No pain meds today...

[lgobrien]

I just finished my first week back at work (after 7 weeks at home). I had today off and decided to see how I was doing with my pain level. All week at work, I took one Aleve in the morning and then one at night.

Today, I realized I had not had any pain meds since yesterday morning before I went to work, so I thought I'd see how long I could go without any.

My mom and cousin came over and we went out into the lake and walked waist deep in the water for about a half hour for exercise - good exercise going into the small waves and hard sandy bottom, so I made sure to be conscious of heal-toe, heal-toe... good work out - even got my heart rate going pretty good!

They just left and I'm sitting here checking email and stuff and I still haven't taken any pain meds. So glad to know that I can just take them now when I need them instead of automatically taking them in the morning...

Out to dinner tonight with friends and if I have a glass of wine or two, that can be my pain meds for tonight!

I don't want to brag, but I CAN NOT believe how much better I feel than I did just a short eight weeks ago. Still some pain, but NOTHING like that bone against bone thing! This pain I can deal with because it is only getting better!!!

Have a great weekend and get out and enjoy the weather... the reason we all had this surgery this time of year!

Laurie

 

[AlaskanTKR]

Laurie -

You are one of my heros! I can only hope for the same results - I am 5 days out since rtkr and can't imagine being pain free without meds (can't even get there with meds. Great job! 8 weeks - I can do it, I can be just like Laurie!
Marianne

 

[carolinagirl]

Hi Laurie,
I am two weeks post-op and I am on vicodin. I take one before my Pt sessions. I take one before bed. If I wake up during the night with some aching, I may take another. Other than that I don't usually take anymore.
The only real pain I have had is the muscle stiffness pain. I think the icing machine that I stay on 24/7 really really helps with the pain level.
However I have started taking meds before I get on the CPM machine, because I am at 90 degrees on it and boy does it stretch me out!!!!
Now when we get a thunderstorm my knee aches like crazy and last time that happened, I did take one. I don't let myself get in alot of pain, but so far so good. I thank the good Lord everyday that I am not in the pain I had thought I would be in. But believe you me, if I feel myself starting to hurt more than is comfortable, I have no problem taking one.

 

[AnetMarise]

This is so encouraging to me. I wlil be 4 weeks on monday and have gone from oxycontin and oxycodone to perc which is working now. I was a narc user for almost a year prior to surgery due to two bad kness - having had 6 surgeries prior to my tkr on 6/23. It has been harder to control my pain than someone who had never been on meds, but my plan is to get completely free of all of them. Thanks for the encouragment.

Annette

 

[Dedicated_Dad]

G*d bless all of you. My recovery was HARD and painful as I had to rebuild atrophied (6 years) quads cut during surgery. Ouch.

18.5 weeks out today and most everything is great except walking. Found out how to fix that so ... another couple of months, probably. Sucks to be a cripple at 42, though with the info I got today, by my next birthday I expect to be as well as I was in 2002 before my accident.

I am envious!!

PS: Met an 88 year old lady in PT. 1 week post TKA and she was walking unaided, had full 0 to ~170+ flexion. I could have cried -- nothing like getting lapped by your great-grandma...

=o )

Seriously, I was happy for her, though...

DD

 

[Doug]

My mother is now 3.5 weeks post op. She has full extension, 110 flexion, and is walking unaided......She is one tough 74 yr old.
She is also down to three percs. per day.

 

[lgobrien]

I will be the first to agree with all of you that PAIN MEDS are a MUST in the beginning (maybe for some, longer). I could not have done all my PT without taking my pain meds on a regular basis. ESPECIALLY a half hour BEFORE PT. I was able to do so much more range of motion (ROM) when I was "under the influence". Until you are well on your way to recovery (quite different timelines for all of us) you need to make sure PT is a priority. PT advancement will take place at a much higher "rate of return" if you work in tandem with pain meds.

Don't be a hero and get off pain meds too early. I just decided today to see if I could go without pain meds... today was not an intense PT day so it was doable. I will not hesitate to take at least an Aleve or if that doesn't work, then a Darvocet if I need it.

For those of you in the early stages, PLEASE don't taper off pain meds yet... they are a very necessary part of recovery. From this forum, I have defintely learned that if you don't take your pain meds WITH PT, you probably will recover at a slower rate than others.

Take care!
Laurie

 

[*gmac*]

G*d bless all of you. My recovery was HARD and painful as I had to rebuild atrophied (6 years) quads cut during surgery. Ouch.

18.5 weeks out today and most everything is great except walking. Found out how to fix that so ... another couple of months, probably. Sucks to be a cripple at 42, though with the info I got today, by my next birthday I expect to be as well as I was in 2002 before my accident.

I am envious!!

PS: Met an 88 year old lady in PT. 1 week post TKA and she was walking unaided, had full 0 to ~170+ flexion. I could have cried -- nothing like getting lapped by your great-grandma...

=o )

Seriously, I was happy for her, though...

DD

Don't ya just hate it when those 88 year olds show off in front of ya.
-Gary

 

[*gmac*]

My mother is now 3.5 weeks post op. She has full extension, 110 flexion, and is walking unaided......She is one tough 74 yr old.
She is also down to three percs. per day.

Doug-
If I were you, I would not say or do anything to pi&& her off.
_Gary

 

[Josephine]

I will be the first to agree with all of you that PAIN MEDS are a MUST in the beginning (maybe for some, longer). I could not have done all my PT without taking my pain meds on a regular basis. ESPECIALLY a half hour BEFORE PT. I was able to do so much more range of motion (ROM) when I was "under the influence". Until you are well on your way to recovery (quite different timelines for all of us) you need to make sure PT is a priority. PT advancement will take place at a much higher "rate of return" if you work in tandem with pain meds.

Don't be a hero and get off pain meds too early. I just decided today to see if I could go without pain meds... today was not an intense PT day so it was doable. I will not hesitate to take at least an Aleve or if that doesn't work, then a Darvocet if I need it.

For those of you in the early stages, PLEASE don't taper off pain meds yet... they are a very necessary part of recovery. From this forum, I have defintely learned that if you don't take your pain meds WITH PT, you probably will recover at a slower rate than others.

Take care!
Laurie

 

[JudyS]

I had my 6 week post op yesterday. My doc would rather have me on something strong that takes the pain away at this point. So he gave me another presciption for percocet.
Judy

 

[Josephine]

Very pleased to hear it!

 

[Nursepair]

Doug, what wonderful news about your mum's quick recovery. It must be the age or something, my friend in the UK had her TKR in May, she is 70, and is already back to sequence dancing and can bend her knee almost to normal. I actually cried when my mum told me today, although I am very pleased for her. I am beginning to think I will never get beyond my 97 degrees. I am still stiff and it's still very painful to bend it after 6 and a half months!! Maybe I should go back to taking Percs, but I am just down to one quarter a day now, finally, though still suffering withdrawals in between!!

 

[AnetMarise]

Do you still have pt or are you riding a bike for rehab?

annette

 

[Nursepair]

Hi Annette. I have PT once a week, aquafit twice a week and I swim at our trailer park in the river, mainly bicycling on a pool noodle. I use my stationary bike at least 3 times a day and also do other exercises my PT gave me. I had a manipulation under anaesthetic 2 weeks agao. I was at 93 and now I am barely at 97, but working it as hard as I can. I was gardening today too. I seem to surffer from swelling. I ice and elevate often too. Sue

 

[AnetMarise]

Sue:

Wow you ARE REALLY WORKING HARD! Hope you don't think I was implying otherwise! I just wondered what kinds of therapies you were doing. I am always wanting to learn something new.

Did you have limited ROM prior to surgery? I had to spend one year doing strengthening exercises and an intense PT program BEFORE my surgeon would schedule the surgery for me. He kept making me jump through hoops because he insisted I was too young at age 46. Well at 48 I finally got it.

I ask about your prior ROM because when I was in PT prior to my surgery they kept telling me to push the ROM because whatever I had prior to surgery would be the best I could get after. I am only at 4 weeks and I am not back to my prior ROM by a long shot.

You are an inspiration to me! Keep up the great work!

Annette