10 weeks post TKR pain after exercising difficulty sleeping

So you have now joined our club!

This is how it is until you get your pain relief sorted out.

Try sleeping more up right, and sleep when you need to, it's a long road ahead.

Im now near the end of 6 months and it's been hell on earth.

You have got to persevere with physio, cycling and swimming pool exercise, walking and going up and down the stairs without holding on.

Your Consultant is right in saying it could take upto a year, as mine said the same.

Im only now just back to working and playing a little tennis.

Had I known how it would be, I would have never ever have had it done.

Use your ice pack as often as you need, but remember to elevate higher than your hip to take down any swelling.

Your own Doctor can always give pain relief and if one is unsuitable, try another until you get on with them.

Best Wishes,

Sue

 

Oh dear - you do sound in a bad way! Side effects from pain relief can be very unsettling especially if they were fairly strong opiates and you sound like you've not had need of them much before.....you should have tried a few different types to see what suited you best.....or just tried some over the counter pain killers...you dont say where you are from, so can't suggest something you could buy but you may still need something to take / help before you exercise to take the edge off. I did take the opiates but they made me feel poorly too, so ended up with Co-Codamol (a mix of codeine and paracetamol) that I take for my spine issues  -  I would never have managed without them tbh.....I was far from fit and able when I had my TKR in December 2017 and expected it to be painful but no where near as bad as it turned out to be, Several times I wished I'd never elected to have it done but now - 8 months later I am so good - better than I've been for years....I can walk without a stick and can do stairs like a normal person (after 20 years). Having said that I am not sure I would have the other one done in my experience but never say never....you need to look up Chicos posts on here...he is so full of excellent advice - an ex hockey player who's had so much surgery - and he really knows how to deal with TKR post-op.....look him up.....best advice ever.....

Good luck and try not to be so despondent - it should all come right very soon, assuming all is ok with your surgery and you have no infection.....!

Hi climber,

I understand how you feel. I am two years post bilateral tkr and my knees are great. As you are seeing, it takes a lot to get through it. Keep doing your exercises and it will get better. It took me up to a full 14 Months to be back. The swimming pool was a game changer for me. I walked in there and exercised In there as often as possible. The first few weeks are the worst. The time will come when you can sleep through the night and you don’t have to take any pain killers.  

One thing that helped me sleep was to ice my knees right before I went to bed and when I woke up I the night. It helped me get back to sleep. 

To me, looking back, doing my exercises and icing and elevating really helped. After 2 months they said I could get to the pool and it really helped. Keep hanging in there and the discouragement will come and go— you can overcome this. Stay strong.

so sorry to hear this climber.  I am 7 months po and am still hurting like hell.  I have appt in September with another ortho for a second opinion.  I had my surgery at a teaching hospital here in NC, and when I read my surgical notes, found out that the resident did my surgery.  Big Mistake...... I hired the attending physician to do my surgery.  Can't wait for my second opinion..  Take care and good luck.

Hi Climber I do hope you feel better soon I can  definitely  understand how you feel I think we all do the pain is the worst ever I was stupid to think once the new knee was in I would be fine what a joke my consultant would not believe me that I was in so much pain he said you just have a very low pain  threshold  I said my knee is not right as as for pain I had 2  natural child births I’m happy to have another 10 but all he gave me was 2 paracetamol and  codeine joke I also said I think it’s infected no it’s fine and yes it was have ended up with a nasty abscess that has been packed 3 times a week for the last 6wks I have now dropped him and I’m now waiting for a new one my knee locks and clicks but I do my exercises daily try to work through the pain but some days it’s hard I get fed up with crying when I’m on my own but I try to keep positive as the only way is up as for having the 2nd knee done it’s on hold until end of next yr as long as I can cope 

Your doc is completely right about this taking a year.  That is the most typical time frame; people report "starting to feel more like themselves" around 9 months and then dance at their one year anniversary party.  You still have a long way to go.

First, concentrate on the PT to get your ROM back and then the exercise program to rebuild your dead quads, glutes and core.  You will need all that musculature to take the pressure off the knee, walk correctly, regain your balance and do stairs normally again.  This all takes a lot of time and work.  It's done gradually since you cannot push a knee like you can a hip or shoulder.  Your recovery is controlled by the knee...give up everything you've got stuffed in your head.  Irrelevant.

Here's some ROM work...#3 will get you to zero straight...

https://patient.info/forums/discuss/tkr-rom-work-at-home-620053

Then the muscle rebuild...

https://patient.info/forums/discuss/post-tkr-exercising-565527

And finally stairs...

https://patient.info/forums/discuss/mastering-post-tkr-stairs-552728

Here are some ideas on sleep...

https://patient.info/forums/discuss/trouble-sleeping-post-tkr--539591

Finally, post this on your fridge...

https://patient.info/forums/discuss/the-reality-of-a-tkr-recovery-in-one-picture-626038

...and don't forget your oars for the boat part.

PS: We had a guy on here almost two years ago who discounted everything everyone said.  His last post was that he was going back to mountain climbing that weekend...13-weeks post-op.  We never heard from him again, We all figured they found his body with a metal detector because of the knee.  Just sayin'...