TKR Skygirl17's Recovery Thread

[skygirl7]

Thank you skigirl! I value everyone's advice and experience. I am encouraged when I read other people's threads and have learned a lot from this site. I told my PT about this site and I hope he passes it on to his patients. He is extremely sensitive and gentle, so I think I am getting the best results I can. One of my at home PT persons I had to call and request another because she was very rough and aggressive. When I told her so, her reply was, "It's going to hurt". I found than not acceptable. So now I am on a more promising road to recovery. I just wish it would happen faster.

 

[skigirl]

Yes, I can remember that feeling too!! But kudos to you for getting rid of the rough pt---and taking care of yourself. Just a few more weeks and things will defintely be different.

 

[Roy Gardiner]

So, how come I could do exercises one day and the next day have a pain that prohibits that same movement? Is this part of the recovery process?

You can have no pain the first day and pain the second day because you overdid the motion on the first day. We need to move at a slow pace in recovery---if 10 reps have been working then just add 4 more--not 10 more. Also, it if probably better to take a day off between exercises and give your poor overworked muscles some time to recover

:iagree:


Pacing your stretching/exercising routines is essential.

Also I'd go further and say that in the first couple of months one shouldn't be doing training at all, so that there shouldn't be any overworked muscles. One should be doing stretches only, gentle enough that one can do many, many repetitions every day.

 

[Josephine]

Admin Note:
Dulcimer Diva's posts have been split off and added to her recovery thread here:
Two (almost) matching knees at last!

 

[skygirl7]

Today I went 6 hours before my knee ached and reminded me to take a pill. Yippee! This is not an easy thing recovering from TKR but every day gets me closer to the independence I want to get back to. What do some of you folks do to pass the time? My backside hurts from sitting so much!

 

[Josephine]

skygirl, please be careful reducing those meds. You are only 3½ weeks out yet and all my experience has told me that people generally need to take pain meds for 6-8 weeks in order to get a good recovery and rehab. You cannot rush this and if you try to, you risk getting chronic conditions like ITB (ilio-tibial band) issues and similar things which are much more debilitating than a sore backside!

 

[skigirl]

Skygirl---it is important to find some things to do right now!! So---now is the time to read those books you wanted to read, but never had time to do so. I watched all the videos of Jane Austen's books. I got Net flicks and went through all the episodes or Downston Abbey.

I learned to knit ---a scarf and a hat!! I called friends to come over and bring lunch!! I organized some photos that had taken over an entire closet!! I threw away masses of them.

I organized all my stuff for taxes--way ahead of schedule, etc---you get the picture!! Kelly

 

[skygirl7]

Thanks for the activity suggestions. I do have a few closets that need attention and photos to organize also. I think my biggest concern about the pain meds is, I am close to having to have my 4th refill and I don't want my doctor to think I am getting addicted to them. I don't know what is normal for this surgery, if it is acceptable to keep asking for refills, and how soon I should be weaning off them. I know everyone is different and I did what was prescribed by taking the meds by the clock and it worked well and for the most part kept ahead of the pain...just ran out faster than I felt I should. What is too much or too many refills?

 

[skigirl]

Each person is so different, this is difficult to say, really. I will tell you that when I went to my 3 week appt, my doc said, Well, now you have no pain. I asked him if that worked for him--to tell me I had no pain instead of asking me? His PA started laughing!! We talked about step down drugs. Here is what I did--- 10 days of Oxycontin twice a day and 1 or 2 5 mg Percosets every four hours. Then after that I took one percoset every four to six hours for
another week or so. Then one 5m Lortab every four to six hours as a step down drug for 2 weeks. But, midway through that, I decided that I hated the side effects---I kept getting all sweaty when I went to the gym, so I got a script for Tramadol (ULtram) 50 mg every four hours or so. I took that for two weeks. at about 5 weeks, I was taking an occasional Tramadol--mostly at night. But, I am strong, had a fairly quick recovery and as an athlete, have a high pain tolerance. I think that there are folks who take opiods for up to two months.

 

[skygirl7]

I just read a thread from a gal who is 13 weeks post op and still having trouble with walking without a limp. I can walk ok, but I have to concentrate on starting on my heel then bending. I am having difficulty sleeping (still have to prop the leg on a pillow), going down stairs and bending.

I was progressing well enough until today. I have spaced the pain and muscle relaxers way back to one every 12 hours. At PT when he was stretching/bending my knee, it hurt so much I shed a few tears. Soooo embarrassing!

I am discouraged because last time, I was able to bend it by myself the same amount as today, but not with the pain level I had today. I don't want to be a wimp. I want to be good about exercising and stretching, but when it hurts like this, I want to just throw in the towel. Sorry this is a downer message.

 

[Josephine]

I have spaced the pain and muscle relaxers way back to one every 12 hours

Not a good thing to do! If you have pain, you need the meds. No meds, more pain! Take them AS PRESCRIBED.

At PT when he was stretching/bending my knee, it hurt so much I shed a few tears. Soooo embarrassing!

First off, do not let him do that to your knee. Remember the mantra
- rest, elevate, ice and take your pain meds by the clock
- if it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physiotherapist - to do it to you
- if your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again
- if you won't die if it's not done, don't do it
- never stand when you can sit, never sit when you can lie down, never stay awake when you can go to sleep!
- be active as much as you need to be but not more than is necessary, meaning so much that you end up being in pain, exhausted or desperate to sit down or lay down!

PT should not make you cry!


I have some questions to ask you:
1. what are your pain levels right now? (remember the 1-10 scale: 1 = no pain and 10 = the worst you can imagine)
2. what pain medications have you been prescribed, how much are you taking (in mg please) and how often?
3. how often are you icing your knee and for how long?
4. how high are you elevating your leg, how often and for how long?
5. what is your activity level? What do you do in the way of housework, cooking, cleaning, shopping, etc., and
6. what kind of PT are you doing? How much and how often?

I'll be back!

 

[Josephine]

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One thread for your recovery please?​