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4 weeks and depressed

Posted , 15 users are following.

Nightfly
Nightfly

Everyone says I am doing so well but I don't see it. If I sleep and try to straighten my knee it feels like I am tearing my knee apart. I am wondering if the oxycodone is making me feel low. My main job should be getting better but I just feel so listless and what should be easy is hard. She

0 likes, 23 replies

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  • chrisa306driver
    chrisa306driver Nightfly

    Posted

    Not to worry. I am 7 1/2 weeks post op. I am off pain meds but still have sleeplessness. It gets better every day. Hang in there.
  • NZJENNI
    NZJENNI Nightfly

    Posted

    You have been to hell and back - it takes time to recover. Please be gentle on yourself smile

    Conentrate on the daily basics - ice, elevate, strengthening exercises as you can without hurting yourself. learn to binge watch TV shows to dull the monotony of the recovery anything that lets you rest and recouperate.

    I found sleeping on my side with a pillow under the op leg a huge help. That feeling when you wake because you have stretched the leg is awful but it will get better with time and care.

    All the very best.

  • tijim
    tijim Nightfly

    Posted

    Hi Nightfly .. my knee when I wake or even sit for awhile gives me grief I'm 4wks post op with my 2nd TKR.  I'm on a pretty strong dose of oxycontin and don't feel that it has made me feel low.  I'd think rather that you maybe suffering with depression which is normal for some after having a major operation.  Maybe you could speak to your dr about how your feeling and see together what you can come up with.

    It's a horrendouse operation and one that none of us are totally prepared, yes we're told we are going to be in pain etc... but until we suffer the pain we have no idea at how bad it's actually going to be and also that it can be their 24/7 and sometimes with no relief and no sleep.

    So suffering with a bout of depression/anxiety can be nomal.

    Take care and have a talk with your dr as he's your best friend at the moment along with large amounts or rest and ice!

    Cheers .. Tracey

    • frank75643
      frank75643 tijim

      Posted

      I am also 4 weeks out but this was my first time. I worked my butt off trying to get in shape for this and hopefully preparing myself for it both physically and mentally. But the reality is that I could not have imagined the pain that would be involved. I know it will get better eventually but until then it is difficult to be patient.

      The words from youself and others does help immensely. It is much appreciated for you all to share your experiences.

    • clive45466
      clive45466 frank75643

      Posted

      Hi Frank

      I agree with you only found this forum 10 weeks after my op. Thought I was the only one with so much pain and discomfort.

      Good healing

  • jen04209
    jen04209 Nightfly

    Posted

    Don't give up and be depressed. Time will take care of it. Try to find the small victories. Most people feel depressed at some point. Hang in there. We have all been through it to. You will make it.

  • philguud
    philguud Nightfly

    Posted

    We are going to see you through this difficult time in your recovery. There's nothing wrong with how you are feeling. We all have felt hopeless because we didn't see certain progress in our recovery. I haven't had a good night sleep in a long time so I sleep during the day and I don't feel bad about it. I don't have 100 degrees rom being 13 weeks post op. So! I have a low tolerance for pain and the full recovery for a total knee replacement is 12 to 18 months and I'm going to take every one of them to heal. Ain't no doctor ain't no therapist and anyone else going to tell me where I should be in my recovery. They can bark at the moon for all I care. Stop putting too much pressure on yourself and allow your body to heal. That unnecessary stress is in the way of your recovery. Think about good thoughts like what you're going to cook for thanksgiving, think about how much your family loves you these are the thoughts that are going to get you through.😄😄😄

  • Youngknee
    Youngknee Nightfly

    Posted

    Im 11 weeks post op and still have that problem it wakes me up in the middle of the night I just asked a question of if ppl were still taking pain meds. I still cant apply weight or walk unassisted. It has me worried as I read these forums and everyone states no meds walking with no assistance after 5-6 weeks.
    • CHICO_MARX
      CHICO_MARX Youngknee

      Posted

      Yes, some people have had that 5-6 week experience but I would think that's a minority.  I was just starting to titrate off the opioids at 12 weeks and onto ibuprophin.  Finished PT at 13-14 weeks so the Percocet helped with the "final push to zero" pain plus the sciatica I developed.  Voltaren Gel (RX) helped immensely at bedtime, especially with sleep.

      The thing is that you cannot compare yourself to anyone else.  Most people find that it takes 3-6 months to get past the worst of the pain and completely off the "hard stuff"...and you're still a week shy of the lower end of that timeline.  Then there are those that take even longer.  It's all very individual; you cannot set your expections by other people's experiences.  You are on your own journey...no one else's.

      Here are some tips for getting a better night's sleep...

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

      This isn't easy for anyone...well maybe a few.  One member was off the pills in 10 days and had a +115 ROM.  Really?  I was either unconscious or writhing in pain at that point.  Obviously people like that are made differently than almost all of us.

      Put your mind at ease...you will be past the worst of the crap pretty soon.  Focus on the work, not the pain.  Sleep as best you can for now...it does get better.

    • Tennessee
      Tennessee CHICO_MARX

      Posted

      Chico, Hi. I really like your post. They are so informative. I have a question, how long did your sciatica last?  That's my main issue at this time. I am 8 weeks post and the first knee I had done in April is the one that seems to hurt more when I walk.  My hip has some arther in it, osteo, bit my pain started in my lowere lumbar, really hurt, I mean crying pain and I have a pretty good tolerance, but now some time I get aches in my thighs also, Dr has started me on pt. scrapings and so. He said its from limping and it's my lower lumbar. I still think I concentrate heel toe when I walk. Using cane, which sometimes seems to make worse. I can really relate to depression, I know only temporary.  Using hydros sparingly when needed for hip pain. Can't use ansaids because of blood thinners, here I am again, talking too much.  Thank you.   Sandy

    • CHICO_MARX
      CHICO_MARX Tennessee

      Posted

      I think my sciatica started around 5 weeks p/o.  Lower back, through the hip and down the leg.  I believe the sciatic nerve exits the spinal column at L3/L4 and the spine itself at L4/L5.  Runs across the pelvis and down your leg.  The "sciatic knot" is a bundle of nerves in your glute; you can actually feel it and, as you do, you can sense the pain from there just radiating out...

      There can be a lot of causes of sciatic nerve pain and you can never really tell where it's coming from since it can go in a variety of directions...seems like back, hips and legs are all involved.  Takes a pro to diagnose the exact source and provide the correct treatment.

      My ortho told me to see a chiropractor since the PTs usually just pull on your leg to ease the pain.  They were NOT going to do that to my new knee!  I've had sciatic pain before and I knew my exact spot...SI joints, especially on the TKR side, were locked so the pelvis could not rotate forward and back.  Worst pain was sitting in/driving a car.  The angle was just perfect to cause max pain.  I've had 4 kidney stones and this was a lot of pain...

      Make sure you pick a chiropractor with hands-on TKR experience.  Mine was a more difficult search because I also have an artificial hip on the non-TKR side plus four fused vertebrae (L3 through S1).  Needed someone with a lot of "hardware" experience.

      Chiro 2x/week plus an extra session with the PT to help realign the hips and free up the SI joints.  Voltaren Gel really helps...and something called BioFreeze...really cold sensation.  Took almost 6 weeks but I got past it.  Not easy to be dealing with sciatica AND a TKR.  Chiro said that this is not uncommon in TKR patients as our bodies automatically compensate for the knee pain and throw the hips and back out of alignment.  One leg measures longer than the other not because of the TKR but because the hips are tilted off axis.  Some people immediately go and buy lifts for their shoes when it's really a chiropractic/PT fix to the pelvis that they need.

      This is all a complex work in progress...until it's not.  Hope this helps...

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