TKR Questions 8 months from surgery

[Layla]

has anyone experienced increased discomfort/pain due to weather. It is getting cold where I live. My left knee is now being a darn...

I did a little research on this topic awhile back and learned that indeed some do feel weather changes.

It's especially true for patients with arthritic joints who have not had a joint replacement, but also the case even after you have a new prosthetic in place.

Weather changes are predicted by changes in barometric pressure, which is the weight of the air pressing against the earth's surface. These changes can trigger pain and stiffness in the area of the prosthesis. The activity of bone adapting and growing around the metal leads to the sensitivity felt during weather and pressure changes. These sensations normally disappear within one to two years following surgery.

So...there you have it! Make today a good day!

 

[Mickimouse]

Thank you!

 

[InkedMarie]

My joints can tell me what the forecast is!

Marie

 

[Mickimouse]

I guess I am going to be the next weather girl!

 

[Jockette]

My knee seems to react after a weather event. One friend referred to mine as a weather reporter, not a predictor!

 

[Mickimouse]

I am getting ready to go see my knee surgeon….I am very nervous due to the on going pain I am dealing with. I hope he doesn’t blow me off and he gets to the root of the problem and it is solvable…..

 

[Mickimouse]

Well doc said hamstrings are tight, sciatica is flared….. message and ibuprofen 2x’s per day …..he feels it will get better, I see him again in January.

 

[hawk2go]

This is what I keep telling myself when I almost start to think I made a mistake because it’s hard and miserable and lonely and exhausting and frustrating. I couldn’t have just kept going the way I was. There was no hope and now there is! I did the right thing. YOU did the right thing. I’m pulling for you both! We can do this

We have been there. Many (most?) of us questioned our decision to have this procedure while in the early months of recovery (and pain and restrictions and pain and depression). I was there and in both of my threads, I have a similar "why did I do this" phase. It passed as I gained mobility and as the swelling eased and as I got to the part of the recovery where I was able to do more than before the TKR.

Some have found that keeping a list of things you'd like to do next to a list of things you can already do is helpful for keeping perspective. Move the things you'd like to do to the other side as your capability changes. With proper care, the list of can dos grows every week and seeing that progress can be uplifting.

Well doc said hamstrings are tight, sciatica is flared

I'm glad it wasn't worse and it sounds like the advice to give your body a chance to heal without the aggressive exercise is definitely the way for you to proceed as you allow those bothered parts to settle down.

 

[Layla]

Hello Mickimouse,
Hopefully learning the origin of your pain and receiving advice on how to relieve it was somewhat reassuring. Thankfully it's not something more involved. With any luck the massage and OTC meds bring speedy relief.
May your evening be a peaceful one.
@Mickimouse

 

[Mickimouse]

Thank you for your support and being so patient with me. It does help to use BoneSmart as a sounding board! So I guess like all have said, it will get better with time! Just wish it was now…….very good idea to write down things I want to do and cross off when it happens!

 

[JusticeRider]

Mickimouse, I’m glad you got some answers and it wasn’t anything scary! Sounds like you just have some angry soft tissue that will hopefully settle down with some good BoneSmart style TLC. It’s so hard to know which pain is normal and passing and which pain is cause for concern, so good for you got getting some answers to set your mind at ease. @hawk2go I LOVE this idea. I think I’m going to get a magnet board with writeable magnets so I can make the two columns and move the magnets over with each achievement. It’s too easy to zero in on what’s going wrong instead of what’s going right. What a great way to refocus on the positive

 

[Mickimouse]

It’s 6:00 am and both knees are in pain ( yes the non surgical knee as well) and my back burning pain. I think what did it to me was I tried sleeping on my side ( both sides) and it flared everything up. I feel like such a failure and the pain will never go away…. When I told my surgeon about pain in the left knee, he said let’s get the right leg settled down. I need to get the sciatica to go away…..I get hope that all will be well, then I get a flair up (now both sides of my body) and I lose that hope. Sitting here now with my daily crying spell….can anyone give me hope and suggestions?

 

[Mickimouse]

Oh I forgot to mention the doc put me on 400 mg 2x’s per day of gabapentin for 14 days, but I guess it takes that long to be effective…

 

[Cbet]

@Mickimouse could you rest on a heating pad for your sciatica, I find that heat helped mine out the most.

 

[Dancingqueen]

Dancingqueen, I can’t see when your surgery was, but I certainly can relate and feel so bad for you…..is there anyway possible you could ask for more time off? Maybe your surgeon can write that you cannot go back yet? I would certainly give that a try….boy oh boy, for some of us, this is one heck of a journey. I too wonder if it was the right decision although when I say that my husband and friends remind me how I was for 2 years. I just want to see the improvement, as I am sure you do as well. Keep posting to BoneSmart everyone is very helpful with info and support!

Thank you. I’m not sure what will be. I wake up, stressing, then, knee reminds me why I’m in this predicament. But, right now, I’m heading to the pool to gently walk. That’s my only plan for the moment.
I’m so thankful for this site. Keeps me grounded.
It’ll be cool to be in a position some day to be positive about all of this!

 

[hawk2go]

It’s 6:00 am and both knees are in pain

I'm sorry you had a tough night. The only way I could sleep on my side was with a very specific pillow between my legs. After trying several types, a long pillow that cushioned my knees, ankles and feet worked. The pill had a seam down the long center and that helped it stay in place at night. Even with that sanity-saving pillow, there were many nights with pain in the early months. I hope the gabapentin gives relief soon.

Remember that your knees deteriorated slowly over time as structures inside broke down. A year is a relatively short period for it all to come back together. With that said, check on experiences that are unfamiliar to you and ask questions here. If you've got the question, it's pretty certain someone else has had or will have the same question. Most recovery pains will dissipate in time, some need extra attention.

 

[No pain 2023]

So Hawk2go it's okay to sleep on sides? How long would I have to wait to do this? I'm not a back sleeper really.

 

[hawk2go]

It's tough to sleep on your side but it's a definite goal for side sleepers like us. You'll have to try a few things to find a comfy position and for the first few weeks may have to just sleep however, whenever and wherever you can. Many people buy or rent recliners and sleep in those for a while. Many daytime naps will save your sanity during those sleepless nights.

 

[Mickimouse]

Yes we bought a very nice electric recliner, it’s been a God send! Just want to get back to normal…… and another knee to do….. doctor said let’s let this one heal first…..except for the sciatica I’d be doing pretty good, still a bit tired but bend is coming!

 

[Mickimouse]

Hello everyone…..can anyone tell me about taking gabapentin? I started taking 400 mgs twice a day starting this past Thursday and I am extremely dizzy, my stomach hurts and it is giving me the shakes…..should I stop taking it… it is making me feel weird and off balanced.