TKR New Here Looking for Positivity

LooLoo

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Hello.
I am so grateful to have found this forum. I had TKR 10 days ago. The first few days I felt positive, like I could make it through this as a strong, positive fighter. Ever since day 3 I have been in total pain, an emotional wreck, and can’t seem to snap out of it. I literally cannot stop crying or feeling sorry for myself. I want to accept myself and be positive.
I feel like I should be much farther ahead in my healing progression and I believe I’ve pushed myself too much trying to do things around the house which has delayed my recovery.
I have read all the suggestions and points to follow and all my questions have been answered there. I guess I am posting this mostly for hope and a little push for camaraderie knowing others have been through this same thing and turned out ok.
I have “tapered” off most of my meds with instruction from the doctor. At this point I am alternating between Tramodol and Tylenol every 4 hours which doesn’t seem to touch the pain. My fear is that it will never go away!
My goal now is to stay in bed mostly with icing and elevation for the next few days in hopes it will begin to heal and repair.
Thank you to anyone who is willing to listen. I had no idea this would be so difficult.
 
Hello @LooLoo - and :welome: to recovery.


Please will you tell us the full date of your knee replacement and which knee it is, so we can make a signature for you? Thank you.:flwrysmile:

I feel like I should be much farther ahead in my healing progression and I believe I’ve pushed myself too much trying to do things around the house which has delayed my recovery.
For the first month after a TKR, your knee needs lots of rest, icing and elevation, so it can start to heal. The only exercise it needs is little walks around the house. Have a look at this article, to see what you should expect to be doing: Activity progression for TKRs

You can't make your knee recover faster by being too active. Recovery from TKR takes a long time - as long as a full year for complete recovery of all your tissues. It's not the sort of surgery you can bounce back from in 6 weeks or so. It's a marathon, not a sprint, so gather up all the patience you can find, and be prepared for a long haul.

However, you won't always feel as bad as you do now. By 3 months you'll be able to do most things and by 6 months you'll feel almost back to normal.

I have “tapered” off most of my meds with instruction from the doctor. At this point I am alternating between Tramodol and Tylenol every 4 hours which doesn’t seem to touch the pain. My fear is that it will never go away!
I think there's a more effective way of using Tramadol and Tylenol together.
Try one of these two regimes. One is for 4-hourly doses and one is for 6-hourly doses.

aa-tramadol-routine-2-jpg.51125

Paracetamol, Tylenol and Acetaminophen are all names for the same medication.

Make sure that your daily intake of Tylenol is no more than 4,000 mg in 24 hours.
Check any other medications you're taking (such as cold cures) and if they contain any Tylenol/Acetaminophen, cut back one or two of your regular doses, so you stay within that safe 24-hour limit.

As you say, you have been overactive on such a new knee and that has probably increased your pain and swelling. You can get back on track by resting, icing and elevating for as long as you can. You've had a little set-back, but it need not be permanent if you pamper your knee from now on.

I'll give you the recovery reading in my next post.
 
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
5. At week 4 and after you should follow this
6. Access to these pages on the website

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.
 
We all know what you're going through! The first two weeks are absolutely nightmarish, and I think it really is that way for everybody.
It's normal to be in pain and need stronger pain meds at only 10 days after surgery. I had oxydocone for three weeks. At 7 weeks, I'm still on hydrocodone. Also, everybody is different. Some are able to dispense with narcotics quickly, while others do not, and you don't get an award for discontinuing them sooner! Talk to your doctor if you feel your pain isn't being managed sufficiently.
It does get better, though. It's a marathon, not a sprint. You're going through the toughest part right now, and you won't always feel like this.
 
@LooLoo
Perfect.....I am typing that someone would be along with articles for you to read....wa la! @Celle
My advice...read everything.

If you troll through the recovery posts, some of them use the same words that you have in your post. Again, you are not alone.

This WILL get better....you have had major surgery...give yourself a break.

I referred to my recovery as “The Dictatorship of Mr. Knee”. Early in the recovery....he dictates. He may punish any “disobedience “....I made my bed one day...oops....not acceptable behavior at that time per Mr. Knee. I learned to listen to him....

We have camaraderie here....drop in anytime.....you are not alone.....
 
Thank you ALL so much for your support and suggestions. I feel more at ease now. I don’t know how to respond to individual posts so I hope it’s ok I am answering everything here. @Celle
My surgery was Tuesday, July 30, 2019. Total replacement of my right knee.
Thanks for the med schedule as well. That will be helpful.
I plan on continuing to rest and elevate and read through all of these posts. I am grateful for your support. I feel more normal now and maybe I can be a little more positive and stop crying!!
 
Welcome. My TKR was May 13 and it’s only in the last week that I was able to stop the Tramadol. We all heal differently and this is a long road. I cried when I found this site and realized I wasn’t alone in anything I was feeling. There’s a treasure trove of info involved and a lot of very generous people willing to share their experiences. You can do this!
 
Don't be afraid to contact your doctor if you need different pain meds.. The current ones might not be working.. It really is important to be in as little pain as possible for an easier recovery.. Sounds like your doc is rationing you and it sounds like its not working for you.

I got oxy in hospital but it did little after the block wore off. Dilaudid worked fine.. I was on that till I started forgetting to take it( for me it was about a week but everyone is different.. the operative word is forgetting to take it when you are comfy!).. I was good about the Tylenol . For a while.. after about a month I was forgetting that too.

Just remember you are unique and you are important to you and while we can share experiences what was good for me might not apply to you.

Do you have a recliner? For me staying in bed made me feel like a sick person( and post TKR we are not sick but we are injured)..I made an effort to get up and get dressed and eat at the table when I could and in my recliner when I was too swollen. I also had in home PT which I found beneficial for a couple of weeks.. He made me move the leg gently and flex and extend ( no touching!) and helped me with walking inside and outside.. Also the social interaction made me feel less isolated.

My other tidbit.. Keep the Credit Card elsewhere.. On line shopping is too handy.
 
@LooLoo
Just use the person you want to respond to with the @ and the name and start typing.
Several of us respond to different people’s posts in the same reply.
 
Thank you for your surgery date, LooLoo. I've put it n your signature.
 
I am from Texas. "We ain't got no lighthouses down there." My two new knees allowed me to go places and see things I never would have seen. Work hard, listen to the doctor, be patient. The journey is worth it.
 
I’m so glad you found this site. It’s been a Godsend for me. Prop that leg up with an ice pack and keep reading. You will get the best advice and support from all these people who have been through it already. Right now your biggest job should be going to the bathroom. Then rest!
 
Moodiness and sleep disturbances are normal too. All of the medications and anesthesia muddle our neurotransmitters in our brain. That will get better. For me it was months before I could sleep more than two hours at a time.
 
Welcome, LooLoo.
Everyone here is helpful and supportive.
We are all glad we found BoneSmart.
 
10 days is nothing in terms of the time needed to recover. At best it’s maybe the first 10%. If you are one of the fast healers. And far to early to be tapering off the pain meds very much.

I am about 25:days since surgery and while I have reduced the oxycodone by 90%, I am still taking OTC meds every three to four hours. Tylenol and ibuprofen.

Only a few days ago I discovered I could now sleep on my left side. A small victory. And now I can put my socks on by myself. Another small win. But my right side is still a no go for sleeping. And that’s how it goes. No Great Leap Forward, just lots of little wins sometimes when they are completely unexpected.




RTKR July 15, 2019
 
Hi and welcome! I'm fairly new here myself and a little ahead of you with my revision of 17th June. I am following the BS way of recovery, and have had some great advice here. Hope you will have a smooth recovery, take it slowly and don't try to rush things along .... our new knees don't like that!
 
Welcome to the recovery forum!!
I agree with all those saying to contact your doctor if you're still having a lot of pain. My first 2 weeks were really horrific. It will get better.

Do you have access to streaming videos? Many of us park ourselves in front of that for the first two or three weeks when you're too tired and dazed from pain to think properly. I'm sure everyone has recommendations of their favorite things to watch during recovery!

Being depressed and crying is no fun, but it is perfectly normal after major surgeries. After my husband had cardiac bypass, it seems like everyone was always asking him about depression and how he was managing it. It's part of all the documentation he got, and that I got for my TKR. It won't be forever, and you are definitely not alone.

I hang out here a lot. It keeps me from feeling isolated and it's good to hear from the people just a little ahead of me to know my experiences are normal and that improvements are coming soon.
 
Thank you @luvcats. I’m still trying to manage the pain. I spent the day in bed watching Netflix and sleeping. I have a follow up
With my doctor on Monday so I hope I can get some help with that. I’m still not feeling much relief which is what keeps me in a depressive state. The only positive I have is this forum because it gives me hope things will change. It’s hard to keep a positive mindset when in so much pain. My plan is to rest, ice, and elevate until my meeting on Monday. I hope to have better news by then!
Thank you for reaching out. It means a lot to me.
 
@LooLoo
One thing I did is to have my home PT teach me the massage she used. She used just her hands...no lotion.
I massaged every time I thought about it, after icing, when I took drugs, when I couldn’t sleep, etc.

I am in healthcare and studies show human touch helps to heal. (Put “studies for human touch healing” into Google. it is fascinating reading....since we have time.)

I firmly believe my touch helped my swelling and for me also provided comfort with the rhythm of it.
 

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