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

[Polkadot]

Tuesday will be 7 weeks since surgery I will be glad to get this over. Could you tell me how much longer?

I'm so sorry, sweet lady, to tell you that this recovery takes a lot more time than does the usual surgery. If you had had a hysterectomy or carpal tunnel surgery (I've had both), you'd be looking at the back end of recovery, and life would be roses. We've all railed against the unfairness of how long this takes--6 months to a year! That said, every week for you will bring new milestones. The pain and discomfort will decrease according to your own body's timetable; things will become easier; you will think of your knee less and less as time goes by.

One thing that helped me was a chart that shows the timing of healing. You can find it here.
Layers of Healing

 

[SusieShoes]

How much longer? I think that will depend on you... the decisions you make, how you go about allowing your knee to heal, and your choices in exercise to rehab your knee.

I’m so sorry you had to suffer what that therapist did to you! It was assault, and it did set you back. Was it just one knee, or both? Please do not go back to that therapist, ever! And never let anyone handle your knee like that again. It just isn’t necessary.

Your OS has given you an excellent exercise program: walking and the bike. I rehabbed my knees almost completely by walking. My Mom did so using a bike (and now sits on her heels, she has such great ROM). Exercise helps keep your knee limber, your circulation in top shape, and helps pump out that swelling. Yes, exercise is good for a TKR, but it must be the right kind of exercise. Natural exercise that you do on your own.

This is a long recovery for most. I was really happy with my recovery at most points along the way, but for me three months was where I felt good with what my knees could do, though I still had minor pain. At four months I was pain-free. Other people, though, take longer to reach that point.

 

[Jockette]

@SusieShoes

I like the way you phrased the right kind of exercise, natural exercise that you do on your own!

 

[Mscant]

@Texaslady, we wish we could give you a timetable, but everyone is different. I won’t recount my history with my knee replacement as I don’t want to scare you. Suffice it to say my rocovery took much long than most. I believe the reason is that my PT pushed me way too hard wat too early, and I didn’t find Bonesmart until way after.
I had problems with my pain management person not wanting to write full prescriptions so I just addressed it with my Primary physician. She wrote me a prescription for 30 Days so it didn’t cost me an arm and a leg. Try to be patient. I know it’s hard when you’re in pain and just want to get on with your life.

 

[KarriB]

It was 12 weeks before I got a good night’s sleep and that long before I felt well enough to go back to teaching part time only. I also rode a recumbent bike, just a few times a weeks and then no more than 10 minutes a day on 0 tension. To be honest, I wish I had walked during my recovery, because even at 3 years out I had some pain in my TKR when walking long distances, but when I started walking short increments (15 min) a day and added 5 min a week, the pain lessened. Even with biking or walking, no pain is best for your knee.

 

[Celle]

The others have told you right, @Texaslady . Complete recovery from a knee replacement can take a full year, although you will feel much better long before that.
Knee replacement is one of the most major surgeries and it causes a lot of trauma. Your knee needs time to heal.

At the moment, your soft tissues are swollen and inflamed, from the surgery and from the assaults they received during PT. It will take a week or three for that to settle down and for your tissues to feel calm again. You can help that, by doing additional resting, icing and elevating.

By about 3 months, you will be able to do most things, but you'll still tire very easily. By 6 months, you will be feeling almost back to normal, but your leg will still be healing under the surface.

This article explains more fully:
Healing: how long does it take?

 

[Texaslady]

It is nearly 4 am on Monday morning. This starting the 7th week of horrible misery. It’s all I can do to keep from using much stronger language. When I woke up this morning I really felt like screaming and crying. Believe me I am not a wimp.

Tell you a quick story. I was victim of a stalking which did not end well, it ended with me getting shot 5 times I actually died 4 or 5 times that awful evening I am only alive because of a remarkable Dr.

What does this have to do with a knee replacement? It means I can stand a lot of pain. This all happen when I was only 24 years old. I am now 68 but this morning was worse than that day in 1976. I am doing everything I can.

I ice, elevate, rest. I do passive exercise walking and recumbent bike I ride the bike 10 minutes a day. I am a wreck. I have not been the same since I let Nurse Ratchet and her assistant torture my poor knee.

I wrote my PA a note yesterday see what they have to say. I have had 2 x-rays since the PT incidents.

Sorry for unloading on you. Just needed to talk this morning as I sit here with my leg up and ice bag on back of knee and one on top. Once again thank you for listening

 

[kmak81230]

((Hugs)) for you Texas Lady. Keep up the ice and elevating and even take a day or two away from the bike until your knee settles down after the assault from PT. It may take several days for that to happen. As others have said, the "blues" are very real and normal after this surgery. I often found myself crying for no particular reason when I was where you are in recovery. And the depression is exacerbated by lack of sleep. I was in great shape prior to the surgery, have recovered well from other procedures, and seem to have a fairly high pain tolerance and this surgery knocked me on my . Do whatever you can to keep comfortable, keep up the icing and elevating, and we'll hope you start to feel a bit better in upcoming days.

 

[Josephine]

I spoke with my OS she told me quit going and just do exercise at home like walk and use my recumbent bike

Your OS is very wise! The less exercise you do the faster you will heal and recover.

I hate taking narcotics so when the knee doesn’t really hurt but just a really bad ache I trying Tylenol.

You're only 7 weeks out so it's probably a bit early to be thinking about stopping the prescriptions pain meds. You'll only feel the worse for it in the long run. As for the Tylenol, that might well be a help but it depends how much you are taking and how frequently. My recommendation is that you take 1,000mg 4 times a day (6hrly).

What does this have to do with a knee replacement? It means I can stand a lot of pain. I am a wreck. I have not been the same since I let Nurse Ratchet and her assistant torture my poor knee.

Actually, no it doesn't. You coped with THAT pain but it is a mile away from the pain of a TKR. You said you feel like a wimp - needing to take prescription pain meds does NOT mean you are weak. In fact, you are being strong and assertive by being realistic and taking them to manage real pain that is quite different from what you experienced before.

And another thing, young adults are much more able to cope with pain than we of the older generation, that's a known fact. So again, please don't compare your present experience with that awful thing that happened to you 44 years ago.

I wrote my PA a note yesterday see what they have to say. I have had 2 x-rays since the PT incidents.

That's curious - what are you expecting or fearful of them finding?

 

[SusieShoes]

What happened to you as a young person is horrible and you are a miracle, strong and tough and determined. That strength can be a great asset to you. It can also cause you a lot of distress if you think of TKR as something you can overcome by sheer effort. Have you heard of the Law of Reverse Effect? That’s when the harder someone tries hard to do something consciously, the less successful they are, because the desired result is something that can only be done unconsciously.

Healing is an unconscious process. We have no conscious control of it whatsoever. But we DO control the situation in which healing occurs. We can give ourselves peace and quiet, rest, icing, gentle exercise such as our healing knees need, and excellent nutrition and pain control. We can do all these things. It just takes so long sometimes that we get quite frustrated.

I don’t know who first said TKR is not for wimps, but it sure is true!

 

[Polkadot]

@Texaslady, it does get better, truly it does! I too thought I was going to get through this easily because I've withstood a lot of pain in previous experiences. Let me tell you, it didn't work that way for me.

I had to use oxy- and hydrocodone a LOT longer than I wanted to because every time I stopped taking the drugs, I went back to major pain, which hampered my recovery. Also, I increased the rest/elevation/icing (30 minutes to an hour each session) so that the interior swelling would decrease enough to become more active, do ADLs, etc.

You can get through this, Texas Lady!

 

[KarriB]

Seven weeks is very early in what can be a full year (according to my OS) to recover. Patience is necessary as well as trying to find a balance of activity and rest. I found just one activity a day was all I could handle and it never included a lot of walking or standing. So give yourself some grace, find something you can enjoy as you rest and allow your knee to recover.

 

[Jamie]

@Texaslady, you are in pain because you are undermedicated for this point in your recovery. You actually are still in the early stages and it is very common for someone (even without all that early-on aggressive therapy you had) to need a full regimen of pain medication to remain comfortable while your body is healing. Believe me, you're not doing yourself any favors by trying to "tough it out." Please consider going back on your regular prescription pain medications for at least a week until things normalize. Don't increase your exercise one bit during this time....just lots of rest, icing and elevation with short jaunts around the house every couple of hours or so. Be sure you split that bike time up into 2 5-minute sessions and go slow! No speed demon just yet!

Once you have that inflammation train going, it takes longer than you'd think to get the brakes put on and put your body back to normal again.

 

[Texaslady]

I just got off the phone with the OS’s PA at this time I am taking 10/325 oxycodone and they had me taking ibuprofen every 8 hrs which I had to stop the ibuprofen because it was makings sick. Now the PA tells me that they are going to cut back my pain meds in half in couple weeks!!! He told me try to take Tylenol during the day starting now? Called them because I did not thank my current pain pill was working!! What in the world is wrong with them. This OS has been a pain about meds since day one,I am at a lost for words. Sorry for the rant.

 

[sistersinhim]

Unfortunately, all the news about pain meds being abused has gotten the doctors afraid to prescribe hardly an ample amount to cover this surgery. I even tried to get some Tramadol for my 21 year old cat with severe arthritis and the vet said she'd have to fill out paper work for the government notifying them of that prescription. This has really gotten out of hand. The news media isn't helping matters at all. I'll be glad when they go on to something else to harp on!

You can try asking for Tramadol. I did fine with those with Tylenol. Tylenol is a much better pain killer than Ibuprofen. Here's our recommendation if you can get the Tramadol:

 

[Celle]

The recommended safe daily dose of Tylenol is 4,000 mg in 24 hours, divided into 4 doses of 1,000 mg each.

You need to check your other medications, to make sure that none of them contains Tylenol (Acetaminophen). If they do, factor their amounts into you calculation of the daily total, and cut back some Tylenol, so you stay within the safe daily limit.

 

[Josephine]

He told me try to take Tylenol during the day starting now

Well, you're 7 weeks out so should soon be able to cope with Tylenol alone. But I would do with sistersinhim's suggestion and see if your GP will help you out with a prescription.

What in the world is wrong with them.

In a word - the FDA!

 

[Texaslady]

I don’t mean to be rude but I beginning to think they’re nuts.

On Monday afternoon I got in touch of the head OS he is the Dr who did my hip but he no longer does surgery. I gave him a update of the situation so he told me he would send me out some gabapentin - that turned into great fun. I took one that after as prescribed and one at bedtime. I have never taken illicit drugs but if I had to guess that is what it would be like.

This is Wednesday morning around 4am, I was unable to communicate with you guys yesterday. I could not get up until around 2pm for fear of falling. I did not even make good sense when I talked. My good hubby kept my leg iced and elevated yesterday.

I took my regular oxycodone last night and jolted awake at 3:30 in pain. First did my regular routine ice, elevated. And then sent message to Dr that sent me the gabapentin, he told me if they didn’t work he would help me figure something out. He asked me if I had to come in did I want to the see OS that has been giving me so much grief I told him without a doubt no. I would only see him.

 

[Texaslady]

Good morning everyone,
Of course it is very early as always, good news I went to bed a little earlier was so tired after my day the good news I slept until 4:30 a.m without waking up. Yesterday morning had an appointment with my OS I had decided to go and talk to the surgeon that did my hip he is head of that department, boy was that a joke basically told me he could not help me so he passed me of to what they call Pallative Care fancy word for Pain Management. Anyway after my experience with pain management I am very grateful. The Doctor is great she asked a lot of questions. She also had some solutions none of which had anything about increasing the strength of my pain medicine. She did how ever changed the frequency and she add something for my stomach we all know how the effects pain pills have on our stomachs. She also prescribed a light antidepressant since I have become depressed due to the pain and the all around situation. She asked me what my expectations was about my pain, I told her since it has been around a 10 since coming home if she could get it below 5 I would be happy. She told me she could not get rid of it all together but could give me relief hence the change for the frequency of my pain medication. I told if she could get pain level half of what it is I would be happy she told me it would be better. So is looking up.

 

[sistersinhim]

Thank goodness it sounds like you have someone working for your pain control now! Let us know how it goes!