TKR Just a little support...

[fenway09]

Wow.....you have had a busy day. I am lucky that I am able to sleep through the night and have been since Day 2. I sometimes have some interruptions in sleep from extremely vivid dreams......probably a result of the meds. This is my third surgery this year and I just feel worn out. Tomorrow I have my first full outside PT at 8am....so expect I will be elevating and icing the rest of the day. Plan on getting outside on the deck for some VITA D as it looks to be a beautiful bluegreen day in NH. Thanks for sharing.

 

[RAD]

It’s great that you can sleep through the night! Good luck at PT and enjoy the beautiful day!

 

[lopat]

@fenway09, you show off! I’d kill for 120. Seriously congratulations! That’s great. We are also very close to the same age. I love having several new friends that are exactly where I am. NO ONE and I mean NO ONE, can possible understand the is they haven’t had one themselves. It has been an eye opener.

So , before I had my surgery I was extremely pigeon toed on my left foot. Have been since I first started walking although it has certainly gotten worse. My foot no longer turns in. Has anyone else experienced this?

Oh, and my therapist and my OS say my leg and foot are so realigned I'll need to buy new shoes.

 

[lopat]

Hey everyone, I tried to sleep in the bed last night. Within minutes, my knee was aching and pretty hard. I tried both sides, with and without pillows. I finally gave up and came back to my couch/recliner. I have not slept more than 2 hours at a stretch since the surgery and it’s starting to get old. Is there anything I can take to help? Should I call either my primary or OS for a sleep aid? No kidding, there may have been some tears (of frustration) last night.

 

[Jockette]

I don’t have any suggestions for you, but here’s an article to reread from the Recovery Guidelines, about why you can’t sleep:
https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads...tty-much-inevitable-but-what-causes-it.13344/

To be honest, the non sleeping didn’t bother me as I’ve had sleep issues for years, so the post op didn’t seem much different than my usual.

I do think all the tossing and turning in effort to get comfortable aggravates the knee.

I was told to spend x amount of hours with my leg on my elevating wedge, so I did those hours at night. My wedge has a trough cut into it for my leg, which kept my leg secure on the wedge. It kept me still the whole time I did sleep. I slept in my bed every night from the first night home from the hospital. I think the key to comfort for me was the elevating wedge.

 

[RAD]

Hi Lopat, I’ve had some sleeping issues too, but they are getting better. I do wake up a couple times to move from my side with a pillow to my back, but then I usually fall back asleep. I have been taking 1 Benadryl right before I go to sleep which had helped. I’m off all pain meds except Tylenol so it doesn’t interact with anything. Not sleeping is the worst.

 

[DLR]

Sleep deprivation is unfortunately normal. It took almost 5 weeks before I could sleep in bed both times. I would start there each night and if I couldn’t find a comfortable position within 30 minutes I would move to the recliner. I found if I put two pillows length wise under my legs on the recliner and one behind my head I would drift off. I made sure each night I left my pillows and blankets at the recliner so I didn’t have to hunt for things, I also had a book and iPad for the the middle of the night wake times. Daytime naps are needed and encouraged until your body heals enough to relax at night.
It will get better !!

 

[kneeper]

Once I realized I'd be sleeping in installments it bothered me less. I just napped during the day when I could. Gradually your sleep patterns will get more normal. Hang in there.

 

[lisabl]

Hi lopat, my recovery is going well and I had op 2 days before you, but I mainly only sleep in 2hr chuncks aswell. Sometimes its hourly and that realy wears me out, on the odd occasion it might be 3 hourly. I am finding when I have a really bad night I swap from recliner to bed or vice versa. Currently for last 2 nights I have been side sleeping in bed with pillow between leg, before that it was bed with lounge doctor and before that it was recliner. I also seem to be having more 3 hr stretches and fewer 1hr ones. I ALWAYS need an afternoon nap. What I have learnt is if having woken up (generally needing toilet) if I don't fall back to sleep in 10 mins I an likely to be awake for an hr, so I read or listen to talking book until I then fall asleep.

Hugs and keep healing.

 

[lopat]

Thanks everyone, appreciate the input and commiserating. I have been sleeping in 2 hour chunks for many years especially since menopause. I guess I’m frustrated because it’s not in the bed. And then there’s the knee ache/pain. I feel like if I could get a solid 5 all at once, I’d be golden. I’m going to add up my acetaminophen and see if I can slip a couple of Tylenol pm’s in tonight. That is what I take when the sleep deprivation gets bad and usually seems to work. Benadryl itself has never worked for me.

 

[Benay]

I have nothing urgent or pressing too do during the day so while sleeping would be nice, I try to take it as it comes. Pillow between legs - a really soft one - is my favorite.

 

[winemama]

I’m one of the rare people who don’t have trouble sleeping, as I have stated before, I bought a 4 inch mattress topper, and a weighted blanket. It works for me. My knees felt good sinking into the mattress topper instead of a hard mattress. Naps are my friend, when my knees tell me it is time, it is time. Listen to your body

 

[lopat]

Had a good weekend. Walked about a thousand steps yesterday. Did ok but knee swelled toward the end of the evening. Then got up today and went to our favorite restaurant and sat on a barstool for an hour!. Ok, I sat sideways. Forward was to close to bar and it bent my knee too much. Then we went to the grocery and I used and ECV for the first time. Well, that was a hoot. Why don’t they require driving tests with those things?! I plan on going to WDW in 6 weeks so I thought an ECV wouldn’t be a bad idea. I usually walk about 25,000 steps there and I didn’t think I’d be up to that. hope you all had. Great weekend!

 

[Benay]

@lopat you go! Amazed.

 

[Rockgirl4]

I'm glad you were able to get out and about for awhile today.

 

[fenway09]

@lopat I was laughing out loud at your post......I hope I didn't sound like I was boasting with my 120 ROM. I know we all get there, when we get there. I had suffered a TPF last Memorial Day and had a full hinged cast on all summer with no weight bearing and 46 hours of PT prior to this TKR. When I found out I was needing the TKR I really turned on the bending and did another 35 hours in the local pool walking ( even with the bone on bone) because I wanted to go in to this with a decent bend. I am so scared of developing scar tissue. Anyway, still working on my extension. Had a great PT session on Monday and I actually walked heel to toe with walker about 500 feet with a near perfect gait. I also had a valgus knee from the TPR injury and the OS corrected that...now its just a matter of rebuilding the quad strength. I am with you, no one understands a TPF or a TKR like a person that has gone through it. Hope things are going well. I have been sidetracked on the FB TKR group and forgot to check in here. Cheers

 

[RAD]

Sounds like you’re doing great! Things are going well for me too. My extension is almost all the way at 0, and the bend is finally over 100. Back at work and PT is going well. Haven’t done foot over foot steps yet but hopefully in the next week or so. Sleeping slowly improving, still wake up a few times to adjust position. Thankful for the progress I’ve made. 4 week anniversary tomorrow!

 

[fenway09]

@RAD Yay.......we have our one month anniKNEEversary tomorrow and I have my first post op OS appt on Thursday. This recovery is so tricky. I felt really great this am and I got on the recumbent bike and did 20 minutes with no resistance and everything was good. Then tonight about 4 ....my knee started getting warmer and more difficult to walk on and pain with bending. Back on the ice and elevation. One hour at a time. I need to keep reminding myself I cannot force my own healing. Fantastic on your zero extension.......and your pain is under control. I am still managing with pain meds. Cheers.

 

[lopat]

Hey everyone! @fenway, didn’t consider it boasting but I sure would if it was me. Had pt yesterday and they kicked my butt.lol. I worked so hard she told me I should take today off. She was right but not because of left knee. My right knee, which is in replacement rotation with left hip, could barely work today.gotta remind them to take it easy on my real knee! Still in the recliner. Gonna try again this weekend. Going to Cincy zoo Saturday. Rented a wheelchair so we could spend the day. Next PT Friday. Happy AnniKNEEversay tomorrow! I can’t believe it’s been a month.

 

[RAD]

Happy AnnKNEEversary to us all! Yes, I’m having similar experiences, feeling really good and the knee saying “whoa, let’s not get crazy now...” Hopefully onward and upward from here!!!!