1 Week Post Op Pain after TKR

Hi there, sorry to hear youre going through the mill somewhat.

I get SO frustrated when GP's try and limit the amount of pills they are giving to TKR pateints - I pretty much guarantee that your Doctor hasnt gone through this surgery, and if they did they would have rather a different attitude! Its not possible to say how long you should be on the strong stuff for, except to say that as long as the pain warrants it, you should take them - religiously! As youve found out the hard way, one the pain gets its teeth into you its very difficult to get rid of it. Ice certainly helps, so does elevation, and as the weeks pass by youll find that rather than causing pain, some of the stretches actually RELIEVE the pain - thats a little way down the road for you yet though. 

I really do count my blessings that Ive got such an amazing GP, and that Ive built such a good relationship with her - unfortunatley Ive got something going on with the first TKR I had 14 months ago, and Im now having to take Morphine in both slow-reief capsule and liquid form, and we're working together to get the doasge right just to get me through until I get some more answers from my Surgical team.. If the Doctor you regularly see is being resistent to your needs, is there another Doctor in the Practice you could talk to? I only ever took the oxy tablets whilst I was still in Hosptial but 2 every 4 hours sounds like a reasonable regime. 

Maybe a trip to the GP practice wouldnt do any harm, then they can see just how much pain youre dealing with and be a little more accommodating. 

Good luck with your recovery, and come on here and talk to us whenever you want.

Terri - Right TKR 14 months, Left TKR 6 1/2 months.

Feel sorry for you like many more on here will and yes the pain is as you say EXCRUCIATING, hang in there it will get better for you.

Do you find that the pain is worst in bed ?

PS  Can you tell us how old you are please ?

OH, I hear you loud and clear. I was on the hydromopphine for over a week, almost two. It was driving me nuts head wise. I wanted to sleep every sec.  Sent hubby to pharmacy and he suggested that I get off them, go back to tramacet that I was on before, for one time a day and take Tylenol arthritis. It's doing very little for the pain. I had a terrible night last night. I'm off to physio in 30 min or so. I know it will get better so I will bide my time. Good luck to us all.

Thanks for all the advice. I am 31 with 2 small children and I had a tumor disease that caused really advanced arthritis in my knee which is why I had this surgery so young. I hurt for older patients that have to have this done and aren't in as good shape as I would say I am in. It must be really hard. I live in the US so I don't know if laws are different in other countries? But I know that abusers have really made it difficult for patients with true pain to get the meds they really need. I find that pain is much worse at night laying in bed! So hard to get comfortable! Also standing up on one place for longer than 30 seconds I physically feel a rush of pressure gravitate into my knee that is very painful like my stitches are going to burst! I'm doing physio 3 times a week working on range of motion. I had very little before so all my muscles are extremely hard and tight from not working in almost 2 years.

Dear Mr Parker, I am 72 and live in Wales UK, I had my opp on the 29/03/16 and I am pain free but must be honest I do get a little tired, but then again I am out and about in our garden which has a 1/4 of an acre, but feeling good.I asked your age cause a lot of the folke that have had the TKR are aged like me or younger, but anyhow, let me tell you how I managed to sleep.

I have posted this a few times but have not found a person young enought to try out the following because they would not get up from the floor.

If you have carpets in your home place a folded duvet in half to use as a cushion for your body on the floor, place a few pillowos each side of the duvet in case you need them and get on it and go to sleep without pain, OH place a chair or stool or other next to you in case you need to get up, you can use it to lift yourself up.

On the floor the body does not bend hence not much pain or none.

The floor is allway recomended with people who suffer with back problems.

Get well soon and hope it works for you, let me know if you try it and if it was succesful.

Good Luck

I for one, hear you loud and clear. To address your specific question as to whether it is “normal to be off pain meds 2 weeks after a tkr?”, the answer is No, although they do try to wean you away from them as soon as possible. You sound like you may be in the U.S. where, after prescribing opioid drugs freely for years, the medical establishment is now starting to panic and slam the door shut because of so much addiction. Unfortunately legitimate users are being caught up in these restrictions and rationed out these pills as well, which can cause considerable anxiety for patients because these seem to be the only thing which really works to relieve the level of pain experienced early on PO for surgeries like this (and people heal at individual rates, so “early on” varies individually). As you say, these meds make the difference between pain which is not tolerable for the average person and reducing it to "manageable", which is all we are asking. Having said that, you also need to follow the other therapeutic regimens--elevating your leg, icing frequently, staying hydrated and resting/sleeping as much as possible [don't expect to accomplish anything else].

I am just 4 weeks post op for a partial KR, which my PT says she believes is every bit as painful as a TKR, although it may not last as long. I was also trying to “spread” out my prescriptions of oxicodone when I was running low, taking 1 with multiples of Tylenol and Ibuprofen, or splitting them into halves for other experiments, none of which you want to be concerned about at the early painful stages. If the doctors would just be straight with patients in the beginning and be honest about possible levels of pain, range of individual healing, and how pain can (will) be managed, patients would not get so stressed out, which is not conducive to healing either. But these days the patient should definitely ask ahead of time if the pain meds can be renewed if needed; then hold the physician to what is said.

I think (hope) I am just starting to turn the corner (when knee and brain are not obsessed with “will this ever be right again”), thanks in large part I believe to my first quality PT out-patient session with a caring professional woman who was generous with time and TLC (maybe she could detect that depressive “will this ever end” frame of mind). With luck and diligence, sanity and health will prevail!

Hi Jparker!

I had a similar experience!

Apparently narcotics are VERY CAREFULLY doled out due to dependency/ addiction that can occur.

After the first two weeks when I was done with the blood thinner shots, I didn't have enough Oxycodone to take the two pills that I was prescribed in the hospital because my surgeon had written a script for just one every four hours. One did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to help my pain!

I decided THE HECK WITH THIS and took my Ibuprofen I had been taking prior to surgery to help my osteoarthritic pain.

I was very pleasantly surprised to find that the Ibuprofen not only helped my pain but ALSO did a much better job with my swelling!

Sometimes I think we think that prescription medication is KEY to our pain management. For me, I was VERY PLEASED that my good ol' Ibuprofen was my BEST FRIEND once again!

Maybe this will work for you, too!

I am a year and one month from having my left knee replaced. For the first month I was on Oxycodone, every 5 hours, as needed.  Pain meds and I don't get along, but this was better than the pain. I also took ginger for any nausea caused by the Oxycodone.  When I started PT, I asked to be switched to something else, so I was given Tramadol, one 50mg tablet every 6 hours, as needed for pain. I finally switched to Advil at 3 months po. You will need some kind of pain med, when you start physical therapy or you won't be able to get through it. Knee replacement is a bear of an operation. If you go to Youtube and watch some of the video of knee replacement surgeries, it's no wonder. It will be at least a year before you get back to normal. You should feel much better about the 3 month mark. I really wasn't prepaired for all that goes with TKR, like the pain, stiffness, sleeplessness, swelling, depression, one step forward two back...there will be good days and bad. But we all manage to get through it. Ice is your friend...elevate your leg and ice it, 15-20 minutes a day, 3X's a day minimum. Once your staples/stitches are out and the incision is completly healed, start massaging the scar. This will help break up any scar tissue and help when it comes to bending. Use something like Bio-Oil, Palmer's Skin Therapy Oil, coconut oil, Vitamin E Oil. It will hurt at first but it will feel a lot better. You can also move the knee cap up, down and side to side. This sounds yucky but it helps a lot!!! Remember ice, elevate and massage. You will get through this, we all have. Good luck and don't forget 10 days is early in your recovery.

Feel better.  Try to extend the time you take your pills.  There will be pain.  It's a painful procedure,  I didn't take any pain Meds today 10 dpo. I had some pain but nothing I could handle.  Try to onlynusenthe oxy when absolutely necessary. 

Hi I hope your not over doing things. Please take a day at a time.regards Amanda

short anawer no 6 8 weeks for most people dont cry at the doctors just tell you need them and dont take no s--t from him this can be very painfull