TKR Had my rt tkr Feb 1st.

[sistersinhim]

I don't know why the nights are so different.

Increased pain at night is usually caused by a few things. The number one cause is usually doing too much during the day and shows up when you finally try to relax. Another thing is your body has slowed down, along with your mind, so you aren't concentrating on anything, just trying to rest. This makes the pain more obvious and noticeable.

Try slowing down your activities during the day for a few weeks and see if that helps with your pain at night.

 

[beachy]

You're 3 1/2 weeks post op. For me that was a weird place to be. The pain is changing from stabbing post op pain to tight, heavy leg. You may be inclined to add more chores to you ADLs or just push yourself a bit more without realizing it. I did. DON'T DO THATYou need to keep icing, resting, elevating.

And the nights were very restless.
Ealinggran ( I think) mentioned that I took Gabapentin for zingers. I had them, but they were so brief. I think you have to let it build up in your system a bit. The gabapentin.

I'm 6 1/2 weeks now. We both get new numbers on Wednesdays. Its still a weird place, but not as bad as 3 1/2 weeks. Right now I'm icing and elevating most of the time from a visit to ODIC.
I'm sleeping better now most nights.
You will feel better as time goes on.

 

[myellenbee]

Thank you all so much for your help. @beachy you put it well. The pain is more heavy and stiff now, less sharp. And I had started doing more a few days ago and have backed off. The last 2 nights were better- funny how that works.

 

[beachy]

When we tkr veterans say it's a rollercoaster.....

Docs do not prepare patients for this. They see us at a few intervals for check ups. They have no idea how much pain, frustration and worry we've gone through. Then, some docs, want us off pain meds too early in spite of pushing for early ROM and pt.
Sorry for the rant! If you're resting, icing, elevating A LOT, you'll feel better gradually.

---

 

[Axx72]

Slow and steady wins the race. Recovery ups and downs suck but in the long run if you stay consistent with exercise, icing and rest it will get better.

 

[Layla]

Hi myellenbee! I hope you're having a good week
It's a special day, Happy One Month Anniversary, enjoy!
@myellenbee

 

[Can can girl]

The good news is my bp is continuing to slowly go back down! I do miss the pain relief the NSAIDs gave though.
My main problem is the nights have gotten very hard. I can be very tired but cant fall asleep. Im taking a pain pill at night but it seems like the shooting pains are worse, to the point of restlessness. I do take a nap most days after PT or a shower those I drop off easily. I don't know why the nights are so different.

I had my left TKR done early Feb. I’m five weeks post op. Last night I couldn’t sleep until 03.20. Just couldn’t get knee in a good position. No pain just restless.Such a shame as yesterday I felt great and other three nights had slept all night. Maybe walked a bit further than usual yesterday - but I don’t walk far anyway.

I find showering and washing hair to be quite tiring. Lying on the bed now to rest after that ‘marathon’. In fact I couldn’t wait to get the towel on me and lie on the bed to recover. It makes me feel useless but I take note of what gets said on here. The body using all its reserves to heal our knee so we have to be prepared for the tiredness. Although let’s be honest if we could get a decent nights sleep every night each day would be so much easier to deal with.

I have a ‘knee buddy’ and she is suffering some as you. Some nights she is awake all night or gets a hour then wakes up. She is desperate to sleep.

If I had to choose one thing that I find the hardest out of this operation then it’s got to be the sleep deprevation.

Pre op I thought I was quite clued up but I didn’t realise what a long haul this is for recovery - but I do now

So today no walking just going to rest and have a nap when I need to.

 

[myellenbee]

Question. I'm 5 1/2 weeks out from my rt tkr and overall Im doing well with walking and ROM and comparatively mild swelling, but I'm having a lot of sharp and burning pain at the top of my shin all the time. Is this normal? I'm still needing pain pills mainly from that. I do still have persistent shin brushing on my shin but that is just tender to touch.

 

[sistersinhim]

It doesn't matter when or where you sleep as long as you sleep. In my first month or so I was taking naps like crazy. I'd fall asleep after breakfast, after lunch, and after dinner. (Of course, I was alone, so preparing these meals wore me out!) I tried a couple of days to not nap and my nighttime sleeping was still bad, so the naps were actually helping my body to recover the trauma it had been through. This chart shows what our bodies are doing to heal our knees the first few months. No wonder we've so tired! Energy drain for TKRs

 

[sunnyphoenix]

Good morning,

I can't help but respond to your challenges about sleeping. My tkr was done March 31st of last year and it was mid-May before I actually slept in my bed. Oh, I tried, night after night, but couldn't get comfortable and was usually up within an hour, settling into my man's huge recliner. Sometimes I slept for a few hours, sometimes a few minutes, then haunted the house walking around with my walker, wandering int my scrapbook room at 2:00 AM. I decided to start a project and by the end of six weeks I had made more than 30 "happy" greeting cards which we took to an assisted living facility later. The first night I went to bed AND STAYED until daylight was the day I realized I might recover from this assault on my knee. It still took until January 31st of this year before I could truthfully say to myself, "I'm glad I had the surgery." By this time my hip had started hurting and had been diagnosed as bone-on-bone with arthritis, so I get to look forward to new surgery on April 27th.

The one thing about which I am determined is that I refuse to live with pain if it can be eliminated. I will not be dependent on aspirin or canes or walkers if there is a remedy. In spite of having had polio as a baby and always walking "funny," I did so without pain until my knee started hurting two years before it was replaced. I made a pact with myself to not someday say, "I wish I had done that (surgery) years sooner than I did." Life is too short and I have to many things to accomplish during my remaining years.

Bottom line, sleep is vital, but the pattern probably changes for most people after surgery and it's one more thing of which to be made aware ahead of time (I wasn't). But, our bodies adjust for the time being and before long we can return to normal and sleep throughout the night.

 

[Jockette]

but I'm having a lot of sharp and burning pain at the top of my shin all the time. Is this normal?

Yes, this early in recovery you are going to feel pains here, there, and everywhere, and sometimes it will feel like “every day is a surprise!” (that’s a quote from a good friend of mine)

Hang in there, better days are coming!

 

[myellenbee]

Thanks for all the encouragement. Sleep deprivation and crazy random pain being normal helps.
On a good note, at exactly 6 weeks, due to the need to see a specialist for my daughter this week, we had a drive of 3 hrs each way an 3 hrs with doc. Such a long day and I was totally wiped out. BUT when we got out of the car each time although the knee hurt from stiffness the intense bone on bone pain I used to have after sitting was gone! I know it has been missing but, sitting in the car a long time hadn't come up yet and I was primed for the agonizing first 10 steps after a drive and it didn't happen! First time I've hit the I'm glad I had the surgery!

 

[beachy]

That's great! But, be aware that the long drive may cause some discomfort tomorrow. I'd do pre-emptive ice and elevation just in case.
Hope all is ok with your daughter.

 

[sistersinhim]

First time I've hit the I'm glad I had the surgery!

Yippee and Yay! That makes it all worthwhile!

 

[Layla]

First time I've hit the I'm glad I had the surgery

Wising you many more of these moments soon!
Happy Two Month Anniversary! Enjoy the weekend.
@myellenbee