Yay, this is a great report from you. Your doctor sounds reasonable. I thought he was being too pushy but thankfully he sounds like he's fine with you doing it on your own.
TKR RubyWhitesocks TKR recovery
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FCBayern
Former BoneSmart Staff Member
Good call @RubyWhitesocks, that ROM will come with time and you'll be very happy you didn't reset your recovery to day one.
RubyWhitesocks
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Not sure whether or not this is appropriate to discuss in this forum, as it deals with medication. I've found that for my nerve pains post TKR, the ones with the burning, tingling, electrical sensations that travel all the way downward from the incision site to the toes and can happen in any area between or all of those lower leg areas simultaneously, Gabepentin is the best med I was prescribed to nip that in the bud. My problem is that the surgeon only approved one pill per day for it on the first go round, and I was able to get him to up that to 2 per day on the second prescription. But for the 3rd time around he knocked it back to one a day, which sometimes wouldn't cut it. So I saw him on Monday and asked for more, but my Pharmacy says I have to wait until next week (for it to be 30 days) to get more, and I am completely out. I called the doctor's office to try to get them to have the Pharmacy not hold the meds hostage, but I'm wondering if there is any compelling reason they are so stingy with this med that helps me?
I think I’ve got this correctly, your Dr prescribed more but the Pharmacy is making you wait?
It’s confusing to me, too. It sounds like you need to ask your Dr. specifically why he doesn’t want you to take more of it.
I had nerve pain with my neck after my first THR (long story) and had none of those problems getting a helpful prescription.
Maybe you could talk to your primary care physician about this too? Sometimes getting your PCP involved, who knows your complete health history makes it a bit simpler.
Good luck with this, so sorry you are in a weekend without a refill!
It’s confusing to me, too. It sounds like you need to ask your Dr. specifically why he doesn’t want you to take more of it.
I had nerve pain with my neck after my first THR (long story) and had none of those problems getting a helpful prescription.
Maybe you could talk to your primary care physician about this too? Sometimes getting your PCP involved, who knows your complete health history makes it a bit simpler.
Good luck with this, so sorry you are in a weekend without a refill!
It's fine for you to post here about concerns with your medications related to your surgery. I agree that the pharmacy's reaction to your doctor increasing your dosage seems confusing. Maybe they didn't realize he had changed your prescription. You could try and get the on-call doctor in his office over the weekend to help you out.
How much Gabapentin are you taking each day (strength and number of pills)?
How much Gabapentin are you taking each day (strength and number of pills)?
RubyWhitesocks
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300 mg tablets, originally just one per day, then two per day, but for some reason the script was backed down to one a day again. I've been told by a friend who has pharmacy training that they used to upper limit to 900 mg a day, but now that has been raised, but it is a controlled substance. All I know is that two will usually work and one doesn't do the job.
300mg is the basic starting dose in many instances. It's a very low dosage. When used for some pain management issues, doses can go quite a bit higher than 900mg daily. Your 600 mg daily should be a reasonable dose if it's working for you. Some doctors are just really cautious. You need to have good pain management in the early weeks of your recovery. If that's not happening, continue to let your surgeon know. You also may be able to contact your GP for assistance.
Gabapentin is not considered a narcotic nor is it a controlled substance like opioids. But some states have made it more difficult to obtain when needed, so it's possible your doctor and the pharmacist are responding to this kind of pressure. It's sad because it does work well for nerve pain following joint replacement surgery. This is a temporary situation and having something to help is very important. I hope you can get this resolved.
Gabapentin is not considered a narcotic nor is it a controlled substance like opioids. But some states have made it more difficult to obtain when needed, so it's possible your doctor and the pharmacist are responding to this kind of pressure. It's sad because it does work well for nerve pain following joint replacement surgery. This is a temporary situation and having something to help is very important. I hope you can get this resolved.
RubyWhitesocks
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Thank you, I may end up going the route of contacting my normal doctor with regard to this med, because at this point, the nerve pain is way more present daily than other issues. That is not to say that I don't have some swelling and muscle issues still, but they are way more dependent on/related to the amount and type of activities I engage in, and I do see a light at the end of the tunnel for them with time.
As far as Gabapentin being controlled substance, I think it is now on some sort of "schedule list" here in Ohio.
RubyWhitesocks
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Just in general, beyond my own experiences with nerve pains that Gabapentin seems to abate at the proper dosage, (and being well aware that it is not really a comparison situation) I am wondering if there is a time frame with which people can say that the nerve pains from their TKR was lessening, starting to go away or completely disappeared. Just trying to talk myself into believing that this too shall pass.
As you know, this is going to be a very individual thing. But I can safely say that you should notice improvements at at least 6 months out from surgery. Full recovery can take up to a year, so it is possible that some twinges might linger that long. But normally you're going to see it lessen as your body begins to get back to normal after the surgical trauma and you are able to move about and exercise more. It will pass.
RubyWhitesocks
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I think that maybe I've had my final PT session today. The therapist thinks that since I am consistently reaching 118 on my own steam the last few sessions and he has been able to get me to 120-122 for my flexion, most likely when I see the surgeon on Monday, he will agree with me that I can continue to progress on my own.
I am feeling like things are about where they need to be and it feels like a little less stiffness and swelling in the last few days. The Gabapentin is doing what it needs to for the nerve pains, so I'm pretty much feeling like a human again and looking forward to resuming more of my Tai Chi exercises and regular life routines.
I am feeling like things are about where they need to be and it feels like a little less stiffness and swelling in the last few days. The Gabapentin is doing what it needs to for the nerve pains, so I'm pretty much feeling like a human again and looking forward to resuming more of my Tai Chi exercises and regular life routines.
