5 weeks post TKR and feeling quite low

Ok and Hi

my message is to keep on regardless

sounds like your doing well .

You could Drive quickly after opp.

Think you need ( if brutal and Honest you have to forget POOR ME syndrone )

Your Surgeon needs to get on with the

Job No pussying around.!

i am lucky only minor discomfort .

But still i think about it every DAY.

You will ( Through my own experience ).

Go through various barriers and i

list

Walking need to give it time i noticed

i

could not manage walking with holding a Cup and saucer at all .

But things change along the passage

of Time .

To re cap i had my FULL COMPLETE

REPLACEMENT KNEE ON 2nd OCTOBER 18 and a new HIP

JOINT same Right Hand Side 11 Months Previous .

Put it all behind me as far as

i could . Go to Gym 5/6 Days a week

for 3 years and 3 weeks now 79 years

Old . my knee is like 26 !weeks old

on Sunday ( Yesterday ) Itried TENNIS

back at my Club to my supprize i played very well no problem on

Thursday i have 18 Holes on Golf

Course .

Would again say forget any Negs go for it keep up Gym type work and you

will get where you want to be ??

A reminder Alice in Wonderland !!

Cross Roads Alice Asked the Cat

which road do I take

Cat where do you want to go ???

Alice dont really Mind !

Cat - Then it dosent matter which Rd

you take!!

Make a plan and stick to it keep up

Fitness program watch Weight etc.

Regards JOHN

Hello. Johnboy7 you're awesome. Thanks for words of encouragement I needed that. I'm pushing through this as best as I can. I will continue to work out and looking forward to no pain.

Thanks Johnboy7 enjoy your day.

Thanks John! You’re absolutely right, the poor pitiful me, negative attitude certainly doesn’t help any. I feel like I am pushing along and very grateful for how far I’ve gotten in five weeks but I still was not prepared for a long, drawn out recovery & the pain that is associated with this. You just encouraged me to go and get on my stationary bike right now right after I’m done writing this. LOL Looking forward to the day that I no longer think about my knee. I have always worked out very avidly which is why or should I say how I injured my knee to begin with. I just turned 59 in the midst of this recovery, not over weight and have a full gym in my garage which I look forward to using again. ALSO Looking forward to walking again, walking the dog especially and she is looking forward to that too. THX

I was like that my 1st tkr. Depressed, scared to go out on my own. Going by this forum, 9 out of 10 people go through this for some reason. I had my 2nd knee done 7 weeks ago and it's been a totally different experience, thank God. As the weeks go past you'll feel better, physically and mentally. Try and look forward to the future and how painless it will be. Good luck

Thank you. I'm trying really hard to see the bright side of this. I'm nine weeks post tkr and I'm still having pain not as bad. I have to keep it moving. Enjoy your day.

Thank you for your reply when we all talk

we do get honest feed back.

I am fortunate at 79 now my knees and

hip were not to far gone that said xrays

did show how badly worn joints were this was also confirmed after the operations by my Surgeon .

But i therefore healed and moved quickly

there may be a case in the future for knees

to be sorted before they get really Bad.

I totaly agree that you do require massive

confidence boost to get over the opp.

As i said walking at first 8/10 weeks with a

Tray with just a cup of Tea was major.

Possible longer say 16/17 weeks but now

its good 26 Weeks have past i can tell that

i also would sometimes miss a balanced

step feeling i could fall on my left unopperated side and i would jolt no one

would believe me .

So all keep going you will come through

Sitting is the danger moving all the time is

good . Tomorrow i play 2nd game of club

Tennis which im keen to do will report back on progress ( have played since 1980 or so ) not that imv good but like it.

Thats all for now lets hear how we all progress . best wishes john .

Thanks all for feed back i do wish everyone well .

Think i should mention that we all need to

think things through and would suggest if

in any doubt about our notes or feelings

we write about maybe its good to run them past a PRO like Doctor / Surgeon as

we are as in my case unqualified to use or give any such Medical Advice .

But as stated in the forum rules ours are

true to life feelings on our journeys .

BEST WISHES

John

Note to self: At 9 weeks, there is no "bright side" to this. You merely have to SURVIVE the first three months, get your ROM back and ditch the heavy duty meds. That's it. Don't even look past those first 90 days. They are tough enough without peering into the future. Just know that things start to change quickly after you get past 90 days...better movement, less pain, better sleep and more. Concentrate on THE NOW and get past it.

I agree, it can be a hard journey to recovery, but it is worth it in the end. I'm 20 and 18+ years on and still going strong.

I agree keep a positive attitude- sometimes easier said than done, and depression is a real thing. I couldn't figure out why I would just break down and cry. Your body has been through trauma. Be kind to yourself, and respect the long healing process.

Many of us that have had knee replacements were athletic to some degree- and now, we put the work in, we do the surgery and we expect the immediate results we use to see with our performance and body. It doesn't happen this way. And every body is different, healing is a unique and individual process. Sometimes the knee joint itself can heal, but the soft tissue takes a lot longer. I am almost one year out - my "kneeaversary" I am still not 100% but my knee doesn't give me pain most days and I can walk and be active. I'm still on the fence if I do the other knee. That tells you something. I'm looking at alternative treatments at this point.

Healing Tip- ICE as much as you can and get off the pain meds. Cycle Advil/Tylenlol . Good luck.

Post-Op Depression

Actually a Jedi Mind Trick. Feels absolutely real but once you know the underlying cause, kick its butt out the door...

Chico & Beth, when did you both get off of the pain meds. At five weeks I am still taking the Percocet several times at night to sleep. I don’t take it during the day but by late afternoon I am ready for it. I am not one who likes drugs. So I am surprised I am still taking them but I can’t imagine not taking them at this point. I can definitely say that even if I come out of this with no pain in my knee, I know that I would never do this again. But here I am, so I am very much praying for a pain free knee at the end of this journey.

I also found this forum by chance and posted at 5 weeks full of pain and total despair. I am now at 20 weeks and saw my surgeon yesterday. I no longer take a y meds during the day and occaisionaly use 15 mgs of codeine at night. at my last physio my ROM was 110 and was signed of. I know since then it has improved.

i still get some pain during the day but nothing that I cant handle and feel things are improving. my surgeon was very pleased with the mechanics of my knee and doesnt want to see me till my 1 year check.

all I say is I stuck with the exercises and tried to be kind to myself, was also fortunate that I have been paid sick leave and so felt no pressure from work which I know some people have. I can know go on country walks also use my exercise bike and have managed on average 7.5 miles a session. swimming still difficult but life is better.

ALL i can say is DONT give up I was in a very dark place and now see light at the end of the tunnel. GOOD LUCK GUYS?

20 weeks seems like a long time from now! haha

Took my last when I was finishing PT...12 weeks. Tapered off between 7 and 12. Use them as long as you need them. Titrate down (ask your doc) and then go to Tramadol which, technically an opioid, is very mild. Good transition drug to plain ibuprofen. Remember...can't stay on it too long as it will eat through your stomach!!! Take only as needed.

THANK YOU. Yes, I can definitely see that it could eat through your stomach because I get nauseous a lot. Looks like I have a few more weeks to go before I consider getting off of them though. I see my surgeon for the first time since surgery in two weeks. I will take it from there.

Things moved pretty quickly for me meaning. I was in PT for 4 wks twice a week. Saw my surgeon and he said you're doing good on your own and no more P T and at that time I was 6 wks post. The meds they gave me after the surgery I took for 3 wks. I've been on Aleve and Tylenol. Now what I do is ice a lot to calm the nerves down and the swelling in minimal. I'm so ready to move pass this. Speedy recovery you guy's.

I know but take each day as it comes and try not to look to far ahead.

Hi all just a point after leaving Hospital after 3 Days i just had

Paracetamol 6 a Day lots of ice packs.

Had very little pain before or after opp.

Think there is a Big difference between person to person but one thing for sure get up get moving and keep moving .

Do not sit around worse thing for you .

26 weeks now opp on 2nd October 2018 playing 18 Holes Golf

Thursday will take a Buggy

Good luck all - could not manage a tray with Tea until about

14 weeks approx now good

John

Good report makes sense just returned from 5 weeks on a cruise ship

Ventura in West Indies

A lot had TRK opps some after 4 years could not kneel down on Joint.

I showed several people how i fully kneel no problem nor

getting back up , think i could Kneel OK after about 6/7 weeks

i can remember and was pleasantly pleased.

For a few reasons.

But as you say we are all different i have been able always to stand up straight and touch my toes no problem for some time now.

I am going back to my surgeon in May 19 to see if he wants to do my

left knee .

That then would just leave left Hip right hand had done August 17

Regards keep up the good work

John

What I am about to tell you is very unusual. However I had a horrific reaction to the pain meds, so by day three I was totally off the drugs. I cycled Advil and Tylenol every 3 hours the max amount and then some. I also kept my ice machine on me every second I could and then I also got the velco ice wrap to wear when I was moving around. Everyone is different, and pain is a very individual thing, so don't even compare yourself to others. If you want to get off the pain meds, start weening yourself off, take an advil in place of one of them, or cut it in half.. for your late afternoon.. and get on the ice!! I still ice when Ive had a long day - a year later.

About three months out I also did active release, and cupping, to keep scar tissue to a min. Hang in there.. I know - it sucks. Beth

Just want to add.. there is a drug out there that is a combination Advil and Prilosec that coats the stomach so the risk of advil hurting anything (liver too) is at a min. I am unsure of the drug, but will do more research and post. I took it for a while- at least 3 months with no adverse affects. b

WOW, Thanks for sharing this good info.

Here it is - but again, check with your own dr.

DUEXIS® (ibuprofen 800 mg, famotidine 26.6 mg): a new approach to gastroprotection for patients with chronic pain and inflammation who require treatment with a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug

All the typical heavy duty opioids (Percocet, Vicodin, Norco, Dilaudid, etc.) are based on the codeine molecule. If you had a bad reaction to these drugs, I would be careful about any RX cough medicine containing codeine. Although still classified as an opioid, Tramadol is based on a codeine analog molecule and may not result in the same side effects you experienced. It is a lot weaker than the big guys but could provide some relief. No way of knowing unless you try it.

thanks.... I rarely take anything, stronger than an advil or tylenol and you are correct cough and cold meds too...