TKR Poking My Head Above the Water - New Knee 11/5/13

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vhoudy

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What a wild ride! Twelve days since my operation. The surgery went well and my hospital stay was generally very good. I had one episode in the hospital after one of my first walks on my new knee. The first walk with my new knee went well and the pain I had while walking subsided immediately after getting in bed. However, my next adventure out of bed was a different experience -- got back into bed and the pain level went way up and just kept on coming. I had to wait about 45 minutes until they could give me more pain meds, then all was well after that. Coming home felt so good. My husband has been a real trooper and has bent over backward to care for me. All seems to be progressing just fine, but I do have a couple of questions:
1) I get absolutely exhausted doing the smallest things. After taking a shower this morning I felt like I ran a marathon. I understand why I would be tired after a major surgery, but this is beyond just being tired. Anybody else have this intense fatigue? 2) I have little to no appetite. I can stand to lose some weight, but I don't think now is the time to go on a diet. My husband would happily prepare me anything I would want, but I don't really want anything to eat. I eat because I think I should, not because I feel hungry. Normal?
 
Welcome to BoneSmart and to healing and recovery. To answer your questions. Normal on both counts. The exhaustion stays a while but is totally normal. I did not have the issue with the appetite but it is quite normal also.

One of the moderators will be around soon I am sure to give you some links to information and readings. They are very helpful in understanding what our bodies are going through. Listen to your knee and you will do great.
 
Hi, and welcome to recovery!!! I know you're relieved to be past the surgery part of this process and on the road to your new life.

Leejaa is correct. Both the intense tired feeling and lack of appetite are normal. It is only temporary, but at this point, just go with what your body is telling you. I used to need a nap after a simple shower. And for weeks I only ate the smallest of meals. Surgery takes a lot out of you and your body is busy trying to repair itself from all the trauma. Just be sure to eat some protein each day, rest as much as you can (sleep is when healing takes place), and drink lots of water.

Here are some basic recovery articles from our BoneSmart Library. Read each link and ask any questions at all that pop up. We're here to support you in whatever way you need.

First are the 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 - to do it to you
- 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!

And then the articles in order of importance .
Group A
The importance of managing pain after a TKR and the pain chart
Myth busting: no pain, no gain
Swollen and stiff knee: what causes it?
Progression of activity for TKRs

Group B
How Long Does Healing Take ......
Chart representation of TKR recovery
Energy drain for TKRs
Elevating your leg to control swelling and pain
Using ice

Group C
Knee Replacement - Where Am I in Recovery?
So What Is It Going to Take? The Five “P’s” of Knee Recovery
Work “Smarter” and not “Harder”
About recovering a knee - from one who knows!
Some suggestions for home physio (PT) and activity progress
Myth busting: The "window of opportunity"

Group D
MUA (manipulation under anaesthetic) and adhesions
It's never too late to get more ROM!
It's Worth the Wait for ROM
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds
Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it


These are miscellaneous extras!

One thread for your recovery please?

How to create a signature
 
Welcome to the "other side"! You have been give great articles packed full of very, very useful information!

1) I get absolutely exhausted doing the smallest things. After taking a shower this morning I felt like I ran a marathon. I understand why I would be tired after a major surgery, but this is beyond just being tired. Anybody else have this intense fatigue?
This is all very norml. While it seems that 12 days is a long time, you are very, very early in the grand scheme of recovery. Your body right now is focusing large amounts of energy on the surgical knee and its recovery. You are also probably on pain meds and they also rob you of energy, too.

have little to no appetite. I can stand to lose some weight, but I don't think now is the time to go on a diet.
Again, this is also normal. I lost 15 pounds and nothing tasted good. Again, I believe that for most people, the pain meds are to blame. Don't worry;your appetite will come back. My Thanksgiving dinner six years ago after my BTKR was awful---nothing had any flavor to it!

It is important to take your time and do not try to rush things; recovery from a TKr or a BTKR can take longer than we would like it to, and the surgical knee is in charge of setting the schedule. Please keep coming back---ask any questions or pose any concerns that yo may have---we will answer them and deal with them and be with you throughout the entire recovery.
 
vhoudy Everyone gets the Energy Drain (read the article in the list Jamie left you). Some get it worse than others but nobody escapes it.

So how are you doing now?
 
Goodness I remember being so tired after doing anything. To be honest 5 months out and my energy level still is not what it was, but I am to the point of forgetting I have a surgical knee.

I too lost about 15 pounds the first month. In the mornings I could drink a bit of coffee, canned fruit and dry toast with cinnamon. Lunch if there was one was yogurt, maybe cottage cheese. Dinner, all I ever wanted to eat was steak, pretty sure DH was sick of it before that stage passed. He would prepare a wonderful meal and I would take maybe two bites. I did get a protein mix and had smoothies or shakes. I found that cold foods made my stomach feel better.
 
Welcome to our wonderful group!
Your exhaustion is normal and will last awhile. Your stamina has been depleted, your body is still dealing with anesthesia in your system, every ounce of your energy is directed at healing. And if you are like many of us you may not be sleeping well. It takes time and lots of it but slowly but surely it comes back!!!
Try to sleep in order to rest in order to heal. Time.

I still have little appetite but I am sure that returns too!!

Be gentle with yourself and remember we are all here for you!!


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trust me, what you are feeling is exactly what I felt...just walking outside and back, or around the house for 5 minutes, I would then crawl back onto the bed and sleep for hours..I was worn out...and as for food there was nothing I felt like eating ...for days all I ate was jam on toast cos that is the only thing I remotely felt like..and I went days without a cup of tea, and trust me I love my cups of tea!!! .I had a huge stockpile of chocolates that my pals gave me in hospital and they were sitting there untouched.....normally I would have ripped them open and shovelled them in! Well needless to say my appetite is well and truly back now and all the chocolates are gone .. much to my hubbys dismay..."You mean you have eaten the lot!! " oops maybe I should have saved him a couple !:)
 
Thanks for all your input and support! It's so good to know my "issues" are normal. Since I last reported in my stamina is a somewhat better, and my appetite is very slowly coming back. Just like Mrs Cricklewood my taste for sweets was totally gone and I thought the world must have come to an end, but I did have a half of a chocolate chip cookie last night so I must be getting better and the world is intact. It's funny what things taste good and what things don't. I am slowly doing things that feel "normal" now, and I actually walked about a quarter of a mile yesterday. It felt really good while I was walking, but I did have to do double duty on the ice when I got back. I can see how easy it is to over do it because at the time it doesn't seem so bad or it actually feels good, but there is a price to pay. I am getting tired of always having pain when I put weight on my knee, but I do believe I notice a slight improvement in that. How long does it take before that pain is mostly gone?
 
Thanks for this post! I'm 4 weeks out and still have no appetite. The strangest things appeal to me - fluffy white bread and butter (I'm a whole wheat gal!) lemon (only lemon) pudding, tea (I'm a coffee drinker!) It's nice to know I'm not alone. It would be nice if the scale dropped, but in spite of my limited appetite, I AM trying to get in protein, fruits and vegetables.

Fatigue is improving. For awhile there, I fell sound asleep everytime I hooked myself up to the motion machine. It was almost hypnotic to me!
 
Don't know why I find this appetite thing so interesting. So GimpyGal, you have gone from white to wheat, and only lemon pudding. I have always been a pasta lover and that is the last thing I want to eat now, I have no appetite for bread of any kind, and I cannot bring myself to eat any veggies, with the exception of raw carrots. I wonder if our appetites are being controlled by what our bodies are telling us we need?
 
Hi interesting to read about the appetite!! I am 3 weeks post op a d all i want is toast :) Loved Doritos, chocolate and have went off them completely. My husband made spaghetti bolognese for dinner yesterday and i managed two forkfuls before i gave up lol.


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My appetite left for 4 weeks, I only wanted saltines and butter, soothing to the stomach. It's back now and I'm worried that I'm not burning any calories and will gain weight. This is a tough surgery for sure.
 
Hi All,
I'm about 13 weeks out from my surgery and I am doing well with my flexion (130), extension (-3), and pain control, but I still get very tired after doing something simple. Today I went cloths shopping at one store, and then stopped at the grocery store on the way home to get one item. When I got home I was totally pooped. Is this still from the surgery, or should I start looking at other possibilities for the fatigue? Anybody else have experience with this at this time in their recovery?
 
Very normal. It takes a bit to get the energy and stamina back. Knee gets feeling good but the rest of the body is still recovering from all the abuse.
 
It is pretty normal to be tired for a few months. Do you get breathless or anything?
 
No, I don't get out of breath or anything, it's just that I feel tired and get fatigued when I try to do something normal. I was hoping that at 12 weeks I would have more energy than I have and feel more like I did before the operation. Thanks for your response, it's reassuring to know it's just part of the TKR package.
 
Takes awhile; your body has been through alot and then spent lots of energy healing your knee. You will have more energy soon! :)
 
Is this still from the surgery, or should I start looking at other possibilities for the fatigue? Anybody else have experience with this at this time in their recovery?
You are still recovering, and your body has lost some of its strength and stamina, which are the last things to return. Look at it this way---you have gone through major surgery, your body has sent large amounts of energy toward the healing process, and you have been doing, well, pretty much a bunch of nothing---and with good reason, too.

Now you cannot expect to hop up, and go about your daily life as if nothing happened,. This will take some time, but your body has to regain what it has lost.
 
:yes!:
Tuesday will be 3 months post op for me. I hopefully will be able to ease back in to work in a few more weeks.
I am easily fatigued too, something that I am not accustomed to and have had to learn to take rest breaks. I have to say, today was the first day I've felt 'normal' since the surgery: clearer head, not preoccupied with my knee and despite the cold, really looked forward to some time out with a friend.
 
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