TKR Left TKR on the 10th of May

[makin58bacon]

Good morning, I had my left TKR May 10th 2022. I have had a lot of bleeding for the next few days, was discharged on the 13th I was back in the ER cause of bleeding, they used glue to close it. I was back again the 14th with more bleeding, this time they put two more staples in, it was still bleeding a lot. it seems to have slowed down in the last few days. Two weeks after I'm able to bend it 93degrees was at 75 degrees last week. can straight it to 0 degrees

 

[Susie-Q]

Welcome to Bonesmart, @makin58bacon !

It sounds like your recovery is going well, in spite of some early extra bleeding. Here are our recovery guidelines with some short articles that are very informative.

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​

elevate​

ice​

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

don't overwork.​

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

the BoneSmart view on exercise​

BoneSmart philosophy for sensible post op therapy​

5. At week 4 and after you should follow this

Activity progression for TKRs​

6. Access these pages on the website

Oral And Intravenous Pain Medications​

Wound Care In Hospital​

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.

 

[Susie-Q]

Do keep us posted on your recovery and don't hesitate to ask any questions you might have. There are fountains of information here both from our members and in the Library.

 

[Parks]

My tkr was 10th May too. How are you pain wise? I'm struggling with aching leg and lack of sleep. Although have not had any bleeding.

Sounds as if you are doing well my progress hasn't been checked yet. 1st June before I see physio. Hopefully they won't push me too hard!

 

[Bisbee]

Hello. My LTKR was May 12. For me, the days are getting a little better, but the nights are still pretty awful. I keep trying to sleep on my side , but no matter what I try it’s just too painful. A few things have helped me. I try to ice and elevate not too long before bedtime. Even now there are some nights I decide to sleep in my recliner, fully reclined. I always leave a bottle of water and some of my Tylenol on my bedside table or end table. Usually by the time I wake up in discomfort, enough time has elapsed that I can just take another without trying to get out of bed.