TKR Uncontrollable pain

Nightingale

new member
Joined
Nov 18, 2019
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Hi, feeling so weak and no appetite, lots of pain and very frustrating that everything is so difficult , sleeping as and when I can, struggling with best pain relief that doesn’t make me feel disoriented , anyone feeling like this
 
@Nightingale Welcome to BoneSmart! Can you please tell me the exact date of your TKR and which knee. I'll create a signature for you.

All that you are feeling is typical post-op discomfort I am afraid. Everyone reacts to major surgery differently. But the good news is once you get past these early days you will see increasing improvement.

Can you call your GP about perhaps changing your pain medication. If it is making you feel disoriented I am sure a alternate medication can be found.

Are you icing and elevating that knee several times per day?

I'll leave you our guidelines for recovery. They might answer questions you have and help you get on the right track in this process.
Knee Recovery: The Guidelines
1. Don’t worry: Your body will heal all by itself. Relax, let it, don't try and hurry it, don’t worry about any symptoms now, they are almost certainly temporary

2. Control discomfort:
rest
ice
take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)​

3. Do what you want to do BUT
a. If it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physical therapist - to do it to you​
b. If your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again.​

4. PT or exercise can be useful BUT take note of these

5. At week 4 and after you should follow this Activity progression for TKRs

6. Access these pages on the website

The Recovery articles:
The importance of managing pain after a TKR and the pain chart
Swollen and stiff knee: what causes it?
Energy drain for TKRs
Elevation is the key
Ice to control pain and swelling
Heel slides and how to do them properly
Chart representation of TKR recovery
Healing: how long does it take?

Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?

There are also some cautionary articles here
Myth busting: no pain, no gain
Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds

We try to keep the forum a positive and safe place for our members to talk about their questions or concerns and to report successes with their joint replacement surgery.

While members may create as many threads as they like in a majority of BoneSmart's forums, we ask that each member have only one recovery thread. This policy makes it easier to go back and review history before providing advice.
 
Hi

Operation was on the 12th November, left knee
Nightingale
 
It does get better. Today I’m 2 weeks po and I was able to get into and out of the tub by myself and take a shower. I’m mostly pain free and I haven’t taken any pain meds in 48 hours. I’m still using a walker instead of a cane. I want to see what my surgeon says before I change over from the walker. Good luck to you!
 
Thank you so much, wishing you a speedy recovery x
 
The first week seems to be the worst! I'm sure you have read about trying to take your meds around the clock...that helped me tremendously the first few weeks.
Rest, ice, elevate, meds...
I hope you feel better soon. Try to keep us updated when you feel up to it!
 
hi all Had my operation on the 12th November, really wondering what I’ve done , in pain most of the time, no appetite, frustrated that I can’t get things done, sorry to rant not like me at all, think they gave me a personality transplant at the same time
 
You'll notice that I have merged your newest thread with your original recovery thread. For several reasons, we prefer that you only have one recovery thread:
  • That way, we have all your information in one place. This makes it easier to go back and review your history before providing advice.
  • If you keep starting new threads, you miss the posts and advice others have left for you in the old threads, and some information may be unnecessarily repeated
  • Having only one thread will act as a diary of your progress that you can look back on.
So please post any updates, questions or concerns about your recovery here. If you prefer a different thread title, just post what you want and we'll get it changed for you.
 
How are you doing with your elevation and icing routine? That is super important to help keep the swelling down a bit. Can you give us a bit of your routine to help us understand? Hang in there!
 
@Nightingale - I'm sorry you're feeling so bad, but this is only going to be temporary.
Things are going to get better.

It's only 9 days since you had major surgery that caused a lot of trauma. Of course you can't do everything you want to at this stage. Your knee and your body need time to heal and recover from the surgery.

It's not the sort of operation you can bounce back from in just a couple of weeks. In fact, complete recovery from a knee replacement takes as long as a full year, although you'll be able to do most things by about 3 months.

If you're in pain, of course you're going to feel grumpy - who wouldn't? Be patient. Take care of yourself and your knee by getting plenty of rest, while icing and elevating your leg. Take your pain medications on a regular schedule.

Take short walks around the house. That's all the exercise you need right now. More will come later.

Most people lose their appetite for a while after this surgery. It will come back gradually.

Did you read all the articles that Jaycey left for you in Post #2 ? Take particular notice of these:
Activity progression for TKRs
rest
elevate
ice
take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)
don't overwork
 

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