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TKR karol723's Recovery Thread

If you haven't been able to eat, you will feel like that. Perhaps your electrolytes are low?????


RTHR February, 22, 2016
 
Yes, I had ,2 eggs with toast, feel somewhat better. Drinking water too. Thanks for the help, this really surprised me!
 
Feeling much better today. Took our dogs & went for a walk around the block, hope to increase distance soon. For now around the block is good, after that te knee starts to hurt and I start to limp. See OS on Wednesday, hopefully get the OK to start going to the gym then. Took a nap this afternoon, I never was able to nap before my tkrs, no problem now!! Hope everyone is feeling OK and enjoying the warmer weather.
 
@ Josephine, I am having a problem I could use some help with, please ! Tapering off on Tramadol seems to have really upset my digestive system. Keep having bouts of diarrhea every couple of days, for the last week or so. Not feeling as shakey as I was a few days ago, but stomach still not right. I see OS tomorrow and I'll talk to him about this too. Is this normal ? Will it go away after awhile ? I've been doing the BRAT diet to stop it, can't stay on that forever either. Don't really want to take more medication to stop this either. Not sure how to go ahead- help !!! The knees seem to be coming along nicely, amount of pain isn't bad at all. Only get achy by end of the day, then I ice & elevate. Any advice would really be appreciated, thanks.
 
Oh Karol, I am so sorry. As you know I have been battling the side effects of the morphine withdrawal that was compounded from diverticulitis out of the blue. The gastroenterologist now thinks it was the morphine more than the diverticulitis that gave me diarrhea for THREE months! My sigmoid colon is so irritated and inflammed it just could not function. Please go get you a good probiotic. I have been taking a generic of Florastor (get it at CVS). It is one of the few probiotics that survive the stomach and make it to the intestines. You have to be very careful you don't get a C-Diff infection. DO NOT COLD TURKEY your withdrawal. I thought I had weaned down enough and I was never sicker than I was when I stopped. Stomach acid coming out is not fun. Please go to your GP or your gastroenterologist if you have one. I have been on three different rounds of antibiotics to help this. Yes, the BRAT diet is good. I ate a low residue diet - basically a white diet - no fiber. Potatoes are a thickening food. Try to avoid dairy while you are having diarrhea. Please take care of yourself. If I can be of any help, please let me know.

I see your tag for Josephine didn't work - looks like you have a space in there.
 
Yikes ! Three months of diarrhea, now I'm really worried. I can't have dairy, so that's nothing new. I do have a gastro Dr., if this doesn't resolve itself soon I'll call him. Would I need to repost my whole message to Josephine?
 
@Josephine, Can you please read my above post and get back to me when you can. I think I left s space where I shouldn't have when it was sent. Thank you..
 
@Timetolive, how long were you on the medication and was it also Tramadol ? Just wondering if this is happening to alot of us. Hopefully not. Figures if we get constipation when we first start taking it, we will have the opposite when stopping. Just thought it would go away in s few days or so. Still hopeful of that.
 
karol723 said:
Tapering off on Tramadol seems to have really upset my digestive system. Keep having bouts of diarrhea every couple of days, for the last week or so.
Click to expand...
Well, in my experience, constipation is the more common side effects of Tramadol rather than diarrhoea. But if this is the case, why don't you take some Imodium? That would be my action.

How are you tapering off Tramadol and why?
 
@Josephine, I've been tapering off because my level of pain and swelling is minimal. My OS also wanted me to stop taking it after this last prescription fill. I was tapering according to the schedule I found on bonesmart. Towards the end I rushed it a bit. Went from 1½ pill down to ½ pill over a couple of days. Seems like that's when problem started. I went back to 1 pill at bedtime for 6 days now. Plan to stay at that for a couple more days and then go to ½ At bedtime for awhile. Then ½ every other day. I would think that should be slow enough, yes ??
 
Karol, I was on long acting morphine. It was the only pain killer I could semi-tolerate. I was on it for 4 weeks. Some of us are just much more sensitive to medications than others. it sounds like your taper seems reasonable. I am sure Josephine will know more about that. It has not been a good experience for me!
 
I've experienced diarrhea and other side effects of stopping tramadol. Constipation only when on the drug. Withdrawal symptoms seem to vary a lot for me from various narcotics.


Sent from my iPhone using BoneSmart Forum
 
@charmed-life, thanks for letting me know. Guess some of us are more sensitive than others. How long did the side effects last for you? Hope your RTKR is doing well, you're only about 6 weeks now, right? So far today I'm feeling good. See my OS tomorrow for my 3 month visit. Hope it goes well, I think it will. Have you been driving yet? That's one of the things about doing the right side that's tough!
 
No, not driving, it's hard to get in the car much less move my leg quickly between pedals - still less than 80 degrees unassisted flexion. Due to injury leading to this, doctor only expects about 100 eventually - I'm hoping for more.

Look up side effects of tramadol withdrawal - not everyone has it but nice to know if you're in the norm...I try to slowly cut back - more time between them, smaller doses. Take your time.

My main side effect from cutting down pain meds is depression/unexplained crying but I'd say for 2-3 days at best. Sometimes diarrhea symptoms. Now I know to cut down on a schedule, slowly.


Sent from my iPhone using BoneSmart Forum
 
@charmed-life, Yes I am cutting back slowly now. Only 1 pill at bedtime for last 6 days, will stay at that level for another 3 or 4 days. Then I'll go to 1/2 at bedtime for another week or 2. Maybe 1/2 every other night for a week or 2 before stopping. Hopefully that will be slow enough. Sound good to you? Saw OS this morning, I can stop pt now and go back to the gym. I'm really happy about that ! Sorry to hear you're having difficulty getting in & out of your car. Even if your Dr is right, if you get to 100, you'll be able to do most things with no problem. And they aren't always right, you may do a lot better in time.
 
Sounds good especially if symptoms have been less.

My knee replacement followed an injury on a bike ride in France in Sept - surgery there to fix tibial plateau (right under knee) and best they could do to get knee aligned again but after immobilization for the bone to heel, knee never got past 45-50. Had adhesions removed and knee replacement six weeks ago - it's better now but only at about 90 with effort by PT.


Sent from my iPhone using BoneSmart Forum
 
@Timetolive, Saw my OS today, good visit. Can go back to the gym & stop pt- hooray!!! Stomach has been feeling better. Being real careful about what I eat too. My mother-in-law just invited us for corned beef/cabbage tomorrow, I think I'll stay away from the cabbage !!!
 
Started doing the gentle strength building exercises yesterday. I was surprised at how sore my legs felt later on that day. Makes me realize how much muscle tone I've lost. Guess there's still a lot of work ahead of me. Planning on returning to the gym this week too. I see this will be another s-l-o-w process ! I've gotten adjusted to only taking 1 Tramadol at bedtime. Plan on lowering it to 1/2 pill tonight, hoping for no reaction this time. If I do get the heebie-jeebies again at least I'll know what's going on.
 
Karol, I also am amazed at the loss of muscle tone. I find myself still favoring the TKR leg - as I have done for so many years. I have to consciously think about using it when I am standing at the sink or just standing! I will put my weight on the right leg and not on the left TKR. Good luck on your taper with the Tramadol. Slow and steady.
 
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