Second one done :) whew!!!

[josi]

I sympathize with you over the stomach distress. My gut's reaction to the post op pain meds was just about the worst part of my TKR recovery. Were you prescribed any anti nausea drug to take? I would either contact your doctor, or, if you will be visited by a home health nurse Friday, see about getting some relief for your intestinal upset. Good luck; I hope you are feeling better very soon.


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[Hoppy Nanny]

Hi @knees....jumping over from the hip side to say that the worst after my THR was week 4 when my stomach was so bad...gassy, painful, nausea, constipation, haemmaroids.....had to have lots of stool softeners, prunes.....was the worst. It did go though but was very upsetting. Make sure you take all the stool softeners all the time. Think it's due to the medication and lack of exercise. Hope it clears up for you soon....hang on in there! Xx


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[knees]

Thank you for your comments and helpful advice. I feel so different this time around. Very weak, sick, headachy. Miserable. I can't hardly eat anything. No appetite and makes me nauseas. I wonder how long I'll feel like I'm weak and sick? Today is beginning day 5. Have had no pt. They were suppose to call and set up in home pt. I'm actually glad they've forgotten about me. I'm too sick to do pt. I have been doing toe wiggles, a few heel slides and pressing down on bed. That's all I can do I'm beat. Hope that is enough for now. Feeling so discouraged

 

[Hoppy Nanny]

Oh so sorry you are feeling so discouraged......just wondering my twin sis had TKR but had general anaesthetic and felt awful for the first week...or it may be all that medication. Do hope that this eases up for you very soon..take care... Chrissie x


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[knees]

Thanks chrissie

 

[kneeper]

I have been doing toe wiggles, a few heel slides and pressing down on bed. That's all I can do I'm beat. Hope that is enough for now. Feeling so discouraged

That sounds fine to me for now. Hope your tummy feels better.

 

[Jozilla]

Maybe you can call your doctor and get some anti nausea medicine. Sorry you are feeling so bad. ((Hugs))

 

[dtmbf]

Your GI issues are just like mine were right after surgery. Nausea, constipation, gas, bloating, no appetite. What worked best for me was Miralax. It's tasteless, dissolve easily & relief overnight. I took it in the evening & the next morning- relief! I was really bad, almost had to go to the hospital. And I tried everything - prunes, fiber, dried apricots, colace, senna, mag citrate, lactulose (prescription laxative), ducolax. Miralax did it for me. I took it 3 times the 1st day (way less than what you use for a colonoscopy) till I got results, then by trial and error found out daily was a bit too much and moved to every other evening. Worked like a charm. Between anesthesia and pain meds, my gut didn't have a chance! Hope you find something that works for you - I have felt your pain!

 

[knees]

Thanks so much! You don't know what a relief it is to know others had the same things. I will get Mira lax! Thank you for the support. I feel so weak. I think it's because I'm not eating much. God bless you

 

[knees]

10 days out now. My stomach is doing good and I'm feeling stronger. My question is when I elevate my leg It starts aching. Very uncomfortable. Then when I lay it flat the aching goes away. Is it ok to not elevate? I worry that I'm suppose to elevate to prevent blood clots. Has anyone experienced the aching when elevated? The pain is right on the knee. Thanks for your help

 

[kneeper]

Is your leg at full extension when you elevate? That can be painful. If that's the case you can adjust your pillows so you have a slight bend. You just shouldn't put a pillow only under the knee.

 

[knees]

Thanks kneeper I think that was it. Thanks for replying I almost 2 weeks and haven't started any pt yet. My flex and straightening are pretty bad. Pretty much same as my first knee. I have been doing some heel slides and some straightening exercises (pushing knee into bed) but not a lot. I start out patient pt in about a week. I walk around the house here and there 5 minutes at a time with the walker. Not really having pain and very comfortable in bed now. I think maybe I should be doing more. I'm taking 1 percoset every 4 hours. I'm kind of a scardy cat and worry so much about blood clots and infection. I'm watching my leg all the time lol when I exercise it swells which scares me so I haven't been exercising too much. I'm thinking when I start pt I'll be able to get things going. I know exercise helps prevent blood clots but when it swells I think "blood clot" and get worried. Vicious cycle I need to think better thoughts and quit being so afraid. This forum is a great help. Well that's my story so far

 

[tiredwife]

@knees It is normal to worry about clots, elevation is also to drain swelling out of the leg, so make sure you do it if you are still swelling. Movement (toe wiggles, heel slides, getting up and walking a little every hour or so is great for preventing clots. The people who I have personally known who ended up with clots are the ones that didn't move their legs at all. Sat on a couch or chair all day, do no exercises and getting up only to use the bathroom.

 

[ATPlus]

I'm glad you're stomach is in good shape now. Being bound up, confined to a hospital bed, and at the mercy of nurses is frightening. Soon it will be like childbirth, only a memory.

 

[tiredwife]

@knees Why don't I tag @Josephine maybe she can tell what is going on with your knee.

 

[knees]

i tried to edit but ended up deleting that post. anyways i had pt yesterday and im now feeling so much better. i think ive been sitting around too much and getting stiff. my rom was only 75 so will have to start exercising more. my pt put lotion on my incision and did massage. it was a little scary to me because the bandage just came off 2 days ago. im not sure its safe to do that so early. i mentioned it to her but she said it was fine. i am never able to tell them a flat out no even though i want to.

 

[kneeper]

If the incision is totally closed the lotion should be ok--otherwise it's better not to.
It's good to hear you're feeling better. It's tough to know how much to do but it sounds like you've discovered you can do a bit more than you were. Just don't go crazy. It's often just trial and error to find that level.

 

[tiredwife]

@knees Glad you are doing better. Once my husband's incision closed all the way his therapist showed me how to massage it. I use vitamin e oil. The massage should be gentle and it helps keep it from adhering.

 

[Spider]

good to hear your feeling better, those first few weeks are pretty tough! I had both of my knees done at the same time, and they reacted differently, my left knee has been more of a problem child than my right from the beginning. No real issues - just healing slower and more painful. I can imagine if I'd had my right done on its own first, I would simply have imagined that my left would be the same, and it would be more of a shock to notice the difference!

 

[knees]

Thanks for your comments everybody I really just don't know how to tell if my incision is totally closed. I would think the pt would know but still worried about her massaging it at only 2 weeks. Here is a pic of my incision 2 weeks post op. @tiredwife do you remember how many weeks post op you started massaging the scar? Was it early on? Thanks tiredwife