TKR Benne68’s TKR #2 Recovery

[benne68]

Well, here we go again! I'm about 48 hours post-op. The nerve blocks have worn off and the pain and swelling have begun. Thank goodness for my icing machiine!

Surgery was at 7:30 Friday morning, and was done and moved to a regular room by 10:30. Procedure was straight-forward; no surprises. But like last time, my blood pressure fell throughout the after noon, so they kept me overnight in the hospital.

Came home yesterday around noon. Spent the day elevating, icing and napping. So far, no nausea and I slept better than expected last night. (probably thanks to the oxy!).

Surgeon said the same thing as last time: “Your only job for the next two weeks is to rest and recover.” I plan to follow his instructions!

Thanks so much for all the well wishes. I will be on and off the forum as napping permits

 

[Pumpkin]

@benne68,
Welcome to the other side for the second time.
Now for the hard work of resting and recovering.

Here is your copy of the Knee Recovery Guidelines, the articles are short and will not take long to read.

Just keep in mind all people are different, as are the approaches to this recovery and rehab. The key is, “Find what works for you.“ Your doctors, PTs and BoneSmart are available to help, but you are the final judge as to the recovery approach you choose.

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​

elevate​

ice​

take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)​

don't overwork.​

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

​

the BoneSmart view on exercise​

BoneSmart philosophy for sensible post op therapy​

5. At week 4 and after you should follow this

​

Activity Progression for TKR's​

6. Access these pages on the website

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Oral And Intravenous Pain Medications​

Wound Closure​

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 the 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 the member’s history before providing advice, so please post any updates or questions you have right here in this thread.

 

[Jockette]

Surgeon said the same thing as last time: “Your only job for the next two weeks is to rest and recover.” I plan to follow his instructions!

I love this and wish all surgeons and PTs realized this!

Now for the hard work of resting and recovering.

Yes, it is hard to rest, and I know you know this, but for the benefit of other members reading I’ll say it, don’t look at resting as doing nothing, look at it as giving your knee the best opportunity in which to heal.

Best wishes!

 

[Susie-Q]

Yay!!! Glad everything went well.

Surgeon said the same thing as last time: “Your only job for the next two weeks is to rest and recover.” I plan to follow his instructions!

I will second @Jockette , I love these words! I remember my surgeon saying he wanted me in PT in the first 7-10 days. Knowing I'd done just fine waiting until week 2-3 with my first knee, I waited until 2 weeks post-op.

I hope your first weeks are full of naps, pain relief, pampering by hubby and lots of healing!

 

[benne68]

I also had an interesting discussion with the HSS physical therapist who put me through me paces with the stairs, etc.

She told me "Do NOT bend past 90 degrees for the first two weeks."

Had never heard this before, so asked her why. She said it can dislodge the implant. So all those PTs out there pushing people's flexion early days are doing the exact wrong thing!

 

[mendogal]

I add your sage team advice to mine about those initial weeks: "Less is better."
Happy to hear from you!!!! Onward with.... rest!

 

[Nivea]

Happy to hear you are on the other side. Rest up as the busy holidays will be here soon. Take it easy and let everyone else do things!

 

[Layla]

Welcome to the healing side.
Best Wishes for an easy recovery with perfect healing!
@benne68

 

[sistersinhim]

Welcome back home and back to Bonesmart! Now, your #1 job is to heal and stay as comfortable as possible! Don't forget that we are all here for you.

 

[Mojo333]

Glad you are on the Healing Side...Sending healing hugs and good Mojo your way

 

[LittleBit]

So good to hear from you and glad you are able to rest in reasonable comfort. When I start feeling a bit guilty for not doing more, I have to remind myself that I am already doing a lot by taking care of my infant knee. There was a diagram somewhere on this site [I think] that showed how much of the body's resources the healing knee demands in the early weeks. I loved that visual as a reminder that my body is working hard even when I am resting.

 

[Axx72]

Let us know when you need to vent. We are here for you;). All the best in your healing journey.
@benne68 vers2.0

 

[CatieViv]

Praying for you as you heal

 

[Susie-Q]

There was a diagram somewhere on this site [I think] that showed how much of the body's resources the healing knee demands in the early weeks.

I think it's this one.

 

[benne68]

Thanks for the welcome back! This is why I love being part of this community so much!

Post-op day 3 and, as expected, I am swollen, stiff and very sore. Thankfully, between icing, elevating and meds, my pain is manageable. My leg has started to balloon, but knowing what to expect from my last TKR helps reduce the anxiety.

And, for those of you going through this for the first time -- please reach out and let me know how I can help. My brain is a bit foggy, but I can still type!

 

[CricketHip]

Hey there @benne68 I see you there in recoveryland and hope you are having a good evening.

So happy to see your updates--you seem to have a good handle on what you need to do to get better.
Wishing you a great night!

 

[benne68]

Day 5: Pain and swelling have worsened, but this happened to me last time as well, so I was prepared for it. I'm staying on schedule with my meds and will spend most of the day icing/elevating.

My icing machine this time round is really cool (pun intended): it doesn't use any ice! I had planned to use the Game Ready again, but when the tech arrived to deliver it, he told me about this newer device. Rather than circulating cold water, it uses an alcohol-water solution in a closed system. Not only do we not have to add ice every few hours, it does a much better job of maintaining the cold temperature, since there is nothing to melt and warm up. It's also smaller than the traditional icing machine.

I'm finding this new machine a huge improvement for my icing sessions. It's called BioCryo, by ThermX. Here's a photo, for anyone who is curious about it:

 

[LittleBit]

So sorry to hear you are dealing with more pain and swelling, but you know what to do. The icing machine looks interesting. Got to love the ice! That and a little gentle movement plus elevation have been my best buddies.

 

[mendogal]

Just sending a ((hug)) and a Yep, WAYYY cool machine!!!

 

[sistersinhim]

I love the idea of that new cold 'water' circulating machine. I can't wait to learn more about it. I hope it calms down your pain and swelling.