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TKR Mom's post op thread<

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Yay for the elevating and being able to sleep! You are so right about the small victories. And she is *just* around the corner from a turning point, so just remember that things WILL get better.

I'm hoping the anti-inflammatory will help - I know it did for me in the early days, as surgical swelling was the main contributor to my pain back then.

I'm glad you guys have a chance to be together. Since my mom and I weren't able to be with each other (since we each had our surgeries within a month of each other), we made sure to talk or text every night. Although I did find out very quickly that she had been minimizing how miserable the first two weeks had been! Bad mom! Lol

Keep us posted, and sending many good thoughts you guy's way!
 
Don't let the therapist hurt her in any way. Gentle stretching and massages is all she needs right now. If she feels anything more than some slight discomfort tell him/her to STOP.
 
I'm glad your mother had a better night.

About those exercises - she doesn't really need to do them yet. Just walking around the house is enough exercise for now.
Please hang around, to see that her PT therapist does not do anything that hurts your mother, or ask her to do lots of exercising.
 
Thanks everyone.. Her PT is actually really sweet and if anything hurts her she actually has her stop. I mean she does push her but she she seems very aware to her being in any pain. It seems we have turned a corner. The last couple of days have been much better pain wise. We've actually stretched out how far in between medication and she is taking an anti inflammatory now. Things are at least hopeful. Her energy level low. She is very weak. I attribute this to cabin fever, diabetes, and just her body healing. I watch very closely over her blood sugar of course. But getting up and moving around takes everything she's got. She has just in general felt better the last couple of days though. Having a little hope sure helps
 
Her energy level will be low for a long time. Almost all her energy is being directed towards healing her knee.
It's explained in this article, which is also in the list of articles given to you earlier:
Energy drain for TKRs
 
@Celle Thanks again.. I read those articles in the middle Of the night one night so things have slipped my mind.. I do remember this article now. Which it makes perfect sense of course.
She did great with PT today.. Even did leg lifts! She's really progressing well.. And it really helps she's feeling so much better.. Tired of course but being hopeful helps The mental aspects of all this really have run a course on her I can tell. thank goodness for all the people here and articles
 
I'm glad your mother is feeling a bit better. It's a good feeling when you can finally lift your leg, isn't it? Now she can do it, she doesn't need to keep doing it in her exercise routine. She'll be using those muscles each time she gets back into bed.

Remind her that she doesn't need to do a lot of PT - just one or two exercises, once a day. It's not really the exercises that improve things, but time - time to recover, time for swelling and pain to settle, and time to heal. Her ROM (Range of Movement) is there right from the start, just waiting for all that to happen, so it can show itself.

So, for now, lots of rest, ice, elevation, and medications on schedule - and just a little exercise.
Wish her all the best from us.
 
I'm going to tell you my secret, I didn't do a lot of elevating after either of my TKRs. At least, not in the sense of stacking pillows. I sat or reclined in my recliner, which resulted in my leg being extended from my body and not hanging down to the floor but not elevated beyond that point. I found it very comfortable.

I DID do a lot of icing, either with my Cryo-Cuff or two big ice packs. When my leg said it would feel better in a bent position, I put it in a bent position. I don't know how to explain it, but my body "tells" me what it wants and needs. When I listen to it, it's happier.

From everything I've read in your posts, you're doing a great job helping your mom. She's fortunate you can be there for her. If she wants to get up and move around, she should do that (within reason, and she seems to be being very reasonable). The walker is a great help for confidence and stability. I made sure I used mine at night several weeks after I'd stopped using anything during the daytime because I knew when I was up and moving around half awake, I would do better with the extra stability. I knew I didn't want to fall.

I hope you get the pain medication issue worked out. That will make everything a little easier.
 
Hi
I'm 18 days post TKR and I'm 69 yo. I live alone so have had to manage without help as of 7 th day post op.. I was walking Day three without the walker and am now 115 degrees flexed .. tell mom she has to move through the feeling that the knee won't move, because it will .. don't be at her beck and call because you will make her dependent .. get her off the pain pills they only slow everything down.. and you become dependant on them I've done with ice Tylenol and allege good luck hang in there !!


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Hey there, @MyMamaTKR!

It sounds like you guys have a fairly good routine worked out - and that it seems to be working well. Not to mention your physical therapist sounds quite reasonable.

I think one of the best things about this forum is that you get a lot of different ideas that worked for different people. For me, getting off the pain pills too early proved fruitless - it hurt my recovery by having me tense up and be stiff when I wanted to be able to bend and do my leg slides and quad flexes. But everyone's pain threshold is different, so have your mom do what works for her. As BS says, her knee will let her know what it's ready to do and whether the pain pills will help.

My PT was very clear with me that he did not want me going too quickly, as my muscles, tendons, and soft tissues would need to heal - his advice for me was 'slow and steady wins the race'. I liked that philosophy, because the one thing I DIDN'T want to do was screw up and have to have another surgery - the thought of going back to week 1 was horrifying! :yikes:

@iocolano, you are a very strong person to be doing all this alone. I *might* could have done it myself, but not happily. If hubby hadn't been there to help, my swelling would have been out of control, and I might not have been able to focus on my PT and recovering. As for you helping her, I think you are an angel. I wish I could have been there for my mom.

We all do things differently, and it sounds like you and your mom are figuring out what works for her. I'm so glad that she turned a corner! My next big turning point was around 4 weeks, so just know that there's yet another to be had! It gradually gets better (even if it feels glacially slow sometimes)... But Mama will heal and before you know it she'll be just like us - getting excited about going to the grocery store, or making a revolution on the bicycle :heehee: It's the little things, you know?

Happy healing!
 
Thank you for your suggestions. Everyone's recovery is different and some people need more help than others. I'm glad that you are managing well.

However, there is nothing wrong with being helped and nothing wrong with taking pain medications if you need them. In both cases, becoming dependent or addicted is very unlikely. A knee replacement is major surgery and most people need adequate pain medication. Trying to come off the medications too soon is a big mistake.
 
Hey 11 days....it should hurt like hell. Get some better pain meds. In California they are really stingy because the DEA are scaring them. Keep after the Dr. Until he gives her something that will work. Pain no big deal to them , they can't get sued for post surgical pain.

Good you help her, my daughter helps me, because it will hurt for a while that's how it is
But it will pass. It hurts everyone but she will endure
 
@MyMamaTKR your mama is very early days and it sounds like you are both doing great. Please don't worry about the pain pills they are necessary for as long as she needs them. I am 4 weeks post op and only now finding some days I need less but some days I need more. My doctors are in no hurry to stop them.
 
I'd like to give you some personal, structured advice for her but in order to do that, I need to ask you some questions. Are you willing for me to post them?
 
I was 64 at the time of my tkr and am single. I had to take care of myself and 11 cats, because I'm rescuer. I did no pt at all through my whole recovery because being alone with responsibilities, I got enough 'home pt'! It was hard, but we do what we have to do. You are a wonderful daughter and your mom is so blessed to have you. But, let her start doing things on her own. And as others have said, don't ever let pt hurt her. That will set her recovery back. When your soft tissues are already inflamed, working them causes more inflammation and swelling. If the knee is swollen, it won't hardly bend. Those tissues need to heal before working them.
 
Hi @MyMamaTKR I think you and your mom are already seeing that every day and week is a new adventure in tkr. I'm glad you guys contacted the doctor about the pain and got the meds sorted out. I was on oxycodone for the first few weeks and then "stepped down" to the hydrocodone as I was ready for something less strong.

It sounds like you are of great help to your mom. Just having the housework and errands taken care of gives her time to rest and heal and do activities only as the knee allows; not taking on extra stuff too early. :thumb:

Say hi to your mom for us and let her know slowly and surely she'll get there, just listen to the knee. :)
 
I had mine done the day before. I've had some of the same problems with sleeping and getting up and down. I've done physio today and for the first time he got it to bend greater than 80 degrees it actually got to 95. Just tell her to persist and watch as she makes a little progress everyday. Try icing it while elevated. It helped me when I took myself off the heavy pain killers the day after leaving hospital. Good luck
 
You and your mom are doing great at this point. Don't push it and she will heal! I am 61 with bilateral last July. It may take us a little longer but with a little help, we will get there, too! [emoji9]

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