Revision TKR Swmrgirl’s Recovery<

[swmrgirl]

Glad to have the revision behind me. I’m going home soon and will write more once I’m settled. Thank goodness for all of you!

 

[Jockette]

Welcome to Recovery!

I will leave you our Recovery Guidelines as a refresher. Each article is short but very informative. Following these guidelines will help you have a less painful recovery.

Knee Recovery: The Guidelines
1. Don’t worry: Your body will heal all by itself. Relax, let it, don't try and hurry it, don’t worry about any symptoms now, they are almost certainly temporary
2. Control discomfort:

rest
elevate
ice
take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)
don't overwork.​

3. Do what you want to do BUT

a. If it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physical therapist - to do it to you
b. If your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again.​

4. PT or exercise can be useful BUT take note of these

the BoneSmart view on exercise
BoneSmart philosophy for sensible post op therapy​

5. At week 4 and after you should follow this

Activity progression for TKRs​

6. Access to these pages on the website

Oral And Intravenous Pain Medications
Wound Closure​

The Recovery articles:
The importance of managing pain after a TKR and the pain chart
Swollen and stiff knee: what causes it?

Energy drain for TKRs
Elevation is the key

Ice to control pain and swelling
Heel slides and how to do them properly

Chart representation of TKR recovery
Healing: how long does it take?

Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?

There are also some cautionary articles here
Myth busting: no pain, no gain
Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds

We try to keep the forum a positive and safe place for our members to talk about their questions or concerns and to report successes with their joint replacement surgery.

While members may create as many threads as they like in the majority of BoneSmart’s forums, we ask that each member have only One Recovery Thread. This policy makes it easier to go back and review the member’s history before providing advice, so please post any updates or questions you have right here in this thread.

 

[swmrgirl]

I love number one of the recovery guidelines, because it’s so true, there’s no rushing the process. I’m at home now and feeling pretty well. The femoral block makes the transition so much easier. My ROM was 85/8 when I saw PT this morning. Just resting, icing and elevating now.

 

[Jolease]

I hope you stay on top of the pain, feels like it was yesterday I had my revision. 6 weeks today but been recovering for a year and a half. Stay strong we got this!

 

[swmrgirl]

Yikes, I had a very rough night and this morning isn’t much better. The nerve block wore off and I slept through a dose of pain meds, so now I’m having trouble getting caught up. I’m icing and elevating just hoping the swelling slows down. Home health comes later today.

 

[Jockette]

Maybe try setting an alarm for when your medication is due. It seems a shame to have to wake up before you’re ready, since sleep is so hard to come by, but the result is built up pain that can be hard to get under control again.

 

[swmrgirl]

Just set alarms on my phone for Oxy and Tylenol. I’d much rather be sleepy than in pain!

 

[Josephine]

Did you read the articles left for you in the second post of this thread? There is some very important information in them.

 

[swmrgirl]

Yes, I read all the articles and just reread about stopping the pain cycle. I’m starting to feel better now and won’t miss the meds again! The leg is swollen, so I’m hooked up to the ice machine with my leg elevated.

 

[swmrgirl]

Home health PT came today. She had me do a few few heel slides, ankle pumps and a little walk to the bathroom. ROM is 85/10, which I just fine with me. I’m uncomfortable and have a fair amount of pain, but maybe that’s to be expected at this stage. Following the recovery guidelines and taking pain meds on time, so I’m not sure what’s going on. Hoping tomorrow is better.

 

[Jockette]

I’m uncomfortable and have a fair amount of pain, but maybe that’s to be expected at this stage.

Yes, a certaint amount of pain is to be expected, it’s a surgery that causes a lot of trauma. If you think it’s more than it should be, call your doctor.

Following the recovery guidelines and taking pain meds on time, so I’m not sure what’s going on. Hoping tomorrow is better.

This is the best you can do for your knee, along with minimal activity, just some very gentle movements for mobility.

Yes, I hope tomorrow is better for you.

 

[swmrgirl]

Thanks Jockette. I do think patience is key here... running a bit thin today.

 

[Jockette]

Yes, patience is a biggie! It’s hard to have it when you’re uncomfortable, though.

 

[FCBayern]

@swmrgirl patience is definitely the answer and the hardest thing to come by! It does get better but not fast enough for any of us!

 

[swmrgirl]

My daughter is over for a for a visit, so feeling slightly better. I’m sure my husband is happy to have a break from me. Your dog is hilarious, FCBayern!

 

[FCBayern]

He's a really good Boy!

 

[swmrgirl]

This has been a very uncomfortable day. I have a stabbing pain in my left thigh and have been icing and elevating nearly all day with meal and bathroom breaks, but not getting much relief. Both shoulders are bothering me too. I’m not sure if I slept weird or it’s from using the walker. I have strong shoulders from swimming, but I’ve obviously done something to irritate them. Doctors here in the US are so weird about pain meds, so I’m concerned about taking more. Any suggestions are welcome!

 

[Atlas_aus]

This has been a very uncomfortable day. I have a stabbing pain in my left thigh and have been icing and elevating nearly all day with meal and bathroom breaks, but not getting much relief. Both shoulders are bothering me too. I’m not sure if I slept weird or it’s from using the walker. I have strong shoulders from swimming, but I’ve obviously done something to irritate them. Doctors here in the US are so weird about pain meds, so I’m concerned about taking more. Any suggestions are welcome!

Hello,

Sorry to hear of your woes...

Just a thought but have you tried 'heat' on your thigh instead of ice ?

And as you are a swimmer no doubt you are in much better shape than I but I am thinking it is the walker causing the shoulder pain. Totally different to the way you would normally be working them and also I bet you are putting a lot weight / pressure through them to avoid the pain in your knees. It's like a whole new workout for you, finding muscles you forgot existed

Chin up and keep at it.

 

[swmrgirl]

Thanks for your message Shaughan. I imagine my shoulders don’t like the walker, so I’m trying not to lean into it so much. I had a rough night and ended up crying myself to sleep around 3 am. It works and I highly recommend it.

I tried heat on my upper thigh and ice on my knee for awhile and it helped. I think the thigh pain is from the tourniquet used during surgery — hoping it will get better quickly because it hurts!

 

[Irish471]

@swmrgirl , I am so sorry you’re having so much pain! We can all relate. I told someone recently that I’ve cried more in the last month than I have in the last 10 years. I highly recommend it ,too. Sometimes you just need to let it all out

I had a heck of a time getting my pain meds the first week and was so scared they weren’t going to give me more. The oxycontin was not refilled, but the oxycodone was, thank goodness! I am running low on those and hope they will give more because I do need them on occasion.

I see you are up in SF. I am down here in SJ