TKR New brand new Knee

[knees]

That is so awesome! I would love to be at 100 degrees. Yay!

 

[tmwillia]

I think the one thing the has helped the most and moved me from 85 to 100 is the the therapist I've seen the last two times has me sit on the edge of the table and he kneels on the floor and gently pulls on my leg for a minute, then flexes it back a little. He repeats it about half a dozen times and some of the flexion has me gasping so he told me to do deep breathing the whole time. Like knee Lamaze.
I haven't had another therapist do this but It just had an amazing effect. I'm going to try to schedule only with this guy from now on.


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[tmwillia]

I'm embarrassed to post, after my last declaration of my success. Something has happened and I've been so miserable for the last three days. My knees haven't stopped hurting for three days. Even the left (real) knee has joined in the fun. But the real pain is in my right leg. It hurts from my ankle to my thigh. I've been icing it every hour or so. It's not swollen, or not that I can see. It is like having a terrible toothache in my knee. The only sleep I get is with ice surrounding my knee and within the first couple hours after taking a pain pill. When I saw the OS on Thursday I was all out of pain meds and asked him for some more so he ordered the Norco 5s, but on a every twelve hours schedule if needed. I didn't have this much pain last week and I thought I was over the worst part of this process. Now I can't understand what's happened. I haven't done any PT since last Wednesday. That was 4 days ago. All I've done is walking around the house and doing really light housework. Sometimes the pain goes away when I walk, then bounces back when I sit.
Does anybody know what could be happening?


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[tashia]

tmwillia, In your last post before this you were saying that you PT was pushing down on the knee to help your bend. Is this correct? I was thinking that he or she pushed to hard and hurt the muscles around the knee. I am not a expert so I will page Josephine, to see if she can help you. In the mintime please done't do anything but rest, ice and elevation and of course pain control. Please keep us informed on this. Take care, Tashia

 

[icep707]

Im no expert but after reading Bonesmart for about 3 weeks everyday I believe its fairly common. soft tissue is regenerating and bone is trying to mend. Its a very painful process. One that I look forward to. Im pre op. Pain management is vital along with elevation and ice. I ordered a cryo cuff ice thingy on ebay for under 100 $. Heck I may start icing before my surgery. I guess you are hitting a bump in the road. Stay as positive as possible , sounded as if you are doing GREAT with PT and your ROM. keep up the great work. The pain just needs to be managed and iced more if possible.

 

[tmwillia]

Ok, maybe in my renewed enthusiasm in PT I injured the helping muscles. I've pretty much been resting and icing the last three days and this morning it doesn't ache very much. Tomorrow I have PT and I will take it easier. I really hope this is just a little bump in the road and try not to overreact.
Thanks for the help.


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[earlybirds13]

Hi its mal from england not been on for a while , sorry to hear about your pain , do not be pushed to hard ,i had similar at pt ,i am just coming up to 8 wks mon pm i am only 95% with pain ,i like to do deveral mile on the mountain bike that is working wonders , hope it is just temperary for you dont get down ,mal.

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[tmwillia]

Thanks Mal from England. I appreciate the support.
I've been icing 20 minutes out of every hour all day. That's after trying to sleep with frozen peas on my knee last night because we'd gone through all the ice. It still aches terribly and I have 2 1/2 hours till I can take take a pain pill. (Every 12 hours only now) I'm feeling very sorry for myself, and dreading even driving to PT tomorrow.
I guess this is one of the valleys in this peaks and valleys process.




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[tmwillia]

A little worried here. Its nearly 2:00 am, and I've been up since midnight. Insomnia and I are old pals. What worries me is that terrible aching leg that only stops hurting when I take a pain pill and the relief is so short.
My OS gave me a new script for the Norco (5's), to take only every twelve hours. But after 6 hours I'm hurting all over again. Does this mean I'm drug dependent ?
I assume at this point , 7 weeks post-op, I should be able to manage without the narcotics. I am taking meloxicam twice a day, which seems to keep dome of the other, unrelated pain controlled.
Is it possible that if I stopped taking the pain pills, I'd get used to the pain? I was doing better a week ago than now.


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[earlybirds13]

Hi feel so sorry know just how you are feeling, two o clock was pain o clock ,here we tend to take the morphine tabs for the first two wks now i am on two co codamol every twelve hours along with 1 diclophenac which is what i was taking before the new knee, hope to be off the drugs soon or just take when i need ,good look .

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[tmwillia]

It sounds like your doing great. I think I'm having a set back but I've been taking it easy for 4 days and it just seems to get worse. I wish I understood this better.
Not sleeping stinks, don't you think?


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[earlybirds13]

I was just like you between four and six weeks after opp , at two in the morning nobody wants to cuddle you all you get is go to sleep!!! Which you would love to ,our national health is a great help , are on the insurance sounds like you need to talk to a doc, all the best mal.

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[tmwillia]

Is it normal (at 8 weeks post-op) to have crazy itching in the outside numb part of my knee, plus really achy lower leg?

 

[earlybirds13]

Hi my knee is a little itchy but that is getting better ,but i have lost a bit of the bend and is getting stiffer but have done a full days work, mal.

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[tmwillia]

My leg aches so much, even after a pain pill, while using ice and the tens unit I am thinking about canceling PT for the first time. How long does this misery continue? Seems like a roller coaster, up and down.

 

[1ELISEA]

So sorry your leg is aching. It will get better!
Sometimes it is 3 steps forward and 1 step back (I can't believe I just made that pun!)

 

[tmwillia]

Ha! I guess I thought it would be smooth sailing by now.

 

[referee54]

Ha! I guess I thought it would be smooth sailing by now.

At eight week, you still have a way to go, and it is still a roller coaster ride; issues will indeed pop up here and there.

I went back to the classroom at eight weeks; I thought that it was the "magic date"---"all clear", if you will. Little did I realize that I had a long, long way to go.

Not sleeping stinks, don't you think?

It really, really, does! I think that the sleeplessness was possibly the most frustrating aspect of recovery for me. I wandered around the house looking for a place to get comfortable and to crash. I watched an incredible amount of Law and Order re-runs on late-night TV!

I assume at this point , 7 weeks post-op, I should be able to manage without the narcotics.

Remember, some recover at a slower pace than others---you may need to take those pain meds longer, as you simply need them! There is no "deadline" in recovery.

 

[tmwillia]

You may have to call my doctor for me then. I used the last of the pain meds by 5 weeks. He says I shouldn't have any pain.

 

[referee54]

You may have to call my doctor for me then. I used the last of the pain meds by 5 weeks. He says I shouldn't have any pain.

I would have a talk with your OS and your GP---this idea that, at five weeks, you do not need anymore pain meds is preposterous! I am very sorry to read that your pain med script has been cut short.