1. Community
  2. Bones, joints and muscles
  3. Knee Problems

Help please!

Posted , 18 users are following.

hilary18612
hilary18612

it is almost 4 weeks since I had my op for TKR and I am feeling miserable!  Sick of all the pain, nausea from medication, and now lack of appetite. I've even gone off tea and coffee. Am now drinking hot water and lemon. Nobody told me how tough things would be after operation. I'm trying to do all the exercises etc. Feeling very down and tearful. Can anybody help me please?

2 likes, 40 replies

40 Replies

Next
  • petemorris
    petemorris hilary18612

    Posted

    It's a very familliar pattern Hilary...Just about everyone who has it done goes through it....Not to mention the not being able to sleep...Have you got that issue too?...I kept a web blog about my experience of having it done...It's still 'live' on the web, but for some reason I can't figure, I'm not allowed to post publically on here...It might do you good to read it, because if nothing else, it would make you feel that you're not the only person on the planet going through it...Just keep plodding on and take it day by day.

    I'm you want to read the blog, private message me, and I'll send you the link via private message.

    • hilary18612
      hilary18612 petemorris

      Posted

      Thanks so much for your reply. I'm beginning to realise that there are many others going through the same thing!  I will try and be patient   

      Don't know if I would have gone through it all if I'd known about all the pain in advance!

    • petemorris
      petemorris hilary18612

      Posted

      Well in fairness they 'did' tell me it was going to hurt.  But the problem is, you really don't comprehend what they tell you, and it's obviously pain like nothing else you've experienced before.  So you don't really have a grasp on what they actually mean!
    • Jillystev3012
      Jillystev3012 hilary18612

      Posted

      Hi Hilary,

      I do think you underestimate the type/amount and duration of the pain anyway so even if you had known you would have never been prepared. I am a registered nurse and i work on the ward on which i had the surgery so i was aware of the pain but even so, i wasn't prepared for it because i thought i was quite god with pain. How wrong i was! I am almost 4 weeks post TKR like you (24 days to be exact) and I have been feeling exactly the same as you, some days are better than others. All i can say is, we have to think of the long term result and keep focused on that. We have to think that everything we do today is for the long term good, i.e going thro the exercise pain, sleepless nights, walking pain etc. Don't look for changes day to day, compare yourself from week to week, as the improvements are so minimal you don't actually see them, but they are there! Do as much as you can exercise wise, but be kind to yourself and listen to your body. Everyone heals at different rates so don't compare your recovery to anyone else's!

      If your medication is making you feel nauseous you must go to the docs and get your medication changed. If they're making you feel nauseous so you cannot eat, that's not good as you need good nutrition to heal. Hang on in there Hilary, we'll get there. I know what you mean tho' you think you'll never be normal again don't you, but we will!!

    • terri59470
      terri59470 petemorris

      Posted

      My goodness! I read your blog a year ago, before my first TKR, and really appreciated the insight it gave me - it allowed me to set my expectations and not be too surprised by anything! I'm now a TKR veteran, with 2 under my belt, but still go back and read your blog from time to time.

      How are you doing these days?

  • jannette1
    jannette1 hilary18612

    Posted

    Oh dear, I've been exactly the same as you, I am now nearly 8weeks post tkr surgery and the last 3 days I have finally felt a lot better. Last week I went to doctor as I couldn't stand it any longer, he has changed my medications and I feel so much better, also I had a urine infection so I am now on antibiotics. I still have pain and stiffness in knee but the pain is not so bad. The nausea has gone and I have just got my appetite back. Please go to your doctor and he may change your medication too. Try to rest as much as possible, ice and try to raise your legs above heart to help with swelling. Try to keep up with exercises but don't push yourself. My doctor said you have had major surgery and you cannot rush your recovery, just go with it and be kind to yourself. I hope this helps. I too didn't realise how bad the recovery would be, I've never experienced anything like this. Hope this helps best wishes Jannette
    • hilary18612
      hilary18612 jannette1

      Posted

      hi Janette. Thanks for replying. I'm on Tramadol, Vimovo and Paracetamol and fine that Tramadol is the only one that works even though it is the strongest one and inclined to make me feel very nauseous!  It seems to a long haul - I've had other operations but this us absolutely the worst ever!

      i will try to take it a day at a time. Yesterday I hit Rock bottom with it all. Each day seems to be a struggle. Physio today - my second session and it's painful too.  Trying so hard to be positive 

  • glynis85376
    glynis85376 hilary18612

    Posted

    Hi Hilary, its only 4 wks gone Wednesday since my tkr and I am feeling exactly the same as yourself.

    My surgeon did explain to me that recovery would take a long time and that I would be in extreme pain.

    Don't be surprised if you have days where all you want to do is cry, I have had a few days when I went into total meltdown.

    It's a natural reaction, after all we have just had major surgery.

    Today I feel I have gone backwards, I have more pain today than yesterday but if you read other posts on here you will see others have been exactly the same.

    Try to do what Jannette1 said about rest, ice and elevation it does help a lot.

    I'm in County Durham UK

    Keep in touch and let me know how you get on xx

    • hilary18612
      hilary18612 glynis85376

      Posted

      Hi Glynis, thanks for your reply. I'm now 6 weeks post op TKR  and still having bad days. Will this pain ever end!! I would so love a proper nights sleep. I'm so fed up taking all the painkillers   I know many others  are going through the same agony. I wasn't told beforehand how tough it would be post op. Still taking tramadol and paracetamol and going to my ohysio sessions.   Fed up!!!!
  • jannette1
    jannette1 hilary18612

    Posted

    Hi Hilary, my doctor has given me a BuTrans 5 patch, which I have to change once a week, then I am on codeine and paracetamol every 4 hours plus Etadalac once a day I have to take them with or after food. . I have been on them 3 days now and I feel so much better in myself because the nausea has stopped and my appetite has come back a bit. I would definitely go back to doctor, I just carried on and when I went for 6 week check up I was told some of my symptoms were probably due to medication and he was right. I feel my pain is under control a bit better too. Just wish I could sleep at night but hopefully that will come. Hope this helps Jannette
  • cheryl90571
    cheryl90571 hilary18612

    Posted

    Hi Hilary!

    I, too, was surprised at how recovery from my TKR surgery was so intense!

    It was SO MUCH MORE involved than other surgeries I had experienced! ( From 1981 to 1988 I had two C-sections and a Myomectomy, which is surgical removal of a fibroid.) With all three of THOSE surgeries I was up walking by evening, and making dinner in a couple days for the family as well as with two of them also caring for a newborn. I thought abdominal surgery was rough and I handled it. Knee surgery...it probably is not nearly as rough.

    I was WRONG!

    As you have found, a TKR is quite a rough surgery. From what I have heard ( after the fact, of course!), it is an EXTREMELY brutal surgery with lots of pounding and sawing and cutting . There is a lot to be done to literally REPLACE the knee!

    To be honest, I had had so much pain for so long, I was EAGER to have the surgery. I was NOT prepared, however, for a leg that felt like a tree trunk filled with CEMENT. I was NOT prepared for being unable to even lift my leg an inch that first day at Physical Therapy. I certainly was NOT prepared for the two drains, the nerve block, and the THREE PEOPLE who needed to help me and my like of IV fluids to the bathroom every half hour for the three days I was in the hospital!

    All I cared about was getting rid of my KNEE PAIN! I wasn't ready for all that the surgery brought with it!

    Once the shock started to wear off, I realized that I had MUCH MORE work to do with THIS surgery. Thankfully the nurses and aides were so very helpful, and each day got a bit easier. I was discharged after three days, and through prayer, journaling, and those frequent potty trips, I began to feel more human. I tried to move as much as possible, drink lots of ICE water to keep hydrated and wash out toxins from the anesthesia and the medication, do my exercises, and eat well. I got off the Hydrocodone after two weeks because it made me feel loopy. I used a belt to help me move my leg on and off the bed. I was getting faster at getting to the bathroom. Things were getting better. My leg was feeling a bit less heavy. What I DID notice was the PAIN I had felt for so long in my knee was GONE! ( Of course I still had DIFFERENT pain from surgery, but at least that awful knee pain was gone that I had experienced in increasing amounts for many years.)

    At about six weeks things got much better. Nine weeks was a big milestone, too. Physical therapy helped TREMENDOUSLY because feeling stronger made me feel more positive about my recovery and more willing to KEEP working at everything.

    Well, four months later, I did it all AGAIN! I had my second TKR! I was pleasantly surprised that it went a lot easier for some reason . Maybe my body was stronger. Maybe I knew what to expect. Maybe one leg just is more of a bugger than the other one. I don't know. What I DO KNOW is I am REALLY glad I had both surgeries!

    You are still very early in the recovery process. Your body, not to mention your KNEE, has been through a great trauma! My best advice is to appreciate each new thing you can do that you couldn't do on that first day. Praise yourself for having the courage to DO THIS! Rest, eat well, drink lots of water, do your exercises, and above all, STAY POSITIVE!

    Being positive helps your endorphins to form. Endorphins help manage pain. You feel better, so you want to DO better.

    Each week gets easier. Be patient with yourself. You will turn the corner in all of this VERY soon.

    Sending prayers of strength to you today!

    • jodie_63346
      jodie_63346 cheryl90571

      Posted

      Hi Cheryl it's jodie

      You give the most positive and up lifting advice. Don't leave this forum as people like me and so many others need to hear your words. Thank you xxx

    • cheryl90571
      cheryl90571 jodie_63346

      Posted

      Awwww! Thanks so much, Jodie!

      I found this site after my first TKR. I was blown away by having so many people from all over the world who had experienced knee replacements and actually KNEW FIRSTHAND what I was going through and could not only support me but have awesome advice that would help me deal with my recovery.

      I was helped SO MUCH by so many people here and hoped that I could be of help to others, too. Thank you for letting me know that I have made a difference!

      Wishing you much success as you feel better and stronger each day!

    • luz301
      luz301 cheryl90571

      Posted

      Wow...thanks did my surgery 1/28 in pain....is brutal....but I know that brighter days are coming.....your words...gave me hope...this pain is temporary.....
    • cheryl90571
      cheryl90571 luz301

      Posted

      Glad to have helped! 😊

      Yes, you will feel pretty much like you have been bit by a semi, but each day will bring more strength, each day will get you one step closer to feeling better than you have in a long time.

      Be patient, eat well, get moving, ice, elevate, take your pain meds, and just watch yourself getting stronger!

Back to top
Next

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.