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

[Roy Gardiner]

Cause

I did PT today and pushed myself to do more.

Effect

Kind of a painful afternoon

My apologies for being annoying; but not for pointing out that you shouldn't push hard in PT.

Early PT is (or should be!) designed solely to regain mobility, not to do any strength or fitness training. It should never be painful, and if pain later is a result, one shouldn't repeat that level of work but do less.

And never take painkillers before PT.

 

[kneeper]

One of the things we say here is that the knee is boss it's ok to go a bit past your comfort zone, but the knee will heal on its own good time.

 

[MotownGirl66]

@kneeper - you sure are so right! The knee has a mind of its own.

 

[Satsu]

I ran out of oxycontin night before last. Last night, only had Percocet. Took one every hour (because I didn't have much left) for 4 hours, tried ice (made pain worse), took some Methocarbomol (Robaxin) for spasms (then, took another one), then took 2 Lorazepam. An hour later, took another Lorazepam. Trying anything to cut down on the pain and help myself get to sleep. Not very successful. Tried to get a hold of my O.S. today, of course, they're closed. Tried the pharmacy, need new, written script. Tried VA, closed today, too. I have 2 Percocets left for weekend, and I have bottles of Naproxen and Tylenol. Nothing else. Any ideas for a cocktail that will keep me out of the "scream" zone?

 

[Pumpkin]

Percocet every hr. Is way too much, take your meds as prescribed.
You can easily OD if you take too many too fast.

You are almost out, follow the instructions on the bottles of the meds you have. If the pain gets to bad go to the ER.
Good luck getting through the weekend.


Sent from my iPod touch using BoneSmart®
LTKR Sept 13 2011
Revision April 15 2014

 

[Jamie]

Doesn't your surgeon have someone on call? Usually when the office is closed there is a service that answers and they will notify the on call doctor to call you. If not, then I agree that you need to go to the Emergency Room and have them help you with pain management until you can get to your doctor on Monday. Naproxen and Tylenol will not cut it for you.

 

[Satsu]

Doesn't your surgeon have someone on call? Usually when the office is closed there is a service that answers and they will notify the on call doctor to call you. If not, then I agree that you need to go to the Emergency Room and have them help you with pain management until you can get to your doctor on Monday. Naproxen and Tylenol will not cut it for you.

Evidently, no on call. Just got an answering machine. Slept for about 3 hours early on, while I had Percocet. Woke up in bad pain. Nothing left in the house take but Tylenol or naproxen, and everyone has told me no on those.

 

[Jane B.]

Please take your medication as directed. An anesthesiologist once told me that pain won't kill you, but drugs to treat pain, could easily do so.

 

[Jamie]

@Satsu ..... how is your pain now? You can try the 1000mg of Tylenol every 6 hours, but I am not sure that's going to do it for you. Can you get to an Emergency Room?

 

[Satsu]

@Satsu ..... how is your pain now? You can try the 1000mg of Tylenol every 6 hours, but I am not sure that's going to do it for you. Can you get to an Emergency Room?

I did wind up in the emergency room. Got a shot of Dilaudid, and a small prescription for oxycontin (which the doctor forgot to sign, so I have to go back), and Percocet. As soon as the Dilaudid shot hit, I felt sooooooo much better. I came home and slept for a few hours. I seriously need to get on top of this pain. It's stopping me from doing everything. I try to work through it, but it's just pain after pain. Nothing good is coming of it. Very depressed.

 

[kneeper]

As others have said, do not take the pain medication more frequently than prescribed. I'm glad you were able to get some help at the ER. remember to ice a lot--that will help with pain too.

 

[Satsu]

As others have said, do not take the pain medication more frequently than prescribed. I'm glad you were able to get some help at the ER. remember to ice a lot--that will help with pain too.

I have not taken my medication more often than prescribed, except for that one night. Every since this morning's shot in the ER wore off, I've been in horrible pain. I've taken my meds as prescribed today, and they have not touched the pain. I don't know what is happening and why there is so much pain. It doesn't seem to be easing up at all, and my knee feels like it's always a split second from going into a spasm. I'm actually getting very fearful of the pain, because it's beyond what I can deal with, and many times, the medicine doesn't kill it.

 

[Satsu]

As others have said, do not take the pain medication more frequently than prescribed. I'm glad you were able to get some help at the ER. remember to ice a lot--that will help with pain too.

I have a polar ice machine hooked up to my leg, and I've also started putting an ice pack underneath my knee, too. I keep both on as much of the day as I can, and until they melt at night.

 

[CanukTriMom]

@Satsu

Wow you aren't having a great cole of days. Unfortunately when your pain med schedule got thrown off, everything becomes a domino effect. You will get back to managing pain but it will take a a day to get in the correct cycle of taking every so manny hours etc. once you get ahead of the pain, things will get better even though it doesn't seem that way now.

Sending you virtual hugs

Cheryl

 

[Satsu]

Thanks, Cheryl. I have my son waking me up every 4 hours tonight to make sure I take my medicine, and to check my ice.

Here is my next fear -- my doctor has reviews online that say his biggest downfall is that he doesn't believe his patients are in the amount of pain they tell him they're in, and that he cuts off prescription pain killers too fast. I took my son to go see him right before I went in for surgery (for his knee, too), and the OS was rude to my son and downplayed the multiple tears in his cartilage (as evidenced by MRI). Not only that, but he told my son (in a sarcastic way) that he would never prescribe any pain meds for joint pain. I was pretty miffed and pretty baffled that he would say that to my son and in such a rude way. Not only do I have to go get a second opinion for my son's knee once I am able to take him, but I'm also very concerned that the OS is going to start pulling that "making light of pain" thing with me before I am able to survive with just Tylenol. I have no love for painkillers, don't like to be foggy in the brain, and don't have an addictive personality, but with this amount of pain, having painkillers is a real necessity, not a luxury.

 

[Satsu]

Anybody have any suggestions for sleep positions and/or pillow positions to lessen night time pain?

 

[Jamie]

The only thing that's going to make your pain situation better is to get the proper medications on schedule. If what you're taking isn't working then you'll need to address that with your surgeon on Monday. Call the office and see what they can do. If you need to, make an appointment to go in and talk in person. And if that doesn't work, contact your GP. Sometimes they are better to work with than the surgeons on pain management.

Can you tell me now what you're taking for the pain.....oxycodone and percocet? I need to know strengths and frequency of doses. This will help me understand what is working and what is not working.

 

[CanukTriMom]

@Satsu

Yes I should have mentioned this before... @Jamie is absolutely correct that you should go to your GP for the pain med situation. Exactly what I have been doing as my OS is so busy that he doesn't deal with meds questions or requests. Call your GP on Monday, see him, tell him about everything including the trip to the emergency room, the fact your u ran out ofain meds. He will be able to help,you much faster than the OS .

Chrryl

 

[Satsu]

The only thing that's going to make your pain situation better is to get the proper medications on schedule. If what you're taking isn't working then you'll need to address that with your surgeon on Monday. Call the office and see what they can do. If you need to, make an appointment to go in and talk in person. And if that doesn't work, contact your GP. Sometimes they are better to work with than the surgeons on pain management.

Can you tell me now what you're taking for the pain.....oxycodone and percocet? I need to know strengths and frequency of doses. This will help me understand what is working and what is not working.

Okay, I set the alarms on my telephone and kept it next to my ear last night to wake me up every 4 hours to take another Percocet. That seemed to work well. By the last alarm this morning, it was time to get up, and my pain level told me it was time for another Percocet.

At the ER, they prescribed me:

Oxycontin CR, 12 Hr, 10 mg tab Purd - to be taken 1 by mouth every 12 hours.
Oxycodone/Acetaminophen 5-325 mg tab Amne - 1 Tablet by mouth every 4 hours.

If I take this combination, exactly as instructed throughout the night, I can almost stay on top of the pain. There is only a slight amount of time in between where I'm suffering, which is livable.

My worry now, as I said last night, is that my OS is not going to work with me on this. I just called his office and left a message for his nurse, letting her know that I need refills of both of these things. Last time I asked for another rx for pain meds, she only gave me Percocet, and I broke right through that.

What do I do if they aren't willing to help me keep the pain manageable? I don't want to sound like negative Nancy, but I've got to figure this out by tomorrow, because after tomorrow, I run out of all meds again.

Thank you for your help.

 

[Jamie]

Before you run out of meds, contact your GP. Get that started just in case you need to have their help in a hurry.

Ask that the surgeon's nurse calls you...not just call in a prescription. Tell them you want to discuss your pain management program since you are experiencing problems that have landed you in the ER once already. If the nurse does not agree to provide the meds as you're taking them now, tell her that you need to talk to the surgeon and ask when he could call you to talk about the problem. Be firm and assertive. You have pain. You need help.