PKR Partial KR five days post op and struggling'

Go go girl

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Hello people, I'm a 51 year old woman and had a partial replacement on my right knee on 30th November. Stayed in hospital for 5 days altogether as suffered a great deal of pain. Physio forced me to try exercises way to soon and it was agony. Back home yesterday and pain isn't too bad but feeling absolutely wretched - anxious, exhausted, unable to cope. I live alone with my teenage daughter so pretty much having to get on with it. Hobbling around on one crutch in order to get cups of tea etc. - will this cause any harm if it doesn't hurt? No appetite to speak of. I planned really well for the op but this all seems to have gone out of the window. Friends popping in after work but I'm already feeling isolated and frustrated with my situation. Sorry to moan so much.

How have others on their own managed?
 
Loss of appetite is to be expected. It might last a couple of weeks. Patience is the keyword and yes it is trying.
The loss of energy is also part of healing as all your energy is going to the knee and not to the rest of your body ( including your digestive system). Yet its important to try to eat well lots of protein.

You are in the dark days. Things will get better but not as soon as you may hope for. Give friends some sort of duties to do. That makes them feel needed and gives you some much needed help. Same for teenage daughter. She is old enough to help out with fixing you meals and tidying up some. Now is not the time to worry about clean house.

You need to watch your pain meds, keep on top of that, ice, elevate and rest. That is your job for now. Hospital stays never give you rest so now you are catching up on that.

Its good to walk if you are feeling steady and it doesn't hurt.

Physio only if you can find a PT that treats you gently..
 
Hi @Go go girl
:welome:
I'm glad you found us. We'll be here to help and advise, and listen to you. I'm sure you'll find some friends here who are at about the same stage of recovery as you are.

It does take about teh same length of time to recover from a partial knee replacement (PKR) as from a total (TKR), so don't feel frustrated if progress seems to be slow.

Do make sure that your pain is well controlled - phone your doctor if the medication combination isn't working properly, and ask for it to be reviewed.

Your main job right now is to spend lots of time resting,m icing and elevating your leg, and taking your pain medications on schedule. Getting yourself the odd cups of tea won't do any harm, but try to avoid cooking meals.
It's probably safer to use both crutches for now, and only walk with one when you really have to.

Never let a physio (PT) hurt, force, push on, or overwork your knee. That is counter-productive. Instead, speak up to protect your knee, so that it gets a chance to heal well.

Here is the BoneSmart recovery reading list for you - lots of useful information here:
First are the BoneSmart mantras ....
- rest, elevate, ice and take your pain meds by the clock
- if it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physiotherapist (PT) - to do it to you. Exercise only gently
- if your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again
- if you won't die if it's not done, don't do it
- never stand when you can sit, never sit when you can lie down, never stay awake when you can go to sleep!
- be active as much as you need to be but not more than is necessary, meaning so much that you end up being in pain, exhausted or desperate to sit down or lie down!

Next is a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) thread.

And here are some very crucial articles
The importance of managing pain after a TKR and the pain chart
Swollen and stiff knee: what causes it?
Energy drain for TKRs

Myth busting: no pain, no gain
Activity progression for TKRs
Heel slides and how to do them

Extension: how to estimate it and ways to improve it

Elevation is the key
Ice to control pain and swelling

Healing: how long does it take?
Chart representation of TKR recovery
Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR

Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds

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

So that we can see it at the bottom of every post you make, and thus advise you appropriately, please will you create a Signature, in which you put your knee surgery and its date in full? Write the name of the month, so there’s no confusion.
Hover over your username, top right of the page, and select Signature from the drop-down box. Enter your surgery details and then save. This article also explains how to do it:
How to create a signature
If you can’t do it, please let us know, so that we can do it for you. Thank you. :flwrysmile:
 
@Go go girl

I'm sorry to hear that you are struggling so much. I have found that the first two weeks are difficult because I still feel the effects of surgery and I don't want to do anything. But I make myself do something every day, even if it's just to get dressed, sit in the chair for a few minutes, call a friend, or do a puzzle...it helps.

It did get better during LTKR and by the time I had my RTKR ~11 weeks later, I was in a great frame of mind. I had to remind myself that the pain from surgery will get better. The pain from a bad knee was only going to get worse. Please keep us updated in the forum too!!!

Jen
 
Hi Go go girl, I'm a 58 yo single mum with teens at home and hated not being able to do a lot if things for myself post op. My young ones were very helpful and told me they wanted to help - mainly getting me ice, making meals or putting the washing on. As the days turned into weeks I could do more but I still need a lot of help - I'm 6 weeks post op now and make my own lunch etc but get tired very quickly so the teens still do the heavy stuff like vacuuming or cleaning the bathroom. I knew my house would not be as clean/tidy as I like it and I can live with that knowing I will be back to normal eventually. I must say I cried a lot those first 4 weeks which is totally normal and was not due to pain - I believe the tears were post surgery blues from lack of sleep and frustration. My advice is rest, sleep when you can and let your knee heal using ice and elevation. For me everything seemed to improve around week 4 - I am sleeping better, I sometimes forget to take pain meds as there's no pain some days and I'm enjoying going out every other day. I know it's hard now but it will get better x

Cait
LTKR
27th October 2016
 
Thank you so much for your replies. My main problem is that my daughter, friends and family seem very reluctant to help at all! There is a culture of being tough, not making a fuss and getting on with it with my lot unfortunately. I will try to rest as much as I can. It's so good to know that you've been through it and are out the other side! I'll keep you posted xx
 
What a shame that your family and friends don't seem to want to help. How about if you make very specific requests eg please put away the washing or could you buy some more milk and apples when you are out.
I must say that I was very surprised at the people who were most helpful to me -in most cases it was people that I didn't expect to be supportive and in some cases I was pretty disappointed at lack of help from people I thought I could count on. This knee business is a massive learning curve and not just a physical one!
Hope things improve for you soon.
 
Try showing your daughter the activity progression chart, perhaps that will make a difference. Quite a few members have recovered living alone, so it's doable. Just don't do anything for anyone else! :thud: I found the most difficult thing was carrying my tea out of the kitchen without spilling and using a walking aid. Maybe a travel mug with a lid?
 
Thank you Spex 10 and KarriB, my daughter has been fantastic today - I think it was me being unable to surrender! Have spoken to my GP who was very understanding and pointed out that the opiate pain meds are probably making me feel pretty wretched, sick and grumpy too; he's sorted me out with some anti sickness stuff. The positivity of everyone here is a great inspiration and huge support. I know that life will be better than ever in a few weeks, I just need to get through this first crappy phase!
 
Are you constipated? Opioids often cause this and did for me. Luckily a wonderful nurse suggested Miralax which got me sorted out in a day or so.

Patience is a key requirement for this recovery. I'm sure you've done a terrific job looking after your daughter, let her help you now.

Have you tried to create a signature so we will know when your surgery was at every post?
 
my daughter has been fantastic today - I think it was me being unable to surrender!
I have an article that might help you with "letting go".
Nurturing mother: how to let go and accept help

My husband was willing to help, but he wasn't at all intuitive about what to do. As long as I was very specific about what I needed him to do, he was great! I wonder if your family is the same?
 
I was given a pretty good laxative on leaving hospital so no issues there thank goodness! I've tried creating a signature following the instructions but when I try to save it an error box pops up saying that I'm not authorised to make changes.....
 
Be sure to eat something small with your pain meds otherwise you may become nauseous.
 
Feeling better today - praise be for anti sickness meds! I'm a bit confused about what I should be doing; it's now 7 days post op. My knee is quite swollen and stiff but I'm able to bend it to about 100 degrees. I'm going up and down stairs to the bathroom at least 6 times a day. Walking around the house (sometimes with two crutches, sometimes with one) to get food, cups of tea, more ice etc. Sitting down in between with leg propped up and ice pack in place for 20 minutes every hour. Mindful not to stay in one position for too long so also putting leg down to floor every hour or so to bend and stretch. Have got a strict meds routine in place to make sure that I'm not in too much pain (this also helps me to feel in control!). Am I doing okay? Is it alright to sit down with my leg propped up for the afternoon (with intermittent movement as above)? I don't want to do so much that it swells more but I'm worried that I should be trying harder. Sleeping pretty well now and able to lie on my side with a pillow between my bent legs. Is it also okay to lie on my back and go to sleep just leaving an ice bag in place for more than the recommended 20 minutes? Sorry for so many questions!
 
Sure..its ok to sit.. You are not icing enough.. 20 minutes isn't sufficient.. Trying harder gets you more swelling
 
Sitting down in between with leg propped up and ice pack in place for 20 minutes every hour.
I would advise you to ice for at least 40-60 minutes. The 20 minutes-per-hour icing is not nearly long enough. I iced for at least an hour at a time after my BTKR, and ice is your friend--a very close friend, at this point in time in your recovery.

You can ice for long periods of time by putting a towel between the ice and your skin.
 
Is it also okay to lie on my back and go to sleep just leaving an ice bag in place for more than the recommended 20 minutes?
It certainly is---as I wrote above---just put a towel or a cloth between your ice and your skin. Like I wrote, I would ice for an hour or so at a time.

Sorry for so many questions!
No need to apologize!!! That is what we are here for!
 
Great, thanks! Is my balance of activity and rest about right?
 

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