TKR This has been the worst, most painful, most careless surgery ever

[kneeper]

One week out I was napping, going into the kitchen for meals, and going to the bathroom. Other than that, icing and elevating.

 

[MotownGirl66]

While I understand MoTownGirl's frustration with unmanaged pain, it never is a good idea to find old prescriptions and use them without first notifying at least your GP. No pain medication is a benign drug and some interactions can be quite serious. So, for all you who might read this thread and be tempted to use old meds you have around the house....please don't without some coordination with your doctors!

Jamie is spot on right! Don't do what I did!

 

[Satsu]

I started with the slight temperatures around when I got home from the hospital. It stopped after ten days, longer than I expected!

If your pain level is generally 7-8, then it is not being managed properly. You say you are taking one 4mg hydromorphone every 3 hours. Do you continue that through the night as well (for a total of 8 tablets in 24 hours)? Can you please also tell me what the prescribed dose is on the bottle label? Is it something like 1-2 tablets every 2-4 hours?

Okay, I found your post, Jamie.

Here are my current meds, as of today, 9/26/14:

• Cholecalciferol - 50,000 Unit Capsules - 1 capsule, 1 time per week.
• Diphenhydramine HCI - 25 mg - 3 at bedtime, 2 in the morning
• Cholecalciferol - 1,000 Unit Capsules - 2 a day
• Loratadine - 10 mg - 24 hr - 1 a day
• Fluoxetine HCL - 20 mg caps - 1 a day
• Levothyroxine NA (Synthroid) - 0.025 mg Tab - 1 a day
• Omeprazole - 20 mg EC CAP - 1 a day
• Lorazepam - 1 mg Tab - prescribed as 2 tablets 3 times a day - I take 2 at bedtime every night, and I only take one during the day if I have a panic/anxiety attack.
• Effexor/Venlafaxine Hydrochloride - Extended-Release Capsules - 150 mg - 2 capsules at bedtime
• Warfarin - 5 mg one tab by mouth at 5:00 pm daily.
• Enoxaparin 120/0.8 mg Inj Sand - Inject 120 mg under the skin every 12 hours
• Oxycod/APAP 5-325 mg Tab AMNE - 1 tab by mouth every 6 hours as needed for pain. No more than 12/24 hours

At night, I don't get up every hour that I have meds due... I keep these pills by my bedside, and if I wake up hurting, I'll take a pill. Luckily, most of my meds can be taken during the day time hours, once a day, etc. And yes, I got bawled out for stopping the injections, once I got the Warfarin. They want me to stay on both until my INR(?) level is stable?

 

[Satsu]

Anyone have a lot of trouble with muscle spasms in and all around your surgical knee? Some say it could be Dilaudid. I ran out of Dilaudid yesterday. I think the muscle spasms are the west part of this ordeal. (Like when I broke my elbow -- all of the mucles around it started spasming like crazy.)

 

[LondonLady]

Hi Satsi,
That's a lot of Vitamin D (cholecalciferol)-- way above the Recommended Daily Amount! Is this a prescribed amount?

 

[Satsu]

Yes, that is my prescribed amount.

 

[MotownGirl66]

@Satsu- Yes! My muscles have been spasming and jumping like crazy. Sometimes they jerk so much I think I am going to be bounced out of bed.

 

[Satsu]

@Satsu- Yes! My muscles have been spasming and jumping like crazy. Sometimes they jerk so much I think I am going to be bounced out of bed.

Last night, my leg shot straight up in the air while I was sleeping and I woke up screaming!

The spasming make me jump around and has made me feel like Im falling.

 

[LondonLady]

Hi Satsu,
Hope you are doin better this morning! is the avatar you kitty? Looks like my Burmese beasties!

 

[MotownGirl66]

@Satsu - I feel like I am falling sometimes, too!

 

[Jane B.]

I fell asleep with my hand around my husband's arm. I woke up a few minutes later with a bad spasm/cramp. I certainly woke him up!

 

[CanukTriMom]

Well i am finding that the side effects to the low dose of morphine I am on are driving me crazy as well! I talked morphine sulfate and when I looked it up I had a ton of the moderate ride effects with the worst being twitching/involuntary my legs spasm, sweating, dry mouth and itching...

I can sympathize with @Satsu as I have even worse side effects with the dialaud per her previous post.

 

[Satsu]

Hi Satsu,
Hope you are doin better this morning! is the avatar you kitty? Looks like my Burmese beasties!

Yes, my avatar is my Siamese manx. I have her sister, from the same litter, too, only the sister is almost all black. They both have the "tiny nub" instead of a tail.

 

[Satsu]

I fell asleep with my hand around my husband's arm. I woke up a few minutes later with a bad spasm/cramp. I certainly woke him up!

I'll bet it did!

 

[Satsu]

@Satsu- Yes! My muscles have been spasming and jumping like crazy. Sometimes they jerk so much I think I am going to be bounced out of bed.

Further question about the "crazy" legs syndrome -- has anyone gotten this in the back of your thigh, knee or lower leg? These are the ones that throw my legs into the Charlie Horses and cause me to scream. It hurts so very, very bad! Has anyone dealt with this in physical therapy?

 

[tiredwife]

@Satsu Hubby hasn't had many spasms in his legs, just in the beginning he would jerk hard when he was drifting off to sleep. I believe it had to do with the pain meds.

 

[Jamie]

Thanks for listing out all of your medications. The only ones I'm really concerned with are the pain medications in order to be sure that you are taking enough to manage your pain. I am concerned with those spasms you're having.....that can mean you don't have the pain properly managed. My comments are in bold.

• Cholecalciferol - 50,000 Unit Capsules - 1 capsule, 1 time per week. This is Vitamin D3
• Diphenhydramine HCI - 25 mg - 3 at bedtime, 2 in the morning This is an antihistamine (Benadryl)
• Cholecalciferol - 1,000 Unit Capsules - 2 a day This is Vitamin D3
• Loratadine - 10 mg - 24 hr - 1 a day This is allergy medication (Claritin)
• Fluoxetine HCL - 20 mg caps - 1 a day This is an antidepressant (Prozac)
• Levothyroxine NA (Synthroid) - 0.025 mg Tab - 1 a day This is thyroid medication
• Omeprazole - 20 mg EC CAP - 1 a day This is medication for GERD (acid reflux)
• Lorazepam - 1 mg Tab - prescribed as 2 tablets 3 times a day - I take 2 at bedtime every night, and I only take one during the day if I have a panic/anxiety attack. This is for anxiety disorders
• Effexor/Venlafaxine Hydrochloride - Extended-Release Capsules - 150 mg - 2 capsules at bedtime This is an antidepressant
• Warfarin - 5 mg one tab by mouth at 5:00 pm daily. This is a blood thinner (Coumadin)
• Enoxaparin 120/0.8 mg Inj Sand - Inject 120 mg under the skin every 12 hours This is a blood thinner (Lovenox)
• Oxycod/APAP 5-325 mg Tab AMNE - 1 tab by mouth every 6 hours as needed for pain. No more than 12/24 hours This is a narcotic pain reliever

The only medication that you have for pain relief is the oxycodone. The instructions you have provided are a bit confusing as it indicates you could take more than 1 pill every 6 hours. Quite frankly, one every 6 hours is not enough to manage your pain this soon after surgery. The medication only lasts for about 4 hours, so you are having significant periods of time where you have no pain relief available in your system. Normal dosage for most people following surgery would be 1-2 pills every 4-6 hours with no more that 12 in 24 hours. I suggest you contact your surgeon or GP and tell them about your pain levels and muscle spasms and ask to have the dosage increased or another medication prescribed.

At night, I don't get up every hour that I have meds due... I keep these pills by my bedside, and if I wake up hurting, I'll take a pill. Luckily, most of my meds can be taken during the day time hours, once a day, etc. And yes, I got bawled out for stopping the injections, once I got the Warfarin. They want me to stay on both until my INR(?) level is stable?

Until you get your pain under control, I do recommend that you set an alarm so that you take a dose of the oxycodone during the night. If you wait until you feel the pain, you're playing catch up and it's much more difficult to get it under control again.

 

[Satsu]

Took oxycontin as usual, ice... woke up at 3 am and haven't been able to sleep yet.

 

[Jamie]

I have merged your latest thread into your recovery thread. Please don't start new threads when providing updates or asking questions regarding your recovery. We need the continuity of your whole recovery journey in order to accurately provide advice to you.

In my last post, I talked about your meds and the fact that I believe you are undermedicated for your pain. Did you have a change to review that post? It's directly above your post.....

I think you're going to continue to have pain and swelling issues until you get this resolved.

 

[kneeper]

Do you get the spasms in your hamstrings (back of the thigh) when you try to bend too far? I did at times. You have to be careful and listen to those muscles and the knee. Especially early after surgery those muscles can be sensitive.