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TKR Two years out from October 2023 TKR

Thank you. I have been doing this somewhat already. I have gone from taking 10mg oxy every 4 hours to every 6 hours. Then I dropped my middle of the night pill. Then I took 10 mg at night and 10 mg in the morning with 5 mg in the afternoon. At my last refill, they switched me to 5mg, so I was taking 1.5 every 6 hours for two days. Yesterday I did one 5 mg in the morning and decided to stop. By last night I was in withdrawals. The problem is I have done this taper in a matter of just a few days, so I know I am not giving my body time to adjust. I only have 21 pills left, so I was trying to just quit so I will still have some in reserve for bad days. Maybe my OS would do another refill for a longer taper, but I hesitate to tell him that I’m having withdrawals. I don’t really know what to do. I appreciate your advice. Maybe I can cut these 5 mg tabs in half for a couple of days and wean off that way. I’m afraid I am going to suffer a little, though.
 
Dmcfad2 said:
I’m afraid I am going to suffer a little, though.
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Aww, I hope not. :console2:
Hopefully your plan works and you're able to remain comfortable enough without further withdrawal symptoms.
Good Luck! :fingersx:
 
With my prior knee I was getting concerned about taking the hydrocodone too long although my doctor kept telling me everyone is different, don’t worry about it so much. I gradually extended the time between pills and then one day I woke up and thought “I don’t need these any more.“. Stopped there. I’m going to try not to worry about it so much this time. You may be pushing yourself to stop before you are quite ready, but I do think it’s a good idea to have a few left for emergencies like if you overdo it and your knee swells.
 
Just looked at my log I kept during last surgery and I took them over 2 months. Not sure if that is normal but I didn’t have any problems afterward. I think I was on 7.5.
 
MSuki said:
Just looked at my log I kept during last surgery and I took them over 2 months. Not sure if that is normal but I didn’t have any problems afterward. I think I was on 7.5.
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That’s great that you had no problem stopping. I took Hydrocodone for 2 weeks before my surgery because I was in a lot of pain. Then, since surgery have now been on Percocet for 18 days. So, a total of 32 days. I am definitely having some withdrawals. They aren’t fun.
 
I had PT today and she measured my flexion at 72°. I feel like I should be better than that by now. I know I shouldn’t worry about it, but I do. My knee is just so tight. It feels like I have a plaster cast around it.
 
Dmcfad2 said:
My knee is just so tight. It feels like I have a plaster cast around it.
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Unfortunately, this will be completely normal for months. The swelling hangs around for a long time and you are less than 3 weeks out of this major, traumatic surgery and can expect the stiffness. The tightness was the last thing to go for me, but I knew it was all part of the normal healing process, so I didn't worry. But, I sure did complain about it!
 
PO Day 19.
I am documenting this journey so I can look back and see how far I have come.
I slept without the ice machine last night for the first time since surgery. It went okay, although I realized how much the ice helps mask the pain. I woke up about 4 am in some pain and couldn’t get comfortable, so I took my 1/2 oxy pill along with tylenol and went out in to the living room, where I read for a bit and then fell back to sleep for about 30 minutes or so. I am now taking 1/2 an oxy every 5-6 hours. I am supplementing with Tylenol, being careful to stay under 4000 mg a day. I know the Oxy has some Tylenol in it, so I take that in to account. I am trying to get my body used to this so I can quit the meds without too much discomfort in the next few days. This is my main concern at the moment. I do start to feel some w/d symptoms at about the 5 hour mark. I will start stretching out the time between doses next.
I took a walk outside yesterday down the street to my mailbox, which took me about 20 minutes. It’s the farthest I’ve walked. Today I have a new pain in my shin and I’m thinking it is from the walk. It isn’t too bad, but it is new. I have been icing a bit this morning.
I'm feeling good and looking forward to new achievements.
 
Boy, cutting back on my pain meds has increased the pain I’m feeling significantly. Tylenol doesn’t seem to help. :sigh:
 
@Dmcfad2 we are on a similar timeline. I’ve been taking oxy every 4. I’ve begun taking magnesium and melatonin with late night dose. With that I’ve been able to skip the middle of the night dose. I also feel both increased pain and WD. So I’ve decided to give it another week and re-assess. I figure I’d rather taper a bit more slowly and use the meds to deal with pain. As I understand it, when tapering it should be no more than 10%. Get stable, then another cut. So for now instead of six doses a day, I’m at 5. Hopefully in the next day or two I can get to 4.

Best wishes to you!

PS- my knee feels super tight too! We e come a long way in the last almost 3 weeks. Hang in there!!!
 
KPup said:
@Dmcfad2 we are on a similar timeline. I’ve been taking oxy every 4. I’ve begun taking magnesium and melatonin with late night dose. With that I’ve been able to skip the middle of the night dose. I also feel both increased pain and WD. So I’ve decided to give it another week and re-assess. I figure I’d rather taper a bit more slowly and use the meds to deal with pain. As I understand it, when tapering it should be no more than 10%. Get stable, then another cut. So for now instead of six doses a day, I’m at 5. Hopefully in the next day or two I can get to 4.

Best wishes to you!

PS- my knee feels super tight too! We e come a long way in the last almost 3 weeks. Hang in there!!!
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That sounds like a good plan. I don’t know if I could get another refill. When I talked to the PA, she said she would like me off the oxy by the end of this week. She never said I couldn’t have another refill, but I am assuming that. I think it would be easier to taper if I had more pills. I could go more slowly. But, this is working so far. I still have 18 pills left. It’s nice to have someone who is on the same timeline as I am! I am feeling a very slight improvement today in my stiffness.
 
@Dmcfad2 you may want to consider asking for another refill. IMO you’ll need those 18 pills over the next six months. For me in my last TKR I was done with around the clock opiates by week 3-3.5. But I did need them for the fist six months, at least once a week. It was always after overdoing it.

My OS said they will do refills for six weeks. I plan on making sure that I have at least one prescription in my lock box for emergencies.

I plan on returning to work part time next week so I am really working on tapering day time doses.

Sounds like things are improving for you.

The thing I miss most is uninterrupted sleep! But it’s getting better. About 5 hours a night.

You’re right- it’s nice to have a recovery partner in a similar boat.

Best wishes!
 
Day 20
I was able to sleep on both of my sides last night. I slept soundly from 10pm until 4am. I still need to take an oxy before bed. I do great all day and take a half pill every 6-7 hours but by about 5pm, my knee gets achy and throbs. Since the time change, I am waking up at 4 every morning and, once awake, I will get up because I am a little uncomfortable and can’t get back to sleep. I wish I could at least make it until 5am. My knee is extra achy and sore this morning. I’m not sure why. I took half an oxy when I woke up, but it didn’t help, so now I am icing. I have PT at 11:00.
I have decided to request one more refill of my pain meds so I can continue my taper and also to have on hand for the nights and for before PT.
 
I just want to share my experience, understanding each of us and each separate knee is different... Re aching and throbbing after 5 pm...
I still had this on my R TKA (quite less so on L) at 4 months and it's finally abating but not gone (happens later now and much less severely).
In my case it's the quads above the knee and is totally unrelated to my activity level. It responds very well to taking a five minute walk in the house, though relief only lasts about 20 minutes.
 
mendogal said:
I just want to share my experience, understanding each of us and each separate knee is different... Re aching and throbbing after 5 pm...
I still had this on my R TKA (quite less so on L) at 4 months and it's finally abating but not gone (happens later now and much less severely).
In my case it's the quads above the knee and is totally unrelated to my activity level. It responds very well to taking a five minute walk in the house, though relief only lasts about 20 minutes.
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Thank you, @mendogal. I’m not sure what causes mine, but I also feel it’s unrelated to my activity. I have also found if I get up and move around it will abate for a few minutes. In fact, I want to move when it’s happening, just to break the pain cycle. But it always comes back. I don’t think I was quite prepared for the amount of pain I’m having after this surgery. Both of my hips were easier. The stiffness and tight band feeling around the knee just isn’t getting any better yet. I know I’ve made progress in many areas. I also know it’s early days still. Most days I’m fine, but other times I’m discouraged. My knee still doesn’t want to bend. I feel like something inside is stopping it and if I could just break through it would be better.
 
My PT just left and measured my flexion at 85°. That’s up 13° from Monday. I guess I’m getting better after all. I was pleasantly surprised. She said I was actually slightly ahead of the curve.
 
Discouragement is understandable!

The things you describe... the orthos don't seem to prepare any of us for how this recovery will take over our lives for a few months... what you're experiencing is really common (both the pain and swelling AND the discouragement).

Sending a ((hug)).
 
3 week update:
I slept until 5 am! Woke up at my regular 4am and was able to go back to sleep, despite the fact that my knee was throbbing and achy. Had a pretty decent sleep. Still having trouble lying on unoperated side, but can lay on operated side with pillow between my knees with no problem.
I drove for the first time yesterday with no problem. Went grocery shopping for a few things and used the grocery cart as my walker. That worked well. I was able to walk about the store, slowly but surely.
That tight, stiff band feeling around my knee is still there and not improving yet. It doesn’t hurt, of course, but is so annoying. It also limits my ROM. When I am sitting on the couch with my legs extended in front of me, I will gently grab my thigh from behind and pull my knee towards my body, over and over, which loosens me up considerably. It’s like a heel slide motion and feels good.
I am doing lots of daily activities of living. By looking at my Fitbit, I am getting about 6000 steps a day. I get up and walk frequently.
Still taking pain meds, but am just taking half a pill every 6-8 hours now with a whole pill at night before bed. This has been my tapering schedule and is helping me to avoid the withdrawal symptoms I was experiencing. I won’t be able to do this much longer unless I get a refill, as I only have a few pills left. I had thought I would ask for a refill because I still need one at night for the achy, throbbing pain I get every day about 5pm. It helps me sleep and they are nice to have on hand for days where I might overdo it a bit. Tylenol does not help me with that deep throbbing ache I get.
All in all, I am quite happy with my progress. I’m not having to use any aids anymore, except for my cane or walker when I am tired. I never used the toilet riser or the grabber or the shower seat, things I thought I would need but didn’t. I can lift my leg by myself. I still have trouble sitting with my leg bent for any length of time. I’m still icing and elevating, but much less frequently.
 
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