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Thanks very much for your reply, it's appreciated.
Both knees together? I didn't think they did that, it must have been a strange feeling when the anaesthetic or the feeling returned. I had the hepadural both times and the feeling is somewhat strange.
That call from my GP seems to have knocked me for six. I know from past experiences with my GP I really should accept him for what he is. He's a scare monger but only trying to help.
All this has just put another forty quid on my holiday insurance, well, when I will be allowed to travel over seas. I'm going to enjoy a few beers with hope today didn't happen.
Dennis.
 
@denn .... try not to worry about the bout of a-fib that you experienced following your knee replacement surgery. This does happen sometimes as a result of the stress of surgery and it's not necessarily a continuing problem. It sounds as if your medical team is on top of things and they were right to put you on a medication like apixaban (Eliquis) at least temporarily while you are waiting to consult with a cardiologist.

People who have frequent or long-lasting atrial fibrillation (a-fib) are more at risk for a stroke, so that is probably what your GP was trying to convey to you. If you only had the one a-fib event, it was corrected, and nothing since, there is a high probability that things will check out just fine and you won't need the medication permanently.

Blood thinning medications do reduce clotting, but your doctor's suggestion that you need to worry about minor wounds is a bit alarmist. If you do get a cut or open wound, it might take a little longer to clot, but you won't bleed to death. It would have to be a pretty major injury to put you in danger. You would just put pressure on the wound until the bleeding stopped and then bandage it until it healed.

When you make the appointment with a cardiologist, make sure he or she is an electrophysiologist. Most cardiologists focus on the mechanical function of the heart, so they study the health of the heart muscle and vascular system. Electrophysiologists, on the other hand, focus on the electrical system. They study and treat irregular heart rhythms (arrhythmias). You want this additional expertise when discussing what has happened.
 
@ Denn. I just saw your post regarding AFIB. I agree you should see an Electrophysiologist. I had an incident with arrhythmia three years ago. I ended up in the hospital and it took 8 hours to bring my heart back to normal rhythm. The hospital diagnosed it as AFIB. My cardiologist had me wear a monitor for a month, but everything was textbook perfect. I would think your cardiologist will have you wear a monitor for a while to see if this is a chronic condition or a one-time situational thing. My cardiologist never put me on blood thinners, just one aspirin a day. I was also on a calcium channel blocker until recently, when my heartbeat went to 46 and she took me off. To this day, my GP (who, luckily, is excellent) still thinks my blood work showed that it was caused by heat, over-exercising and the resulting dehydration! I agree with Jamie in that your heart arrhythmia could have been brought on by the stress of surgery. Your cardiologist will run lots of tests before giving you an educated diagnosis. Good luck!
 
Again, I'm really touched by the replies, they really mean a lot to me. I am a worrier , always have been.

According to the GP he has written to the local Hospital requesting an appointment for me, this could take a while because of Covid.
It sure has been a kick up the backside and I'm more determined to cut out the fatty foods and cut down on the wine and beer.
 
Hello all again.
During the consultation with the Surgeons team I was asked if I had any pain. I didn't really express how bad the pain currently is, also the stiffness at the back of my knee. Each time I rise from a chair I can't really put my foot down until the pain subsides. It seems worse now than it was before my TKR. From what I can recall, the team did say it will ease in time, I didn't like that word, time.

Has anyone else suffered this after their TKR, or am I just worrying once more.
Dennis
 
denn said:
Each time I rise from a chair I can't really put my foot down until the pain subsides. It seems worse now than it was before my TKR.
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This early in a recovery that takes an average of a full year, yes, things are worse than before your surgery. This is because before the surgery, you only had the pain of arthritis. Now, you are recovering from the onslaught called joint replacement, and you are healing from all the trauma that was done to your leg, not just the knee, during that surgery.

denn said:
From what I can recall, the team did say it will ease in time, I didn't like that word, time.
Click to expand...
You are going to have to adjust your mindset, or else you are going to be extremely worried and frustrated for a while. This recovery takes a long Time.
 
Sisterpat said:
When they say a YEAR, they mean a YEAR! Truly!
Click to expand...

I read that more than once preparing for this surgery. I still had NO IDEA! The most challenging part of this recovery is managing my expectations and trying not to get down about the time.

Denn, I was on a blood thinner for 4 weeks post surgery. I hope you follow up with cardiology and get your worries to rest.
 
I understand. Time crawls when you’re hoping it will pass quickly. Hang in there, girl!
 
Just a quick update.
Nothing has changed, I still have stiffness like before my op, especially when rising from a chair. The pains are mainly behind my knee. I'm not too sure if anything is not right but when walking i get severe pain at the top of my knee as if the hinge on a door is catching.

I'm still struggling to dress myself in a morning, especially trousers and underwear, I cannot get my leg more than a few inches from the ground without severe discomfort. My leg remains bent and will not straighten hence the limp when walking. This seems to be setting off pains in my hip.

Overall I'm not a happy person, the only pains I don't get are osteo pains. I can't stand for more than a few mins without the need to be seated.

Denn
 
Hi Denn sorry to hear you are struggling i am a little in front of you regarding recovery April 19 right medial PKR i am recovering but slowly i still get pain and swelling and have returned to work part time which is tough. I too live in the North west of England. May i ask where you had your procedure?
 
Thanks for your reply.

Glad to read your recovery is going to plan but a return to work must be a daunting task.

I had my right knee done in 2018 and that went much, much better than this left one. I don't have pain with it at all. This left one seems to be taking longer and isn't much better than it was prior the op.

I had both knees done at Wrightington in the Wigan Borough, it's probably about 8-9 miles from my home but takes ages to drive there.
Kind regards Dennis.
 
@denn So sorry to read you are still fighting the pain. Are you using any walking aid? Until you stop limping please use an aid.

Does any of this ease with icing and elevation?
 
This is a long recovery, and every knee is different, even on the same body. The surgery itself causes a lot of trauma to the body that it has to heal from. All you are going through is very normal at this stage of recovery.
 
Hi Denn i am just over the Pennies in Huddersfield so not to far away. I am sorry to hear you are struggling more with this new knee than your last one. It is definitely a roller coaster ride i am not out the woods yet myself but i try to stay positive i had my operation done in Harrogate by a Professor and i thought i would be further along than i am but there is no rushing this recovery. My old boss had a full TKR back in 2018 and it took him a full year to see the benefit i take heart in this as he is a still finding improvements even now. I saw my surgeon in early June and he was happy at my progress and just stressed i had to be patient. I hope you begin to see improvement soon.
 
Denn, when do you go back to see your OS? Have you had recent x-rays?
 
Hello Sisterpat.
I saw my Surgeons team six weeks after my operation. As I said in one of my previous posts regarding this appointment, we spoke more of the Eliquis apixaban as to why i was initially prescribed them. Apart from that, he mentioned my flex which should be a little more easy moving and gave me a set of exercises in which to straighten the leg.
 
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