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

[rubyyarn]

Everyone is different. It tend to take some of these 'success' stories with a grain of salt. I believe the guy with the bike paid for it later and had to cut back on the activity.

I'm envious of those who can ditch the drugs in a few days while I'm still popping Percocet at 6+ weeks

Sleep where you can and try not to worry about it. Everyone says this phase will pass and I choose to believe them.

 

[Jockette]

I’ve had a slower recovery than others, I still have more limitations and less bend at 7 months post op than I thought I would.

I didn’t have trouble with the sleep issue because I haven’t slept great for years, so the post op non sleep didn’t seem much different to me, so it didn’t bother me. I just get up and read or play words with friends or whatever, something quiet so as not to disturb my husband.

My husband doesn’t sleep well either. He falls asleep fine but doesn’t stay asleep. He can be awake for several hours during the night.

We are up and down at all hours of the day and night. We’ve learned to just go with the flow.

 

[Texaslady]

Thank you both you know since you mentioned it I feel the same way about getting off the Percocet I don’t
Like taking anything like that, I don’t even drink alcohol not even social I have other health issues. It is better to take them
than endure that awful pain I have experienced, I tried to cut back at about six weeks big mistake boy did I hurt.
I believe I will keep getting better until I don’t need the stuff.
I am having a slower recovery because PT thought I was some kind of athletic and hurt my leg where I could not do anything but elevate,ice and rest for days my leg was so swolllen and stiff. Needless to say no more PT, bought a recumbent bike walk as much as I can and take the advice of the good people here that has gone before on this road to recovery.

 

[Celle]

Don't let another person's tale of a fast recovery make you feel you aren't doing well. There are a few (very few) people who recover faster, but they truly are the exception. For most of us, recovery is slow and tedious.
Your knee is recovering at its own pace, on its own schedule. It will get there in the end, and will probably be just as good as the knee for someone who recovers faster.

Your knee is where it needs to be right now. Remember that this recovery is a marathon, not a sprint.

 

[Josephine]

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.

Honey, change your thinking! 9 weeks is not a long time in the life of TKR recovery! You should consider it to be about half way at best. Most TKRs can take 12 weeks or more to be better then this.

But tell me what kind of pain has you up at this hour? Describe the sensation.

I read a post where a guy was back to riding his bike 7 mile round trip to work after about 6 weeks.

You read that on here? I don't recall such a post. And are you sure he wasn't a hip member rather than a knee?

 

[Celle]

I read a post where a guy was back to riding his bike 7 mile round trip to work after about 6 weeks.

You read that on here? I don't recall such a post. And are you sure he wasn't a hip member rather than a knee?

That's SteveinDC - and his recovery is the exception, not the rule. Very, very few people have a fast recovery. Look at all the other thread titles and you'll see that he is the only one recovering fast.
The majority of us struggle and fret and fume for months.

That's why we advise people not to compare recoveries - if you do that, you tend to focus on the one person who recovers fast, and ignore all the others who are on a much slower path.

 

[Texaslady]

Thanks @Josephine @Celle I hope it is alright that I address both of you together, you both have gave me so much help and advice.

Some of these mornings when I’m up so early I get my iPad and just start telling where
I am in this journey. It has given me so much peace of mind to know you are out there, even if we are a world apart. I was not trying to compare myself to the gentleman I was just amazed.

The pain in my new knee is a stabbing pain that hits suddenly in one side or the other just about the bend. I will be watching TV and just about anywhere it can be so strong that I have yelled out loud and jumped. Sometimes not so bad. It has been so bad once while watching TV with my husband it hit the inside of my knee and I jumped yelled scared him half to death. That is the best way I know how to describe it.

It is about 7 p.m on Sunday and I am icing and elevating my leg 45 minutes to an hour. I do this several times a day.

I will say goodbye for now but I know you are there. Thanks to you both and everyone else on this wonderful place I can come for relief and advice.

 

[Jockette]

I love where you said, “I will say goodbye for now, but I know you are there”. Isn’t that the truth!

 

[Texaslady]

Well Good Morning

Josephine you asked me yesterday about my pain, it is 3:30am here in Texas and I have been awake for a good thirty minutes. The reason is that my husband woke me tossing and turning. He is permanently disabled due to the very bad back surgeries.

Back to the pain when I was telling you about my pain that is the pain I normally experience during the waking hours. I forget the pain when I wake. I will try to explain it.

First I have to sit up on the bed with my legs straight out in front of me as I cannot move my leg because it feeling like my knee is frozen in place and will not bend. My whole knee has a horrible ache. Then I try to stand up the ache just gets worse. I have to hold on to my night stand, then the door, just to walk the aching is so bad.

After I take my pain pill and make it to the bathroom, the pain is still there. I have handicap bars on the walls on both side of toilet. Thank God or I would never get up at that time. As I move to get my ice wrap and start toward the den, the pain is letting up this whole process takes about thirty minutes. I really don’t know why I have this awful aching pain not totally dull and not really sharp stabbing.

My knee has had some problems since the PT took my leg and forced it back toward my thigh then laid it flat and pressed it down this was about 3 weeks post op. I went to the doctor twice for X-ray I was told nothing was wrong so I contacted head of the OS department who treated me like some kind of drug addict looking for drugs. We had a few words and he finally he sent me to Palliative Care. I call this code for the pain management nurse, she has been very helpful. First he said my medication was wrong that Percocet is good for 4 hours they had had me on it every 6 to 8 hours.

@Josephine sorry for the long post.

 

[Josephine]

First he said my medication was wrong that Percocet is good for 4 hours they had had me on it every 6 to 8 hours.

Well that explains everything! Perhaps when you've been on your new schedule for a while, you'll find that night time pain lessens.

Josephine, sorry for the long post.

Honey, in no way is that a long post! And even if it was, there is no need to apologise! Some people (myself included) have a tendency to write a chapter out of War and Peace!

 

[sistersinhim]

The pain in my new knee is a stabbing pain that hits suddenly in one side or the other just about the bend. I will be watching TV and just about anywhere it can be so strong that I have yelled out loud and jumped.

It sounds like these pains are what we call zingers. My PA said it's nerves reattaching. Even now I have very mild ones in my numb spot. It just lets me know there's still a bit of healing going on in there.

 

[Celle]

Yes, the zingers are little electric shocks sent out by the cut nerve ends as they are trying to re-attach, or find a slightly different pathway.

 

[Texaslady]

@sistersinhim @Celle Man some mine are mild but most are hum dingers. Had one this after noon and rubbed the inside
of of my knee until It finally gave up and went back in its cave,to rest for another attack. You
know this is all really crazy I am not use to being down like this,I read a couple of other post and they and some other people have its like what I consider easy, while it looks like the most kinda have a tougher time. It just shows me that all TRK are not created equal.

 

[Homeport]

It’s 4 33 am in UK and this is my third time awake I get Up go to bathroom husband gets me a new ice pack for knee and I have drink tonic water as in my mind it helps the restless leg then I read bonesmart
This is my second tkr first two years plus ago both recoveries different I would say it was a good eighteen months plus before I suddenly realised my new knee was settling down I am only 5 weeks out with this one the zinger is horrid and sometimes it’s like alien has taken over my knee and it shoots in the air of its own accord weird sensation
I find not sleeping the hardest part and as for pain relief there is no way I would come off them until I really felt I did not need them at end of the day we all get there and some of us take longer then others keep your spirit up and imagine how nice it will be when the worst is over and you can just enjoy your new knee

 

[kneeper]

My tkrs went smoothly but it felt really slow at times. I'd be doing pretty well and then just get an attack of the "crankies" or "gloomys." Pretty much normal for all of us. I think some of it must be because we don't sleep well at first.

 

[Texaslady]

@Homeport It is really strange you mentioned zingers I have been dealing with one for a good two hours,
I have tried ice pack and elevate and got real desperate and rubbed some icy hot on it took a pain pill and nothing,even crying didn’t help. The only thing I know it will stop at some point. Change the subject a little
I sleep till 10 a.m this morning, I woke up about 5 a.m and got my ice pack my little chihuahua came and got in the recliner, turned on tv and no sooner got settled I with sound to sleep the best part I slept from midnight till five when I woke this has been the most sleep I had in nine weeks just like you guys tell me it is the small
Accomplishments that can get you through the worse,like this zinger I have right now,so I look back at the first sleep and know it will be better soon.One Day at a Time. Goodnight to all

 

[sistersinhim]

I don't remember if you have an inside bike or not, but I found when I got a zinger that wanted to hang on, I'd gently rotate for about 5 minutes and it'd ease up. Try walking it out. That might work. I hated those things. They'd hit so hard that I'd scream out. I pray yours is gone now.

 

[Texaslady]

Good morning

It is 3am. Oh did I get a big dose of reality a few minutes ago. I sudden awoke and felt uncomfortable so I thought I would change my position in bed I was laying flat as usual I pulled my legs up to bend them oh my goodness was that a shocker I thought I was going to scream it hurt so bad I slowly lowered my legs down but I really wanted to stay in bed it was so early. I tried to lay on my right side no good. I said an ugly word and got out of bedSo here I sit, iPad in lap and leg elevated, ice wrap on and pain pill in stomach.

As for the zinger I got Tuesday night it was a hanger oner it finally kinda gave faded last night. Yea. I do the same thing - I get on my recumbent bike for about five minutes it seems to help. I try to us my bike every other day for the exercise.

I was telling my husband last night while we watch tv that I thought I was getting better I know nine weeks is not considered a long time bu you can’t blame a girl for wishing.
Have a blessed day

 

[Jockette]

Thats great that you can tell you are getting better! It’s a long haul, but even so, you are definitely better at 9 weeks than you were at 1 week!

 

[Polkadot]

Hey, @Texaslady, if you have moments when something tells you that you are getting better, believe it! The trick is to keep believing when you do the "2 steps forward, 1 step back" thing. Those moments when you notice you are feeling better will come more often, until you have whole hours of comfort. In the meantime, you are being proactive with your iPad setup and elevation ready for when you can't sleep.

I realized I was getting better when a zinger hit me one night as we were watching TV. My leg flew straight up in the air and started shaking like crazy, ejecting the cat from my lap and startling my DH to no end. However, once the initial "ouch" had passed, I realized that it was just a little Zing with a cattle prod instead of a prolonged bout of pain, and I could see the humorous side of it. I hope for that kind of progress for you!