10 weeks in feel so depressed.
Posted , 12 users are following.
l am 10/11 weeks post TKR. l feel so low my pain is more than ever. Have excellent ROM but my physio says because l have a knocked knee my muscles and tendons have to get used to the straight knee. My knee feels very painful and sometimes unstable.
l am finding it really painful to drive which of course makes me feel even worse as l cannot get out. l can walk less now than 5 weeks ago.
l am normally a very positive person but right now l cannot see the wood from the trees and feel totally depressed.
My only pain relief is Panadol as all other drugs cannot be continued.
Has anyone else felt this bad and survived this awful op to which at the moment l wish with all my heart l had not had. Lots of tears all the time.
0 likes, 23 replies
Wrightingtonmz Oldsworth
Posted
hi im sorry to hear this x it will get better in time x i use ice at least three times a day to get the e swelling down whicu is prob causibg your pain x keep it bending as much as possible too x
sue58335 Oldsworth
Posted
Hi. I am only 2.5 weeks post op, however after reading this forum i feel a lot better knowing its not only me that thinks things arent going to get any better. After reading these post i have realised that i was pushing myself far too much at the beginning and i am not pushing the excercises over and above anymore.I am still excercising 3 times a day, each time i take pain killers half an hour before and put a cool pad on my knee after each set of excercises. i find this really does help and now my swelling has stsrted to reduce. I feel your pain and i now realise my recovery is going to be slow but i do feel a bit better in myself now i am not overdoing the excercises. Keep going i feel we will get there x
sue58335 Oldsworth
Posted
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RLH04038 Oldsworth
Posted
I can certainly sympathize! I felt good from weeks 3-6/7 , but tendons and the nerve pain took over. Lots of tears and dissapointment on my end during the process. Many days I have had more pain than prior to the surgery , which is very depressing. I did receive a treatment called " dry needling" that is a combination of accupuncture with electrodes attached. They turn the current up to stimulate and activate the muscles. Somewhat painful, but well worth it. Physical manipulation by the PT was more successful after as well. I am fortunate to have had my left knee replaced which makes driving Ok. Hope you find relief soon!
Oldsworth RLH04038
Posted
Thank you. How many weeks are you know. Have you gone back to work.
Wrightingtonmz Oldsworth
Posted
hi x you have to remember that you just had major surgery x its gonna b time now to heal and hopefully pain free also try to think of the long term result rather than now x im eleven weeks post op left total knee but ive had partial knee done nearly one year before which failed x after this one i too thought i would never recover but it is literally diffrent as the weeks go by x i go back to work end september i hope x best of luck and keep icing it and moving it all the time x
RLH04038 Oldsworth
Posted
Not yet....I am supposed to return at the beginning of September. I am going to ask for a two week extension from my employer. I feel that I need to improve my balance and stamina.
martha08360 Oldsworth
Posted
Oh, you are not alone , I also wish I had never had it done!!!! and Im 18 months po.
Oldsworth martha08360
Posted
Do you have a lot of pain still. Can you walk very far.
karen14697 Oldsworth
Posted
IT WILL GET BETTER! I know it seems dark today but push through each day. I am 12 weeks post op on left knee, I have a hit tub that i get in then follow the heat with ice. I still have burning on the left side but I am hoping for pain free soon! Hang in there, you are not alone
Oldsworth karen14697
Posted
Thank you. Anything positive helps. Good luck to you also.
sarah87162 Oldsworth
Posted
I had TKR in 2002.
It is a long road to recovery.
Yes it was very painful but at no point did I wish I had not had the operation.
Now my knee is not perfect (it never will be) but it is considerably better than it was before TKR.
It is still very early days for you, hang in there and do not give up.
Do take care and keep in touch.
Sarah
Oldsworth sarah87162
Posted
Thank you. Perhaps the surgeons might give us a more realistic time line. My surgeon said l would be back to work in 6 weeks. l can cope if l know exactly what l am dealing with.
Thank you once again.
CHICO_MARX Oldsworth
Posted
Post-Operative Depression is extremely common in patients who have had an original part of them replaced. It's a sub-conscious mourning for the lost piece of original equipment. Once you know what it is, kick it out the door...
POD
The problem is that the docs don't tell you about it and you end up dealing with it anyway. POD can be exacerbated by unrealistic expectations about progress and time tables. Get those ideas out of your head. This is a year-long, very slow, very gradual recovery that is measured in months, not days or even weeks. Accept the reality of it and do the work, give the knee time and have patience.
Reality
Oldsworth CHICO_MARX
Posted
Thank you. l so helps to hear your comments.