TKR The other TKR, on August 25th

[Josephine]

I'm trying my best with the ice................but, my leg goes numb after 5 minutes

You are using a small cloth towel between your skin and the icepack, aren't you? This is terribly important. If you are, you shouldn't be getting numb after 5 minutes. Did you read the articles you were left earlier? There is one in there about icing. You should also elevate whilst icing.

I also think that right now, you shouldn't be doing any exercises either. I never did any at all and got a pretty good outcome anyway. Others have too. Read my recovery threads (links in signature below)

 

[Bengalady]

Thanks so much, sorry for delay in response. Yes, I use towel between ice.....still very difficult for me, even to elevate. I do my best. PT going a little easier on me. Although, I made mistake and went in hot tub, felt so good. Now, feels almost back to square one. I'm better, just had no idea this would take so long to heal. My real knee didn't even hurt.....just wouldn't work. I have to focus on other things....just difficult. Thank you.

 

[FlaGranny]

I had several people, my surgeon, nurses at the hospital, etc., tell me that this would be a very difficult and long recovery, and STILL it was a surprise that it was as painful as it was. They prepared me as much as possible, but I doubt that anyone can be really prepared unless they've been through it before.

 

[sheliac]

I've followed the advice of Bonesmart way very closely (thankfully I found this place before surgery). I think if you follow the philosophy here and take a few days to let ice and elevation be your "job" , you'll be amazed at how much better things go. Hang in there --- it is going to be so worth it in the long run.


Shelia
RTKR - 8/23/16
LTKR - 9/20/2016

 

[TML]

Thinking of you as you 'adjust' to recovery. Take recovery seriously, elevating toes above your nose whilst icing, as Josephine explained, as much as possible during the day and night. If you're 'uncomfortable' doing this, take more pain meds, as discomfort is pain.

 

[Jamie]

As you've now discovered, heat is not going to do you any favors when you have a lot of swelling going on. Ice is much better for you. It will relieve pain and help with swelling.

From reading your posts, I get the feeling that you've always been a very active "go-go" type of person. Maybe you're always the "go to" person for family and friends.....the one who is always in control and organized. For those of us who have that lifestyle, it is sometimes difficult to sit back, relax and put ourselves first for an extended period of time. I hope you can refocus on you and allow your body the care and time it needs to heal. It is your primary job right now.

Hang in there.....it will get better with some more time.

 

[Joyfull61]

Ice, ice, baby! It was, and still is, my best friend and quickest pain reliever.

 

[Bengalady]

I'm just trying to accept and get used to this. I swear, I'm going to die if I have to be like this forever. I don't want to complain, I know there are people out there whom are much worse off. My knee is worse than last month. I made appointment with Doc, and he said my knee is great.

My old knee was better, well felt better than this anyway. Swelling won't go down, no matter what I do and I've done everything possible. By end of day, I can barely walk.

I am very busy person, my Dad was ill, and I've been running around, (no pun intended) a lot. It doesn't matter, though, sometimes, I take it easy, don't do much....still gets swollen. I keep telling myself, walk normal, walk normal. Feels like a rope around top, and bottom, tied real tight, with a pocket knife stuck on the side of my knee. So, try walking like that ?

I'm trying so hard to accept that this will just take time. No one told me and I only researched for best doctor, not what to expect. I had other surgeries, recouped faster than most. It just feels sooo weird having something in my body that's foreign. My doctor said that I will probably need other one done too. I'm hoping they approve stem cell.

PLEASE tell me I will be ok. Not sure what to do in meantime though. This is the toughest thing I have ever experienced medically. Sorry, I'm just so defeated, I think I want my old knee back.

 

[Spex10]

Hang in there Bengalady. As everyone says, its a long process. Sounds like you are maybe just too busy. You need to take it a bit easier. I expect you're icing and elevating your leg in the approved way? That should help swelling. I'm on anti inflammatory meds which have helped my knee a little bit. I don't have pain but I don't have much of a bend either.
I just wanted to comment because you sounded so distressed. I hope you feel better soon. This too shall pass!

 

[Roy Gardiner]

Swelling wont go down, no matter what I do, and I've done everything possible.

It's very possible to do too much. If you are exercising or doing anything to the point of pain, it's not helping.

By end of day, I can barely walk. I am very busy person, my Dad was ill, and I've been running around

Again, it really strikes me that you're overdoing it.

Sometimes, I take it easy, don't do much....still gets swollen

For how long do you take it easy?

 

[34120]

Poor, dear Bengalady! Yes, it is long, yes, it can be painful, yes it is extremely frustrating! I had BTKR in July and I hear you, girl! One is doing well, the other, not so much. I, too, have that knife sticking into the outside of my knee. OS says it is a tight band and I am doing too much. Just keep doing the RIME, try water exercise, read the articles, and ask for advice on this forum. They are wonderful! Please remember: some days are diamonds and some are just coal!

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

 

[Want2hike]

I'm sorry to hear you are having such a difficult time.
Is the swelling just your knee, or is it the whole leg or lower leg?

I find that the more swelling I have, the more tightness and pain I also have. Controlling the swelling is key.
At my two week visit, my legs were really swollen, so my doc prescribe a course of prednisone. That helped greatly. If you haven't tried that, you might want to ask your doc if that would be appropriate for your case.

My legs are prone to swelling when I do too much (even before surgery).
I overdid it this week and my lower legs puffed up and looked like they belonged on an elephant. I tried the normal routine of icing and elevating but that wasn't enough because I still needed to be up and active. I have some knee high compression socks (sold at Walgreens) and compression pantyhose (bought online at discount surgical stockings). I wasn't able to take it as easy as I would have liked yesterday, so I wore the compression socks all day. My legs actually felt better while I was running around, plus the swelling was gone by this morning. I will probably wear the socks/hose to work for the next couple of weeks until my body is used to being back at work.

 

[zzevi]

It is amazing how well a person can feel and get around without the swelling, when I needed the wound vac, that kept my knee from swelling, so I had a month of time that I knew what it felt like not to have the swelling. I'm around the 6 month point and swelling is still a normal part of my daily life. I feel I do much better all the way around when I'm not tired, but as I become tired it becomes harder, I walk with more of a limp, stiffness seems to take a hold, but every evening I am icing and elevating for hrs. It is frustrating, because at 5 months out you would think you would be doing well enough that your recovery wouldn't be interfering with your daily life, but that's not the case. I'm starting to finally feel like maybe it was worth it, a month ago I was still at the point where your at, with more regret than seeing the positive of having the replacement.
Hang in there, right now you just need and want a normal life and body and that's probably not going to be part of the picture for a bit yet. Just do what you can.

 

[KarriB]

Doing everything possible may be exactly the problem because what a TKR needs to heal is rest, ice, elevation and lots of time. Working or pushing a TKR through exercises is just the opposite of what it needs. Also sounds as if you may need some type of pain management. I'm going to tag our forum nurse, @Josephine who may ask you quite a few questions. Answer them in detail to help her get a big picture of what your recovery looked like. I'm the meanwhile, try to not do too much and read the articles every new BS member gets! Glad you found us!

First are the BoneSmart mantras ....
- 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!

Next is a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) thread.

And here are some very crucial articles
The importance of managing pain after a TKR and the pain chart
Swollen and stiff knee: what causes it?
Energy drain for TKRs

Myth busting: no pain, no gain
Activity progression for TKRs
Heel slides and how to do them

Extension: how to estimate it and ways to improve it
Elevation is the key
Ice to control pain and swelling

Healing: how long does it take?
Chart representation of TKR recovery
Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR

Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds
Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?

 

[sistersinhim]

I agree with everyone else. It sounds like you're doing too much. You knee is a baby and not even halfway through it's healing process. It needs a lot of rest. I'm six months + out and I still elevate and ice after I'm busy. Even in the middle of something if I feel the knee starting to complain, I stop and ice. Ice, elevation, and rest are your best friends for this recovery. Oh yeah, be sure to read the articles left for you. They are priceless!

 

[Josephine]

I swear, I'm going to die if I have to be like this forever. PLEASE tell me I will be ok.

You will be okay - eventually.

Swelling won't go down, no matter what I do and I've done everything possible

Define "everything possible". What exactly does that entail?

I am very busy person

That's one thing you cannot be when recovering from a knee replacement. Have you been 'busy' since the outset or is it just a recent situation?

It just feels sooo weird having something in my body that's foreign

You cannot be aware of the implants, that's impossible. What you are aware of is the swelling and the pain.

I'm hoping they approve stem cell.

I'm sorry to have to tell you that stem cell treatment won't be suitable for you if your doctor has already said a replacement is needed. Recent studies have shown it to be effective only when the damage in the joint is so early (mild) as to be generating no symptoms at all. So it begs the question who on earth would go for treatment in a joint before they were even aware there was anything amiss!

In order to give you more structured advice, if you don't mind, I'd like to ask you some questions regarding the first 6 weeks of your recovery and it would be very helpful if you would answer each one individually - numbered as I have done - in as much detail as you can then I'll come back as see where you are ....

1. what were your pain levels then? (remember the 1-10 scale: 1 = no pain and 10 = the worst you can imagine)

2. what pain medications were you prescribed, how much did you take (in mg please) and how often?

3. how swollen was your leg compared to these?

4. what was your ROM - that's flexion (bend) and extension (straightness)

5. were you icing your knee at all? If so, how often and for how long?

6. were you elevating your leg. If so how often and for how long?

7. what was your activity level? What did you do in the way of housework, cooking, cleaning, shopping, etc., and

8. what kind of PT exercises and exercises at home were you doing? How much and how often?
This is the most crucial question so please help me by using the format I have left as an example
(which means please make a list and not an essay!)

Exercises done at home and how many sessions you did each day
enter exercise by name then number of repetitions of each
etc., etc.

At PT (how many times a week)
enter exercise by name then number of repetitions of each
etc., etc.

 

[grabbit97]

I am sad to hear that you're having so much pain at five months. After four weeks I quit PT because all that was happening was pain. I am now going on my eighth week and I have little or no pain and I'm able to get around quite well. I found by not pushing and pulling as the PT people were doing it made my knee feel much better. Ice and elevate when you need to and sit down when you need to and relax when you need to. Good luck

 

[Bengalady]

Thank you everyone. I'd like to reply individually, but it seems I can't, or don't know how? I appreciate your support.

I can't take anti-inflammatory meds, because of IBS. I've been too busy helping my father who's 90. Rushing him to hospital, then visiting every day for two weeks. (Long halls). Almost daily, after work, running errands for him, that I don't even do for myself (like groceries). He is much better now, so hopefully, I can rest more. If it kept on, yes, I'd find some help for him.

When I "take it easy", there are days I just sit (legs up) on the couch and watch movies all day. I have stopped doing any "formal" exercise now, because I figured I'm already doing so much. I've done aqua therapy, hope I can get back. It feels so good at the time; but not afterwards.

This may be different, but ICE, elevation, does nothing at all. Maybe goes down a little for about five minutes. Ice on and off during day. In spite of what I said, (I'm more emotional at night, don't know why)....I don't feel that I'm in pain. My knee actually does bend when I make a conscious effort, but more difficult by end of day.

I just want to walk normally, is my main worry. In this day and age, I worry that I can't defend myself, or run away. Plus, I'm in the dating scene, and this ruins my self-esteem. (Although, I must say...strangers have been kind to me.)

I have a knee brace that I've started wearing if need be. OS was hesitant, but finally said it was ok. I put on TED. hose, felt somewhat better. Is prednisone anti-inflammatory? If not, I'll ask my OS.

As far as doing everything possible, had home PT, some outpatient....quit because they hurt me. Aqua-therapy. Every night, for 4 months, ice first, then TENS machine, then massage with tiger balm, also Epsom Salt on cool wash cloth, then pouch of soda crystals over swollen area, wrap with ace bandage for the night. Meditation, self hypnosis, almost went to Reiki but didn't.

Anyway, really, thank you, needed to vent, I didn't expect this at all.

(Josephine, how do I answer your questions ? Unless, there is another reply space ? )

 

[Celle]

You just type your answers in the box at the bottom of the page.
Josephine has numbered her questions, so give your answers the same number.

 

[Bengalady]

Josephine, oh here it is, lol.
1. Pain @ a 7/10; they couldn't find med to work for me at first.

2. Tylenol #3, sorry don't remember dose. Every 4-6 hrs during day. Tramadol 50mg. for breakthrough, about twice daily.

3. Leg was almost huge.

4. Flexion 45 at first, up to 90 at 6 weeks. Extension, forgot numbers; but was not too bad.

5. Yes, icing; however at first, the ice hurt me a lot, sensitive to cold, but as I got used of it, maybe 4 or 5 times daily, 20 minutes. Same with elevation, hurt too much at first, then; same as ice; although I probably didn't elevate high enough.

7. Hardly any activity, hired help, ordered food. Just focused on PT, outpatient.
Shoot, most important.....I don't remember detail, but its late....I'll try again tomorrow.