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TKR Pain 2 years after TKR

Another day finished. All in all not a bad day. Managed another little walk outside. Pain seemed to be under control today until tonight when it's kicked in a little. Very tired tonight too. Still trying to do the exercises.
 
@Mollymax I don't understand why you're doing exercises right now, especially given your pain levels. I think all you need to be doing right now is basic short walks around to go to the toilet, kitchen and the like. Otherwise you should be elevating, icing, and resting. Your knee needs to recover from the assault that is a TKR, not be assaulted further with exercises. Give your knee the time it needs to recover, rather than put it through unnecessary trauma daily.
 
Thanks lovetocookandsew. I think I have got ahead of myself in what I can do and what I should be doing. All I had to go by is a leaflet the hospital gave me on discharge showing a few excercises and saying these have to be done several times a day. No other advice. We don't see a physio here and don't see the surgeon again until my 6 week check up so I am kinda lost. I am terrified off blowing things by doing nothing and stiffening up and overdoing it and making things worse. I am sitting elevating and icing right now having only walked around the house as per your advice. I didn't have a good night but it was nothing to do with pain as believe it or not after all my fears I am relatively pain free. I just didn't feel too good.
I how everyone is feeling good and I am thinking about you all.
 
You are lucky you don’t have go to physio. Where I live it is totally overdone.

Reread the recovery articles you were given here and continue to ask any questions you have.
 
Please take a look at the Activity progression for TKRs chart. Walks of 10-15 minutes are too long for this early. All you need to do the first few weeks is elevate, ice and rest with short walks around the house. Your knee is hurting at night because you’ve overworked it while it’s still trying to heal from surgery.
 
Your hospital/surgeon needs to do much better in informing and serving it's patients during and about the post-op stage. Maybe you could bring that up to your surgeon at your 6 week check-up? If nothing else, maybe they could refer their patients to this site. Keep taking those short jaunts around your house and READ the activity progression chart! I copied and pasted it to my computer screen so I can read often; it's a great guide and reminder of what we should and should not be doing at any given time.
 
You had major surgery on your knee. It is a newborn infant and needs to be treated as such.
 
Molly, we've all been through knee replacements. We've got experience in this. This web site isn't just a chat group. It's run by people who have professional experience in orthopaedics and it's backed by orthopaedic surgeons who support the advice we give.

Your surgeon and hospital may not have given you instructions or guidance, but we gave you a lot, in the post-op reading articles we posted for you. They're right back on Page 1 of your recovery thread and you may not have taken them all in straight after surgery, so I'll post them for you again. Read them again now. Many of them will now seem to have more relevance.
Here they are:
Knee Recovery: The Guidelines
1. Don’t worry: Your body will heal all by itself. Relax, let it, don't try and hurry it, don’t worry about any symptoms now; they are almost certainly temporary
2. Control discomfort:
rest
elevate
ice
take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)
don't overwork.​
3. Do what you want to do BUT
a. If it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physical therapist - to do it to you
b. If your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again.​
4. PT or exercise can be useful BUT take note of these
5. Here is a week-by-week guide for Activity progression for TKRs


The Recovery articles:
The importance of managing pain after a TKR and the pain chart
Swollen and stiff knee: what causes it?

Energy drain for TKRs
Elevation is the key

Ice to control pain and swelling
Heel slides and how to do them properly

Chart representation of TKR recovery
Healing: how long does it take?

Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?

There are also some cautionary articles here
Myth busting: no pain, no gain
Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds

Please don't be overwhelmed by the list. The articles are not long and they and contain information that will answer many questions and help you make your recovery much easier on your knee and on you.

We are here to help in any way we can: answering questions and concerns; supporting and encouraging you from start to finish.

We try to keep the forum a positive and safe place for our members to talk about their questions or concerns and to report successes with their joint replacement surgery.

While members may create as many threads as they like in a majority of BoneSmart's forums, we ask that each member have only one recovery thread. This policy makes it easier to go back and review history before providing advice.
 
I agree totally with @Celle on this one. The articles are of no use if you don't read them, and if you don't follow them. You will probably deviate a touch here and there, but basically following them is a good thing. For instance, I'm at 2 weeks today, starting week 3, and so far have followed the week 1 and week 2 progression. Today I should start making my walks a little longer, but since I just removed my pain pump and am having some pain, I'm going to proceed a little more cautiously so as to not cause any more pain. Remember, I have nothing but OTC meds for pain relief, which in my body is basically nothing. But, I did get dressed for the first time in two weeks, and went to the fridge for a drink. Now I'm back icing and elevating. I really want to encourage you to thoroughly read the articles again, and as many times as necessary, since we tend to forget things when on pain meds.
 
Thanks Celle. I have read them a few times but I think the morphine fog stopped me really digesting them. Now the morphine has stopped I am reading them with much more understanding. I keep reading bits out to hubby which I didn't do earlier. It all makes much more sense now. Sorry to have been a pain. I think my fears manifested themselves in a lot of different ways and I just had total mind block. I do think it's bad I was given no advice whatsoever. Do you know I even had to phone the surgeons secretary to ask what I did about getting the dressing removed and when.
Thanks lovetocookandsew. You are right I am sure the strong meds made me forget what I had read. I am sitting here doing exactly what you said - elevating and icing. Hope things are going ok for you.
 
That brain fog can really mess you up. Now, that you understand what you are reading, you should have a better recovery!
 
Also, sometimes the articles make more sense after you are a little into the recovery and have experienced some of it.
 
Mollymax said:
Thanks Celle. I have read them a few times but I think the morphine fog stopped me really digesting them. Now the morphine has stopped I am reading them with much more understanding. I keep reading bits out to hubby which I didn't do earlier. It all makes much more sense now. Sorry to have been a pain. I think my fears manifested themselves in a lot of different ways and I just had total mind block.
Click to expand...
I thought that's what might have happened, Molly. I'm glad the articles are making more sense now.
 
Thanks, @Mollymax I'm doing quite well. I am wrapped in my ice machine with my legs up on my Lounge Doctor, binge watching a TV show, using no pain meds and having very little pain while doing all the above. My recovery is night and day from previous recoveries and I attribute it all to my wonderful OS!
 
Molly, I just want to say that I'm proud of you. I saw in the pre-op area that you posted you will still be afraid, but you plan to go ahead with your second TKR when it's time. Well done, girl. Way to go!
 
Thank you Celle. The operation whilst terrifying me wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It's more likely all in my head which makes it all the harder. Pain wise I am amazed isn't as yet the horrific experience I expected. Have slowed everything down as I was pushing ahead too fast. Now that the brain fog is lifting and onto normal meds the articles make so much more sense and I am listening to everyone. Today hasn't been too great a day as I am a little sore and tired but I have elevated and iced and done nothing else. I have stopped worrying about those dreaded heel slides as I just can't do them yet. So all going well on my recovery I will brave the second knee and yes I will probably go through the same terror but I know now what to do but that is a long way down the line yet.
 
Heel slides! If we could have a burial for them I’d be oh so happy! I’m at 9 weeks and still absolutely hate them. Not that I do them but once in awhile I’ll do one, just one, and it still is just so uncomfortable to do. I can stretch my bend in so many other ways, except that one so I have no problem not doing those. Hope you don’t feel guilty for not doing them.
 
Mollymax said:
I have stopped worrying about those dreaded heel slides as I just can't do them yet.
Click to expand...
Many have found that sitting up and sliding your foot back and forth will work your bend. I sat on the toilet and slid my foot towards the potty. I would message my movement by the cracks between the tiles. This is much easier than the heel slides. You can try it, but if it hurts, don't do it!
 
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