Recovering From Surgery April 21st

[Joyce]

Flashfarms14 here! Good morning. I just joined all of you the 21st of April and I thnk, I'm well on the road to partial recovery. I had my right knee ( partial) done on that date and will be having my left knee done in about 2 months. I'm having toothache like pain in the knee joint right now. Is that normal? I will be starting out of home re-hab Monday. How bad does it hurt!?!?!?!?!?

 

[Jamie]

Hi, Joyce. Welcome to the forum. So glad you joined us and it's good to hear you are doing well in your recovery from your partial knee replacement. I moved your post to its own thread so that you can better receive responses from forum members. And that way Texas's thread is not derailed.

Even though you "just" had a partial knee replacement, it is STILL major surgery and you certainly can expect to have pain at this point....and maybe for quite a while yet. Your PT will push you to move and work those muscles, so there will be some pain. But you just need to keep an active dialogue going with the PT so that you are getting maximum benefit and the pain is not too great. Be sure and take your pain meds about an hour before therapy and ice and elevate your leg afterwards.

 

[Texas]

Oh goodness Jamie you messed with my mine how did you do that , that fast. Aw Joyce, yes you will have pain maybe some harder pain once in awhile. But you are real early in recovery dont worry. But it will ease off. Yes PT will be a lil rough but talk to your PT they will help you! Are you able to bend your knee. And yes I learned the hard way, take your medicine just like you dr told you, stay ahead of the pain dont wait till you can stand it anymore. You are having another knee done is it total or the partial. Still a big surgery either way. Post with any questions we will try to help. I sure hope you feel better soon.....Kim

 

[Joyce]

Hey, Thanks for the communcation. I guess I'm just impatient and want it all yesterday. Guess I'm trying to over achieve again. My Dr. Said I'd have to reign everything in for a while. He knows me too well. He got all over me about not using crutches the first week. I told him if he could invent crutches that were meant for a WOMAN with 52 yr old BREASTS, that I'd rather use the cane, thank you very much. He has such a good spirit and realy gets to know his patients. Thanks for the advice and I'm sure that I will be communicating with you late at night as I have a hard time sleeping.
I have a hard time with medication. We just can't seem to get the combination right.
I do however know that I made the right decision to have this procedure. I'm very motivated to recouperate so that I can have the other knee fixed and get back to work!!!

 

[Jamie]

Joyce, you do need to chill a little, hon. This was MAJOR surgery on a VERY complex joint. You will be in recovery for a while and have good days and bad ones. So is the cane working for you now? If not, you could use a walker instead of the crutches. But you do need some way to stabilize yourself until you get your muscles built back up.

As for medication, tell me what you're taking and on what schedule. Usually when there is a problem, it results from not following a prescribed schedule with the meds and waiting too long to take the next dose. Pain and swelling feed on each other and you need to stay ahead of it in order to properly heal and do your PT exercises to increase ROM.

 

[loggon]

Joyce
The home PT is great. I started it a week out of surgery. My PT
is great. Jamie and Jo are great to advise you. So are the others
here. Good Luck and take it slow you you will do great

 

[Joyce]

Hey, Thanks for answering this communication. I've never done anything like this and I'm sure that I'm the one who messed up all of the posts and threads. I'll ge tused to it, eventually. Guess I'll be here for a while. I wasn't having much pain at all and now I have a terrible ache like a bad toothache at night especially.

I'm sensative to a lot of drugs and they're trying to find a combination to work for me without sending me over the edge. What works for others makes me very edgy and speedy. I'm allergic to all codeine meds. SO, I'm up at night.

I just spoke with Texas and both of you seem to have much experience at this business.

I will be having the other knee done soon and want to re-hab properly but quickly.

I lost my Grandmother and my Father the week before I was suppose to have surgery and that was in July. I was really ready for this procedure, after putting it off for so long. My job is very physicaly demanding and I can't go back to work for any reason until I am 100%. Soooo, I've been out of work since July. There isn't any soft work for me to do. I work for the Gerogia Board of Education and the summers are usually my time off! Not last year.

I feel like I'm runing off at the mouth, but thanks fot listening. I'll speak with you later. Thank You.

 

[loggon]

Joyce

I have the same problems with meds. But there are several
your doctor can give you with out the codeine. I am just
on Advil now. I had the same type of pain which my doctor
said was soft tissue pain from the way I positioned my leg at
night. It would wake me up, but ice and advil helped

 

[Joyce]

Hey Jamie!

I'm Taking Dilauded at night with 1 mg of valium. along with antibiotics. I had rheumatic fever when I was 10 and have to take an antibiotic before I get my teeth cleaned. I also take tylenol and an anti-inflamatory. During the day I take tylox 1 every 4 to 6 hrs. It makes me racey and edgy so Ican't take it at nght. I'm going to ask if I can go back to darvocett during the day, just take more of it!

We all had a realization the 1st day of surgery. The gave me Morphine and that was awful. I felt like Iwas having a heart attack and they had to push it out of my system and they put me on oxycontin (sp) as a main pain releiver with additional round of tylox when needed and there was something else but I can't come up with the name at this moment.

Told you I was a difficult case. I am using the cane and it is there for stabilization only. I am walking wthout a limp or assistance right now but I do take the cane. I had In hom PT for a week and they told me tht I need to graduate to the "real thing" so I start Monday. It's right around the corner and it couldn't be more convenient. I was asking about the pain I am experencing in the knee. It's like a bad toothache. Did youexperience that?

Later! I know where to find ya'll now!

Joyce

 

[Josephine]

Did they not try Pethidine, Joyce? And you haven't mentioned using ice. Most of us have found that icing is a great form of pain relief.

 

[Joyce]

Yes, I do ice after I've been on the leg for a period of time. I am taking it easy and what is Pithidine?

I say a little prayer and put the ice on the leg at least three time a day. I hate the ice! The swelling is very minimal on this knee. I must say that I'm very surprised.

 

[Josephine]

Pethidine is a narcotic pain killer, an alternative for those who cannot tolerate morphine.

I used ice mostly for pain relief rather than swelling. It's soooo soothing and I'd use it for 2-3 hours at a time and at least 4-5 times a day. I hated it too but I loved the effect!

 

[Texas]

I ce has become my bestist (haha) friend !!!!!!! Hope you feel better soon...........Kim

 

[Judles]

Ice AND sleep are your best friends!!!

 

[Joyce]

Did sleep patterns change for everyone? I find that it is easier to sleep during the day and at night there is more pain. I am a light sleeper anyway and the pain makes it impossible (almost). I called Dr. Jarrett about the Pethedine and he said that he tried that when I had my ankle surgery and I did not tollerate it at all.

You might find tht most of my commnications wre gonna be at night. Or EARLY in the morning. I live in Georgia and It's now a little after 9 and I just woke up.

There is a LOT of internal itching and numbness at the same time with this knee, is that normal? I would assume that there is some nerve damage and that the itching is the healing process. Hope I'm correct. The entire area is still a very weird color.

My husband made a workout table this weekend and we will start using it this weekend. No floor tme for me. I feel tht if I got down on the floor, I would never get up. We also have an exercise bike. I am planning on working with the PT so they can keep me on the fast track (without injury) to feeling good. It's hard to remember when my knees didn't hurt.

 

[Texas]

Hi Joyce yes I am a light sleeper and do better during the day. I am usually always on here during the night. Just cant get comfy and I fell the pain more at night as well. . Join me wont cha!!! lol. Yes I had what I call tingling I think all part of healing. Haha I agree with the floor. I never tried but I dont have a desire just yet. Great idea with the table. Its a hard surgery but worth it. I am 6 weeks and still leaarning myself.............Talk soon. Hope you feel better...........Kim

 

[backbay38]

Joyce -- I am nealry 4 months out from RTKR. And when i started with my PT (home for 2 weeks then outpatient) he said his main problem with me was -- just like you -- to hold me back!! it IS importanat that you don't overdo the exercise; you are still in the healing period for at least the first 6 weeks. My surgeon didn't want any heavy weights pulling my leg at the ankle during that time so my PT used the usual ankle weights ABOVE my knee so I could do more challenging leg lifts as I got stronger. Worked really well. Also a lot of balance work -- standing on one leg at a time holding onto the kitchen counter or the like until you feel you can stand for a few seconds with no support and then going longer etc. I do a lot of weights and aerobic work in the gym (for years) and I found the PT really helpful even though I had done many of the exrcises before... And always ice after an exercise session. And elevate as Jo, Jamie and the others have said. If your doc/PT says do the full exercise set 2x a day -- do that and don't do them 3x a day!!! That gets you in trouble!!! sometimes less is more, y'know?
As for sleep everyone has trouble the first few weeks and months. So you cat nap when you can. It goes away.....

 

[Jamie]

Joyce, actually I was WAY behind where you are in recovery. I was one of the slow ones!!! Sounds like you are on the right track and doing fine. When you have that "toothache" thing, you could try some additional meds to do away with it. I think we all experience pain like that in recovery now and then. And, Jo's right....icing and elevation are critical!! The pain you are feeling is likely from soft tissue swelling, in my opinion. Ice really helps with that.

 

[Judles]

Soooo many nite owls here! Join the Club!!!!

 

[Joyce]

Sleep, I need Sleep! I'm having a rough night and they seem to be getting worse instead of better. I think I will ask to have my meds changed. I'm getting to e quite the cranky little woman. Not my style and my husband just cringes when he hears me groan. He's very patient and has taken to rubbing and messaging the knee lightly a few minutes at a time a few times a day. Can't hurt and it feels soooo good!

I think I've watched every show on HGTV today! I've read three books in the last 5 days but that's par for the course. Can't keep my mind on a movie sooo.....

It's nice to know that there is someone out there who understands this. I hate that someone else experiences this pain, but I guess if you've never experienced it I guess ya just don't get it! My sister called today and wanted me to kep her 4 yr old for a few hrs. That was a big NO! Active child and I live on 33 acres with two ponds and the snakes are starting to test the waters at this time of the year. I could just see myself chasing a spirited kid aroung the yard.


I like the idea of the ankle weights above the knee. That's just what and where the leg needs the work. I've been doing band exercises with the arms three times a day.

Thanks for the ear and eyeballs. Mne feel like they have sand in them.

Joyce