Backwards

yes,at times tkr sucks. but it does get better. the pain before tkr only gets worse with time. after tkr things will get better. i'm 4 & 7 months out and while its not perfect (yet) the pain  is different  and lessening every day. you over did things and now you hurt, we have all been there, rest elevate and ice. don't let this set back keep you down to long you are stronger than that you will get there

Wow Suki66

I feel for you .I.m 7 weeks in this saturday .My Surgeon had a great sense of humour .he said my old knee bones were that bad they wouldnt even make good soup 😂😂I have my first assessment this weekend and to be fair .unlike your ownself .i feel great .i do agree however on the tightness of the scar .I was advised on just using E45 and that is what i have stuck by .You could also consider masssage your own scar or get your partner to do it

.My physio did this and she said its good to break up some of the scar tissue under .

I do agree this felt really good ..

Anyway good luck and i hope your pain subsides with time .

Best Regards and remember your not alone in the TKR World .😎

I thought that at five weeks I would be driving, walking the dog, shopping...  I went out grocery shopping with husband. I had to sit down, so I gave him the list and said to find me on a bench at front of store.  After a while he found me, sitting on the edge of the frozen food display. I couldn’t walk any further. I got to the car, crying, and could not get in the car. My leg would not bend.  Somehow, I shimmied on the backseat.  Like you, I was on strong pain meds, icing and crying.  I did not know how brutal this surgery was going to be.  I found this forum and many kind people who listened to my rants, supported me and advised me.  Happy to say it does get better. I had my year anniversary recently. I am walking pup, driving and doing everything I couldn’t do before the surgery. I can even kneel, with rubber mat under knee.  Please don’t give up.  My advice to you: read the posts of CHICO MARX.  Then have a cup of tea, cookies and find an old movie or a trashy novel.  

Ellie

I'm 14 weeks now I see my consultant tomorrow my problem has been flexion. Over the past two days this has improved immensely and it makes the joint feel smooth and pain free without the stiffness. I hope this continues. I'm still getting nerve pain on the outer part of the knee which radiates into the calf muscle this is worsened when I do strength exercises for the hamstring. 

So suki this recovery can change really quickly so stay positive, this time last week I was really down and worrying about my range of movement today I'm not and sort of looking forward to seeing the consultant so that I can show off my movement. Roll on tomorrow 😜

Don't fret. <Most of us have all kinds of set-backs and and frustrations. After 5 months of rehab I tore a ligament on the outside of my knee and went back to square one.

I'm now 14 months post op and walking 50 miles a week so all my worrying was just a complete waste of time.

Listen to your consultant, do the physio and float past all the day to day aches and pains.

Eventually you'll stop thinking about it...honest.

Its been 12 weeks and I still have considerable pain. I still limp and takes awhile to straighten when I get out of bed or after sitting for some time. I'm still in PT. I bought a stationary bike and use weights on my knee to help straighten my leg. I also heard it takes a year. G

Thanks everyone I’ll try and be positive xx

It may not feel like it but 9 wks really IS early in TKR recovery.

I'm now at 15 months on the right & 19 days on the left. 2 totally different recoveries! This one full of pain .....sciatica, shoulder pain, neck pain,  but with much improved rom from the start!

It does get easier but you really have to pace yourself. Don't try to do too much too soon. Your knee is in charge of your recovery, heed it well!

Some heal really quickly, Some take considerably longer (see Chico's Bell Curve thread).

We've all done it, tried to walk too far, gone shopping when we should have sent someone else, done the ironing (or was that just me??) but hey we're human! We have this inbuilt need to DO, not sit!

For now rest, ice, elevation & exercise (once you are able again) are your very best friends!

As someone has suggested, relax ( as much as you can), read something enjoyable that takes you away from your situation, watch daytime tv (if you can stand it!), if you can, sleep it's natures best medicine!

Once the swelling is gone you will be able to carry on your exercises with renewed vigour. Remember quality not quantity!

You can do this, nobody really tells you how hard it is do they. You read all the blurb they give you at the pre op & therapy sessions & for a 1st timer you think oh ok by 6 or 7 wks I'll be out & about almost like normal! But when you actually live it, well like most works of fiction, it doesn't stack up to real life!

I hope you are feeling a bit better now.

We are all here for you to rant at if you need!

Should you need to show a family member or friend who thinks you should be bouncing back by now, there is a great vid on YouTube of a TKR operation!  You'll find they really haven't a clue as to what's you've been through, show them!

My nephew came to see me yesterday & was asking about the incision scar, so I showed him! He flinched! I didn't realise until I saw the wound scar the 1st time how long it was! I really didn't think!! Which was why I watched the vid of the operation, last year! It i

I am 9 weeks also and thought I'd be further along. Had some set backs though, had to have toe joint implant after 5 weeks post tkr and had a fall Dec 16 and broke my ribs. Rom stuck at 95, have another follow up next week and supposed to return to work but can't even drive yet plus on Tramadol for pain still. Don't know how I'll do it. When I go to the grocery I use an electric wheelchair and have my husband follow me with a cart. Hang in there!!

Yes...a year is absolutely normal with some minor, decreasing symptoms lingering up to 18.  Trust us...when you throw your one year anniversary party, all of this will be a dim memory.  Almost all of us were completely unaware how brutal this surgery would be and were blindsided by the pain plus the amount of time and effort it would take to recover.  You may feel regretful now but there will be a turnaround in your thinking and feelings as you progress and get your life back.  Time, work and patience...you need all three.