TKR New Left Knee . . . Check!!

[carousel66]

Niki
today when I signed on the first thing I wanted to do was check to see how you were doing, as I knew if I was 5 weeks on Monday! you were at 5 weeks today.
Hang in there, you have come through SO MUCH. I still think you are very brave! TRK recovery is NOT for weak of mind or body. And you had a double whammy that most will never truly understand what you went through. (what you are going through)
I will be watching for the update from your Doc appt. OS are funny about pain management, hang in there,,,, advocate for yourself and take back up person if you need to to help you!
Keeping positive thoughts!

 

[editor98]

Thanks, Catherine. I'll let you know how the appointment goes on Thursday. Do you mind my asking what you're taking and how often for pain meds at this point? You are only one day ahead of me, so even though I know every knee is different, I'm curious to know what is working for you at 5 weeks out. Thanks! Niki

 

[karmigirl]

Niki,

If you can't get anywhere with your OS give your PCP a call and maaybe a visit and see if he will do anything for you for the pain. Others on here have had success with that method.

 

[carousel66]

Sure Niki
I have an rx for Oxycontin 10mg 12hr release 2x a day however, I'm weaning off them during the day. So now I take one EVERY night this week I'm seeing if I can do w/o them during the day, (jury is out if this is working for me or not) for break through pain or for me during the day when I'm not taking the Oxy I'm taking 1-2 (closer to 2 every 4 or 5 hrs) Vicodin 5/500
I'm also taking 1 Bayer Aspirin 325mg 2x a day and 1 Naproxon sodium 220mg 2x a day.
In short I'm doing pretty good with the 12hr Oxycontin at night, sometimes I take an extra Vicodin as I go to bed or if I wake up in pain.
during the day? pretty much 1 or 2 (most often 2 Vicodin) every 4 hrs although I'm not watching the clock, just sort of gauging things on how I feel.
I hope this helps!

 

[editor98]

Rose,
Yes, I thought of that too, but my OS is my PCP's husband! They just got married this past June. Not sure how my telling her that her husband doesn't want to give me the pain meds I think I still need would go over! :skeptical:

Catherine,
Thanks! Yes, that does help. Here I was thinking maybe I should be off of the narcotics altogether at this point based on my doc's comments. What we're taking is similar, though I don't have oxycontin--just the hydrocodone/acetaminophen combo (Vicodin). And mine is a slightly different dosage (7.5/325 instead of 5/500). Today actually wasn't too bad with taking only one hydrocodone and two Advil every 4 hours. But tonight I will take the full dose (2) of hydrocodone cause I don't want to have another night like last night. I did get some 325 mg Tylenol today so I will try one Tylenol with one hydrocodone during the day tomorrow to see if that works better than the Advil. At least I know now that at 5 weeks out I'm not too far off the mark. Thanks! Niki

 

[Josephine]

Shortly after I called it in, his office called me and the receptionist said that the doc doesn't think I should still be in that much pain, so he is only giving me a partial refill

Well, woop de do for him! How clever of him to be able to tell how other people are experiencing pain! What a nerve!

should I be able to take less narcotics than I am at 5 weeks out? I really don't know how much (if any) additional pain is caused by the fracture.

No you should not be reducing pain meds at 5 weeks, even without that fracture which is going to make a significant difference to your pain levels, have no delusions about that.

I had a really fantastic recovery and at three months I was still taking the full whack of pain meds (100 Tramadol and 1,000 Tylenol four times a day).

You have to have a serious talk with him, remind him about the fracture and tell him your pain levels. Keep a diary between then and now, record your pain levels every couple of hours and when you've taken your meds so you can show him your pain experience. Take your husband with you and tell him to speak up for you. Cutting your meds at this stage is inhuman!

 

[editor98]

Well, just got back from my doctor's appointment with mixed results. Turns out he was in no way inferring that I should not be taking as much pain meds as I am, but he did want to see me and have an xray to make sure that there wasn't something going on that is causing me to have more pain than usual. So basically he wanted to make sure everything (knee and fracture) is healing as it should be. And it is. The implant looks great, and the fracture is healing, BUT it is not healed completely yet. This is the bad news part--he wants me to do another two weeks of no weight bearing! So I have my next appointment for more xrays, 2 weeks from today. That will put me at 7 weeks instead of the 6 that I thought it was going to be. He said a fracture takes from 6 to 8 weeks to heal, and he doesn't want to take any chances with letting me walk on it too soon. He said that I can start putting my foot on the ground when I walk but just enough to straighten my knee so that it is not flexed all the time, but not enough to put any weight on the fracture. So it really is only an extra week of not being able to walk, but since I was hoping that he might tell me today (at 5 weeks out) that I could start walking, it kind of does feel like an extra 2 weeks. Knew I shouldn't let myself get my hopes up. :cry4:

He also wants me to keep the CPM until I'm walking on the knee. My in-home PT ends tomorrow, so I am going to do the PT on my own for the next two weeks and then once I can walk, I will do a week or two of outpatient PT. So I'm happy to be done with PT for a couple of weeks. I just need to make sure that I'm disciplined enough to work on it on my own.

He gave me a new prescription for hydrocodone and said that what I am doing is fine. During the day I am taking 1 hydrocodone and 1 Tylenol every 4 hours and I'm also taking 3 Advil every 6 hours. At night I'm taking the full dose of 2 hydrocodone--one at 11:00 p.m. and one at 3:00 a.m. This seems to be working well for me right now.

So--like I said--mixed results. Good news on my pain management, but not so good news on walking on this new knee of mine!
Niki

 

[carousel66]

Niki
I'm glad to see your post,
overall, a pretty good status - "steady as she goes"
would have been cool if you were ahead of schedule, but at least you are on track and everything looks good!

 

[Mountain Kat]

:I-Agree: You will get there!

 

[Jazyb]

So pleased you are going in the right direction - almost there Niki!

 

[kneeper]

I'm glad the doc wasn't just "cutting you off" but wanted to be thorough in checking your progress. Better than just continuing to give you meds without seeing you under the circumstances, imho.

 

[Josephine]

Well that was a relief! But bone takes 6-8 weeks for primary healing, it's usually about 12 weeks before it's totally complete. So though you can be weight bearing or partially weight bearing then, it might be another few weeks before it stops being achy and sore.

 

[editor98]

Yes, all in all, the doc was very nice. I needn't have worried. But man, when you're in pain and thinking someone is wanting to cut back your pain meds.....:hissyfit:!!

I had a rough day today. Just one of those feeling very sorry for myself, weepy kind of days. But tonight I took a nice hot bath for the first time! Ahhhhh......:bathtub: Felt sooooo nice!

 

[tyncam]

Hope you're feeling better ...

 

[MsHeidi]

Niki, I'm so sorry you don't get to walk yet, but I'm so glad all is looking good. Imagine if it weren't? I'm so happy you got a bath, too! Isn't it great? How are you getting in and out? I'm having a tricky time with the BTKR, but I can't imagine how you can do it without weight bearing on it. Also glad you got your meds. I'm 8 weeks out and still needing the full shebang. My chest pain has been flaring up too, though. Hang in there. Two more weeks. You can do it.

 

[Jazyb]

I'm sending you big hug and there is nothing like a good soak in bubbles; I hope you are feeling brighter today. Take care Niki xxx

 

[editor98]

I am feeling so much better--think I am over the disappointment of not getting the all clear to walk for another couple of weeks. It was a tough couple of days though.

Today I actually felt somewhat like a normal person! I went to church for the first time in 6 weeks! Went in the wheelchair and even used the handicapped potty! Manuevering in that stall in a chair is not easy!! After church I came home and iced a bit, did the CPM for 2 hours, and iced some more. Then we went to Target! Shopping! I am not even a shopper, but it felt great today! I tried one of those motorized cart thingies, but they go so slow that my husband went to the car and got the wheelchair instead. He pushed me with one hand and pulled a cart behind us with the other. I'm sure we were quite the sight! After we got home I iced again, hooked up to the CPM, and took a nap. I got up to 95 on the CPM, so some slow steady progress.

Had dinner at the table with the family tonight and then took a nice long soak in the tub. Heidi, we have a built-in bathtub so it has about a 12-inch ledge that I can sit on and then swing my legs around into the tub. I just use my good leg to lower myself down. It hasn't been too difficult. I still need to get on the CPM one more time today, but I'm feeling more like I need ice and elevation tonight instead. It was a tiring day, but the best day I've had in a while! Niki

 

[Mountain Kat]

That sounds like a wonderful day! Glad you are feeling better!

 

[fire]

Niki, it is a bit of a let down that you can't walk yet but it looks like you are working your way through it. It does feel great to get out and about a little bit. When you first go out like that it's a huge boost to your confidence that you will get back to normal life, it's just down the road a bit.

I know what you mean about slow electric carts, last week I went to get a few groceries with my wife and I rode one of them. After I got home I did a little research on how to bypass the governor on one of them so if I ever have to ride one again I might be able to get a little speed out of it.

 

[MsHeidi]

I used the electric cart at our local Home Depot and Tim Allen must have tinkered with it! It was like a race cart! Quite fun! I used an electric cart at Jo-Ann's Fabrics yesterday and it was really frustrating. Not because of speed, but because of space. I kept finding myself trapped in areas that were too small to maneuver the cart and then I'd have to back up. It was seriously annoying.