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

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Satsu said:
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.
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This is very good news. It shows that you will be able to control your pain. Once you have a day or two of this schedule under your belt, you'll have a steady supply of the pain meds in your system and you should be a lot more comfortable. Be sure and tell any medical personnel you talk to that this is working. You now need to be allowed to continue on this program for a couple of weeks or so until your pain is lessened.

Also, be sure to continue icing and elevating as much as possible. That helps with swelling and pain tremendously. Watch that you don't overdo the activity. And, I think you can get on top of your pain problems.
 
Reading your postings it sounds very familiar to me. I seem to get some comfort laying on my opposite side with a pillow between my legs, the three pillow wedge for laying on my back. I am now able to roll over for what I call tummy time. Keep up with those pain
meds and best of luck getting them. I've
been on Nucynta which doesnt seem to get me below a 5. I'm having hard time getting proper pain control myself. Follow your Dr and PT orders, but plz don't overdue it. Well wishes sent your way
 
Slept with only moderate pain last night. Post-op depression has definitely hit. Did some minor stretches today.

Question -- does anyone know the cheapest drug store to refill by Oxycontin? Medicare is saying they won't pay for any of it, and I have a call into VA. They want over $100 for the refill!
 
Call Costco, you don't have to be a member to use the pharmacy.


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LTKR Sept 13 2011
Revision April 15 2014
 
You might also try Sam's Club and Walmart.
 
Walmart comes to mind. Their pharmacy is usually very competitive as is Costco if you are a member. I don't know the generic name (if there is a generic), but that is often a lot less. Remember you need a written prescription for each refill. Regardless, you need that pain controlled so don't let them run out when you're doing so much better. How much did you have to pay for the other prescriptions?
 
cjf1222 said:
Walmart comes to mind. Their pharmacy is usually very competitive as is Costco if you are a member. I don't know the generic name (if there is a generic), but that is often a lot less. Remember you need a written prescription for each refill. Regardless, you need that pain controlled so don't let them run out when you're doing so much better. How much did you have to pay for the other prescriptions?
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I've tried Walmart, Kmart, Walgreens, Albertsons and Safeway. All are over $100 for the refill. I know you have to have a written prescription for refills, and I do have one. I just can't get it filled because of the price. The last time, my son paid for it out of his pocket, and it doesn't look like anyone is going to reimburse him. We don't have enough money to keep paying $100 for each refill. VA contacted me back, and they want my son to drive the written prescription up to them (at least 20 miles away), then they'll rewrite it and send it to their Kentucky distribution facility, and I should have it in 10-14 days. This sounds absolutely absurd to me (like just about everything else the VA does). I've been out of this medicine since Monday morning, and have had breakthrough pain the whole time.
 
Oh, Satsu. I'm sorry that you're in this situation. The VA sounds like a real mess. No generic medicine for this?
If you have access to your doctor, perhaps he will give you a prescription for a less expensive step down medicine. I found hydrocodone worked well for another major surgery I had a few years ago. 10-14 days is way too long to wait. Perhaps filling the one you have now, as an investment in you, will be the last one of this particular med that you will need and in the meantime they can send something in for 2 weeks down the line. You are worth it.
 
Contact the patient's advocacy office at your VA. Someone there may be able to help you get your medications in a more reasonable timeframe. It may still be that your son must drive the prescription to them, but if you could get the pills directly from the hospital pharmacy then it won't be two weeks before you get relief.
 
Good point as usual, Jamie. And maybe hydrocodone would be cheaper.
 
Can you try tramadol ? I stopped oxys after day 5. Tramadol with Tylenol worked great with celebrex. However celebrex was costly considering i have excellent insurarance for prescriptions. Im sort of cheap 39 $. For refill. It would have been much more without insurance. Hang in there , it will get better . Iceman
 
Yep two thumbs up for the Tramadol. Works great and you can take Tylonel with it as well. Much cheaper than Oxycotin yet a drug that you would need to check out with your doctor for any type of interference with the drugs you currently take.
 
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Look online for a discount prescription card. These are free and save u tons of money. They even have the ability for u to input the rx info and they will tell u which local pharmacy gives u the greatest discount
 
Well, my GP at VA had regular hydrocodone shipped FedX Saturday delivery to me. I still would have been out for a few days.

Have my first follow-up with OS tomorrow. Hopefully all is well and I'll get my staples out.

Going to try camping out on the couch tomorrow (recliner). See how that goes. Think I'm ready, hopefully.
 
Couldn't log in for a while... first follow-up with OS went well. X-rays look good. Staples out, and now have steri strips. He seemed happy with my progress, except that he thought I was a little behind on my flexion (just a few degrees). Got my rx from the VA and it was half the dosage the OS had prescribed, and half the quantity that the OS had prescribed. (I swear that VA is so messed up.) So, going back to OS for pain meds when VA one runs out. Can't sleep at night -- read on here that this is pretty common. Depression has gotten slightly better. Still considerable pain, but no more Charley Horses and different than before. Pain behind knee, under knee cap, and up the front of thigh (quad muscles). Get up and walk short distance around the house a few times a day. Do PT exercises, one exercise at a time, throughout the day, but don't push it too hard. My OS has arranged for me to go to his PT facility, but they haven't called back yet to set the first appointment.

I guess the biggest thing is I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing at this point. I'm kind of lost. What are other post op TKR patients doing at 5 weeks? (I've read of a few "miracle" recoveries, not on this site, but on blogs, where they ran a marathon (exaggerated slightly) at 5 weeks. This, I know I can't do. So is there an average of activity at 5 weeks? A goal? I'm quite isolated, so I'd really appreciate any responses.
 
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Hi @Satsu I haven't heard of marathons but I have heard of some remarkable recoveries. That's not me tho. I'm 3 1/2 weeks out and I think it's going to be one of the slow recoveries. And that's fine. I will go as fast as my body lets me. Do your heal slides to stretch her out. Once pt starts you will have good exercises to do. Good luck.


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Satsu, I'm a week ahead of you, but everyone is so different in their recovery.

Are you able to take a walk outside? Or do you have a stationary bike? My goal is to walk a little more each week, right now I'm only at one city block. I've read on the forum, that in the UK people walk a half an hour three times a day.

And tonight I'm doing nothing at all, just icing and TV.
 
Appaloosa Girl and Jane B.,

Thank you, ladies. I forgot about the heel slides. Just tried a few, and knee didn't bend so well, so better start up on these again. Jane, yes, I can get outside to walk with my walker, and I have gone several houses away and back a couple of times. Those UK people must be really tough! I don't think I could do a half an hour. I have to walk with the walker because I can only go a few feet before my knee starts to buckle, so my OS and PT told me to stick with the walker until I get more muscle back.

Thank you both for responding. Needed a reality check!
 
 
Please do read these articles and go back to re-read the ones I gave you in Post #24. This will give you a good idea of what is "normal" for the first months of your recovery. Five weeks is so early!!! You should mostly be resting with ice and elevation and just doing gentle bends and stretches. You're still healing!

Glad you are doing better, though.
 
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