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TKR Trouble sleeping

I freely admitted to my OS that I didn't do PT exercises. He laughed and said that his colleague, another surgeon, also didn't do PT. We both did very well I was discharged today at 8 weeks with ROM at 100+. (I couldn't believe the ROM!)
The research evidence re PT is equivocal : outcomes the same at 6 months for those who did PT and those who didn't. Check it out.
My PT was very helpful with practical tips immediately post op but I didn't do the exercises. Today he gave me 10/10 for at least listening to him!
 
@Spex10, did you find your knee to be very stiff in between PT visits? My knee is stiff and feels like it weighs 1000 pounds! My leg also isn’t straight in between PT sessions.
 
Another exercise loser here too. My husband cut a board for me to put on a very small step going into the kitchen and I stretch my calf muscles because they are so tight. Other than that, I am just doing a few normal things around the house. Stop, ice and elevate when i'm tired - which is a lot. My leg straightens out by about by mid-morning but the first couple of hours in the day are agony. It draws up at night and I can't put my foot flat on the floor; walking around on tippy toes on that one leg is beginning to stress the other. Thank goodness that is a "new" knee too but I worry i'm doing some type of damage to it. *sigh*

Another bad thing about tkr's - always questioning if we're doing the "right" thing.
 
in kneed said:
My PT wants me doing exercises 3 times a day and I just can’t bring myself to do it. I prefer to sit, elevate and ice my knee. Is anyone else an exercise loser like me?
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You are doing better by resting, elevating and icing your knee and not irritating it by lots of exercises.

Please don’t label yourself as an exercise loser, even in joking. PTs think exercises are the answer to every pain but I disagree with that.
 
The reason I stopped the PT was because it made my knee swell up and increased stiffness. I then avoided forcing a stretch and concentrated on just keeping moving. Using the muscles in walking helps to pump away excess fluid hence less swelling and stiffness. However, don't overdo the walking! Just make sure you're moving every hour even if it's just through to the kitchen for a drink.
 
When I had the first tkr, my knee would swell up while I was in the p.t. sessions. This one didn't start swelling until the 4th session last week which is one of the reasons I'm finishing up this week and that's it.

I think you're right about a little bit of walking helps pump away the fluid. In fact, I told the p.t. last week that just walking to their office should be enough exercise because it's a looooong way from the parking lot to their office. Everyone in the waiting room complains about it.
 
in kneed said:
My PT wants me doing exercises 3 times a day and I just can’t bring myself to do it. I prefer to sit, elevate and ice my knee. Is anyone else an exercise loser like me?
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I was! Exactly like you. I'd go to PT and do some exercises there (sometimes refused to do certain ones) and then go home with instructions to do exercises three times a day... and did NONE. No exercise sets at home. All I did was sit, elevate, and ice my knee. I'd hang out on BoneSmart. I'd read or watch TV. Oh, I did do some walking. I took a few short, even very short at first, walks every day. But that was it. No exercises.

Recovered just fine. My knees are doing great. Walk. Bike. Squat. Swim. As your knees heal and get stronger you will find ways to exercise them. :)

Oh, and I agree with Jockette. Call yourself an "exercise winner."
 
Laurenkate said:
Tylenol PM makes me have weird dreams but they are better than tossing and turning all night.
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It's not the Tylenol that's doing that.
DLR said:
there is also a Tylenol body pain PM that includes a muscle relaxant
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It's methocarbamol which is a skeletal muscle relaxant with sedative effects.

Methocarbamol is presumed to work by depressing the central nervous system, leading to relaxation of muscles. The FDA approved methocarbamol in July 1957. Since the exact mechanism of how methocarbamol works is not known, I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole and it astounds me that the FDA has approved it!
skigirl said:
Tylenol with codeine that was sold over the counter.
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Yes but only those with a minimal dose of codeine like about 8mgs which is worse than useless.
 
Many of us never took formal PT or did exercises. I am one of them. I had 11 knee surgeries, 2 of them kneecap removals and 1 tkr. Even after those I never took PT. But, I didn't just sit around and do nothing. I took care of myself, my house and yard as my knee allowed me to do. As I healed, I did more. But, my knee was always in control! This was enough therapy for me and would be for any tkr patient. All the awful pain of PT is so unnecessary.

All you have to do is use it in your daily living! Your knee knows how to rehab itself and doesn't need anyone telling it how. Just use it and it will come back like new! You have to be patient, though, it doesn't happen quickly! ADL,(activities of daily living), going to the bathroom, brushing your teeth and bathing, fixing a light meal, getting something to drink and or a snack, those kinds of things will be all the exercise your knee needs. If you just use it daily in your living, you can have a less painful recovery. We know what works, we've been there!
 
Same here, at five weeks. I must be a loser too but, I sure feel better doing what you are doing.
 
I seem to be always hungry! 5 weeks post op. Anyone experiencing extreme hunger?
 
sistersinhim said:
Many of us never took formal PT or did exercises. I am one of them. I had 11 knee surgeries, 2 of them kneecap removals and 1 tkr. Even after those I never took PT. But, I didn't just sit around and do nothing. I took care of myself, my house and yard as my knee allowed me to do. As I healed, I did more. But, my knee was always in control! This was enough therapy for me and would be for any tkr patient. All the awful pain of PT is so unnecessary.

All you have to do is use it in your daily living! Your knee knows how to rehab itself and doesn't need anyone telling it how. Just use it and it will come back like new! You have to be patient, though, it doesn't happen quickly! ADL,(activities of daily living), going to the bathroom, brushing your teeth and bathing, fixing a light meal, getting something to drink and or a snack, those kinds of things will be all the exercise your knee needs. If you just use it daily in your living, you can have a less painful recovery. We know what works, we've been there!
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I see my surgeon again and I think I’ll let him know that I believe PT isn’t for me. I’d been told I have osteoarthritis in both knees, the left was the worst. Tuesday at PT, I stood facing the wall, hands on a bar, and did squats. Not only did it hurt my new TKR, but I now have pain in my right knee!! I’m truly beginning to believe PT is not my form of rehab!!
 
in kneed said:
I see my surgeon again and I think I’ll let him know that I believe PT isn’t for me.
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You don't have to tell him a thing. I never did. He gave me a prescription for PT and I never went. He never asked me about it. He was just interested in what I could do! He never pushed or looked for numbers! It's not necessary to take PT to recover from this surgery. It's your choice!
 
sistersinhim said:
in kneed said:
I see my surgeon again and I think I’ll let him know that I believe PT isn’t for me.
Click to expand...
You don't have to tell him a thing. I never did. He gave me a prescription for PT and I never went. He never asked me about it. He was just interested in what I could do! He never pushed or looked for numbers! It's not necessary to take PT to recover from this surgery. It's your choice!
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Thank you, @sistersinhim. I’ve been beginning to stress about the pain and not meeting the numbers and also going back to work full time soon. Full work days and pt at night makes a very long , exhausting day.
 
Going to work is all the pt anyone needs. Most stop pt when they start to work. Try not stress about it and just don't go! Numbers don't mean a thing. It's what your knee can do is what's important!
 
I’ve weaned myself off Pain meds and think I might be going through withdrawals. I was taking two oxy/acetaminophen twice a day for 2 weeks and then reduced it to one a day for a week, then half a pill for a week. Today is day 4 without drugs and I’ve been nauseous and get a headache daily. I saw my eye doctor yesterday and my eyes are fine. He suspects its withdrawal. How long should it last and is there anything other than sleeping it off that can help?
 
I went through withdrawal going off pain meds, even though I did it very slowly. My PCP gave me a clonidine prescription and it helped a lot. She also told me to take a half every other day then every three days. But at four days out you might be at the worst and just want to tough it out.
 
Today is day 7 of no pain meds and I feel like ****. I’m constantly nauseous and still get headaches. If I’m able to nap, I wake up starving and then the cycle starts all over again. I’m supposed to go back to work in 6 days and I can’t get out of my own way. I see my surgeon on Thursday. Is it worth mentioning to him?
 
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