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TKR Left One Done 7/31/14

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Hi Krynn
Am not a medical person,but if you read the label on the Benadryl and see only Diphenhydramine with no acetaminophen, that's Benadryl only and no Tylenol. Are you wanting the Benadryl to help you sleep?

Many, many people on here will confirm that the sleep problems are common. Some have their docs prescribe a sleep aid like ambien to get back on pattern.

When I do wake up at night, sometimes getting a fresh ice pack can help. Also, make sure you are setting an alarm so that you take your pain meds at the hour allowed. If you have an iPhone or iPad, there is a really cool app called pillboxie that will allow you to set reminders for all of your meds. It has helped me a lot.
 
Not such a good day. Have a lot of pain after therapy. I asked PT if back to back days of therapy could be the problem. She said most likley. I now know not to do that again. It's gonna be elevate, ice and pain meds for the rest of today. Today is 5 weeks.
 
Hi, and welcome. No, there is no Tylenol in benadryl. I know all about the crying and feeling somewhat depressed. Just the other day I posted about waking up and starting to cry for no reason. This recovery is trying in so many ways. From the nerves pre-op, anesthesia, pain meds, hospital environment, pain etc.. I had my surgery July 10,2012 and still battle swelling and discomfort. This recovery is a long, slow process, but take heart. Every day brings us all closer to a new, pain free knee,and the ability to do the things we enjoy! We are here for you whenever you need to vent, ask questions( the moderators here are a wealth of knowledge!!!) and have or are going through the same things you are. The folks here really care. Now,don't feel like you are "behind". There is no such thing! Everyone's recovery is different. Don't compare yours to someone else. You are doing just fine. Don't let the well intentioned uninformed make you feel bad. Those that have not been through this had no idea what this recovery takes. We are here for you anytime you need information,a chat, and lots of hugs.
 
Back to back days of therapy? :cry: I'd say that's something to avoid at all costs.
 
Good day in therapy today!! Went around twice on bike! :) and Drove to therapy!!!
And you are right Josephine. No more back to back. I learned my lesson!
 
It was sort of a good day today. Went to therapy and, I know rom is not a priority, but I did reach 94 today!! Maybe there is a light at the end of the tunnel.:)
I will be 6 weeks out tomorrow and have an appointment with OS on Friday. Have a lot to discuss with him.
 
[Bonesmart.org] Left One Done 7/31/14
Good to hear that things are improving, Krynn, and that ROM is coming along for you. Just take it easy and don't push too hard and you will get there. Take care and keep us posted. We care.
[Bonesmart.org] Left One Done 7/31/14
 
Saw my OS on Friday. Xrays looked good. Had a good visit. He more or less is leaving it up to me as to when I return to work. I can positively say that I am not ready. My stamina has a long way to go. He doesn't seem obsessed with my rom progress but was pleased with what I am at now. I go back to him in six weeks.
 
Good report.
 
I am now 7 weeks post-op and am taking it slow. PT was good Tuesday. I was on the bike and thought I was going backwards. My PT comes over and tells me I am going forwards!!! Didn't even realize it!! ROM was still in the 90's but flexion needs work. Thursday I was really stiff and didn't even manage to go all the way around on the bike:(
Still have some crying episodes but not every day. Sleeping better, though:)
Hubby bugging me about going back to work but I just don't think I am ready. I work in a hospital in the physical medicine and rehab unit and I have the advantage of getting up and walking around and the availability of ice. But I just don't want to push it.
I am so glad I found this forum. It has helped me get through many ups and downs. Thank you to everyone!!

Admin, can you change my thread title to "My RTKA 7/19/12", please? Let me know if tere is a problem. Thanks!
 
Ok.So I am confused. I am almost 10 weeks out and I still have the tightness around my knee. It is there when I wake up in the am and most of the time when I stand up after siting even for a little while. I go to PT three times a week and they are really gentle with me. I do my ecercises(the same kind) at home. I ice my knee after each session. I am taking 2 percocet at bedtime and one in the am before PT. In between, I take either ibuprofen or tylenol. My rom last week hit 101 but this week I can only get it to 96.
I have read all of the posts in the library and I still am concerned if I am medicating enough or PT too much.
Any advice or suggestions are very welcome.
 
Krynn, I found that percoscet did cause some depression in me too. I switched to Ultram which is a milder narcotic--it is safe to use when you drive. I could take it with tylenol and it took care of my pain at this level. There are other "step down" drugs as well. The tightness around your knee is swelling and that will happen until three or four months.

I am glad you did not rush back to work. I took off 12 weeks and did not think that was too much. I did wear support hose when I went back to work because a lot of standing will cause the knee to swell. be careful, you are doing well, but it is still early in your reovery, you still need to rest and take care of yourself. K
 
Just an update
Had my 3 month check up with OS. He seemed pleased and released me to go back to work next week. He didn't seem concerned at all about my rom(100/2). Gave me some tips for finding aqua therapy. He suggested contacting the Arthritis Foundation as they do classes. Going to be looking into it on Monday:)
I, also, asked him about my left knee which is not very good. Since I cannot get it done until next fall, I asked about injections. He said that would be ok and hoping to go in Monday for one.
 
I guess it is some kind of cortisone injections. I have had them before in my right knee and early on they seemed to help for about 3 or 4 months. It got to where they were not working and me and the Ortho doc decided to the tkr.
 
Jan,
Has your OS suggested any of the Synvisc, Supartz, Euflexa etc injections. I know after my RTKR my left knee was really bothering me so se tried the Supartz series of injections and it worked really great had then done in Feb. and they are still working great, no problem at all with it. Just a suggetion.
 
Supartz or Synvisc ("viscosupplementation" or hyaluronic acid shots) work only if you have a significant amount of articular cartilage remaining in your joints. They stimulate your body to produce more of its own hyaluronic acid, which acts as a lubricant and reduces further wear & tear on existing cartilage, but has little to no effect preventing bare bone from grinding on bare bone. There is no Tylenol (APAP) in Benadryl and vice versa--but Tylenol PM (and its generic versions) are a combo of generic APAP and diphenhydramine (brand name Benadryl). The latter has been used for years as an OTC sleep aid, the newer one on the market being doxylamine succinate. (Both are classed as antihistamines, albeit the very drowsy kind, which is sort of the point). Plain Benadryl or doxylamine without APAP will make you sleepy without increasing blood levels of APAP, but OTC antihistamines will to some extent cause some urinary urgency and make you likelier to wake in the night to pee, which sort of defeats the purpose of taking a sleep aid. I just started buying nighttime bladder pads in case I don't wake up in time from the "pee dream." (You know, the one in which you find yourself fruitlessly seeking out a suitable toilet--hopefully, it wakes you up in time to realize you need to get to the loo).
 
Well, I have to wait until next week sometime. They have to get approval from my insurance company. This is weird because before I had my surgery, I was going to another Ortho doc that was giving me injections in my right tkr for a couple of years. (He is semi-retired and doesn't to surgery so he recommended me to one of his associates.)I don't recall him having to get approval????
The doc did say the name of the injection but I don't recall. I will have to ask him and maybe write it down. I really should know:)

D.Diva, I am taking the benedryl occasionally and my sleep patterns have greatly improved. I wake up a couple of times during the night to go to the bathroom. So far no problem with leakage:)

With 13 weeks, I still have stiffness in the am. But I have been experimenting with the stairs very carefully and I am amazed at the difference. No pain!!
 
Forgot to mention that after 3 painful Supartz shots (that I paid for in advance out of pocket and didn't work), my insurance company refused to pay for them, saying....wait for it....they don't work in bone-on-bone patients. They actually advised me to get my L knee replaced (and did pay for the R one in the meantime).
 
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