TKR Knee done, what's next?

Miggie

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Surgery was Tuesday morning, everything went well. Came out of recovery with very little pain. First night not bad. Yesterday morning PT came in to decide if I could go home. I was able to lift my leg, get out of bed on my own, walked down the hall and back ( which pleased him alot) was able to do the steps and was told I was going home! I swear there was an invisible pain border around the hospital, as soon as we pulled away the pain set in, I had meds before leaving. By the time we got home, I couldn't lift my leg on my own, it feels like it weighs a ton! Iced and elevated all evening, tried to sleep in bed-no way that was going to work, so back to my recliner. I'm hoping today might be a bit better, I'll let you know.
 
Welcome to the other side. Keep that knee iced for now. It can take awhile to find the balance.

Here's your guidelines in case you need a reminder:

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

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

5. At week 4 and after you should follow this Activity progression for TKRs

6. Access these pages on the website

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 a 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 history before providing advice.
 
Thank you @Jaycey , I do remember some of this from my hip, I guess it's a bit different with the knee. Will need your advice.
 
Hi Miggie, I had my TKR Saturday afternoon and I got home Monday.I can total relate to the ton weight and the inability to lift it but I'm sure it will happen. I'm ok as far as pain goes and I'm sleeping ok .The only worry I have is how much exercise I should i be doing . look away yourself.
 
No one checked my lift before I left hospital same day, but I sure didn’t have any.

Used a long scarf around my foot to lift it for about 7 days and then some kind of magic happened.

One day I could lift it with ease and minimal discomfort.

Hope you’re feeling better soon.
 
All the movement and sitting in a car day after surgery really spikes up the discomfort. Ice/elevate and lots of rest will get you through as well as taking your medications on a schedule. Remember to stay well hydrated - important for healing and helps with constipation due to medications.
 
@Miggie I hope you had a better day today. I had my surgery this morning and have been home for a couple of hours. Pain level not bad but following everything I have learned here. One thing to do is stay on top of meds. Hope your night goes well.
 
2nd day post-op. Spent most of the day icing, elevating,and using cpm machine. Have been taking small walks in the house. Did take a nap this afternoon, I needed that. Pain levels varied, up to about 6 then back down with meds. Thank you all for your encouraging comments. Smarties helped to get me through my hip replacement, and I know you all are here to help again. Healing prayers to all.
 
Napping is a very important part of recovery. Nap whenever you can. Continue with your resting/icing and elevation and things will improve. I iced and elevated pretty much non stop unless walking and it really helped get the swelling down and keep it to a bearable level. Also ice helps with pain management. I hope you have a peaceful night.
 
@leejaa it seems that every time I sit down I fall asleep, so plenty of naps With pain meds on board before bed, I got 5 hours of sleep last night, it made all the difference today. I had a minor melt down last evening that my husband wasn't expecting, I put it down to lack of sleep. So today was better. As I started this journey of knee replacement, I gave serious consideration of doing bilateral. Now I am so glad that I didn't, I know that some others have done it, but don't think I'm strong enough to do it. So, all in all today was better than yesterday and praying tomorrow will be a bit better than today. Have a good night all.
 
Post op blues and emotions all over the place are part of the recovery. Do not be surprised if it happens again. I had a few episodes of tears but also anger over silly things. It does get better but it does take time. I am glad you are napping a lot and resting. I hope your week end is peaceful.
 
I found I got cranky around mid-afternoon--just about the time I needed a nap. Just like a little kid being overtired!
 
Home PT came today, she was pleased with range of motion and my getting around in general. We talked about the possibility of doing all my PT with her and not doing out patient pt. Has anyone else done this? If so, how did it work out for you? I hope you all have a restful weekend.
 
With my second knee I never went to OP PT. I had in home PT for about 4 weeks 2x/wk. I chose not to go to OP PT. It worked just fine for me and I never noticed any difference vs my first knee which was done the same year. I did do OP PT with the first knee but I did not feel it was hugely helpful and so did not do it for my 2nd knee.

Many people don't do any OP PT and recover just fine. Taking time to heal can be more important than formal PT.
 
@leejaa thanks for your info. My knee felt sore and swollen today, so I skipped the exercises and only used cpm machine once. I iced and elevated as much as possible. Since it was such a beautiful day, I did walk outside in the driveway for a bit, the fresh air did me good.
 
Being outside is so good for the spirit. Most of my surgeries were in winter but my second knee was in September and being able to go outside was so wonderful and I love fall with the more pleasant temperatures. Have a peaceful night.
 
Yesterday was one week post up and it was anything but ordinary. The home nurse came to remove the bandage, then as she was doing vitals, I passed out! I started to feel hot and light headed, and the next thing I knew I woke up on the floor! Not as appealing as it sounds :thud:. So I was on my way to the ER via ambulance, another first. They did blood work and an EKG right away, and then was parked in the waiting room for the next 5 hours! Not a happy camper at this point and told them to remove the IV because I was going home! They convinced me to stay for CT scan, then guess what..wait some more. All tests were normal and when they suggested I stay longer for observation, I politely declined! I will say on their behalf, they were extremely busy, but their lack of communication was terrible! Anyway, finally got home, had dinner and a shower. Feel absolutely fine today. They don't know what caused the incident, and neither do I. Hopefully a be repeated.
 
I'm glad that you are ok. That must have been a scary thing to have happen. Did you eat something before the nurse came for her visit? Low blood sugar can cause you to pass out. Also could have been low blood pressure. Make sure you are drinking enough fluids. I hope that it doesn't happen again. Make sure you are using a cane or walker in case you start to feel that way again so you can get to sit down.
 

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