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TKR Lin's Recovery Journey

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I am happy for those folks who had no pain after 2 week, but that sure isn't me, or a lot of others on this forum. I am 6 weeks out and having a lot of pain, still taking pain meds . Make sure you ice your knee enough. I often go to bed with an ice pack wrapped around my knee. It does help. Good luck on your recovery, and especially on having your other knee done so soon. Prayers that it all goes well for you.

Chris
 
I am one of those aggravating people who don't have much pain. I do feel burning from the IT band when I first wake up, after being motionless for three or four hours. But otherwise, it is fine. It may be that because I hurt sooo much for sooo long with the OA pain that I have a whole new definition of pain. But here is what is working for me:
I drink lots and lots of water.
I eat fresh foods - nothing processed, as I want my body to spend its energy sorting out my knee, not trying to digest manufactured food.
I don't add any salt to my food.
I sleep and nap and recline with wild abandon.
I am very gentle with my knee. Gentle stretches, moving slowly but with what I hope is "correct form". I never let PT hurt me.
I take percocet on a regular but slowly declining schedule - am at one every five hours now. Soon to be every six hours, I think.
I take a muscle relaxer at night to help me sleep.
I have recently stopped icing at night, but during the day I ice almost half the time I am in my recliner.
I will be three weeks out on Thursday. I hope and pray that my good luck holds. And that I can pass some of it on to you!
 
So I am now 8 days after my second knee was replaced. Hit a brick wall earlier this morning and all I could do is cry. I think it has been a long hard summer and I have reached the bottom of the be strong well...lolI think going into the second week is more painful then the first week.. The good news is the first new knee which is now 5 weeks out is feeling pretty good.. So I guess it can only get better from here?
 
While no two knees usually recover exactly the same. I think you can gauge your 2nd knee on your first, at least knowing which aches and pains will come along at what time. :heehee:
Not sure how you all do the knees so close together. Were you at all rethinking your decision after the first knee?
 
It's a tiresome process, doubly so by doing the second knee. At this point for me, I was lamenting choosing to do one knee per year because of the two year recovery process. At least you're getting a benefit of reducing your overall recovery time.

As you know, the meltdown is completely normal. Doesn't make it enjoyable, though!

Hang in there. Good times are coming.


Jean

LTKR (Stryker Triathlon): 21 April 2015
Right Knee Arthroscopy: 25 July 2006
Left Knee Arthroscopy: 10 February 2005
 
:bored:My original plan was to do one knee last summer and the second one this summer.. But a shoulder injury changed that plan last year. Making the knees wait another year was rough, both were bone on bone. So I thought about doing one this year and waiting till next year for the other one. BUT I don't think I could have stood waiting another year in the condition they were in. I am glad they are both done , now its just to get back to feeling good again ..
 
I am thinking the same way. I had originally planned to consider doing my second knee next year, but will talk to my OS on Monday to see about doing it quite soon. Mixed feelings, as I am only 3 weeks today on my first knee, and the thought of starting it all again sort of gives me a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. But the alternative - two years of recovery instead of 13 or 14 months - does not appeal in the least. So I will be watching your progress with compassion and interest.
 
It's ok to throw the occasional pity party. We get it. And 8 days out from a tkr is tough anyway, much less having it when your first isn't healed. Try to follow the ice, rest, elevate drill and think of how good your knees will be by next year at this time. :flwrysmile:
 
One of the reasons my OS is insistent on waiting 3 months between to make sure I am mostly off of the narcotic pain meds. He says trying to control the pain post-op is much tougher if you have been taking narcotics right up until the surgery. My 2nd is in 6.5 weeks (approx 13 weeks after the first) and I am almost completely off the Oxy.

Good Luck with the 2nd surgery!
 
So here I am on day 13. My days are not bad. I feel good so I may go out for a ride( I am not driving) or maybe even out to dinner which I think helps to just get out..However whatever I do for an activity makes me hit a brick wall kinda and I have to relax, ice and wait for the next burst of feeling good.. But nights is another story. I am miserable most nights. I have read lots of posts about ideas on how to make the nights easier but I haven't found anything that works yet.Tonight I will try sleeping in my recliner.. Bigest problem is the preasure of the footrest on my calf causes aching, so I'm not sure how it will work out. Also since I have been on oxy since my first knee surgery june 22 ,I am not on one 5 mg. oxy every 6 hours which doesn't do much at night compared to the higher dose I was on.I do understand I don't want to be on oxy to long but sure with I could find some relief for the night pain.
 
I had an issue sleeping, but wasn't in tons of pain in the night. But to be honest I wasn't worried about being on oxycodone at all. It helped relieve my pain and I was ok with that. When the pain subsided, I didn't take as much oxy, then didn't take it at all. But that wasn't until after I went back to work. I'd still sometimes take 5mg of oxycodone after I came home from school, almost 2 years later and I have oxy left in my cabinet.
 
I always put a pillow on the footrest of my recliner. It helped get a good elevation and also made the leg more comfortable.
 
Its been 2 weeks since my second knee replacement .. Today is the day the staples will be removed.. I am excited to get rid of them. The first knee felt so much better after they were gone. Not looking forward to the removing of them however. I had 16 staples in the first knee, about 6 were painful to remove... Maybe I will get lucky and they will all be easy!!!! Right..lol
 
I wish it was pain free... lol The last knee hurt to remove the staples but the nurse doing it told me to stop her whenever I needed a break..This one just went to work and it was more painful..I did tell her she had to stop a minute and she did but it was rough.. The good part is now I know its going to feel better...:)
 
Wow 16 I had 32 hope all goes well .pain free

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk
 
32 is a lot.. my second one was 22.. more then enough when they get ready to take them out..lol
 
I took the liberty of merging your two recovery threads. Forum protocol dictates that a member is allowed one recovery thread---it makes it so much easier to keep track of your progress or your issues, as we do not have to bounce from one thread to another.

We can look at the date of your surgery and follow your post-surgical history easier in one thread.

Thanks for your understanding!
 
Hi @ Lin, I'm now 11 months out. It took 3 months befor I liked my surgeon again. I was on my oxi for about 14 weeks and then hydrocodien for about 4 weeks. My nights were the worst part. My skin hurt so bad that I couldn't have a sheet against it. The meds helped so much. Each day is a day of healing. Knee replacement is one of the hardest surgeries to recover from. You are doing great!!
Dana
 
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