listen when my knee started aching when practicing steps. I thought it was normal achiness due to doing something I had not done before. With resting and icing and increasing meds I have not had that terrible sharp pain today. I had to cut my husband’s hair and did okay. I have to say I wish I never would have started cutting his hair because now it has become “my job”. Icing for the rest of the day.
@Jockette
I thought I was being smart when I practiced the steps on he set that had 2 hand rails one on either side. We have 3 sets of steps in our house with 7-8 steps per staircase. Of course it has been 3 years since I have done steps foot over foot so the tendons are probably shocked that I was trying to do that.