Hi Mollymax I really sympathise with your fear and worries I was very similar. 6 weeks on the pain medscare stopped but knees still very stiff I’m do8ng the exercises as to,d that is the most important thing they say. I’ve got my check with the surgeon in two weeks so will let you know what I’m told. As people have said without the op things would only get worse. I do hope 5h8ngs go well for you . Take care and best wishes.
Terrified
- Thread starter Mollymax
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United States
OP
OP
Mollymax
graduate
Thanks everyone. It's 2.35am and I can't sleep. It's never easy on a hospital ward but between fear a d a flare up of pain in the opposite knee from one getting operated on I am feeling pretty miserable. Feel like asking for pain relief but seems a strange request considering it's the other knee I am in with but oh boy this knee is bad tonight. Told you all I don't do pain... Lol. Meanwhile the 2 older ladies I am in beside who have had their hip replacements just yesterday are sound asleep. How I would love a cup of tea but as the operation is at 9am I can't have one...
Hang in there, Molly. It will soon be time, and then all your pre-op worries will be gone. The only way now is to go forward. We'll be here for you. 
Jajakio
graduate
I think the pain was manageable but it was a long way from pain free. I am very glad I had the surgery and would do it again but my sister who had a TKR about 18 months before I did warned me that I'd be sorry I had it done for the first two weeks and then it gets better. I was never quite sorry I had it done but the first couple of weeks were rough at times. I consider a few weeks a fair trade off for several pain free years though. The hospital nurse told me i would not be pain free in the first few weeks - they aim for no higher than a 3 for pain for the first few weeks and I would say that was mostly accurate for me. Once in a while a 4 , sometimes a 2 or even occasionally a 1 while lying down or icing. Nothing unmanageable. I appreciated a realistic idea of what was coming.
You can do this! All of us were somewhere between stressed and out and out terrified before our surgeries. Somehow we got through. As the others have said, share your anxieties with the staff. You normally get a good handful of pills before they start anything else. They can certainly add any number of anti anxiety drugs, sedatives, etc. Just make them aware of your concerns. I'm pretty sure I had the IV needle in my elbow, not my hand but maybe that varies from hospital to hospital. I don't like needles in the hand either and i think I might have remembered that. You will get a preop check and a chance to voice all your concerns and they will make a plan for you that takes all that into account. Don't freeze up before you give them a chance to help you. I suspect it won't be as bad as you are imagining.
You can do this! All of us were somewhere between stressed and out and out terrified before our surgeries. Somehow we got through. As the others have said, share your anxieties with the staff. You normally get a good handful of pills before they start anything else. They can certainly add any number of anti anxiety drugs, sedatives, etc. Just make them aware of your concerns. I'm pretty sure I had the IV needle in my elbow, not my hand but maybe that varies from hospital to hospital. I don't like needles in the hand either and i think I might have remembered that. You will get a preop check and a chance to voice all your concerns and they will make a plan for you that takes all that into account. Don't freeze up before you give them a chance to help you. I suspect it won't be as bad as you are imagining.
Molly has had her surgery. Her recovery thread is here:
https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/pain-2-years-after-tkr.48329/
https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/pain-2-years-after-tkr.48329/
