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Revision TKR Woohoo I'm starting to feel better!

While you are in still in the early days of recovery, you need to control your pain. I understand your wanting to take less, but perhaps dropping 10 mg is too fast, can you go down 5 mg?
You should talk to your primary doctor or your OS how to handle decreasing your morphine as you heal.
@Josephine is the best to advise you for this in the UK.
 
@Nana moon 27 If I recollect correctly the idea is to reduce one dose of morphine (for example the morning dose by 10 mg with normal evening dose) then wait a week before reducing the next dose (the evening dose). It's a very very slow step-like process. You may need to have some intermediate sized pills --like a 5 mg one--so you can step down at an even slower rate.
Hang in there. xxxx Jen
 
@nanamoon. And all the coffee girls. It is rather surprising that your dr has been prescribing morphine to you for so long. Here in ny all the addicts would be hovering around my door. But if you're taking all this morphine , hallucinating and still have pain can't they give you something else? I've been on 15mg oxi since jan, and like I deleted by mistake my drs PA said she won't refill anymore. I told her get your own knee and hip replaced then tell me. So now that I'm so hooked in the drug I've cut the pills in half to last me 60 days longer . Just can't imagine going to work Thursday with no meds!!! So what I deleted last nite started at 2 am bf called for some stupid reason then fell back asleep courtesy of Xanax and at 3:3o yelling again. I told him he needs to be more proactive in his health care, PT cane today made him walk outside. He got so out if breathe
He tells me he's walking around the manse really small space and thinks that's enough. I'm getting so angry with him not doing anything. Warned him I'm not sitting bedside vigil again that he better get up and start moving. He is comparing my knee and hip to his recovery when they are as different as night and day. I'm also picking up an extra 10 hrs week with a 7 yr old one of a set or triplets who was in my school when they were 3. More hrs = more$= more time away from home. Bitchy daughter wanted to make care schedule but so far hasn't showed up
The good one from PA came with a crock pot full of meals ( of course nothing I can eat all contained meat) but it was the thought. She left crock pot but I have no idea what to do with it. Cooking isn't for me! But she's coming back over the weekend to sleepover to give me break.
A way don't know what's going to happen when I return to work although I will be home by 3:30 I think he needs to get up and get food. He can't manage walker and food at same time
Anyway if he's that hungry he better start moving. Drs appt for him can't figure out how to fill mini o2 tank waiting 2 days for someone to call or come over to help
Anyway knee acting funny, think it's all stress. Feeling wobbly when walking. Between my hip and shoulder so off balanced
Catch you all later. Time for some afternoon mindless tv
Love susanne



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Hi @Chihuahuan I have done exactly that today. I've just taken 40 mg Morphine, two paracetamol, and my other 6tablets I take besides. I took 30 mg of morphine this morning to see if I could cope.

@Pumpkln thank you for your suggestion. I did tag her in to a post I did this morning. I'm sure once she gets time, she will respond. You are absolutely right about the early days. Im sure that there's something wrong with my brain. I still feel like I had my op January and not a month ago. That must be the effect of the meds.
 
How are you doing with your knee revision? As @RunA42K said, you can still do upper body and core exercises without involving the knee. When you get to feeling better, if you have access to a pool you can also gain mobility and strength in it. :console2:
 
I'm doing quite well really, if I could just stop obsessing about getting off the morphine. I have more natural movement, my knee straightens which it never did before properly. I can manage the stairs well but try not to go up and down too often. I tidy up, make a sandwich, help prepare a meal, do a small amount of washing up, load washing into the machine and hubby has to hang that out as there are three very steep steps, with no handrail down to our garden line area. No vacuuming which is my obsession and that's killing me cos the carpets have not been done for four days now xx I have severe house/dust/mite allergy xxxx
 
@Nana moon 27 your bit about the hoovering made me laugh! That will be me in a few weeks - trying not to see the bit on the carpets! Although I have now persuaded Mr P that his life will be more fun if we have a cleaner for a few weeks. She's coming to vet us this afternoon . He did offer to do the lot but he is in a few walking groups and gets stir crazy if he can't get out so it's an investment in his free time. He's off today somewhere in the Dales. My daughter who works part time is going to check on me on walking days so we'll both get a change if scenery. Sounds like a win win.
You sound as if you are doing really well with your recovery. I see you live in Brum.
We used to live in the West Midlands first in Malvern and then Droitwich. We were there for 25 years so almost honorary Midlanders. :flwrysmile:

You take care too.
 
Hi @SuperSnapper

Definitely an Honorary Midlander! Malvern is so lovely. My eldest grandson sent me a pic from there the other week. He works as a heating engineer and he absolutely fell in love with the place. I'll try and find the pic later and post it. The Dales are a walkers paradise, so that really must suit your hubby. My parents used to be in a rambling group. They'd walk 14 miles or so of a weekend. Mom had to stop last year after a fall and dad this year because he has a Hernia..ouch!!!

Btw the vacuuming is really bugging me. I've put myself to bed so I don't look at it. Grrrrrrrrr!!!

Love Nana moon 27 xoxoxo
 
Hi, Nana moon, I thought I would come over and how you are doing. I read some of your posting and I see that you are trying to get off Morphine. When I had my second knee done, the OS put me on Morphine. I have to admit for the first time my pain was controled. I think you know I have had four replacements and the last two morphine and other pain killer were used. I found that the morphine when I took it like I was surpose to and to be very faithfull in keeping the schedule I had very little pain and could move around, do my exercises and felt that I was going to be ok. I too was uneasy taking it but I found that staying on it until I was ready to get off was very important. You still are early. After doing good for a couple of weeks I would think that I could cut back, or I was so wrong. I found that before I knew my pain was out of controled and very nerves. After the knee I had another my hip done. Again morphine was the drug of choice and since I hadn't gone off of it, they up the dose for a while with break thru pills which I really needed. Please relax about taking the morphine as I looked back all it did was make me more nerves and upset my stomach. I personal would start doing a diary and start rating your pain and how much you take of all drugs. This will let you know if your pain is controled and what you are doing. After a couple of weeks doing this, take it the doctor and ask him is it time to get off the morphine. Also if the doctors sees how you are doing let him make the adjustments. This is what I did and it solved two things, I stopped thinking I should get of the morphine and my pain was really controlled so I could go to places and even travel. I do hope this helped. I wish you the best. I will be checking in to see if things are better. Take care and do relax and remember to take your medicine. Tashia
 
Tashia, Ann has been on morphine for over a year, so although her revision is just 4 weeks out, she needs other options to step down to and away from the morphine. It IS very effective at pain control, but it's also highly addictive, has horrible side effects and is hard to go from Morphine to nothing (and really, Tylenol is kinda nothing-ish), so she needs to start trading out the morphine for something lesser (Tramadol for one is a great one and although she became immune to it before her surgery, it's been over a year that she's been on it so any immunity would now be gone and post TKR pain is much different than arthritic pain and therefore different meds do different jobs). My GP and surgeon had me on a whole mixture of things to see what was most effective - oxy to begin with, then Tramadol. Ann's doctors are not doing this.

I know I get on my soap box about this with you Ann, but it's only because I care. I think it's criminally insane for your doctors to keep you on such high doses of morphine for so long and not even begin to address stepping down from it. I was on 20mg morphine for exactly 2 days in the hospital. I have no idea how you are able to function on such high doses. My only guess is that your body, due to be on it so long, has adjusted to it and is dependent on it (no, not addicted, but dependent), so your tolerance is higher. Something just doesn't seem right that no one is preparing you to start stepping down to something else. Not your fault, but I find you GP and surgeon highly irresponsible in doing this. Most everyone posts that they've had to beg their OS's for refills on meds and your doctors seem to hand out morphine like it's nothing...without even broaching the subject of at least trying different pain meds, who is to say what will be effective at this point or not?

I'm very sorry to sound so harsh, but it's truly how I feel. I don't want you to end up needing professional intervention in order to be able to stop the morphine. You NEED a different drug to start weaning yourself onto and away from the morphine. It will be easier to go from Morphine to Tramadol or something else instead of Morphine to nothing. There. I've said it. Again.... I am VERY sorry as I'm certain this post comes off much harsher than intended......
 
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Hi @DogLoverx3 & @tashia

Thank you both for your concern. It's lovely you care so much about me x x x

Since Monday I have cut down by 10mg, I feel okay now I've relaxed. I'm taking the maximum amount of paracetamol (Tylenol) and today I only took three doses because I didn't need the afternoon dose. That is a very good sign. I went wrong when I dropped the morphine first off by 20mg. So I started all over again. I intend to keep this dose going for a week possibly two. If I'm ok then I will reduce another 10mg. Strangely I've felt twinges in my non TKR knee but it's riddled with arthritis all throughout.

I need to see my GP because whenever I take my asthma medication of a morning I shake all day. The nurse thought I'd overdosed on the blue inhaler. I got a bit stroppy with her I'm afraid, like I'd overdose on Ventolin, silly woman. I take two puffs twice a day at the moment. I take Atrovent inhaler 2 puffs x 3 and Symbicort Inhaler 2puffs x twice a day. I take Azithromycin (antibiotic) once a day, Phyllocontin tablets 1xtwice a day, Carbocisteine tablets 2x3times a day, Montelukast tablet one at night, all this is for my asthma and Bronchiectasis. Then there is my statin, morphine and paracetamol, also Fluoxetine (Prozac). A total of 21 tablets and three inhalers a day.

I'm hoping to go see my GP and have a chat about all this medication as it does worry me it's the amounts I am taking.

Once again my friends thanks for your help support and care

Love Nana moon 27 xoxoxox
 
Hi @marmora
Cathie,

Yes you're right there you know! My morphine has a reverse effect. So instead of it knocking me out I get fuzzy but brain goes into overload. Every night I pray for one full nights sleep. Not a hope xxx if I take a higher dose I still don't sleep I hallucinate. Cannot win. How come you're awake with me? Xxxx

Love Ann xxxx
 
My left knee (non TKR) is particularly troublesome tonight. I've elevated that one as well. Xxx the pain in it is coming through the morphine xxx
 
Well the big exciting highlight of my day today is I start physio this afternoon. Other than that, I've just had a shower, washed my hair and really do not want to dry and straighten it but I cant go out looking a fright. I've done enough of that lately. I don't want to scare little kids into thinking it's hallowe'en come early!!!!

Other than that, another rubbish nights sleep/naps. I'm tired and fed up. Hubby fetched my toast up. I've taken all my meds now. I think before they really kick in, I'd better get my hair dry. I'll catch you later.

Love Ann xoxoxox
 
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I went to my first physio since the op. I really like the lad who's going to be my PT. He's got a sense of humour and as per usual, I did what I do best and made him laugh.

Seriously,it went amazingly well. He said he could see/feel/tell that I'd been working the quads. He hurt me only once accidentally and that was initially, when he first examined me. He put the crook of his arm under the back my knee, put his arm or hand (unsure) on the front of the shin and told me to push. OMG I youched!!! My nails dug in the bed and I wanted to cry. He immediately apologised and said that it needs a little longer to heal.

He said I didn't need hydro (botheration! I fancied that) because I've worked hard and I have got good strength in my leg and quads. He got me to with walk without my crutches but he put my arm into one crutch just in case. He was really pleased I managed to walk 20 paces maybe more with out the crutch and back.

He's suggested that I add gentle squats,to try not to go up and downstairs so much as I've been doing. He was very pleased with my efforts. I've still got a problem with straightening so he's shown me what to do for that. He said my rom was excellent for four weeks out and warned me about overdoing things and if it hurts leave it. I like him!!!

I've only been back about half hour. We did a tiny short visit to a supermarket near where we live. We were in there fifteen mins, hubby bagged up and I carried a Multipack of crisps xxx
 
My love of reading and crochet has really helped me thru this surgery and long recovery. I urge you all to try and find new hobbies or ways to be creative. It's great to be able to give homemade gifts and/or make things to donate to charities. I crochet baby blankets for a group that provides layettes to mothers who come to the hospital with nothing for the new baby. It's very rewarding to know the little ones will have a snuggly blanket to comfort them. I can also watch TV guilt-free because I'm making something at the same time. It's a win-win!
 
Hi @VancouverUSAgal what a lovely idea. That's fabulous to be able to create something like that and know that your work helps mums and babies out like that. Oh that's wonderful. I've tried crocheting, in fact I tried it again after the TKR in January and well...it wasn't through lack of trying. A couple of my friends, even mom trying to get me right. Nope, not a hope. Mom got frustrated because from age 10 I used to be able to do it and she couldn't understand why I can't do it now.

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