TKR svo’s recovery road

[svo1956]

Happy Labor Day everyone! Still suffering here with very poor sleep. What keeps me awake is the combination of irritation/sensitivity of the incision and the need for my leg to move, but not pain.I don’t want to take sleep aids, but I have been trying using the tens machine and massaging the incision. I have no idea if the tens machine does anything at all and it seems as if massaging the incision just aggravates it, at least if I do that in the evening. Someone suggested taking a warm bath with something like Epsom salts at bedtime, but I am not too confident about being able to get myself up out of the tub and I live alone. Has anyone tried a warm compress with Epsom salts on the incision to try to calm it down? I guess it can’t hurt to try it, but I am wondering if anyone has had any luck with that? I did a search of the forum but didn’t find any reference to that.

 

[sistersinhim]

I never tried the Epsom salts soak. My PA said to take something rough, like a dish towel, and gently let it drift over the knee's incision. It will desensitize it eventually. It worked for me.

 

[Celle]

If you're contemplating taking a bath, try a "dry run" first. Make sure you have your phone within reach.

Get into the bath fully clothed (no water, of course!). Lie down and then try to get up and out of the bath again.
If you have to phone for help, it's much less embarrassing to be rescued with all your clothes on than when you're wet and naked.

I can get out of the bath, but I find I have to turn over onto my tummy and then walk my hands back towards my feet, until I can stand up. It's not elegant, but it works for me.

While a nice hot bath can feel comforting, the heat may also cause your new knee to swell more, so don't stay in there too long.

To de-sensitize your knee, start by touching it with some soft material and gradually work up to using rougher material. Don't try to rush the process - it may tale several weeks.

 

[svo1956]

Thanks @Celle and @sistersinhim. I’ll try running the towel over it. I’d read about that but thought if wearing long pants including jeans, which I’ve been doing, didn’t help that might not either. But maybe it’s different and certainly worth trying! Thanks again for so much help!

 

[svo1956]

I just wanted to pass along some info I got when I went to a “non-traditional” doctor about my problems sleeping. He made a number of recommendations and I have adopted some of them.

I started taking “natural calm by Natural Vitality”, which is a magnesium supplement but supposedly there is something about how it is formulated, and 5-HTP Plus before bed.

Pain was not what was preventing me from sleeping, but restlessness and incision sensitivity. So, maybe I was just about to turn the corner on the sleeping anyway, but every night since I started this new routine I have slept more soundly and through the night (with my normal times of waking briefly but being able to go back to sleep without trouble).

This has come just in time for my return to work next week, so I am hugely relieved. I don’t feel any hangover or ill effect from the supplements.

I didn’t want to use melatonin because of how it makes me feel, or Tylenol PM which is just using Benadryl to sleep. I know those things work for other people, but for anyone who wants alternatives, maybe this info will be helpful. Obviously the lotion would not be for anyone whose incision is not completely healed.

This website has been so helpful to me in two TKR recoveries, I would be happy to think this tip helps just one person. It has made a big difference in my feeling of well-being. Otherwise, I am not exactly where I wanted to be recovery-wise upon my return to work, but I know it will just take more time to get there. Cheers!