TKR Not a new patient but I need help, lots of it

[Texaslady]

@Celle I really messed up all this time I have had the wrong date on my signature and my brain. I really had my TLKR
September 5,2017. The only reason I can give for this mistake this was the third change for this surgery. The last time was because of hurricane Harvey. Just crazy times. I have put the correct date in my signature. I do sincerely apologize to everyone for the confusion.

 

[kneeper]

I know I have to sound like a cry baby I took a glance over my last few post and it seems I complain a lot. I have no one to really talk to about my current situation, my husband is tired of the whole recovery process

That's what we're here for. No one gets it like people who have been through the same thing. Our knees our the center of our worlds for a while, that's for sure. The good news is, one day you will realize you haven't thought about your knees all day.

 

[AnnieC]

My husband’s also bored with this whole circus, as he describes by btkr .... Hopefully you have other family or friends to lean on? Remember, if you don’t ask, your family and friends won’t know you need help.


Bilateral Total Knee Replacement 27 November 2017

 

[Texaslady]

Hey Guys,
I have a question that really applies to neither knee or hip recovery. I really could not decide where to take this
question. As I have said I have degenerate osteoarthritis in just about every joint in my body from hands to feet.
I really want to know if after having the TLKR if it could speed up the problem with my left hip. I know for a fact my left hip is in pretty bad shape,but it seems it is getting worse everyday. My new knee is going to be 4 months on January 5,2018 it still bothers me but nothing like it did as far as pain just every once in awhile it will give me a good jolt, I take pain medication for my knee very seldom. But my hip has turned into a bear, especially in the lower back and groin. If anyone has any experience with something please let me know. And if I posted this in the wrong place let me know where to take this.

 

[Pumpkin]

@Texaslady ,
I moved your post in "Sleepless in BoneSmart land" to your knee replacement recovery thread. You will receive more answers to your concerns about left hip pain after your TKR.

Perhaps as your knee feels better you are starting to notice your hip.

 

[Celle]

Like your right knee, your hip has been doing a bit of extra work since your second TKR. That may be why it's protesting. Hopefully, as your left knee grows stronger and takes up more of the work again, your hip will settle down too.
If it doesn't, talk to your surgeon about it.

 

[Texaslady]

Thank you I appreciate your response. I will talk to the OS again after my husband has time to do a little recovery from his LTKR IN February. The way I look at that I will be around the six month mark for me. My knee seems to be recovering pretty good I am taking less and less of the Percocet. This makes me happy, the only or pretty close to the only is at night is hard. I still am not sleeping all night granted I don’t get up quite as early I sleep until 4:30 a.m or so which is a great improvement. It just seems I still can not sleep on either side left is out, due to pain in hip right side just really causes me pain from the knee. I am hoping this will start to improve since I will be 4 months post op on the 5th.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

 

[Jockette]

I sleep all night with my leg on my elevating wedge. It relaxes my leg and keeps me still. It eliminates tossing and turning which causes pain.

I have been a side sleeper for years and I never thought I would be able to adjust to sleeping on my back, but I have!

 

[Texaslady]

Thank you,I love you little kitten in their sweaters.

 

[AnnieC]

I can’t sleep on my back for long. Never could. Bad ache develops towards my upper back on both sides of the spine. Anybody else find discomfort/pain when sleeping in 1 position for extended periods?


Bilateral Total Knee Replacement 27 November 2017

 

[Texaslady]

I have never been a back sleeper either, I don’t know about you but I have no choice. I had a right hip replacement 8-8-2016 then a total left knee replacement 9-5-2017, had X-rays done of my right knee you could not slide a very thin piece of anything it is so close to bone on bone, and then X-rays of left hip well let’s just say it’s shot. When I touch my hip on the outside or groin area it is very painful. For those reasons I sleep on my back since left knee replacement and when the pain wakes me I feel paralyzed my back hurts my knees will not bend and my left hip feels like it has been beat with a sledge hammer so yes you might say it hurts. I wish I could say it would go away tomorrow but you are so new with your new knees I doubt it will. When I hurt in my back in the muscles I get up go to my recliner and lay on a heating pad for a bit,that seems to give me some relief. I have not sleep in my bed for much longer than 3 1/2 hours since September. But I have been told with the trauma of a knee replacement it is just part of recovery. I am at 4 months and it has improved it is just slow going for me. I wish I was more help, maybe there is someone who has the exact same pain. I can’t imagine a bilateral knee surgery I really admire you guys that can. So take it easy listen to these folks they seem to always have a solution. Good luck.

 

[AnnieC]

I had bilateral hip replacements 18 months ago and, while not as downright painful as knee replacement, finding a comfortable sleep position was a task. I ended up padded like the princess and the pea fairytale [emoji12]. Fortunately that didn’t last long ..... relatively speaking. Your waking up sensations sound absolutely ghastly, you poor thing!

 

[Texaslady]

Good morning,
I don’t know any other way to start this but just start. Yesterday it was 4 months since my TLKR, the problem is the pain. I keep thinking it will stop hurting like it does at this very moment. I guess I am expecting to much but I really thought I would be sleeping past 4:30 to 5:00 a.m and not waking up in so much pain in fact that is what wakes me. It seems it will never stop, I am trying to cut back on the Percocet I take one at night before I go to bed and any other time it is unbearable like right now, I had to take one this morning at 5:00 a.m. To make matters worse now my right knee and left hip are screaming at me, I feel really defeated. I have been taken it ease keeping it simple around the house with chores my husband is still helping. I know I’m no spring chicken and don’t heal as I did when I was young but this is really wearing on me.

Another little glitch is if I don’t take a 2 hour nap in the after noon by the time 7:00 p.m rolls around I cannot keep my eyes open I mean I will be sitting there next thing I know it is an hour later and I’ve missed a whole show nd keep repeating this pattern all evening, I have not seen the ten o clock news in weeks. Then sometimes I just wake up and I am wide awake till midnight are so. I have always stayed up until around 11:00 p.m and then sleep all night getting up around 7 to 7:30 nearly all my life. All this being tired like this I have decided and made the appointment to see my regular doctor for blood test done since I do have some other health issues.

As for the knee and hip that needs to be replaced sometime in the near future I don’t know, I have got to take care of my husband as much as I can. I have about 2 months before he has his TLKR in late February. My husband is disabled to begin with but does the best he can around here it is all he can do to walk due to the fact his back fused from up about between his shoulders to his tail bone with these huge screws in I don’t know what are called but those big bones that I call wings at the bottom of the spine to help hold him together. We have always taken care of each other we are not on our death bed but right now it is difficult because of of our limitations. I have alway been pretty health until recently think God he had to have a lot care because he had 3 back surgeries in as many years. Now he has this knee replacement to look forward to.

I have rambled on enough I guess I wonder if other people face these kind of challenges are is it part of getting older. I will be 68 this summer and Husband will be 70. And when will I finally quit hurting, Iknow you can put a time on the pain but is this normal what ever normal is for this kind of surgery.

 

[kneeper]

Not a bad idea to mention the fatigue at the doctor's appointment you have scheduled. It is normal to still be pretty tired at 4 months but not necessarily having to nap every day. On the other hand, I might have napped every day if I hadn't been back at work.

 

[Celle]

Yes, as kneeper says, do mention the fatigue to your doctor.

However, also remember that you're only a third of the way through this year-long recovery and your knee is still healing. The Energy drain for TKRs is still having some effect.

It does take a long time for your sleep patterns to return to normal, but you're not doing too badly. You could try going to bed a bit earlier and planning to take some pain relief when you wake during the night.

I think that sleep patterns alter as we get older, too. I can have a "Nanna-nap" during the day time, any time I sit down in the afternoon. I also tend to fall asleep watching TV after dinner. My night-time sleep now consists of one period about 4 hours long, followed by a second period of about 2 hours. Like you, I used to be able to go to sleep and stay asleep for at least 7 hours. Not any more!

 

[Texaslady]

I really hope I am in the right place to post. I hope this is Sleepless. I am at my wits end it is 3 a.m and here I set. We went to bed about 11:30 p.m last night at 1:30 a.m I was hit with a new kind of pain it wa strong enough I sat bolt up right woke my poor husband and even the dogs, needless to say everyone was awake. I keep a pain pill in a cup with some water so when I regained some composure I took it and tried to get comfortable. Obviously this did not work for very long just long enough for everyone to go back to sleep I dosed off but not for long and I was back awake this time I stayed as quiet as I could fortunately my husband wears hearing aids so it has to be something really disturbing to wake him.

Now let me see if I can describe the pain, I have had a awful time with pain,but this started around the knee and down my calf it ran all the way to the bottom of the arch of my foot. It is a awful ache of sort an at the same time it feels like a knife in my leg. I am just about nuts with this pain that seems to come on at night with such vengeance.

I have been to my OS on December 1,2017 for a follow up. They took X-rays of my new knee plus my left hip and right knee. She said the new knee looked good and healing, the right knee looks like it might have some life in it as long as don’t take up running and beating it to death, the hip is a little worse it will probably have to be replaced sooner than later. That is about the time the head of OS surgery decided to send me pain management they could not seem to get hold of it. Pain management has been a lot of help unfortunately like most Doctor’s here in America I need to be weened off of the Percocet 10/325. Dr.Amdur said we would not doing anything until after my second refill of 180 that is 1 pill every 4 hours and I agreed. So now we are cutting back to as needed because some days I can manage pretty good.

But I have to continue to tell the whole story. I have become so fatigued I just fall to sleep anytime I get still. So I made the decision to see my primary doctor so here we go yesterday. This a Doctor I ave been seeing for twenty five year so she knows me pretty well. At first she nearly fainted when she saw I was still om Percocet, she said that was problely the problem. After a while she changed her mind now she is as confused as I am. We talked and she examined my new knee said it looked good until she touched it on the side and I came unglued that is when she told me and my husband that in all the years she has never seen me like this! Now for the finally she is running a bunch of blood work up, do have a couple of other illness that are kinda nasty in their on right, just for good measure she wanted to check them and through a few more in for good measure.

​

 

[Texaslady]

Good Morning,
I have a question about something that has come up, does anyone know or had any experience with nickel allergies. The reason I ask is the fact of my pain level. The question has come up about getting a rash are having any costume jewelry. I do If I wear costume earrings my earlobes swell and become pus in the and all red. Same with necklaces my neck breaks out in a matter of minutes. I need to send a message to my Doctor so if anyone could help I would appreciate.
Thanks

 

[Celle]

I have had a awful time with pain,but this started around the knee and down my calf it ran all the way to the bottom of the arch of my foot. It is a awful ache of sort an at the same time it feels like a knife in my leg. I am just about nuts with this pain that seems to come on at night with such vengeance.

I'm going to ask @Josephine to advise you.

This a Doctor I ave been seeing for twenty five year so she knows me pretty well. At first she nearly fainted when she saw I was still om Percocet, she said that was problely the problem. After a while she changed her mind now she is as confused as I am. We talked and she examined my new knee said it looked good until she touched it on the side and I came unglued that is when she told me and my husband that in all the years she has never seen me like this! Now for the finally she is running a bunch of blood work up, do have a couple of other illness that are kinda nasty in their on right, just for good measure she wanted to check them and through a few more in for good measure.

It is unusual to still be taking Percocet for so long. Perhaps one of your doctors could help you with a programme to step down off the heavy-duty narcotics.

It would be helpful to know exactly where you feel this pain. Josephine has a chart where you will be able to locate it accurately.

 

[SusieShoes]

I react to costume jewelry, earrings for the most part (though a Fitbit gave me a nasty rash), so told my OS about this. He had me tested for metal allergies. Much to my surprise, I'm moderately allergic to... gold. I wear gold all the time and have less trouble with gold earrings than costume ones. It also explains the Fitbit, which has gold contacts in its sensor. Go figure.

I was only very mildly allergic to nickel and went ahead with surgery using the prosthesis my OS prefers. I've had no trouble. The allergist I saw was willing to answer my thousand questions and one thing he told me is that the closer the allergen is to the face, the more likely a person is to react. Ears more than fingers. Eyes more than ears. Interesting.

Your surgeon should be informed of any suspected metal allergy, and it's a good idea to get tested ahead of surgery.

 

[Texaslady]

@SusieShoes thank you for your reply I will tell my Doctor, I got to thinking after I posted that I had RTHR on 8-5-16 and I had very little problems. I was up and about in 3 weeks.