3 weeks post op

winge on as much as you like ,its the body s way of coping , ive had both knees done ,not together and i think all is going well ( i hope ) and back to work 12 weeks after the 2nd , its bloody hard going but you have had two opps both of which are tough , dont be hard on your self , your doing well , one knee is tough enough and does make you feel down but thats normal ,each day you will find some thing you couldnt do the day before ,its a long time to heal but 3 weeks is nothing , i have a friend who has had a knee done 5 weeks ago and is still on 2 crutches and not a lot of bend but it will come , so your not a failure at all but brave for having both done together dont be hard on your self ,

Kevin,  Ditto to what everyone else has said.  You've had 2 major surgeries and its a shock to your whole body.  Getting in the car is hard, I go "butt first", get my good leg in and use the handle of my cane to lift my hurt leg.  DON'T GIVE UP!  Everything is difficult at first but you will see improvement.  We've all been there!

Hi!

you are certainlly not a whinger! I had my TKR in October last year and I'm only just starting to have a normal day and I'm now able to sleep at night! You've had two major ops and you will need to  take it slowly, take the meds, ice etc and keep trying to do the exercises and eventually you will recover. Everyone around you must learn to be patient as it's a bit of a long haul to recovery but worth the wait! Take care.

 

H.i Kevin. Welcome to the club!  Three weeks is a horrible time . . no sleep, permanent pain, brain usually feels a bit woozy . . no energy . . worry that you're not going to achieve what 's expected of you . .So, start being a bit kinder to yourself. .sleep when you can, try to do some exercis'te every day, .es, take DECENT painkillers (this is very important!)  Getting into a car is difficult. I'm lucky that I can push the seat way back, so donhave to bend my leg too much, but it's still tricky.  Provided you don't just give up and do nothing, you will get there in the end.  I was very slow starting. At three weeks, I could hardly walk at all, very little bend . . etc.  but now at thirteen weeks I can walk 2 -3 kms a day, my leg is nerly straight (still got to work on that) and the bend is not marvellous, but at 110 I can go up and down stairs and do pretty well what I want.  i would like a bit more, and wish I had worked at it a bit harder at the beginning. . . so push yourself just a little bit, but not so that you are in agony . . it doesn't help!  all the best, keep in touch with the forum!

 

Hi Kevin - be kind and patient to yourself! Two ops at once, that's a big shock to your body! I had a rt THR nearly two years ago and to be honest it was a much milder experience than the TKR i had this January. The latter was infinitely more painful and needed intensive physio and omg all those excercises! So knees need much more time and care.....but it will come in time.

Kevin, you deserve a medal, two ops at once.... I am 5 weeks right knee post op  had my medication changed this week to naproxen one morning and evening, this took all the swelling and heat out of my leg and I feel so much  better.   I couldn't bend my knee because it was so swollen but now can sit at the dining table or computer desk with no problem.  Straightening the leg is another matter, still trying all the time to do this...it will come.

Sleep is the worst thing we all suffer, no one tells you this when you are offered the op.  I have tried breathing exercises, lavender on my pillow helps.  A relaxing shower before bed is good too.

Try not to be down on yourself, this is also a post op happening, a good cry helps!!!  Your wife should read all the posts, they tell all the world the ups and downs of the op and prove to us all...we will not give in or give up.

This is my 2nd knee, left knee done 7 years ago with no problems.

Hazel.75...felt 95 until the change this week!!!!!!!!

 

Firstly...well done for getting on the forum.  I wish that I had done the same when I had my first knee done 2 years ago.  You think that it's only yourself struggling when you don't know anyone else who's had the operation...and everyone: friends, family, work, etc get bored asking you how you are after a while.

You've had a double whammy, and it's very early days.  Be proud of little achievements - you will notice changes day by day.  You are also very lucky to have a spouse for support.

Keep on with what exercises you can manage, use a pillow and memory foam mattress topper in bed and push the seat right back in the car.

it will get better.

Patsy

1st TKR Dec 2012 2nd TKR Sept 2014

Oh Kevin, week 3 is still recent enough for me to remember how horrid it is (I'm 5 weeks post right TKR). You are so brave to have both surgeries done at the same time!

The best I can say is take each day, be it good or bad, one at a time. A bad day today doesn't necessarily mean a bad day tomorrow. You definitely need to make sure you get plenty of rest, especially if you're struggling to sleep at night.

When we are referred for surgery, they don't tell us about the emotional turmoil it can cause.

Please be kind to yourself, and don't beat yourself up, everyone's surgery and recovery is different xxx

Kevin, you're a star! Anyone who takes on 2 major op's at once, is either nuts or a hero, and you certainly don't sound nuts. I'm 9 weeks post op and remember so clearly that during weeks 2 and 3 I felt really, really down, even though physically, I was doing so well! My crutches were gone, no stick, sleeping well, very little pain, good appetite - nothing to complain about. But I just couldn't motivate myself, and couldn't understand why. You're certainly not alone, and don't you dare think of yourself as a whinger. You've had major surgery!

Is it possible to sit across the back seat of your car, so you don't have to bend the leg too much? Unless, of course, you're driving yourself, which is not only nuts, but very naughty as well. One thing you have to learn, Kevin, at this time, you have to be kind to yourself and try not to worry about other people. It's ONLY 3 WEEKS! so how could you be letting anyone down?

Chin up, mate, you've got a brand new knee AND hip! What could be better than that?

Take care, and know that we're all thinking of you.

Denise from Oz