TKR Is this normal?

[EalingGran]

Sorry to hear about your night pain. I am just over 3 months post op and have some night soreness.
I still sleep with my knee resting on the iced water jacket of my aircast cryocuff. I use a hot water bottle for my top half to counteract the cold! I also take valerian- herbal nytol or occasional zopiclone to help with sleep. If you have found a more sympathetic GP - see if you can get a short prescription for something like zopiclone to help sleep. Not sleeping is miserable.
Good luck- hope things improve soon.

 

[Axx72]

Bit by bit you will get there. Many people have gone through the same thing, dealt with the same mental anguish and impatience. Push yourself but listen to your knee it will tell you what to do.

The benefits vastly outweigh the time sacrifice. Seems like a huge mountain of a goal, but break it down into small steps and before you know it, you will be at the top!

 

[Dancingqueen]

Hello, I was just reading your journey with knee replacement and what I can tell you is that my experience with ongoing pain/lack of sleep, is so familiar. I had my TKR on 8/2/2022. For many weeks, months, I was miserable. Only recently can I declare I think 6 months is beginning to feel like a leg I'll be able to use again. I still have stiffness, pain down my calf, tibia, but, I am back to work full time and need to pay attention to the time on my feet, things I lift, bring ice bag and use it throughout the day, etc.
I think I forgot that for over a decade, the bone on bone didn't allow me to walk down a hill, sleep comfortable or get up/down stairs.
I was not convinced that this surgery was a good idea. Once I got better, restful sleep (pillow between legs, heat on muscles help) and got back to work, I had less time to be in my head...and worry that this was a big mistake. Hang in there..it will improve over time. I figure I'm only half way through my recovery!
AND, don't let anyone push you on exercise if it is leaving you in pain. Did that..and it was terrible to my knee and my emotional state.

 

[Jockette]

im seeing a slightly more specialised physio in february as i still suffer pain, mainly at night, and the knee is still stiff when i try to bend..

More PT does not equal more healing.

As has already been said, extra pain at night is a sign that you‘ve done too much during the day. A moderate amount of activity is good for healing, but we also have to balance that with giving the knee rest time.

Don‘t look at cutting back as doing nothing, look at it as giving your knee the best opportunity in which to heal.

 

[[email protected]]

thanks for your recomendation of patience. 5 weeks post surgery and I started to feel like the pain would never end. Going back to work, from home, next week. Hoping brain fog will clear and pain diminises so I don't take meds. THanks for sharing yoru stories of sleeplessness and frustration. I need to get back to work.
Rita

 

[Alifpb]

HI thank you all again for the lovely messages.
my TKR was end of september.
i saw a specialised physio yesterday who was amazing. i openly, for the first time explained i am really struggling.
the knee pain at night.....shooting electric shock feeling is horrendous. nothing helps. i still struggle with steps and bending, as knee is stiff. but seems physios are happy and say its all normal.
im having another xray just as piece of mind. but sort of as i thought....my mental health came to an abrupt ...smack in the face 7 weeks after knee op.
i had a melt down and past emotional issues over years hit me like a ton of bricks.
im waiting counselling, but it seems a lot of the pain is a kin to fight or flight pain. my body is so drained.

ive finally been open with a different GP...i still struggle in my head with my other GP, As he told me 2mths after op i should be "back to normal"...he caused me more issues in my head .... i felt i was going mad.

so at the minute im off work/unemployed (even tho in my head i want to get back working) partly cause of knee, and also my depression, im awaiting counselling for domestic abuse and bereavement, apparently cant have the 2 therapies together... so could be on going for a while....fighting the benefit system, dealing with rubbish sleep and knee pain. i never do much by halves..... lol xx

 

[Jcx]

Things are tough for you at the moment I hope it improves both mentally and physically. Your not on your own with this website. Keep posting and reading take care Jcx

 

[EalingGran]

So sorry to hear of your troubles.
I've just tagged @beachy because I remember that she has found trazadone really helpful for sleep and I know other people who find it good for stress/ depression. I know we are not meant to discuss meds here unless we have personal experience but you might like to ask her about it.
Lack of sleep makes everything worse.
I was sleeping better but am more stressed again because of a couple of personal issues and my sleep has gone a bit worse again.

 

[beachy]

I've been off and on Trazadone for many years. It is for anxiety, but I was prescribed it for sleep.
@Alifpb talk to your GP about something to help you. Trazadone isn't for everyone. And it is addictive. You have to wean off.
Sorry your having so much trouble.

 

[Layla]

I am sorry for the physical and emotional pain you're struggling with, Alifpb.
Prayers for comfort and peace of mind going up.
Hugs
@Alifpb

 

[sistersinhim]

@Alifpb, we are here for you, both physically and emotionally. Many of us are praying people. I am one of them and I am praying for your peace of mind and healing.

shooting electric shock feeling is horrendous

Oh yes, just about every one of us has had these. We call them zingers. To me, they felt like lightning bolts shooting through my knee. What causes these are the nerves in your knee that were cut or damaged. They are repairing, rerouting, or reattaching. Feeling these is knowing that your knee is healing. That's a good thing though it hurts like crazy!

 

[beachy]

I haven't had zingers, but I was prescribed gabapentin about 3 weeks ago 2x day. It's a nerve med. Maybe that's why I haven't had them?
Ask your doc if that might help you.

 

[LD of Michigan]

Yep. I am having zingers again this time. They are annoying the most as you cannot predict them. They can just hit at any moment, as healing continues. It will get better as they fade.

 

[EalingGran]

haven't had zingers, but I was prescribed gabapentin about 3 weeks ago 2x day. It's a nerve med. Maybe that's why I haven't had them?

That sounds possible. I was on pregabalin ( very similar to gabapentin) when I had my PKR because I had had sciatica previously. I stopped the pregabalin at about 3-4 weeks post op because my sciatica had disappeared with straightening my leg. I had no zingers in early weeks and only started to get them after stopping pregabalin. Thankfully mine are not that bad or that frequent. I guessed what they were from reading BoneSmart posts and feel reassured that they are a sign of healing
I would have been freaked out by them otherwise.

 

[kneeper]

....my mental health came to an abrupt ...smack in the face 7 weeks after knee op.
i had a melt down and past emotional issues over years hit me like a ton of bricks.

For me the 6-8 week period was when I hit my periods of frustration. For the first few weeks you expect that you won't be doing much but by week 6 you start to get sick of the whole recovery. And my doc even prepared me pretty well about it being a long haul. He said you will be able to do some things by 6-8 weeks, but to be back to "normal" would take a year. I was lucky to not have to go back to work at 6-8 weeks because I would have been pretty miserable.

Luckily my zingers were intermittent and came only in short bursts. I hope your zingers diminish or you can get some meds for them. And I hope you can get in for some counseling as you say. It's really too bad it's so hard to get an appointment.

 

[Alifpb]

Hi
I had TKR end of sept 2022. I've finished with all physio...they are happy.....but I'm still struggling with pain at night...which I believe is called zingers but I'm more concerned at the minute about being usable to bend my knee much...going up and down stairs isn't easy.
Still regretting the operation
Just wondering if anyone had any thoughts x

 

[LemonCheesecake]

Hi Alifpb, a year is not up since your TKR in September, and your pain at night will subside by then. This is what I am hearing. I am 3 months post-op, and go to bed with a pain level of 2. Friends who have had knee replacements tell me recovery is often more than a year.
I am sorry you are regretting your operation. There are no miracles with this recovery-- mother nature zingers (nerves finding their way back) takes time.

 

[Jockette]

Yes, all you describe is normal at your stage of recovery. As @LemonCheesecake said, this recovery takes an average of a year.

I had a PKR and a tough first year but I had a lot of improvement in my second year, and even some more, in my third year!

By the way, I merged your newest thread with your original recovery thread, as we prefer that members in recovery have only one thread.

This benefits you because all your information is in one place, easy to find, and maintains a nice journal for you.

This also benefits our staff, as your information is all in one place, and we often go back through your thread for previous details, so we know what you‘ve been through which helps us advise you better.

So, please keep all your posts in this thread. If you’d like a new title, let us know what you want, and we’ll change it for you.

Many members bookmark their thread in their computer browser, so they can find it when they log on.
How can I find my threads and posts?

Best wishes on your continuing recovery!

 

[JusticeRider]

I'm more concerned at the minute about being usable to bend my knee much...going up and down stairs isn't easy.

Hang in there, Alifpb. I’m at about 6.5 months now. It wasn’t until a couple months ago that I could start going upstairs alternating feet. And it’s only the last week or so I’ve begun going down properly. Even at that, I’m still depending on the railing. And I look a bit odd doing it. But it will get better and better and I’m so happy it’s finally happening!

My bend has been progressing by increments and is still limited. But it’s better than it was and it continues to improve, if ever so slowly. Thanks to BoneSmart, I know that’s ok. I’m only halfway through and it can continue to improve even beyond a year. I can do so many things I couldn’t before and I know it will just take patience.

Some of us just take a little longer than others Take heart and be as patient as you can…it will come.

 

[EalingGran]

Agree with @Jockette and @JusticeRider about need to be patient but agree it is hard.
I had my PKR in October and still find stairs tricky so I think that is one of the last things to normalise.
Have to try and remember that I was struggling with stairs for a couple of years pre surgery. Hope you start to feel better soon.