Worried about Mom

[daustin97222]

Hello all,

(hopefully I get all of the acronyms right)

I enjoyed looking through this forum for snippets of encouragement.

Mom had her right TKR done 4/29. She is 78 years old, very healthy but she could hardly walk on that knee (osteoarthritis). So she went in to have the TKR after fretting about it for most of a year.

Now, her pain is even worse than ever! Her ROM is 110 and she walks without a cane or walker. But she can just be sitting or standing and in intense pain. She can take a painkiller (oxycontin, I think) and that helps. But how long does this go on? She says that when she lays down it feels a little better.

I found a couple of threads here about lethargy - Mom has that too. Since she feels better laying down, she does that all of the time! This isn't like her. She was active, shopping, exercising, all of that before the TKR.

So I guess that my question is: will she slowly get better from here, or is this as good as it gets? Does anyone here know of a similar outcome, but where things improved over time?

thanks for any info.

-concerned son

 

[Josephine]

So your mother is 78 and 6 weeks post op? People do have a tendency to expect a miraculous return to normality and get anxious when it doesn't happen. You need some facts ...

1. At any age, such an operation (a very VERY major operation) literally knocks the stuffing out of you. That can take 6-8 weeks to get over alone. At your mother's age, it's going to take longer.
2. the op is, as I said, VERY major and takes a LOT of PT and rest to recover from. She should be spending about equal times in activity and resting.
3. Pain is a given after a TKR. You must have seen that in all the threads here in the knee forum. Though bad for some and worse for others, it's an inescapable fact. But ....
4. it's only 6 weeks. That is like no time at all.

Encourage her to rest when she needs to, to be active when she can, to elevate her leg and ice it when she's in pain, and to take her pain killers before the pain gets bad not after. And rest assured that this could even go on for another 6-8 weeks. It has been said that it could even be as long as 8-10 months for some people before they begin to feel anywhere near normal again. I hope that is not the case for your mother. I also hope that these notes are a help.

 

[JackieS]

I'm only a few weeks behind your mom and a few decades younger.

To me, it sounds like she's made incredible progress with her mobility and ROM. Kudos to her!

I'm thinking the pain she might be having is similar a bit to what's happening to me. I can be sitting there doing nothing and all of a sudden an odd sharp pain will come out of nowhere. It doesn't last long, but hurts like heck when it happens. I think it's probably just a part of recovering from the assault on the knee.

She's going to be tired and she will need the pain meds (which will make her more tired). But in time, she should improve. She's done wonderfully with walking and ROM, but it's not an easy road.

She's probably very happy she has a good son who's concerned. Help her all you can and things should improve with time.

 

[Doug]

I had my TKR on 1/17. I just got totally off of pain meds a few weeks ago. I still do intensive workouts for my legs and am making steady progression.
Josephine is right on target, as we have come to expect.
One observation from personal experience. My leg, as a result of the many injuries, 8 surgeries and arthritis was bowed out. By placing the artificial knee components, it is as straight as an arrow. Besides the massive trauma of the surgery, the legs muscles, tendons and ligaments are having to readjust to a new angle. It takes time and effort.
On another note, I get to be a caregiver now for my mother. She is 74,(I think) and she is scheduled for a TKR on June 25. Since she used to chase me to whip me, I'm going to see if the Dr. will use a garden hose for a catheter!!!!

 

[Josephine]

Doug!!! oh ouch oooh!

Yes, Daustin, I should have added a note as Jackie did, commending you on caring for your mother. God bless you!

 

[JenniferG]

Hey Daustin, Hope your mom hurts less soon. I bet she is grateful for the pain meds. I know I was. Keep her moving. The moving of the new knee is what changes the stiffness and pain. 110 at 4 weeks is fantastic. Move and rest, the balance is important.

 

[Rowdy66]

Daustin, God bless you for loving and caring for your mom as you do. I am about 11 years or so younger than your mother and her surgery is about two weeks older than mine but from all I have read here she is right on track. I am pretty tired as well and am just chalking it up to the surgery and the pain meds, however I am not in constant pain, what I have is a constant knowledge of my knee being there, if you get my meaning. I think this is what maybe and I say maybe as I would not be positive of anything in another person but perhaps that is what your mom is referring to as pain. It is not a comfortable feeling and is always there and is better when laying down. I think, for me, it is the swelling in my knees as well as the fact that for almost two years I walked on legs that were so damaged by arthritis they were bowed out, my left tibis actually had developed a hair-line fracture, all this had to be corrected as well as putting in the new knees. No doubt this is a very draining surgery and some of the therapy is draining as well, it is hard work to get back to where we need to be. I know we will get to where we need to be but it is going to take time, and like most I tend to be impatient. I am sure as long as you continue to be there and be as attentive to your mom as you are she will do well. Rowdy