Bilateral TKR Journey Continuing June 4th, 2012

[RestAssured]

Jacky, I'm sorry your asthma is being problematic and caused you to have to abruptly stop all those other meds! I hope the withdrawal is short or over, and that the cocktail is sufficient to keep you comfortable. Gosh, as if it isn't enough to just deal with this! I had such a better day today, even with the percocet. I think I'll take the oxycontin at night and just skip the daytime dose, and then maybe take it every other night, etc. Then I'll see if I need the percocet or can start eliminating that also.

Janet,
I promise you your body will start forgetting to take the pain meds when it is ready! The mind trying to control the situation sometimes throws a loop in the process! LOL

 

[skigirl]

Janet, I stopped the oxxycontin first--after 10 days in my case. I stopped the morning one in one day and the nighttime one in the next day. I was taking one percoset every four hours. At two weeks, i began taking one perch every six hours. By three weeks, I was using tramadol, which is a milder narcotic. You can drive and do most things while taking it--it does not make you all sweaty either. I took tramadol for the next two weeks and basically, forgot to take it after that.

Now, this is me---but this is the routine I followed with both surgeries. i have a high pain tolerance and began driving at day 7 all three surgeries. I have never had any pain in pt, so have never needed a pain pill for that. Kelly

 

[Janet2012]

Thanks Kelly, that is helpful. I know you are a tough cookie, but I think I am having an unusually good recovery with remarkably little pain and swelling. I may not be a tough cookie, but I'm at least a firm muffin! Lol!

 

[RestAssured]

Kelly,

I will say after I left the rehab center I no longer was associated with anything with the word OXY! That was too strong for me. I was taking Norco, and they suggested Norco 20, but I never took above a 10. I have a very high pain tolerance also so I completely understand why some people need more, and "tougher" drugs, and some need less. I believe that each person's body will know when to start tapering off because they start forgetting to take the medicine and over time find out they no longer need it anymore.

 

[Morning Glory]

Firm muffin!

 

[RestAssured]

Janet, it is so nice to see how well you are recovering! The remarks I make on here are not just for you, but for a lot of people that will read this post in the future. I wouldn't want them to think they should follow our examples if they are in pain.

 

[RestAssured]

Well of course it's fun for you! You get to go in the water and walk while in a bouncy seat! Who wouldn't have fun with that!! Lol! Ask any one year old!

Ok Janet, this is my idea of fun! Please remember I supply my own cooling vest, so I look bigger than I actually am in the photo!

 

[Janet2012]

Sonja, that does look like fun! I had forgotten, and confused it with the treadmill in the pool.

My OS said some people just do better than others and he doesn't know why. I don't know either - luck,of the draw? I wouldn't want anyone to judge their own recovery by mine - we all get there! But I know how good as a pre surgery reader it is to read about good recoveries. Someone else might be having more pain and swelling, but maybe they didn't have to have biopsy surgery just four days before knee surgery! The luck evens out!

 

[RestAssured]

Oh yes!

The good old biopsy! Been there, done that too! Janet, I am not in any way saying that you aren't doing fantastic because you are! I am so proud of you for the way you have handled everything. You have been and will keep being an inspiration to me, and many many others!

 

[Janet2012]

Well, it's good you weren't saying that because if you were, I missed it! Lol! Oh, I have that one knee that is lagging behind the other in ROM, I had a lousy first 9 days post surgery - I could find things to complain about, but I am so happy with my surgery, where I'm at with it and most importantly, where I'm going to be!

 

[sunshine in nc]

Hi Janet, your knees are doing well but sorry to hear about the problems with your pain meds. I felt that I needed some stronger meds for my pain but maybe my Dr has the right idea. From reading some or the other posts I felt my meds were not enough. After surgery I was on Oxycontin twice a day, but only for 10 days, along with Norco 1-2 every 4-6 hours which I still take, and Celebrex. The Dr thought I may be having a reaction from the Celebrex so I have stopped that for the time being. Nausea was a problem also, so I was given Promethazine which works wonders. After stopping everthing except the Norco I don't have as much trouble with the nausea. My only concern is I need the Norco every 4 hours, I have tried to wait 5 hours but usually don't. My surgery was just been 18 days ago so I'm still confussed about the meds.

 

[RestAssured]

Sunshine, only 18 days ago and you are worried that you can't wait on Norco for 5 hours??? Please listen, if you are in pain, you need to take the pain meds on schedule! I have been through 4 knee surgeries and each one recovered at a different rate. Please don't worry or compare yourself to anyone else! Your body will start "forgetting" to take the pain meds. That's when you will realize that you are getting better. OxyContin knocked me out when I was in the hospital, and they tried diaulid. I had the best sleep all the way through PT as they kept trying to wake me up. So you see everyone is different. Please take care of yourself!

 

[Dog Lover]

DL, I really think that if you are having NO problem with extension- and if even this early it's 0--then I can't think of a really good reason that you can't sleep with your knees flexed a little. However, you will find that you will probably wake in the night to find them aching a bit and wanting you to straighten them out for a while. I always sleep with the bottom leg pretty much straight and the top leg flexed. And I change sides during the night. this is sort of the best of both worlds.

Dog Lover;

Thx so much. That is exactly what I find I am doing as well.

 

[Dog Lover]

Janet,

Boy do I understand where you are.....

Here is what I know about myself.....the OxyContin gave me a sense of well being that went beyond pain control and left me sort of depressed when I stopped it. The oxycodone made no significant improvement in pain after about week 2 . Nerontin withdrawal is reported to cause nausea in some folks. When you are nauseous you don't eat ...which can cause ketosis ...that can cause more nausea. Be sure to eat carbs and drink plenty of fluids or risk a miserable number of days of dehydration, dry heaves and possibly an ER visit. If you get to the point where you need IVs you will be glad there are places like ERs and people like ER nurses and doctors.

Guavascon liquid anti acid helped w/ nausea and loosened up my BMs. Zofran helped but not completely.

It took well over 10 days after I stopped the narcotics and the neurontin before I stopped throwing up. I now look back at what happened and understand that my brain's neurotransmitters were slammed and slammed hard by....anesthesia, stress, narcotics and adjunctive pain meds. I quit the narcotics and the neurontin cold...I didn't have any more discomfort with out the meds. This past 3 weeks have been a battle not with pain as with nausea, vomiting , sleeplessness and the blues.

I don't think anyone could ever convince me to use OxyContin ever again. Same for neurontin and oxycodone.

I have been doing ok pain wise w/ ibuprofen 400 mg. I have also found that the heat in my knees improves w/ 2 regular Tylenol. If I could glue the ice bags to my knees I would. I have played around w/ lasix to try to encourage more rapid fluid loss from my legs w/ minimal to no luck. It seems that my legs will stop swelling when they want to period. I think my little exercise bike might be helping some.

Josephine rightly cautions not to stop pain meds cold turkey. For me that was the only way I was able to undo the mess I made of my brain from OR and narcotics.

I have lost 25 lbs post op due to this issue. I learned to recognize an odor of plastic coming from myself as me spilling ketones. When I detect that odor I try really hard to drink more and eat some carbs...bannanas and yogert seem to stay down best.

Also if you do start feeling better take it easy for a little while longer (3-4 days) No alchohol! I absolutely was craving a margarita several days ago. I had a med lime margarita on the rocks w/ a meal of shrimp fahitas. OMG Montezuma's ghost almost killed Mel that night!

This too shall pass, I hope you recover your tummy ASAP.

Chris

I hate being on narcs as well. They fooled around with mine in the hospital for quite a bit. I am now on MS Contin 15 mg twice a day and I take a dilaudid at bedtime to help me sleep as sleeping meds didn't help at all. I have been using the scolapimine (sp?) patch since the epidural came out in the hospital and find it works wonders. No nausea or vomiting and you only have to change it every 72 hours. It even fell off in the shower and I put it back on and all is well. Hopped it might help others.

 

[Jacky48]

Good morning Janet, I hope you slept well and that your day is off to a good start! So far I'm doing pretty good without the big guns, which is great! I slept like a log last night, didn't wake up gasping for air which was a big plus!
Do you have PT this week? How is PT treating you? I can't believe this is our 5th week post op! How cool is that!
Have yourself a great day, and don't do anything crazy!

 

[Janet2012]

Sunshine, you need the pain meds that work for your pain as long as you are having pain. All that matters is you in this. I'm four weeks today (already!!) and am no longer having the pain I was having even a couple weeks ago, so for me it's time to get rid of the drugs that are making me feel worse on them than off them.

Jacky, I'm so glad you are breathing today! That would seem to be a baseline requirement! Lol!! I feel so much better without the oxycontin. I took it last night, but may try skipping it tonight. Ready to be done with it. Then we'll see about the percocet and phase that out. I'm actually going to talk to my PT today about changing one aspect of her treatment. I'm no longer going to let her ease my foot back towards my butt while I'm laying on my stomach. I'm not comfortable not having control of where the stopping point is, and when to ease back. This can be done on my back with me in control. She did something that hurt my calf muscle Friday and was painful all weekend. As long as I'm progressing...

 

[Jacky48]

Janet, That exercise where they ease your foot toward your butt is a tricky one. She wanted me to do it while I layed on my stomach and I said, I don't think so, how about we try it with me standing up and holding the table?. She said, I never thought of that, so she wrapped the strap around my foot and ankle and gave me the long piece of the strap over my shoulder and I would pull my foot up behind me until I felt the tension. It worked great for me!
Yes my dear, breathing IS a baseline requirement! LOL!Otherwise all I would be is 2 bulging eyes and 2 brand new knees!

 

[Janet2012]

That's a good idea. I used to do that in the pool when I could reach my foot. At home, I've been raising my leg straight up, and then bend the knee and let gravity pull it down. I could help it with a strap, or she could put a weight on my ankle as we progress. Whatever, it will have to be with me in control and her hands off. Before surgery she did it without it being painful, but now is now.

 

[Jacky48]

Oh YES now IS now!!!!

 

[Dmgkag]

I also don't know why some of us have a long difficult time with pain and some of us don't. I was doing very well and I decided to stop Norco at 12 days. Norco was the only pain med that was prescribed for me. I just didn't like the way it made me feel. I knew it would probably be best to wean off from it, but once I make my mind up about something, I would rather just do it. I had a couple of days of flu like symptoms but I was expecting this and by the third day, I was fine. I did feel better without the Norco and the knee felt fine too so it was the right thing to do. I only had one knee done but I think if you are doing well, it is good to experiment to see if you really need the drugs. I did stay on one aspirin a day for six weeks as instructed by the doctor. I also made sure to tell the doctor that I was stopping Norco.Tell your doctor that you are doing well and that you would like to stop taking some of them. It seems that you are on quite a few. Good luck