TKR Has anyone had nausea

[Nomorearthritis]

Hi first post. I had my knee replacement on 3 January and now three weeks on I haven’t taken any medication for about a week. I had a little nausea after the op and then again a few days after coming home, and my doctor prescribed anti nausea meds which seemed to help and it disappeared. I was on blood thinners and morphine which I know can be a problem. It has now come back again and I’m not on any medication - it’s very mild and low level but enough to make me feel a bit off. Has anyone else had this problem three weeks on.

 

[LemonCheesecake]

Hi Nomorearth, for me nausea over-the-counter was recommended to have at home after surgery. I needed to take Pepto Bismol in the early weeks. I can relate to your feeling of "a bit off". Sounds like you are doing just fine considering you are only three weeks out.

 

[sistersinhim]

@Nomorearthritis, welcome to Bonesmart! Nausea is a common complaint after this surgery. After such a traumatic, major surgery your whole body is affected. It takes months for things to settle back down. I found that anti-motion pills helped me through the nausea. I think your body's weakness adds to all the other things it's going through and nausea is a byproduct of it all.

Protein stays in your stomach longer and might help you fight that tummy distress. Try eating more of that. I hope you can find relief.

 

[benne68]

it’s very mild and low level but enough to make me feel a bit off. Has anyone else had this problem three weeks on.

Sorry you are dealing with this. For me, that low-level queasiness would come and go for about a month. In addition to the suggestions above, I kept some plain saltine crackers at hand and would munch on one or two whenever my stomach felt queasy.

 

[beachy]

I have some nausea occasionally. I thought maybe it was from the meds. I also get cramps in lower intestines. My gut has been off since tkr 2 1/2 weeks ago.

 

[beachy]

And I threw up all the home from the hospital and when I was taking meloxicam. I will do anything to keep from vomiting. Ugh.

 

[EalingGran]

@beachy Sorry to hear that.
Some of the meds can make you feel really sick. Hope it wasn't a long journey and you are feeling better now?
I sometimes used to get that with the naproxen, even when taking omeprazole and taking it with food.

 

[beachy]

@EalingGran
Thanks, yes, feeling better. Stopped the meloxicam. And I make sure to take the other loop meds with food.

 

[Layla]

I hope you’re feeling better, Nomorearthritis.
Best Wishes for a nice weekend and Happy One Month Anniversary!
@Nomorearthritis

 

[Nomorearthritis]

HI Layla. Yes I am feeling much better thank you, and the nausea just suddenly disappeared. I had hydrotherapy during the week which was great, but made me realise that my other leg (right) is very weak and probably needs a lot more work. It kept floating away. I had an op 11 years ago to remove a tumour in my pelvis, which resulted in 6 cm being cut out of my sciatic nerve which has left me with drop foot and nerve damage down the back of my leg. I hope to get that knee replaced in time (its a year long wait here in the U.K., so I had my left knee done privately). but it’s a slower recovery than normal as I don’t actually have a good leg to rely on at the moment! The physios and hydrotherapist have been great and no-one has pushed me to do more than I’m capable of. You have a good weekend too.

 

[volLady]

Hi first post. I had my knee replacement on 3 January and now three weeks on I haven’t taken any medication for about a week. I had a little nausea after the op and then again a few days after coming home, and my doctor prescribed anti nausea meds which seemed to help and it disappeared. I was on blood thinners and morphine which I know can be a problem. It has now come back again and I’m not on any medication - it’s very mild and low level but enough to make me feel a bit off. Has anyone else had this problem three weeks on.

Yes! I was sick for almost 2 weeks after surgery. Someone told me it was the nerve block and putting you to sleep that causes it. I had GA then instead of a epidural.

 

[Nomorearthritis]

Hi everyone. I’m six weeks on from my op on 3 Jan. Well this is a familiar story and not one I thought I would be writing! I saw my physio this week (I hadn’t seen her for about 3 weeks as I’ve been having hydrotherapy and she was off sick one week). She measured my bend and extension and I was 95 on one and she said the other was 13 off what it should be. I’m not very familiar with all these figures and not sure which relates to the bend and which to the extension, but she said I hadn’t made any progress in the weeks since I last saw her. I do the gentle exercises they gave me when I came out of hospital and I’m walking around on one crutch now. When she saw me doing the exercise on the bottom step (lunging forward with my knee bent and then leaning back and stretching out the leg) she was surprised I wasn’t putting more into it. I hadn’t pushed myself at all. She says I need to push myself a bit more and MUA was mentioned - “and we don’t want that do we”. She is very pleasant and hasn’t been pushy or touched me at all, but I got the impression that I’m not as far along with my ROM as I should be. So I started pushing myself doing this exercise at home for the last three days, and my knee which wasn’t swollen, has now swelled up and is quite painful. So I’m having to go back to icing which I had stopped. I know the answer will be stop doing this as my knee obviously doesn’t like it, but how do I improve my ROM if I’m not exercising. I’m seeing the consultant on Monday and I was hoping to have a better ROM by then, hence the pushing through the pain!

 

[sistersinhim]

lunging forward with my knee bent and then leaning back and stretching out the leg

Lunges are very bad for a new knee. They put way too much stress on this baby joint and they are keeping you inflamed and swollen. Even if you don't see much on the outside of your knee, the inside still has considerable swelling. It's a very small space in there and any amount of fluid will hinder the ROM.

I’ve been having hydrotherapy

This can also be bad on a new knee. In water, the resistance of it is like using weights on your leg. This is also a no-no for this baby knee of yours.

I know the answer will be stop doing this as my knee obviously doesn’t like it, but how do I improve my ROM if I’m not exercising.

You don't need to exercise it at all. Many of us didn't and still came out great and with much less pain and swelling than those who choose to exercise. I never took PT or did any exercises. What I did do, though, was to take care of my needs, the house, the yard, and my cats. In other words, my ADL, (activities of daily living). That's all I did and I recovered nicely. At first, I wasn't able to do much but as I healed I was able to do more. That is all the exercise my knee needed to rehab itself. Your knee knows how to do that all by itself, too! I'm not the only one who did or are doing only ADL and our recoveries are very good without the added pain and swelling of added physio.

Your recovery sounds like it is coming along very well. I think you need to either stop all the extra exercise you are doing or cut way back. This will give your knee time to heal. Remember, that's what you are doing, healing, not in training! You have plenty of time to achieve the ROM you want, not your therapist. Give yourself a pat on the back. You've earned it!

 

[Jockette]

but I got the impression that I’m not as far along with my ROM as I should be.

There is no “should” in this recovery. We all heal on our body’s own timeframe, not our surgeon’s, or PT’s, or anyone else‘s timeframe.

but how do I improve my ROM if I’m not exercising.

Regaining our ROM does not require forceful bending or painful exercises.
Regaining our ROM is more about Time than repetitions of a list of exercises.

Time to recover.
Time for pain and swelling to settle.
Time to heal.

Our range of motion is right there all along just waiting for that to happen so it can show itself.

In the general run of things, it doesn't need to be fought for, worked hard for or worried about. It will happen. Normal activity is the key to success.

 

[Jockette]

Also, my ROM continued to improve well into my second year and even a bit more in my third year post op.

Myth busting: "window of opportunity" in TKR

This "six week window of opportunity" surgeons often speak about is little more than a myth. It presupposes that all patients have the ability to create adhesions which is far from the truth. It also ignores the simple fact that in the first 3-4 weeks after surgery, swelling reactive to the...

bonesmart.org

 

[Jockette]

I will leave you our Recovery Guidelines. Each article is short but very informative. Following these guidelines will help you have a less painful recovery.

Just keep in mind all people are different, as are the approaches to this recovery and rehab. The key is, “Find what works for you.“ Your doctors, PTs and BoneSmart are available to help, but you are the final judge as to the recovery approach you choose.

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​

elevate​

ice​

take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)​

don't overwork.​

​

If you want to use something to help heal the incision, ​

BoneSmart recommends hypochlorous solution. Members in the US can purchase ACTIVE Antimicrobial Hydrogel through BoneSmart at a discount. Similar products should be available in the UK and other countries.​

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

​

the BoneSmart view on exercise​

BoneSmart philosophy for sensible post op therapy​

5. At week 4 and after you should follow this

Activity Progression for TKRs​

6. Access to these pages on the website

​

Oral And Intravenous Pain Medications​

Wound Closure​

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.

 

[Nomorearthritis]

Thank you. I’ve read all the other similar stories on here. I shouldnt have pushed for three days when it was obviously hurting! I just felt I had been a bit lazy.

 

[Jockette]

There is also no “lazy” in this recovery. You are healing from a very major surgery. It is common sense to rest when needed and treat your sore knee/leg gently so it can heal. Causing more pain does not help you heal.

 

[Can can girl]

Hi first post. I had my knee replacement on 3 January and now three weeks on I haven’t taken any medication for about a week. I had a little nausea after the op and then again a few days after coming home, and my doctor prescribed anti nausea meds which seemed to help and it disappeared. I was on blood thinners and morphine which I know can be a problem. It has now come back again and I’m not on any medication - it’s very mild and low level but enough to make me feel a bit off. Has anyone else had this problem three weeks on.

I was just looking for the same in the search and your question came up. I’m exactly the same as you were 3 weeks post op, like you no medication now but just a bit naseaus most of the time.

I might start taking the anti sickness pills again and see how I go.

Has this improved for you as you must now be about 7 or 8 weeks post op ?

How are you doing?

 

[Can can girl]

Thank you. I’ve read all the other similar stories on here. I shouldnt have pushed for three days when it was obviously hurting! I just felt I had been a bit lazy.

It’s a difficult one isn’t it. We don’t want to get ‘told off’ by the UK physio but scared of the thought of having to have the manipulation. I tend to just do the gentle exercises that the UK physio gave me three times a day. Go for little walks round the house. Did five minutes outside. I rest and ice it in the afternoon. Have a nap. Use bio oil on the healed scar.

Physio told me not to sleep in the day. That’s a laugh as there is no way I can stay awake by about 3pm as sometimes debilitating tiredness comes over me. Especially with sleep interrupted at night.

I just think the body is telling me what to do to heal.