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TKR left knee replacement recovery

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Had Lk r Feb 24 2015 Had first shower also 10days ago. Tub high also .Waited until was not alone.Had rubber mat in bottom of tub. Placed good leg in first and then stretched bad leg out until it cleared the tub& swung it over. Bend at 100 degrees,goal is 120 .not able to stand for long periods of time at stove to prepare meals,therefore eating lightly,not too interested in food yet anyway
 
Using Tylenol#3 for pain 2-3 Times a day. Find I am perspiring freely today with little activity. Have been going up & down basement stairs - 14 steps to do a load of laundry. Just being still, I still feel I am persisting. Have p t later this afternoon. Anyone else experience this symtoms?
 
When I tried to cut back my pain medications too soon, I had periods of sweating like you describe, perhaps this is what is happening? As soon as I went back to the prescribed does the sweating stopped. I reduced my dosage naturally when I started to forget to take the pain medications. For most it happens between 2 and 3 months. You are barely a month out.
 
Also I swear my temperature controls were off kilter for the first month or so. Whether it was the pain meds or the surgery or both, I don't know. I did break into a sweat at the slightest exertion. And I'd get cold easily.
 
Pumpkln said:
I reduced my dosage naturally when I started to forget to take the pain medications. For most it happens between 2 and 3 months. You are barely a month out.
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At 9 weeks, I'm at the point where Ive been forgetting to take Percocet during the day but can't give it up at night yet...too much pain. And I'm glad someone else mentioned the hot and cold situation. I am long past menopause so I couldn't figure out why I was feeling alternately hot and then cold so often -- must have something to do with the meds! :)

Someone mentioned something about how to use a cane....PT told me that it should be on non-op side. But for me, my left side is the non-op side but carrying the cane on that side feels unnatural because I'm right-handed. I followed PT's instructions for weeks but now carry it in my right hand alongside my RTKR. Might be "wrong", but it works for me. :)
 
Yes, it does feel a bit strange in your non-dominant hand, but it does work.
So long as you're getting good support, @SeptemberZen , I guess that's the main thing.
 
Truth be told, both knees are pretty screwed up! Right op knee is still very stiff and occasionally swollen and from what I've researched, that may be the case for weeks or months. Some people just experience more stiffness than others. Left non-op knee is at bone on bone. Some days, if I've been out shopping or running errands all afternoon, both knees are so achy, it's all I can do not to burst into tears in the street, wishing this would all hurry up and be over with! On those days, using the cane in either hand isn't helpful-- i want someone to pick me up and carry me! :-)
 
I have also been experiencing the sweats as well as cold spells...I have found that it happens to me either when I have done too much at one time or when my meds have worn off...also I realized I missed my "monthly friend" ..I am 47 and maybe becoming pre-menoposal...don't know if it is because of surgery, meds, or life...all's I can say is that this is NOT the time to add ANYTHING else to my plate!
 
Have started on the bike in physio this week ,2 minutes, & 3lb ankle weights for leg lifts, 20 reps. Bend is at 104 degrees. Friday had all stereo strips removed. Incision clean & almost invisible line. Very exhausted all day. Low energy & appetite. Trying to get to 10 hours without pain meds. Sometimes not able to get to 8 hours. When do you think we can begin to feel like ourselves again?
 
@willow ##! - We heal at different rates but most of us require pain meds until well into our 2nd, 3rd month and sometimes beyond. I don't do formal PT anymore at almost 10 weeks but when I did, we used no weights. If you're doing weighted leg lifts, you might require pain meds for now.
 
Thank you for your input, finding some days I just am not able to go 10-12 hours . So have been using Tylenol#3 every 8 hours. Seem to be more comfortable. Really would have liked to get off the meds ,Thu k I would start to feel more like myself. But at only starting 5 th week, I must learn to be patient. Very difficult for me to do. If I could start driving my car again, I might feel more I dependent
 
I would think every 8 hours is just fine at this stage. I was taking meds more often than that at your stage.
It is a drag not being able to drive, I know, but you'll get there pretty soon!
 
Losing your independence is one of the hardest things for me too, @willow ##! . I don't drive but I am very much a city woman who is used to zipping around on foot or by public transportation. Having to curtail that is incredibly frustrating for me! When Boyfriend and I go shopping, we used to dash around the whole store, picking up things along the way. We still do, but it's like a page out of "The Tortoise and the Hare": he zips around as I go lumbering along with my cane at snail speed. He doesn't mind...but I do.
Patience is not my strong suit!

Also, forgot to mention, low energy and loss of appetite are absolutely part of the healing process. I take a nap every single day, which is a little worrisome because I'm going back to work very soon. But I'm not gonna complain about the low appetite: I've lost 11 pounds along this journey and I'd like to keep it off!
 
Drove my car yesterday by myself couldn't' wait 6 weeks. Drove to pharmacy,visited a girl friend w/o had a knee replacement in November 2014, stopped at bank. How badly swollen my knees is now. Icing & elevating. Don't think I will do thAt again for a few days. Someday, I will learn my limits. But I did enjoy my independence for a couple of hours. We cannot allow ourselves to become depressed over this. It,s just a little glitch in life&we will get thru it.
 
I started driving at 4 weeks..short trips at first..couldn't handle staying home any longer. .your knee will adjust to your driving and outings, it just takes time..it's hard to learn limits sometimes without pushing them..as long as you are not putting yourself or others in danger I say go for it! You are the only one who knows your body best!
 
Wow! Every time I check out this page, I learn something new. I have been attempting to cut down on the Percoset lately, and have these cold sweats episodes at night. Then I'm cold all day, then hot. I thought my thermostat was stuck from the surgery, as I was not running a fever. Now I see that others have gone through this and I am not crazy.


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hi @willow ##! I've just read thru your thread - so sound so much like me @Spencieca and @SeptemberZen ... we are all short on patience and want to get on...BUT we can't. Our knees dictate the pace at which we return to "normal".

On the Q of meds... I was like everyone else , striving to get off. But I had a reality check (BS member prompted) and went back up for my nightly Oxy from 10mg to 15mg PLUS took Tylenol if I woke at night... YEY sleep has returned, not 100% but a whole heap better then before. That was at week 7.5 (@9.5 now) - I am now a convert to "get comfortable, don't fight pain". Last night I dropped the Oxy back to 10 but kept the Tylenol at hand. I am happy to keep going this way until I feel as though I can drop to 5mg Oxy. During the day if I have pain I use Advil or similar.

anyway enough of all that - hope you have recovered from your admission to the ODIC and have learned the Patience lesson:flwrysmile: I have your thread on my "watch" list and I look forward to seeing your progress - cheers Maggie x
 
Newone15 said:
Wow! Every time I check out this page, I learn something new. I have been attempting to cut down on the Percoset lately, and have these cold sweats episodes at night. Then I'm cold all day, then hot. I thought my thermostat was stuck from the surgery, as I was not running a fever. Now I see that others have gone through this and I am not crazy.

Sent from my iPhone using BoneSmart Forum
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Nope, not crazy at all! I don't sweat but I do have the hot/cold thing going on occasionally. I'll put on a sweater and 10 minutes later, it feels way too hot in the room....but if I take it off, 10 minutes later, my arms start to feel chilly.

At night, it's blanket on/blanket off, but I've been doing that one since menopause 10 years ago. LOL!
 
Most have the dissabled body thermostat. It does get better as I think its the shock to the body of this what is after all big surgery. What it has done tho is make me more appreciative of wifes present predicament with hot flushes.

Legin THR Sep 14
 
Hi everyone. Am now 7 weeks post op. My bend is 106 degrees. Don't know if I'm lagging behind or this is a normal state for 7 weeks. Have developed suture granuloma at top end of incision and along sides . Has anyone heard of this. Been advised that there is nothing I can do for this neither ice,heat or massage will help. It will dissolve by itself in time. Physio has decided to be more aggressive with the bend,so have started me doing 2 more exercises to increase the bend. Still experiencing pain .have tried going on 1 Tylenol#3 a day. . We all just have to remember this was a major surgery and to be patient with the healing process.
 
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