TKR Think Positive

capecoral

junior member
Joined
Jun 11, 2020
Messages
42
Age
69
Location
Cape Coral FL
Country
United States United States
Gender
Female
My surgery is tomorrow so I thought I would start my recovery thread today
Covid test came back NEGATIVE This surgery is only 21 hours away Maybe it will happen I'll think positive thoughts
I'm busy getting house ready today Doing laundry rearranging furniture setting up ice machine and getting tons of pillows
Keeping fingers crossed Setting alarm for 3:00 AM
 
Your own personal copy of:

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
ice
take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)​

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

5. At week 4 and after you should follow this

6. Access these pages on the website

The Recovery articles:

There are also some cautionary articles here


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 a 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 history before providing advice.
 
Good luck. Sounds like you are as ready as you can be! Ice, elevation and rest are the main things you need to do the first week.
 
All the best @capecoral ! See you on this side soon!
 
I was hoping it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The surgery went well. The hospital stay was good. Stayed 1 night and came home last night. The Nerve Bloc ran out this morning so now the pain has started. I took Oxy, Tylenol, and tramadol. I have some swelling and bleeding. The nurse is coming today and PT. I had 2 sessions of PT in the hospital that went well but today I'm very sore. I managed the 15 steps to my condo fine. I'm icing and elevating. I have to wear compression socks for 3 weeks. They are knee-high and only wear them during the daytime. All the worries I had didn't come true. I know I have a long road ahead but I will remain positive.
 
Congrats on the new knee and being home! Icing and elevating :thumb:
 
@capecoral Welcome to the other side!! The best thing you can do now is: Ice, Elevate, and relax!! Then every once in a while walk around. While Icing throw in a few ankle pumps every one in a while. When not Icing do a few heal slides just for fun. And so on.
My point,,, I did all exercises just not all at once. I broke things up, I never worked till it hurt. I also took all the naps I wanted. :) :-) (:
 
I'm so happy for you! Your note on my thread about waiting was so helpful. I'm finally scheduled for Aug 31. I'm so excited to hear about your recovery. Congratulations!
 
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'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.
 
Where should I be on meds now
If you are still having pain continue with your medication as prescribed, around the clock. You said earlier you are taking Tramadol and Tylenol. You might find this schedule helpful.
The first is for 4-hourly doses and the second for 6-hourly:
aa-tramadol-routine-2-jpg.51125


If you use this schedule, do check to make sure you're not taking any other drugs that contain Tylenol (Acetaminophen) You need to stay within the safe limit of no more than 4,000 mg of Tylenol in a 24 hr period. If any other medications you're taking contain Tylenol, add their amount into your daily calculations and reduce another of your doses, so you stay within those limits.
 
Thanks I'm on the 6 hour schedule and I take Hydro when needed Usually at night and after therapy or if I just can't take the pain
 
When Can I sleep in normal position I was told to sleep on back and keep knee straight I have been sleeping in recliner for 2 weeks I want to go back to bed and sleep on side again
Also I have had diarrhea this past week Is it the medication
 
You do not have to keep your knee perfectly straight and you can sleep in your bed whenever you feel like it and any position your knee allows. I found I always had to have a slight bend in my knee for months because it was too painful otherwise. Many of us used the elevation pillow that is illustrated in the elevation article you were given: elevate.

I had the opposite reaction with my pain meds, so I can't say if your meds are causing your stomach distress. This is something your doctor or pharmacist might could answer for you.
 
Bilateral TKR on July 6th. I’ve been sleeping in my bed with a nest of 9 pillows since day one. After about 2 weeks, I could sleep on my left side with a pillow between my kegs and my right leg/foot elevated on another pillow. But I can only stay on this position for 1.5 to 2 hours until it hurts. Then I get up, walk to the bathroom to work the kinks out and then reposition. I’ve tried sleeping on the right side. Sometimes I can do it for 30 minutes, sometimes not at all. My right leg is still temperamental. I have a couple of different pillow configurations for sleeping on my back - one with legs/knees straight and one with them slightly crooked/bent. I can stay on my back with legs straight with each whole leg (from thigh to foot) elevated on an extra long pillow the longest without pain.

I’ve also had some tummy trouble occasionally but no constipation even though I’m still taking opioids at night for sleep. I’m not sure what is causing it, so I’m keeping a food journal. The last time it happened was after I ate a bowl of fresh green grapes. So that may have been it.

I will tell you that I’ve been losing weight consistently since surgery. it helps that I’m only eating the healthy meals in good portion sizes that my family is bringing me each day. No seconds, no snacks, hardly any desserts plus all the PT exercise, I’ve lost 11 pounds so far! I still need to lose more to make these new knees last. I don’t want to redo this surgery ever!
 
Sleeping was an issue for me until 3 mos. plus. If I couldn't sleep I got up and watched a sitcom to take my mind off my knee. Back to bed for another try. Naps are your friends
 

BoneSmart #1 Best Blog

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
65,179
Messages
1,597,054
BoneSmarties
39,364
Latest member
All2Gd88
Recent bookmarks
0
Back
Top Bottom