TKR Knee Number 2!

[EalingGran]

One of the real problems with this surgery is knowing what is normal.
I am 7 months post- op too and I still have some twinges. I am seeing my surgeon again in a couple of weeks to check up on things. I think the important thing is if you can see progress however slow and however backwards and forwards it is going.
Have you had this particular pain from the beginning? Is the frequency/ intensity reducing? If not then maybe try to get it checked.
Knee surgery is really complex. Every doctor I have spoken to says it is more complex than hip replacement. There are various ligament/ tendon/ tracking issues that can cause pain. I had pain post op from a chronically overstretched MCL. That is improving finally with quad strengthening. I still have some warmth/ soreness by evening which is what I wonder about. But lots of people here say they had issues which improved up to a year and beyond- so we mustn't give up hope....

 

[Penelope Anne]

Hi, you are right - there seem to be no rules! I sometimes think I’m not improving at all and then look back a month or so and realise that there is definitely improvement. I think the first 3 or 4 months had quite rapid improvement but since then it has been so much slower.
I saw my surgeon at 3 months who said he was delighted but when I said there was still pain he told me he wasn’t worried about that and it was soft tissue damage which would heal…. I guess it is just feeling to be such a slow process. Good to hear from someone in the same boat! Thank you

 

[Penelope Anne]

So I’m now 13 months after TKR and on the whole doing pretty well. There is still some discomfort in the operated knee but nothing like it was before the replacement. All in all I would say it has been probably 85% successful. However, the extra walking I’ve been able to do has meant that my other knee is protesting strongly. So, end of January I’m having the 2nd knee done. I’m not looking forward to it but the improvement in the first knee means that I feel this is literally the way forward.
Any tips on going for the second knee?

 

[Jaycey]

We have lots of members who have had both knees replaced. Many find that having the second one done resolves discomfort from the first TKR. You are probably still not walking with a normal gait trying to stay off that second knee. Fingers crossed all this eases.

Do you have your surgery date? We will put it in your signature and add you to our January group.

 

[Penelope Anne]

I do have a date - January 30th.
Yes I’m hoping that the second knee will resolve issues including a painful lower back. My physio says I am standing crookedly so hopefully I will be able to straighten and stop hurting!

 

[mendogal]

Hi!
I had a "bad" R knee for 20 years.... but ended up getting the L TKA first on short notice when it failed a year of conservative treatment for an acute issue.
Twenty years on the bad R knee had skewed my weight bearing, hips and pelvis, etc.
The L TKA straightened my lower leg and altered my gait and structure. It also put so much strain on my R knee that (as I had predicted) it clearly needed replacing.
Now I have two straight lower legs! My newer knee is slowly catching up to my earlier one. Patterns of weight shifting during walking are definitely changing - I feel it, and underfoot calluses are changing.
Totally worth doing!
My ortho team made sure I understood that the outcomes and path to healing could be very different between the two. True!!!!

 

[Penelope Anne]

So next week I’m going for the other knee. I can’t decide if it’s better to know what lies ahead or not! I think a major issue for me is going to be a lack of patience. I can already feel that I just want to get through those dreadful first few weeks as quickly as possible. I’m hoping that this next knee MAY heal faster than the first one because it is not in such a bad state to start with. Does anyone know if there is a correlation between how bad a joint is before the op and speed of recovery?

 

[benne68]

hoping that this next knee MAY heal faster than the first one because it is not in such a bad state to start with. Does anyone know if there is a correlation between how bad a joint is before the op and speed of recovery?

It's possible, if it impacts how much work the surgeon has to do in there. For example, I had to have an osteotomy in conjunction with my first TKR, which made that recovery much more painful than the one I'm going through now. That said, I'm progressing at pretty much the same rate as I did first time around.

It's so hard to predict, because no two knees are the same.

The good news is that, having been through this before, you know what to expect and you know it is all temporary. That makes the first couple of weeks a bit easier to bear.

 

[Layla]

Hi Penelope Anne,
Cheers to a recovery that's easy peasy and better than the first!
Will look forward to following your journey, so please join us on the flip side once you're feeling up to it.
Lots of comfort to you as you wait.
@Penelope Anne

 

[Jaycey]

I think a major issue for me is going to be a lack of patience.

Time to reset your expectation and resign to needing tons of patience. Fighting the recovery makes it all the more frustrating. Resigning to the need to rest and heal does have a positive impact.

 

[MSuki]

My second knee was the worse knee and I think it had more tendon and muscle issues, plus I am much more out of shape. Even with all that I think the recovery is a little easier for me because I’m not so worried about every little thing that happens.

 

[Penelope Anne]

Hi Penelope Anne,
Cheers to a recovery that's easy peasy and better than the first!
Will look forward to following your journey, so please join us on the flip side once you're feeling up to it.
Lots of comfort to you as you wait.
@Penelope Anne

So here I am 4 days post surgery on my second knee and feeling very sorry for myself. The first day was good as the nerve block was still there but oh my goodness the pain levels are very high now. I don’t tolerate any opioids so I’m down to paracetamol which isn’t touching it. I’m begging for Ibuprofen which is my normal go to but so far it is being refused because of stomach issues - which were caused by a sneaky dose of tramodol I was given. In my heart I know this pain will heal but I really need some encouragement right now. How long will this really acute pain last?

 

[sistersinhim]

Are you icing? Ice is a super pain reducer. I iced the whole time I was sitting or laying down for the first month or so. As long as you have some fabric between your knee and ice pack, you can't over ice!

 

[jakemedic]

Hi Penelope Anne,
Cheers to a recovery that's easy peasy and better than the first!
Will look forward to following your journey, so please join us on the flip side once you're feeling up to it.
Lots of comfort to you as you wait.
@Penelope Anne

So here I am 4 days post surgery on my second knee and feeling very sorry for myself. The first day was good as the nerve block was still there but oh my goodness the pain levels are very high now. I don’t tolerate any opioids so I’m down to paracetamol which isn’t touching it. I’m begging for Ibuprofen which is my normal go to but so far it is being refused because of stomach issues - which were caused by a sneaky dose of tramodol I was given. In my heart I know this pain will heal but I really need some encouragement right now. How long will this really acute pain last?

I am a new guy here, 4 days post op for my RTKR. My first knee, however have had both hips replaced years ago. My question to you is do you have access to a pain management specialist? I had one for both hips and now my right knee. I had back fusion in August which required high dosing of pain meds. They maybe able to assist you with managing pain. You stated “I don’t tolerate opioids“ but there is a pharmacy of non opioid or synthetic opioids to choose from. I tend to itch from morphine, so they gave me fentanyl which worked. Before I had my hips replaced, I had avascular necrosis and took methadone for pain relief. You do have options. I will say a prayer for you as well. The power of prayer is amazing!

 

[Penelope Anne]

Are you icing? Ice is a super pain reducer. I iced the whole time I was sitting or laying down for the first month or so. As long as you have some fabric between your knee and ice pack, you can't over ice!

Thank you yes I am icing. They’ve just given me Nivomo so I’m hoping that will help.

 

[jakemedic]

Are you icing? Ice is a super pain reducer. I iced the whole time I was sitting or laying down for the first month or so. As long as you have some fabric between your knee and ice pack, you can't over ice!

I second this too! I use my polar cube 23 of 24 hours in a day easily!

 

[MSuki]

Great, I hope the NSAID plus the paracetamol works better!

 

[Penelope Anne]

Great, I hope the NSAID plus the paracetamol works better!

Thank you. I just didn’t remember what a tough road this is to follow…

 

[Layla]

Welcome to the healing side. I am sorry you're in so much pain. Hopefully the Vimovo is helping and today is better than yesterday. Many say day three and four are tough so hopefully after today things will be on the upswing. Lots of comfort to you as you begin healing.
@Penelope Anne

 

[Penelope Anne]

Thank you - literally baby steps. One day at a time…