2 months post op 2nd TKR..... scared something is wrong.
Posted , 5 users are following.
Hi All,
So had first TKR left October 2018 first knee is awesome! Feels great! 2nd knee done Jan 2, 2019. I am 2 months post op. Surgeon wants to release me back to work the end of March. I work in a hospital 12 hr shifts 3 days in a row. My appointment for follow-up is March 19th. I called today for an earlier appointment because it feels so unnatural, pushing metal and especially on the side of the knee I feel something circular like the size of a quarter pushing. My bends are good but it's this pain that I'm having that is worrying me. I want and need to go back to work as scheduled but I'm just afraid something is wrong with this knee. Also, my other knee healed so nicely and I didnt have these issues with the first one. I know I shouldnt compare but I kinda am. Anyone with advice or had this as well??
Melissa
0 likes, 9 replies
jenny61596 melissa34582
Posted
Get it checked out doesnt sound right and you have had one so know what it is like .
melissa34582 jenny61596
Posted
Hi Jenny, yea I have an appointment Tues. I feel somethings not right too. We will see but at this point I don't think I can do my whole workweek the way it feels now. Im requesting xrays to check it.
jenny61596 melissa34582
Posted
Good , let us know the verdict , good luck
brent77382 melissa34582
Posted
Hi Melissa, 2 months isnt enough healing time especially if your going to be on your feet on 12 hr shifts at work.The surgeon on the follow up will know what going on with your knee,it may well be healing slower than the first one.Im 3.5 months post op on my second TkR Ive been back at work two weeks now 4x12 hrs then 6 off its different with both knees done,hopefully it will get easier.My second TKR is squelching above the knee as if theres fluid there but its not bothering me and it wasnt there on the first knee TKR just sounds weird when you first stand up .
melissa34582 brent77382
Posted
Hey Brent, that's what I was thinking, it's too early. I feel like the first knee is great and healed easily with no problems. I'm just worried somethings wrong, as wrote above it's unnatural and metally feeling and feels like somethings pushing.I also can't lay on that side because the knee won't tolerate it and have to sleep on opposite side on a pillow. Glad you're back to work now! How's that been going? You work long hours too. Let me know! Melissa
brent77382 melissa34582
Posted
Melissa,my first TKR was done August 2017 and after 3months recovery and physio the knee is fantastic,its still feels stiff especially first thing and yes its feels what it is metal/plastic but it still so much better than the crippling arthritis pain i was suffering,my second TKR again feels really good still early days 3.5 months but very positive.work was so tiring first few days even on my phased return on 6 hr shifts but every shift is getting easier, im also playing my golf 3 times a week ,walking the dog doing around 5-7 miles a day on my days off with no problems,the knee getting stronger and i've found my weight is also coming down nicely too now im mobile and this will also aid the knees.Its an awful brutal operation and the recovery is so tough,the first six weeks of sleepless nights,total discomfort and fighting off depression is something i will never forget,but my knees work and its great im maybe one of the lucky ones,but remember most people who come on this site are having knee problems the thousands and thousands who have had successful ops you won't here from.stay positive melissa everything will come good .
melissa34582
Posted
Hey again, sounds like you're doing really good! I hope your work days get easier too! I can relate to the exhaustion. I have been doing stuff around the house now and I'm just not like I used to be. I used to get everything done in one day clean, laundry and shopping now, I'm lucky if I can get anything completed. Which like you said brings on the depression. I have been out of commision since Oct so I'm pretty done with the whole process. Which now I seem to be having unanticipated pain that has kicked in the depression and frustration. I just want to be back to normal. Well at least be able to live my life to a portion of the way I used to. My GP has given me Ambien which helps me sleep, that's been so helpful. Overall, I have faith it will all be ok. Maybe just a bit longer than I thought. Keep improving and take care!
Melissa
CHICO_MARX melissa34582
Posted
"Running the halls" in 12-hour shifts 90 days after a knee replacement? Really? Uh...no...just, no. Impossible? No. There have been some remarkable stories on here. Unlikely? Yes...especially with your job. My wife was a psych nurse in mental hospitals for 30 years and did those shifts. Her description, which terrifies me, will go into her memoir.
Most people are back at work in the 4-6 month range but a lot depends on the type of job they do. Even those with desk jobs who try to return at three months report swelling, pain, sleepless nights...and then they have to wake up and do it again. That's why 4-6 is a more likely and successful time frame. Doing 12-hour shifts three days in a row with a 90-day knee is highly unlikely. I would think you will need more time to: 1. get your ROM back; and 2. rebuild your dead quads, glutes and core. Unless you are a miraculous case (like we all wish we were), you need to seriously think about this. ROM usually takes 8-12 weeks and the subsequent muscle rebuild is a multi-month endeavor. You need all that strength back...big time.
I wish you well...
melissa34582 CHICO_MARX
Posted
Thanks! I'm really questioning my return date as well. I'm just not ready yet. I see my surgeon again soon and will reevaluate. At this time, I am just starting to do shopping and housework on my own and those things don't consist of 12 hr shifts. Believe me I been thinking how am I gonna do it??? there are nights that we don't sit at all and have to skip lunch due to patient load. I just wish the 2nd knee healed as nicely as the first because then I would have no problem it's good! Thanks and take care.
Melissa