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

[Josephine]

Here y'go then!

It would be very helpful if you would answer each one individually - numbered as I have done - in as much detail as you can then I'll come back as see where you are ....

1. what are your pain levels right now? (remember the 1-10 scale: 1 = no pain and 10 = the worst you can imagine. And don't forget to factor in other forms of pain such as soreness, burning, stabbing, throbbing, aching, swelling and stiffness).

2. what pain medications have you been prescribed, how much are you taking (in mg please) and how often?

3. how swollen is your leg compared to these?

4. what is your ROM - that's flexion (bend) and extension (straightness)

5. are you icing your knee at all? If so, how often and for how long?

6. are you elevating your leg. If so how often and for how long?

7. what is your activity level? What do you do in the way of housework, cooking, cleaning, shopping, etc., and

8. are you doing any exercises at home? If so what and how often?
This is the most crucial question so please help me by using the format I have left as an example
(which means please make a list and not an essay!)

Exercises done at home
- how many sessions you do each day
- enter exercise by name then number of repetitions of each
etc., etc.

Anything done at PT
- how many times a week
- enter exercise by name then number of repetitions of each
etc., etc.

 

[Texaslady]

1. 8 to 10 Aching,stabbing,swelling and stiffness

2. 10/325 Percocet every 4 hours

3. moderate to slight

4. My leg can lay flat I am not sure of flexion

5. Yes for between 30 minutes to 1 hour

6. It is elevated the whole time I ice and for as long

7. I do some housework like keeping it straight, very little cooking, shopping very little it really makes my leg hurt and some swelling.

8. I use my recumbent bike and walking
Recumbent bike 5 minutes twice a day every other day

I quit going after 4th week they hurt me to the point my knee was swollen and hurt.
They had me doing leg pushes 5 pushes timed 10 minutes
They took my leg while I lay on a raised mat and bent it back nearly to the back side of my thigh.
Then they lay my leg flat and pushed it into the mat

 

[JDP]

Hi @Texaslady! I am hoping to offer some support. My most significant challenge during my recovery has been insomnia. I was a champion sleeper before my TKR. Not sleeping made me whiny, irrational, non-motivated, depressed, and cranky. Naps even eluded me. I reacted to sleeping meds. Things like Gravol gave me a paradoxical reaction (pumped me up). It wasn't pain or anxiety - I was just wide awake.
BUT at week 9, my sleeping returned and so did I!
I hope this reassures you and gives you hope. It is a real issue and should be addressed by our medical professionals.
Doing one thing a day is a great idea. The other activities should be rest and healing. And no more aggressive physio - I just don't get it - how they think that helps!?
You got this @Texaslady! All the best from Canada!

 

[Texaslady]

@JDP Thank you I sure hope all this is kinda on downward spiral back to some normal.

 

[sistersinhim]

Oh yeah, the roller coaster ride is a pain, but soon the dips will be less and less downward and more even keeled.

 

[SusieShoes]

JDP said it so well! Yes, sleep just comes back one day and you will hope it’s not a fluke... and find out it isn’t. Worry won’t hurry it along, so just stay the course and have faith.

 

[Josephine]

1. 8 to 10 Aching,stabbing,swelling and stiffness

Hardly surprising at only 4 weeks out

2. 10/325 Percocet every 4 hours

And does that manage your pain adequately? If not, I suggest you ask your GP to prescribe you some Tramadol instead of the Percocet and take it along with Tylenol like this - it worked very well for me.

3. moderate to slight

Hmm - okay

4. My leg can lay flat I am not sure of flexion

If you would like, I can measure it for you if you will send me a photo in one of these poses

5. Yes for between 30 minutes to 1 hour
6. It is elevated the whole time I ice and for as long

Good!

7. I do some housework like keeping it straight, very little cooking, shopping very little it really makes my leg hurt and some swelling.

Yes, you're verging into the 'too much' area. Did you read this article earlier on? Activity progression for TKRs It was left for you in post #5, Sept 9.


I use my recumbent bike and walking - how far and how often do you walk, and where? In the article I just left you a link to, it says

Weeks 4 and 5 - add to all the previous
Increase walks to out in the garden or street; to 20mins or longer if you feel up to it but don't forget that means 10mins there and 10mins back!​

Recumbent bike 5 minutes twice a day every other day - once a day would be plenty

I quit going after 4th week they hurt me to the point my knee was swollen and hurt I'm very pleased to hear it!

They had me doing leg pushes 5 pushes timed 10 minutes
They took my leg while I lay on a raised mat and bent it back nearly to the back side of my thigh.
Then they lay my leg flat and pushed it into the mat

Wow! All those are very much destined to cause you excessive pain!
Since you're only now 4 weeks out, I would imagine that you only just quit going to PT then? So you are still suffering from the aftermath of all that bullying abuse. You need to cut back a LOT on your activity for a few weeks to let let your knee recuperate.

 

[Texaslady]

@Josephine I must have had a typo because I am at 9 weeks as we speak, but the PT mishap took place about 3 to 4 weeks into PT. I do value your response Thank You very much

 

[Texaslady]

Here I am again 4 in the morning and I am up in my chair putting ice and elevating my leg. It has been 8 weeks will soon be 9 and the pain was back this morning with a vengeance.

What is wrong with some people, Back after I had my THR August of 2016 my husband and I were at the super market when we saw a friend of ours, we had not seen him in a while. This person had both his knees replaced, I was still on the fence about my knees. Then this friend told me what a piece of cake TKR was he said it was a snap. So I really started thinking about getting mine done

My hip was mending and really had not been too bad, so nearly one year to the day I had this TKR,I really could kick his rear end. This has not been a good experience in any stretch of anyone’s imagination So why can’t people just be honest to their
friends that this surgery is tough.

My husband has RA and both his knees are in pretty bad shape, he is more than likely going to have to have TKR on both knees. He has seen what I have gone through and it's really hard on him to thank about it, but I told him what ever the outcome is for him we will get through it together.

I know I have ranted more than usual but I am tired and disgusted with people who can’t be honest about things. You can bet I will not lie and tell anyone what a snap a TKR is. I will a least be honest enough that it is different for everyone and that the recovery is tough.

Well I got that off my chest hope I have not offended anyone if I did I do apologize.

 

[KarriB]

Although most people need 12 weeks before feeling better, it does take a whole year before feeling 100% better or healed. I am fortunate that my dr gave me those dates when I scheduled my TKR. That being said, my dad had 2 very easy TKR recoveries and a horrendous THR recovery. Every knee is different and every hip is different.

Have you backed off on actvity yet? That can often be the cause of night time pain. I did no shopping at all until the 12 weeks mark and my housecleaning was minimal. Often I’d dust or vacuum a few rooms and rest/elevate for double the time I was up/about. The same with cooking, standing was painful so I’d do a bit, then rest/elevate.

 

[Jockette]

I totally agree with you!!!! No one told me how hard this recovery would be. Most people I spoke with before surgery said it was the best thing they ever did and wished they’d done it sooner. The ones who didn’t say that just didn’t say much at all.

When I’m honest about how hard my recovery is people look at me concerned and ask if I’m doing my therapy. I don’t bother anymore explaining the Bonesmart way, they just look at me and I know they are thinking that’s why I’m not doing well. I find most people who have had replacement are the least understanding and that really surprises me.

I was shocked at how painful, limiting and long this recovery is but what shocks me the most is all the expectations that are thrown at us about where we “should” be, especially from surgeons and PT’s who one would think would know better.

My husband keeps telling me, we’ll get through this.

 

[Karebear]

Yes, I wish people would be more honest about the difficulty the recovery is for a TKR! I just told my doctor at my 2 week post op appointment that the best word to describe this recovery journey is "grueling." Not only physically, but mentally and emotionally as well.

 

[Texaslady]

Yes I do very little. I have tried to go to the supermarket using the little electric carts. That doesn’t even work. By the time I get home, even with short visits to the store, my leg is swollen and in a lot of pain.

I only do light exercise 2 or 3 times a week and that I am spreading out over the week and not for very long. I tried to help with dinner night before last and I paid for that. I do try to follow any suggestions you guys give me,because this has been so trying.

I know in my heart this will be over one day. I laughed when you said minimum house work, there is so much dust on my furniture you could plant a garden, that is how minimal my house work has been.

Thank God I have a husband that does bathrooms, cooks and cleans the kitchen, not to mention laundry. So I am very blessed.

 

[sistersinhim]

I think years down the road that people forget about how bad the pain is from this surgery. I tell people that it's worst than childbirth and lasts a whole lot longer! Maybe in a couple of years I'll forget about the pain, but right now I don't thing so!

 

[Lynne Cleveland]

Totally understand! 4 AM must be the knee replacement wake up call for lots of people! I did the same thing last night. As far as the stories others have saying that they breezed through this, I'm jealous! Having had a knee replacement on my right and then having it taken out by another surgeon- bone fragments everywhere and put in a new one. One year later it slipped and had revision. I thought I had this down and was going to do okay on my left one.
I'll be 7 weeks Tuesday and still flustered I'm not further along. This knee has been very different! More pain since day 1. I feel like I have a little better handle on the pain. It's not consistently better though! Just keep telling myself one day at a time, it won't be this way forever.

 

[Josephine]

I laughed when you said minimum house work, there is so much dust on my furniture you could plant a garden, that is how minimal my house work has been.

See that as a positive. There was a time on here when the members used to say "Dust bunnies are your friends - they tell you you are doing your recovery properly"! And how right they were!

 

[Celle]

Dust bunnies are your friends - they show you have been resting properly.

What is wrong with some people, Back after I had my THR August of 2016 my husband and I were at the super market when we saw a friend of ours, we had not seen him in a while. This person had both his knees replaced, I was still on the fence about my knees. Then this friend told me what a piece of cake TKR was he said it was a snap. So I really started thinking about getting mine done

I honestly don't think people deliberately deceive you. With time, you tend to forget a lot of the pain (just as you do for childbirth) and you lose track of the amount of time it took you to recover.

As for friends who ask "Are you doing your exercises?" and questions like that, just tell them "I'm doing everything I need to do" and then change the subject. There's no point trying to explain to them.

 

[rubyyarn]

And dust bunnies kill stink bugs, so they perform a valueable service

 

[Texaslady]

Thank you guys for the

 

[Texaslady]

Good grief I can not believe this I am up again at 2:15 in the am.
Holy cow, this Tuesday it will be 9 weeks post op. Will this ever stop.I cannot believe this! One day I really think I am making progress the next is poop
And to make things worse I read a post where a guy was back to riding his bike 7 mile round trip to work after about 6 weeks. Don’t get me wrong, I am glad to see someone able to do that. .

I can not help but wonder what I am doing wrong. I know I sound like a whiny baby will I am going to try and get some sleep here in my chair.