I'm 10 days out Some pain Can't seem to get on a schedule for meds Some days it works other days I have to take more Where should I be on meds now
I had bilateral TKR on July 6th, so I’m 4 weeks and 2 days post op. At my week one post op appointment, my doctor gave me scrips for 60 Tramadol (1 or 2 pills every 6 hours plus 2 Tylenol every 6 hours) and 30 hydrocodone 5/325 (1 or 2 pills every 8 hours as needed for breakthrough pain, but it only lasted 4 hours). The meds had to last for 3 weeks.
At 10 days, I took the Tramadol and Tylenol regularly as scheduled. I moved to 1 Tramadol pill vs 2 at about that time, otherwise I would have run out too quickly. I saved the hydrocodone for nighttime sleeping, PT appointments and really bad days. I only had 30 hydrocodone pills that had to last me 3 weeks, so I did ration them some. Remember the hydrocodone has Tylenol in it, so you have to account for that in your daily Tylenol maximum. I used a lot of ice and elevation to control the pain as well.
At my 4 week post op appointment yesterday, he refilled both my scrips for 30 pills each. Thank goodness. I was worried about being cut off while still in pain! In a couple more days, I will be done with the blood thinner medication (Xarelto), and then I can start taking Advil, which I think will also help. I am also still taking 2 Tylenol every 6 hours around the clock in order to keep a steady stream in my system.
Everyone is different when it comes to pain, but I found it useful to know where other people were pain med wise, so I hope my info helps you.