TKR So exhausted - is this normal?

[Roy Gardiner]

Good man yourself, Brian. You can do as much PT as you need at home one your own. Check my sig for some exercises you can do.

 

[HilaryP]

H xxxxx

 

[Brian6u]

Hello Roy...

I raise funds for charity, and so I write a great deal. Not very creative these last two weeks and, as the boss, feel badly not contributing. God seems to be calling all the shots as to when I will once again be able to do my work to his liking...I will push on.

 

[Brian6u]

At 58, I had felt quite spry until this surgery. I was offered a much more accelerated timetable. One person told me I should be better than ever in a month or less! Madness!

 

[Spingirl]

Brian, I can't say anything different than what everyone here has said. I'm now four months post op. Those first few weeks are really hard, and you need to take care of yourself. I hope you find a PT who knows his or her stuff. I was so fortunate with each of my PTs (hospital, home, and then outpatient). No one pushed me to pain. My sleep was really disrupted for a couple of months. This forum helped with that, along with my iPad and word puzzles! The first time I went to a grocery store was about a month after my surgery, when I was cleared to drive. I remember walking around that store thinking my knee was going to hurt forever. Hang in there. It does get better!

 

[skigirl]

Brian, I had a pretty fast recovery---at eight weeks I could bike 20 miles. BUT those first few weeks were hell. I spent the first two weeks mostly in bed, elevating and icing the knee. I feel very strongly that if you do too much in the beginning and establish a pattern of swelling in the knee, it inhibits your future recovery.

At three weeks, I was still in bed, elevating the knee for about 50 % of the time. At four weeks, my doc and I worked out a plan. Two hours up and then one hour down with elevation of the knee. I am an artist--and I was often quite happy to have that one hour rest!! By six weeks, I was up four hours and down one.

You cannot rush this recovery---you have to allow the tissues and bones to heal. It seems to me that you are just pushing everything too hard----you can allow yourself to rest and recover. Since you mention pain, I assume that you have cut back on the pain meds so that you can work----pain induces swelling, swelling causes pain---and you end up with a painful, swollen knee for quite a while.

Everyone is right, you are doing far too much for this level of your recovery---and your expectations were way too high. Time to lower those expectations--your body needs another week or two of rest---not just a weekend. Kelly

 

[kosinski]

Brian, What would you do without us? I agree 100% with everything the others have told you!! I actually recovered fairly quickly, and started doing some online work from home in my 3rd week. HOWEVER... I was still exhaused, and PT along with your body trying to heal itself just takes a lot out of a person. I hope it wasn't a dear and trusted friend who told you that baloney about recovering in a month or less, because they're NUTZ! I'm now at just over 9 months and still have some tenderness and tingly sensations as the nerves continue to repair themselves. And I was NOT expecting it to go on this long, but our friends on this website have convinced my I'm perfectly normal. Well, my knee is anyway... Having said that, I am scheduled for TKR on my right knee on March 26th, so I know I'll have to go back and read all of this again. It's hard for me to practice what I preach, and for some odd reason, I always expect that I'll heal faster and better than everyone else in the world who has had this surgery Hee hee... Take care and hang in there ~ Remember, sleep is your friend!

 

[referee54]

At 58, I had felt quite spry until this surgery. I was offered a much more accelerated timetable. One person told me I should be better than ever in a month or less! Madness!

So very, very true! At one month, I was just about to end the pain meds, but I had a very, very, long way to go. I would like to find all of these folks who say that recovery is a "piece of cake" and give them a piece (albeit a small one---cannot afford much more) of my mind!

I believe that the major issue in the exhaustion is that your body is focusing large amounts of energy into the recovery---and the pain meds also make you feel wiped out, too.

It does get better---do not worry about the "when" part---just "climb the ladder one rung at a time." You will reach the top.

 

[Jaycey]

I'm not moving this weekend. Nap, rest and recover...I promise. (And, I fired that PT...)

Result! Well done Brian! So glad we could help. That's not to say you won't benefit from PT. Just has be one with the right attitude! Enjoy your weekend!

 

[referee54]

I have to tell you that, even when I went back to the classroom at eight weeks, I was dead tired at times. My knee was stiff and sore, and I would absolutely do nothing on Sundays---church---then quickly back home---to rest all day---and to elevate the rest of the day.

 

[WyrDachs]

Hi Brian,

Listen to what everyone is telling you....You can't rush this. The knee has it's own agenda. I completely understand about the lack of sleep, I had my surgery on 1/11/13 and while I'm sleeping better than I was, it's still not a good nights sleep and I have trouble finding a comfortable position.

I know how this can get you down, the pain, the exhaustion from pain and lack of sleep. This surgery definatley takes it's toll.

No one that I know...and I know lots of ladies with TKR's, not one of them, recovered in a month. Any one who told you they did is full of it. This recovery is a process. Plus, everyone is different, everyone heals a different pace.

As for not being as creative as you usually are...well, just blame the drugs I am not creative at all, however, I do like to read and other than the 1 book I read in rehab, I simply don't have the concentration to be able to focus on a book. I just don't have the energy. I guess I read the book in rehab just out of shear boredom (and it was an easy read).

 

[Brian6u]

Oh Kosinski! Just hearing this much honest and supportive advice has helped me. I am sitting outside in the sun of a Florida afternoon, thinking of feeling better and rest. Best wishes to you on your next surgery! Brian

 

[Brian6u]

My problem exactly...no focus! Thank you for your friendship and honesty. Be well...
Brian

 

[Josephine]

Much of what I am going to say has already been said but I can't help adding my two penn'orth!

Still can't work 5 hours without being exhausted.

Perfectly natural Energy drain for TKRs

I am used to recovering far faster than this

But you're not doing the recovery - your knee is! And one thing is key- recovery is not something you do, it's something that happens to you! And KNEE is in charge, not you. so listen to KNEE and abide by your orders!

At 58 I expected to feel so much better than I do right now.

Ummmm .... let me get this straight - you've had major MAJOR surgery where bone has been cut and implants hammered into place and you expected it to be all done and dusted within 2 weeks? Sorry, me matey - doesn't work like that. This kind of super major surgery will take around 12+ weeks to be anywhere near normal and that's the truth.

the PT puts my body into "medical shock" from the stress. BP drops to ~105/50. Chills, and disorientation. The pain in the forced flex is causing my leg to swell each time, and it agonizing.

Well stop him! If someone came up to you in the street and hurt you like that, I imagine you'd be sending for the police and expecting him to be inside in short measure, wouldn't you? You've been told this several times already - Myth busting: no pain, no gain and Swollen and stiff knee: what causes it?

Here is the kicker...the PT puts my body into "medical shock" from the stress. BP drops to ~105/50. Chills, and disorientation. The pain in the forced flex is causing my leg to swell each time, and it agonizing. I was told that if I could not make 90 degrees in the 1st two weeks, I ran the risk of having another inpatient procedure to force the joint....so I have allowed them to push me really hard.

Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR Need I say more!

Ok...so the PT said to walk as much as I could tolerate today. "Go shopping at the grocery store. Push the carriage...walk around the block." 15 days since surgery...does this sound like overkill?

No not not not! That PT should be struck off. He is causing you serious damage. Activity progression for TKRs.

 

[bottomshollow]

What a relief, Brian, to hear that have fired that PT! Just take it very easy for a few days, and then start back s l o w l y.

 

[Brian6u]

Bottomshollow....one day at a time going forward. Feeling better just thanks to the wisdom if others.

 

[Josephine]

Well, that looks more like it! What a terrific view ... now I'm jealous!

(And, I fired that PT...)

 

[Spingirl]

I am sitting outside in the sun of a Florida afternoon, thinking of feeling better and rest.

Lucky guy... I'm waiting for the snowstorm to begin here in Massachusetts!

 

[Brian6u]

Spring girl, my middle daughter is studying for her masters nurse practitioner degree in Boston right now. She gets what you get! Prayers for you both...

 

[referee54]

Ok...so the PT said to walk as much as I could tolerate today. "Go shopping at the grocery store. Push the carriage...walk around the block." 15 days since surgery...does this sound like overkill? (Surgery was 2/8/13)

You have to be kidding me!!! 15 days since surgery, and this PT wants you out walking around? That is waaaaaay too much. If you do go to the grocery store(which I would strongly advise to not even think about going!) I would buy some cans of soup to throw at the PT.

Your knee right now is still very, very angry at what happened to it just a mere two weeks ago---it was sliced open, sawed off in two places, pounded, manipulated, etc! You need to be resting, icing, and elevating right now. Many people do not even think about going out until maybe the four week mark---and then for only a very short trips here and there.

If you try to overwork the knee the knee will fight back. Remember the song, "I fought the law, and the law won"? In this case, it is, "I fought my knee, and the knee won." Do not work harder, work smarter---and recognize that recovery is slow and, if you try to rush things, it will get that much slower.