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TKR Leaving for hospital December 12, 2016<

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Oh, Nancy, forgot to mention I once worked at that hospital in Voorhees. Small world.
 
That's crazy!!! I loved it there.


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Glad your stay there was good. The hospital I used in Florida also gave me exceptional care. :)
 
Thank you Barbara!! It helps to not be alone.


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Welcome back to he group! I am new here but I have found so much of the information here very useful. Please take your meds on time, ice and elevate. Your story sounds identical to mine. It starts out good, goes down hill a little, but nothing that can't be controlled with the BoneSmart Mantra. I didn't find them until I was in week 4 and had started PT only to find they were way to aggressive. I have stored it due to a swollen knee and am doing nothing but icing, elevation and test with meds on time. It will get better by and by!
 
2helpme, Thank you. I can barely even reply at this point. Pain is blinding


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Feel for you those first few days and weeks are rough. A roller coaster of a ride with pain. Icing and elevating and pain medication on schedule is the key. I think that first little bit you get a false sense that it's not going to be as painful as it does a day or so out. Also I know when I was in the hospital hip replacements went home sooner and could get around better than the tkr folks. In fact a friend of mine her boyfriend had his hip done the same day as I had my tkr and I was a bit envious at how well he was able to get around after words, when just making it to rehab made me feel like I was going to pass out from discomfort.
 
I had a lot of pain as well and the doctor gave me 10 days of oxycontin--which made a difference. The nurse called it , "the big guns"! Once you have this type of breakthrough, it is hard to get the pain back under control. Is there anything else in your file---many doctors will proscibe several pain meds for just this reason. Make sure the nurse did not decided that you don't need any more pain meds. Ask what all the doctor left for your pain---then take it all!! once the pain is under control again, you can back off a little, but you need to take the meds by the clock for the first 10 days to two weeks for sure.
 
nancyellen said:
I can barely even reply at this point. Pain is blinding
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I'm concerned about this. You're only 3 days out. Are you still in hospital or at home? If you're still in hospital, are the nurses giving you your meds on time? If not, you need to bug them about it. In the first 2-3 weeks it's essential you have plenty of pain meds on board. If you're at home, then YOU need to ensure you're taking adequate doses, absolutely the most that is prescribed - two tablets if it says 'one or two' and every 4 hours if it says 'every 4-6 hours'. And if that's not working, then phone you doctor and ask him if you can try something else. It's not at all uncommon for some folk to find that a particular medication doesn't suit them.
 
Have you spoken to the hospitalist at the rehab? Your OS should've prescribed pain medication for you before you left the hospital for rehab. Ask the nurse or hospitalist what your script says and tell them you want your medication on schedule. You may have to remind them a half hour before each dose, so set your phone.
 
HELP!!!! Sharp pain in joint 3 wks post op. I get confused negotiating the forum so I'm hoping someone will put this in the proper place. It is exactly 3 weeks since I had my LTKR. I have to admit I've been absolutely miserable the entire time. I had no idea the recovery would be so difficult and that I would be so weak. I felt like I flew through my hip replacement so I was unprepared for this. Anyway, my PT and my surgeon's assistant both say I am doing well and that my x-rays look good. I am gradually getting around more. I can now walk without any aid even though I have to walk very slowly. My concern is that While walking, out of the blue, I get an unbelievably sharp pain from the outside of my knee right where the joints would be touching and it practically puts me on the ground screaming. I know I i'm still in the early stages of healing, but has anyone else experienced this? It actually has me scared that I will end up worse than prior to the surgery. It is not a pain like the discomfort of tight knees or inability to bend or straighten. I'm getting used to those discomforts and they are gradually improving. It is a sharp debilitating pain like someone has shoved a knife into the side of my knee.
HELP


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Three weeks is very early especially to be walking unaided. Many TKRs use a walker the first month and a cane for much longer. Go back to using a cane, crutch or walker to take pressure off your new knee, what you're doing is too much for the soft tissue around the TKR. Your implan Pleas go back and read the articles, especially the activity progression chart. Also take a look at how little long it can take different parts of your body to heal.

https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/healing-how-long-does-it-take.5424/
 
Thank you KarriB. I will use the walker. But has anyone else reported this?


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Reported the pain? There are all sorts of random pains that come when you are doing too much. Just today I've seen 2-3 others experiencing pain because they've overdone things. It is far far too early to be walking unaided after a TKR surgery. At this point you should only be walking 5-10 minutes and making small meals for yourself.
 
nancyellen said:
My concern is that While walking, out of the blue, I get an unbelievably sharp pain from the outside of my knee right where the joints would be touching and it practically puts me on the ground screaming. Has anyone else reported this?
Click to expand...
Most people who are doing too much!

I'd like to ask you some questions if you don't mind, and it would be very helpful if you would answer each one individually - numbered as I have done - in as much detail as you can then I'll come back as see where you are ....

1. what are your pain levels right now? (remember the 1-10 scale: 1 = no pain and 10 = the worst you can imagine)

2. what pain medications have you been prescribed, how much are you taking (in mg please) and how often?

3. how swollen is your leg compared to these?
[Bonesmart.org] Leaving for hospital December 12, 2016<


4. what is your ROM - that's flexion (bend) and extension (straightness)

5. are you icing your knee at all? If so, how often and for how long?

6. are you elevating your leg. If so how often and for how long?

7. what is your activity level? What do you do in the way of housework, cooking, cleaning, shopping, etc., and

8. are you doing any exercises at home? If so what and how often?
This is the most crucial question so please help me by using the format I have left as an example
(which means please make a list and not an essay!)

Exercises done at home
- how many sessions you do each day
- enter exercise by name then number of repetitions of each
etc., etc.

Anything done at PT
- how many times a week
- enter exercise by name then number of repetitions of each
etc., etc.
 
1. 2 when I walk 10+
2. Oxycodone-Acetaminophen 5-325 I take 1-2 every 4 hours
3. Slight to moderate
4. Flexion 125 extension 0
5. Icing about ½ the time and using one of those ice machines that circulates cold water
6. Elevating most of the time
7. Very little activity other than taking several 5 minute walks and doing the specified activities. No real housework and nothing outside of the house
8. 3 times a day I do standing on operated leg, short squats, and heel lifts along with the bed exercises such as heel slides and straight leg lifts.
I do each exercise about 20-25 times 3x per day. I live in a high-rise apartment building with long hallways so I have taken my walks in the hallways.
I feel like the surgery itself has been healing, it's just this absolutely intense crippling pain that I get coming from the outside of my knee in right at the joint that sends me screaming to the ground. Sometimes when I'm taking one of my little hall walks I can barely make it back to my apartment.
I've become so afraid to move that I'm pretty much staying in bed except for those three times a day that I force myself to do something. I have someone coming for PT three times a week and he is so impressed with my flexion and extension. I actually have not had an episode when he was here. I see him tomorrow morning and my latest episodes have been going on for 24 hours plus so I'm sure it will happen tomorrow morning when he is here


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Actually, this evening it is so bad I can't even take the few steps to the bathroom without intense pain. As the surgery gets better this pain seems to intensify.


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@nancyellen .... I'm sure Jo will get back to you with more details, but my suggestion is that you cut way back on those exercises. Knees are not at all like hips! You can have a lot of pain if you push the recovery before your body is ready. Just do some gentle bends and stretches every couple of hours along with your walking about the apartment as needed to get to the kitchen, bathroom and bedroom. No walking the halls. No home chores at all. Minimal time fixing meals if you can. Ice and elevate as much as possible. Also, get on a schedule of 2 pain pills every 4 hours through the day and night. Stay on this until your pain is properly managed. If this doesn't work, contact your surgeon and tell him you need something different for pain.
 
Thank you Jamie. I have become petrified to walk now. I am using crutches to get to the bathroom


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