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TKR Really swollen

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Thank you Josephine, I was able to access the articles and they were very informative!
 
Good to hear you are up to a little light reading....... :heehee:

Hope you are continuing to do well after your TKR and feeling better every day! :SUNsmile:
 
Here I am 10 days post rtkr and today my leg from the knee down has been very uncomfortable and achy. I've got it up with ice and taking the pain meds but just can't seem to get comfortable. Any suggestions?
 
Hi, sorry to say but being uncomfortable will go on for sometime yet. There are words of wisdom around that tell you not to put a pillow directly under your knee, and I fully agree with that. But what I did was to put a pillow up the side of my leg and lean into it and that helped somewhat. I also had temporary restless leg syndrome which stopped me getting comfortable in bed. There's an article on this in the library which recommends a few things, including drinking good tonic water as the quinine helps.
 
I've been told the same thing about drinking tonic water. Unfortunately I can't stand the taste.
 
Hi, tomsgirl....sorry you are so uncomfortable. You mention that you're taking pain meds. Can you tell me what medication, what the strength is and how often you're taking it? It may be that you need to adjust your medication schedule a bit in addition to the rest, ice and elevation.
 
Hang in there Tomsgirl. It is a bit of a rollercoaster ride this healing. You will definitely have your ups and downs. You are very early in the recovery and need lots of rest, ice and elevation. Do not try to rush it. I don't know how many times I had setbacks from doing too much too soon. Slow and steady gets you there so much quicker as you do not have to wait to recover from doing too much too soon.

Give yourself time, you will get there. I had my PKR 8 months ago and I am out teaching skiing. The best thing that you can do for yourself at this stage of the game is rest and take care of yourself.
 
I'm taking Percocet5/325 2 tabs every 4-6 hrs I also tried the pillows down the side of my leg with ice and it I'd make it a bit more bearable, don't think I can stomach the plain tonic water so ill stay away from that. Thanks for the suggestions.
 
I suggest adding some GIN to that tonic! I am 11 days post RTKR and have been using a slim pillow either between my legs positioned just so or a larger pillow to lean against which helps. Have you tried untucking your covers and putting a pillow at the end of the bed under the covers to raise them up? It makes a huge difference in pressure on your leg and making it somewhat easier to roll over.

I'm taking meds that are a bit stronger than yours and taking them every 3 hours so it could be that you need to take them more frequently to get a bit more relief and your doctor won't always tell you that.

Keep up the good work and your spirits it does get better with an occasional bad day in between - I had one yesterday.
 
Another one that worked for me was a heat pack in the small of my back. No idea why it works, but it did. then I'd also have an icepack strapped to my knee. Yep, both at same time.

And for those who don't like the idea of plain tonic water and can't add gin because of the meds - try adding a dash of lime juice and a slice of lime or lemon.
 
I swear I posted on here! It probably got removed for excessive verbalage! Tomgirls that tourniquet feeling some have also called The Rubberband, goes on for quite a few weeks. I think I was able to forget about mine between 6 and 8 weeks. I would guess it's where the quad muscles were cut, if they were cut.
TomsG could you please go into the area where you set your signature and add to it the Date of your surgery? That way we don't have to figure it out and it's right there for us. Did you try the pillow stacking? You have a King then stack a standard, then stack a square or smaller pillow so that it's like a nice cushiony wedge. Also have you tried the Alcohol homemade ice packs. They are lovely and conform to your knee. I found them more comfortable than my cryo cuff after awhile.
I hope you are feeling a little bit better each day. After 2 weeks it seems like that starts to happen in baby steps. The exception is when you OVER DO IT, then you do not feel better each day! But with more rest and ice that even resolves! So hang in here with us!
 
Brownie51, sometimes after a fairly long post, we forget to hit the Post Reply button and just back arrow out of the thread, and the post is lost. Happens to me more than I like to admit.
[Bonesmart.org] Really swollen
 
I am officially 2 wks and 4 days post op and I was feeling pretty good today so I went to Costco with my husband. Now I am sitting in a recliner with an ice pack on my knee because it is throbbing. Don't think I should have walked that much first time out.
 
Hi. I'm only one day ahead of you. I went for a quick trip to Target, and I even used the electric scooter. We went to eat after, and I was so drained when I came home that I slept for three hours. I NEVER nap, but it was uncontrollable! Not only that, it was straight to the ice machine for me! :0)
 
Wow! Costco! I'm impressed but walking on those unforgiving concrete floors is trying even for folks who aren't trying to heal a knee replacement!!!
I personally think that Costco is a bit much, however, I do understand cabin fever, and I just love Costco....
Just don't forget to ice, elevate and pain meds!
Best,
Sandy
 
Wow, you girls are up and about way earlier than I was at 2 weeks post-op!
The first 3 weeks were just lay around mostly with the leg up and ice, with some very gentle PT, CPM and a little walking around. At the beginning of the 4th week I started OP PT, and only went 2X/week for a month, then 3X/ week for the last 3 weeks.
The first time I went to the grocery store with hubby for a quick trip I was exhausted!
Take it a little easier, ladies!
 
Tomsgirl said:
I am officially 2 wks and 4 days post op and I was feeling pretty good today so I went to Costco with my husband. Now I am sitting in a recliner with an ice pack on my knee because it is throbbing. Don't think I should have walked that much first time out.
Click to expand...

You learned the very same lesson trhat many of us learned---that when we feel really good, especially in the early days of recovery, we need to say "WHOA" and consider what we are about to do.

I would say that almost all of us have gone beyond the boundaries and gone too far too soon. It is a learning experience---but you will feel better soon!
 
I think it is great that you are getting out. Makes you feel normal again, even if you walk slow and funny. My first time out was a trip to church and then the grocery store at day 13. I had to stop and sit half way through my visit to the grocery store. I was so tired when I got home that I put the groceries away and then took a nap.
It doesn't hurt to push it a little bit, but know your limits. Then rest, ice, meds and elevate.
 
So, 3wks post op today and I thought the pain was decreasing but I've been icing and elevating my throbbing knee since I got up this morning. I started a new exercise yesterday my torture PT had me standing and sitting and then wanted me to do squats!...I haven't been able to do those in at least 5 yrs. I'm feeling sorry for myself and very teary for no reason I think there's just too much time with the cat.
 
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