Bilateral TKR Problems 2-years post op

[BionicDes]

Hi all,

I’m new here. I’m a 38 year female who has had 18 previous knee surgeries so I finally bit the bullet and opted for new knees. As neither knee was in a position to be the strong knee post op, I opted to have a BTKR. I underwent the surgery on January 29 and by all accounts it went swimmingly. I live alone so it took some adjustments early on to figure out how to live daily but now going into week 5 post op things are calming back down domestically. Regarding pain, sleep, and bruising, I think I’m on track with everyone else that none of it is great. My extension and flexion are apparently way ahead of schedule-so that makes me happy. I do fear returning to work tomorrow full-time as I cannot sleep uninterrupted at night, am in pain constantly, and the bruising has returned. At this point my doctor has removed pain meds from my protocol so I’m heavily reliant on Alieve and Biofreeze for pain relief, which does little but such is life. This too shall pass.

It’s nice to know I’m not alone. Good luck everyone.

 

[Pumpkin]

BionicDes,
Welcome to BoneSmart, glad you joined us.
Good luck tomorrow, 5 weeks is very very early to be returning to work. We usually recommend 12 weeks off, with a Phased return to work .
Recommend if you can delay returning to work, your recovery will be smoother.
Try to ice and elevate your legs at work.
Plan to spend your time off Resting, Icing, Elevating, and Medicating.
Tylenol is a better pain reliever then anti inflammatories. Follow the directions on the bottle.
Do you have a primary Dr that you can ask about something stronger, such as Tramadol?

Your recovery sounds like it is right on track, Good Luck tomorrow.

Here are the recovery guidelines, the articles are short and will not take long to read.

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

the BoneSmart view on exercise
BoneSmart philosophy for sensible post op therapy​

5. At week 4 and after you should follow this

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


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.

 

[shooter]

Hi
I had a BLTKR on Jan 25. Your doing very well , living alone, off the heavy meds and going back to work already
Is amazing to me. I've just started to walk short distance unassisted and I sometimes still need the heavy pain meds at night. The help and advice I've recieved from the folks on this forum has helped greatly and I highly recommend listenening to their experience based suggestions.
Cheers
Mike

 

[Babushelen]

Wow!! You had a BTKR and live alone! You are amazing!! I had just my right knee done. I can’t imagine doing 2 at once and going at it alone. Although I think in a way that could have contributed to your good extension and flexion. Moving and doing activities of daily living helps to bring mobility back. I agree going back to work at 5 weeks is too soon. Did you have a choice or was that your decision? At this early stage you still need to rest, ice, and elevate your knee to ensure your knee doesn’t swell and impede your recovery.

Hope everything goes well on your first day back at work.

 

[robhunt3]

It sounds like you are doing fantastically well with your BTKRs @BionicDes, well done!

Are you able to get some more time off work? You are still in pain and not sleeping so well so really need to rest and recover if you can.

Either that or try to get your pain meds reinstated for as long as you need to help with going back to work?

 

[SusieShoes]

I had BTKR last May, about ten months ago, and also had good ROM early. Still, I don’t think I could have returned to work at 5 weeks. Can you see about getting more time off? Is your job one you can do from home for a bit? Even a few more weeks will make a huge difference. Just dealing with lack of sleep is rough at your stage.

Try Tylenol as Pumpkin suggested. I was surprised at how well it worked for my early recovery pain. Before surgery, Tylenol didn’t help at all... but after surgery, it really worked.

Two doctors, my periodontist and my OS, both told me Aleve hinders bone growth and that I should not use it. Not for dental implants and not for knees. You can use it again once bone healing has finished. NSAIDs in general are bad for the stomach anyway. So Tylenol is better in recovery for lots of reasons.

You definitely aren’t alone! Everyone here understands what you are dealing with. We’ve been there.

 

[sistersinhim]

When I broke my foot and ankle, I was taking an nsaid and after 8 weeks, I still wasn't healed. Then I found out that nsaids slow down bone healing. After going off of them I started healing better. I, too, suggest that you go off of those and start taking Tylenol.

 

[BionicDes]

Hi,

Thanks. The last two days have been rough. I cannot take Tylenol, unfortunately because of an interaction with my migraine meds, which is why Alieve is the choice. I will ask about some other options.

The main problem I have ran into is parking/commuting to work. I live in Arlington, VA but work in downtown DC and have to park .3 miles (each way) away from my office. I’m currently fighting with the powers that be for a spot in the building. I will keep you all posted.

I would love some more time off but I have no more leave time.

Unfortunately, I have no more leave. I had to drain what I had for the surgery and spent two and half weeks teleworking already. At this point, not returning to the office would require me to go either on unpaid indefinite leave (which I could not afford and I would lose benefits) or quit my job (same outcome).

My doctor seemed to be ok with my return to work when it was discussed with him and PT thought it was ok too. So who knows. The big issue I have at the moment is the over half mile I have to walk to get to and from my office in addition to all the other steps I do in a day. I come home not just exhausted (which has cured the not sleeping) but my knees have to be iced all night, and one of the two has a brand new pain. I will be talking to both my doctor and therapist tomorrow.

As an FYI, I can’t take Tylenol due to a drug interaction so I have to stick with Alieve. I will speak to my doctor about other options though.

Thanks again!

 

[Pumpkin]

BionicDes,
Sounds like you have no choice but to return to work. You might want to consider renting a scooter for the 1/2 mile walk to your office. Ask your Dr for a handicap placard, you should be able to get a temporary one for your recovery.

one of the two has a brand new pain.

Best guess is your knee is complaining about all the activity. If you can elevate and ice at work. Can you place an upside down trash can under your desk or to the side?
Hang in there, your knee will heal, it may take a longer than it would if you could take the time off.

No need to quote a member to respond, just scoot down to the bottom of the page, and post in the box to the right of your avatar.

Keep us posted on how you are doing.

 

[BionicDes]

Thanks, Pumpkin! I do have a placard but the can’t park at government buildings unless you’re senior level officials so I’m relegated to my long walk.

My phone is auto-quoting everyone unfortunately. ️

When I first got out of surgery my right knee was the one sluggish and acting up and now it’s the left. The fun thing about bilateral is everyday is an adventure with both knees going through this together.

 

[Pumpkin]

For pain you can also try TENS machines for pain management , available on Amazon, knee compression sleeves, lidocaine patches, topical such as Voltaren, and of course ice and elevation.
Sorry they do not provide parking accommodation for you, and others after surgery/injury etc.

 

[SusieShoes]

Can you get a note from your OS explaining that you need to continue to telework? Part of the problem sounds like your doctor signed off on your need to telework. Otherwise, I would think your job would accommodate you. That they won’t do this for a few more weeks (when you can do your job through telework) sounds unreasonable.

What does your work do when someone is in a wheelchair? Are there elevators you can use? Where does a person in that situation park? Keep pushing about getting a space. Maybe someone in the office would let you use their space for a month?

Yes, we bilaterals are lucky! We get to experience recovering from two TKRs at the same time!

 

[Kayaknlady]

@BionicDes . When weather allows, maybe you can carry a bike on your car and bike from your lot to your office. I’m a bil TKA and was able to bike short, flat distances at 4 weeks. I see your a white water boater. My bil was 5 months ago and I just resumed kayaking class III last week. I was thrilled. I’m 32 years older so I think you’ll do even better. Good luck and looking forward to hearing about your awesome recovery . I used Aspercream on my knees and it really helped with pain.

 

[BionicDes]

Hi everyone, thanks for your comments and feedback. I appreciate all of your kind words. Parking eventually got sorted, I just had to drag the some EEO counselors into it.

In an odd turn of events, this past March (2019), we removed an old screw from my thigh the OS chose to leave in my leg as it was not in the way of the joint. However, following my recovery the head of the screw kept catching my IT Band causing it to be inflamed. Once they removed that, my left leg has been perfect.

Now my right knee has been acting up all weekend. When I attempt to bend (standing, walking, or laying, the is crunching and pain near the back of the knee. I have no clue what can be causing this. Has anyone had this happened nearly two-years post op?

 

[BionicDes]

Hello,

I had BTKR in January 2018, I’m coming up on my 2 year anniversary. My left knee is great. However, my right knee has been acting up all weekend. When I attempt to bend (standing, walking, or laying, the is crunching and pain near the back of the knee. I have no clue what can be causing this. Has anyone had this happened nearly two-years post op?

 

[Pumpkin]

@BionicDes
You'll notice that I have merged your newest thread with your original recovery thread. For several reasons, we prefer that you only have one recovery thread:

• That way, we have all your information in one place. This makes it easier to go back and review your history before providing advice.
• If you keep starting new threads, you miss the posts and advice others have left for you in the old threads, and some information may be unnecessarily repeated
• Having only one thread will act as a diary of your progress that you can look back on.

So please post any updates, questions or concerns about your recovery here. If you prefer a different thread title, just post what you want and we'll get it changed for you.
If you need an urgent response to a question, just tag a member of staff.
How to tag another member; how to answer when someone tags you

Here are the instructions on finding your thread, How can I find my threads and posts? . Many members bookmark their thread, so they can find it when they log on.

 

[Pumpkin]

Sorry you are having new pain and crunching behind your knee.
Have you recently increased your activity? In the meantime Rest, Ice, and Elevation may help ease your symptoms.
Suggest you schedule a follow up with your surgeon, he may be able to figure out what is causing your symptoms.