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TKR Walking without an aid?<

I'm 10 days out and night is rough. My knee seems to be very sensitive at night. I've had to switch from the ice machine to gel packs in the middle of the night because the intermittent pressure makes it ache. Then I wake up and it isn't cold anymore. Ugh! Daytime
Is progressing, a little better each day though. I guess this is how it goes for lots of us! Best wishes to all TKR's.


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10 days is so early in this whole process. The first 3-4 weeks are the worst. There are way better days ahead of you! Since you are not sleeping much at night sleep whenever you can during the day. It will get better. I promise :-)
 
Also make sure you are taking enough pain meds to get you through the night. Set an alarm to take them regularly.
 
I have another question please. About ten days ago I decided to give the stationary bike a try. After about three cycles I felt a grabbing sensation and had to quit. Now I have pain on the right side of my knee. It seems during the day I'm fine but that's where the throbbing comes in at night. I have a scheduled appointment to see the OS next week. Could it be a pulled muscle?? I'm more than nervous......hoping I'm not going to have to start over again.
 
I don't think you've done anything serious. Maybe you tore a few muscle fibres and probably the stationary bike was just a bit too much for your knee. Give it lots of rest, ice and elevation for a few days and see how it feels. The muscle should heal, with time and gentle treatment.

The pain at night is often a reflection that you are doing too much during the daytime. Ease off your activities for a while, and see if that helps.
 
Night time pain was the last to go for me. I made sure to take some tylenol before bed even after I was off the prescription pain meds. I think, like Celle says, all the activity during the day catches up with you.

I found my new knees to be sensitive to little tweaks for several months. Keep icing and elevating and take it a bit easy. Hopefully that will do the trick for you.
 
Thank you Celle and kneeper. It's so awful what you can convince yourself of......anyway it is for me. I had myself all worked up for another knee surgery. Actually, nights just make everything seem so serious. I guess when we go to bed and try to settle down the knee then says it didn't much like all the activity for the day. Thanks again.
 
It's really very hard to damage your knee implant. They're sturdy pieces of machinery. People have had major falls and done damage to their soft tissues, without harming the implant at all.
I know how the worry builds up, though!
 
I'm 3 months out now and using the cane most of the time. I'm trying to walk on my own and I can as long as I concentrate and do heel toe. I still look like a penguin to a point. I'm thinking that's because I still don't trust myself. How does everyone else learn to walk on their own?
 
The more you use your new knee, the more secure you'll be and start leaving the cane in different places. It just takes time. I still have a cane in my car in case I end up in a crowd. You will find you'll start going around without it before you know it! It's only be 3 months, which is around 1/4 of the time it takes to heal your knee. Just be patient.
 
Thank you sistersinhim. At that point again wondering if I'll ever walk normal again. I know I will and you're right about patience being the answer. I'm one of those people who wants everything planned out and done yesterday. This surgery won't let anyone plan it's future out that's for sure. One of these days it will be my turn to post how happy I am I had this done.
 
You are so right. You'll be there one of these days!
 
hi crispyP ~ i see we're the same age and funny enough i have similar worries to yours; tummy issues make me wonder if i'll ever go to a restaurant again or eat the foods i used to love, make commitments with friends, get back to driving, babysitting, walk my dog, shopping, cooking, laundry, sleep through the night, etc. hang in here and i will too. you're not alone...sending hugs.
 
Thank you liam........and big hugs right back to you. We'll eventually make it......Then we will celebrate together and with everyone on this sight. Until then we will keep the faith!
 
Quick update. Saw my OS last Friday. Everything is looking good and no problems. Wants me to quit using the cane altogether but that's not happening right now. I still get stiff first thing in the morning but after walking around for a little while the stiffness goes away. Nights are still bothersome. I take Tylenol before bed and if the knee is really grouchy I wrap in plastic wrap and that does help. Another big step......I'm driving. What a sense of freedom. Went to the hair stylist yesterday and had my hair cut and colored. That was my first test out on my own. Onward and upward from here on out. Have a fabulous day!!
 
Good for you! It's a great day when you know you can drive! Glad to hear all is going well :loveshwr:
 
that's great crissyP, you're driving ~ a big milestone and will give you more confidence. my walker is now beside my bed and being used to hang clothes on lol. finally the nausea is gone. you have a fabulous day too.
 
@crissyP I'm just ahead of you , op was on 30th Jan. Everything changed for me at about week 14. I travelled into the city to go to the theatre with my friends and I had to walk a fair distance, at this point I was still using a cane when outdoors. Yes that night my knee was up like a balloon but since then I haven't needed a cane outdoors and nearly all my night time aches have gone. My knee is still a bit swollen at end of the day but goes down overnight and I am now of the opinion that the walk did it a power of good. I now feel more normal and can see light at the end of the tunnel, I've still got a long way to go in my year of recovery but I now don't hate my new knee the way I did when it dominated my life. Hang on in there, normality will return
 
If you want to test yourself to see if you're ready to go without the cane, you might try to gradually reduce your use of the cane. Use it first thing in the morning when you're stiff and if you're walking for any distance outside the house. See how you do walking a little bit inside the house. For most of us, it happens pretty naturally as we heal gain confidence. No dramatic throwing away of the cane. :heehee:
 
There really are no prizes for giving up the cane early. I know your surgeon doesn't want you to become too dependent on it, but even so, don't be in too much of a rush. Let it happen gradually.

For many weeks, I still used my cane out of doors, even though I didn't need it in the house. Outdoors, a cane gives people a warning to keep their distance. It helps to ward off rushing people and dogs. :doggie: :dogwalk:.
It also helps to prevent falls if the ground is uneven or likely to be slippery.
Its better to use a cane than to have a fall.
 
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