MUA Oct 2017 TKR - Hematoma - MUA - Finally past 90!<

[sistersinhim]

I'm glad you made it through your first day back OK. I pray you sleep soundly tonight and wake up tomorrow morning with little of no pain! Are you off the weekend?

 

[funkymuse]

Yes @sistersinhim I'm off this weekend so it was a good plan to start midweek and only have to work three days and then rest before I have to start the 5 day trek.

However last night was the most brutal. I laid out flat and I tried to turn on my side at one point since laying flat on my back all night is very hard and when I did, that mid-thigh muscle spasamed and pain shot from my knee all the way up through my hip in the IT Band. The pain was brutal and lasted all night and all this morning. I had to call my husband and have him bring me the pain meds at work. The pain was so bad I thought I was going to throw up. So I succumbed and tried the Tramadol/Tylenol combo and it worked!!! I'm not nauseated although I'm a little dizzy and I feel a little speedy. I hope I can sleep on this stuff.

It's amazing how when the pain is gone how one feels hope. I'm kind of upset I didn't try it sooner but usually as the days pass the pain gets better not worse.. sigh. I"m going to write to the OS's PA, whom I'm scheduled to see next wed and see if she can plan for an ultra-sound on this muscle. Maybe it will be better when I see her next week but if it isn't, I want to pre-plan.

So I made it through another day and I"m going to take these pain meds since I can tolerate them at least at this point. I just have to figure out the timing since my system is so sensitive. I can't follow the schedule posted on these threads as those amounts are too much for me.. so I've been spreading the doages out. I think doing 50mg Tramadol and 1000 Tyelnol every 6 hours is going to be fine. We'll see. I can definitely tell when the meds start to wear off.

Now.. time to relax. If you have a moment to send me a prayer for a good nights sleep without this muscle spasm happening, I would so appreciate it. Thank you all..

Blessings...

 

[sistersinhim]

Great that the T and T combo is working for you! I'm so glad you finally tried it. It worked well for many others, too, including me! I hope you can get some more as needed. I'm glad you have the weekend off. Be sure and take advantage of it and rest. You'll need it for your full week next week.

I bet your dizziness was from lack of sleep. You said you hurt all night last night. I'm sure you had little sleep. I will be praying that you have a really good night's sleep tonight.

 

[funkymuse]

Thank you @sistersinhim - your kindness and support of my journey is amazing.. although I am feeling a bit off now.. and nauseaus.. so I am going to avoid taking it at bedtime. I feel pretty sped up and dizzy...

 

[sistersinhim]

Do you have any anti-motion sickness pills? They work great for dizziness and nausea. I used them while I was on the Oxy. They worked better than the Zofran.

 

[liam2015]

prayers coming your way for a good and peaceful night's sleep. i hope you can find just the right balance of meds that will keep you comfortable.

 

[KarriB]

I’m glad the Tramadol is helping. Hopefully the dizziness will be gone by the am.

 

[phrog]

Oh, Funkymuse! I hope your dizziness and "sped up" feeling are under control so you can sleep tonight. I'm in awe of you being able to work today (and get in and out of the tub!). I've taken Tramadol just once and it made me dizzy, but I've been told if I'd give it a chance, I would lose that dizzy feeling. Like Liam2015, I pray you get a peaceful night's sleep so tomorrow is easier.

 

[mlwreader]

The pain was so bad I thought I was going to throw up. So I succumbed and tried the Tramadol/Tylenol combo and it worked!!! I'm not nauseated although I'm a little dizzy and I feel a little speedy. I hope I can sleep on this stuff.

@funkymuse Try taking a cracker or two with the medication - that works for me very well. When I do that I don't have any upset tummy to contend with. Also, when I was still needing Tramadol, I was able to tutor even though I felt a little loopy. Some days I took 1/2 Tramadol and then two Tylenol. And especially during the night if I had to take the pills, I kept a few crackers by my bed so I could munch a cracker when taking the pills.

I am sending a prayer for a beautiful, deep, rest-filled sleep for you.

 

[SusieShoes]

Crackers or graham crackers are good little snacks to take with meds. I always take my meds with food, unless specified otherwise (my reflux med, for example). A little food in the tummy helps settle it.

I’m so glad you tried the Tramadol and Tylenol, and that it worked! It works for so many and you’ve certainly been looking long enough for something to help you. How did the sleep go?

 

[funkymuse]

Hello all.. sorry for the late response. 3 days of work has been hard and I have just been resting and recouping all day today. However this morning I awoke to feeling down and frustrated and in awful pain from the nightly inability to get into a comfortable sleeping position without activating the quad which then shoots pain throughout my thigh muscles. So feeling kind of desperate and afraid, I got online and googled "Muscle pain after MUA" and one of the links was back to a Bonesmart Thread 2011! This member was experiencing some of the same issues as me and luckily FOR me.. she had a link to her photography website which I clicked on and found a Facebook link and messaged her for suggestions! She wrote me back some things that worked for her.

I also wanted to say thanks for all the responses and suggestions on the med reactions and what to do. Indeed taking food with the meds has stopped the nausea. I've moved into taking the tramadol/tylenol combo every 6 hours as I'd rather not be in pain.

 

[liam2015]

funkymuse, that is very encouraging to know others have been where you are and now they have recovered.

 

[jboles]

This should give you such hope that you too will heal, with time.

 

[funkymuse]

And I also found a clinic in my area that practices a therapy technique I want to try. (this REALLY gives me hope!)

 

[jaschembra]

Good for you seeking and searching. You “will” get better. My knee, thigh, calf loves me to rub it.

 

[funkymuse]

Well after reading the suggestions.. I ran a warm bath, got in and massaged my thigh and knee gently and then got out and put Traumeel Cream on and then ice. I'm pretty sore tonight but I'll rub gently again before I go to bed and I've got another round of pain meds coming up.

 

[Jockette]

Personally I think if you handle your leg too much you will just irritate it more. You’ve already massaged it once tonight, just let it rest.

My body cannot take a lot of handling. My chiropractor calls me her “less is more girl” since I am so sensitive. She had to scale back her adjustments because my body couldn’t handle what she normally does.

You seem to be always looking for that elusive something that is going to fix your leg. Your poor leg has been through the mill since October. It will take a while to sort itself out. Just relax and let it. Patience is the biggest, hardest thing we have to do in this recovery.

 

[funkymuse]

@Jockette - I told my husband today.. it's hard not to want to do it all at once or jump right into a full routine.. but I can't. Like you I am very sensitive hence trouble with pain control, meds, healing, etc., so I only took one bath and massaged early afternoon today. And my massage tonight was just to rub some pain cream into my thigh. So I'm not going to overdo!!! But thank you for caring enough to post the warning about overdoing! Most of today has been laying around and elevating! I'm so grateful to have two days to do this.

 

[Robinmhs88]

Thanks for this. I do massage but I really need help moving my knee cap, it is stuck on the left. I want to call my PT from after MUA but I only want him to help me move my knee cap no therapy. My knee is working all day it doesn’t need hard exercises after work
Hope you rest well

 

[funkymuse]

So I just had to stop in and vent! I just saw my surgeons' assistant for my 3 week post op and here's what she wrote on my visit notes: I have underlined the parts I feel are outragous and are meant to scare me.
I am still quite swollen within the knee capsule and my muscles feel like cement; and even though they have settled down quite a bit, I still have quite a bit of pain in my quads and IT Band which makes me so grateful for the Tramadol as it settles it down so I can work. I can't believe that once again they expect me to have full range of motion in 4 weeks. It's absolutely insane. And to say that I will be permanently impaired really hits me in the gut in a bad way. AND to expect me to try and push through the stiffness? WHAT?!!! This is the very why people scream and cry and bite pillows in aggressive therapy right? Oh my gosh! How dare they be so mean and thoughtless!

I'm glad to hear you are going to be returning to therapy. Aggressive PT is absolutely necessary at this time to get your knee moving. If we do not regain your motion soon, you will be permanently impaired. You will likely experience discomfort following therapy as you are quite stiff and will need to be aggressive. Use ice or heat for pain and discomfort. You should take tylenol and ibuprofen for pain and swelling. I have refilled your tramadol and would like for you to taper down from it. It is Dr. Picco and your therapists recommendation that you speak with another provider regarding coping mechanisms for your pain as you are experiencing above average pain postoperatively that is interfering with your progression. Follow up with Dr. Picco in 4 weeks. At that time I anticipate you will have full range of motion if you participate fully with PT and do your home exercises diligently.