Posted , 9 users are following.
HI
i had a total knee replacement on Sat morning, but because my BP was very low i have been unable to get out of bed. i havent mobilised yet and now i find that i cant move my leg, except to wiggle my toes. the pain is unbearable and im really scared it has failed. i would cry myself to sleep if i could even sleep.
please help
0 likes, 17 replies
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marion18849 yve20637
Posted
hello there Dont despair get your blood pressure sorted first which is most important. Once that is in control you can then start to move. It will be painful and very swollen and stiff but once your up and about it will start to feel better. Each day is a new day and it will surprise you what happens.
Be patent and do your excersises im 7 wks post op and i cried a lot in the first few days thinking what have i done but im so pleased ive had it done make sure you ice the knee many times a day it helps with the pain and swelling.
I still have bad days but it out ways the good days.
ALL THE BEST x
yve20637 marion18849
Posted
thank you! i really needed to hear this. I feel really alone with this, I expected it to be painful, but didnt expect it to feel like a dead weight. During the night it all seems unbearable because there is no one to turn to.
my BP, normally near perfect has hit the floor- 85/40.
ron56673 yve20637
Posted
It's really not ideal to be alone when you first come home from total knee replacement. If you don't have a significant other, I'm surprised your doctor didn't suggest a nursing facility for at least a week until they were sure you could manage on your own. Is there not a niece, nephew, child, or grandchild that can stay with you a few days until you're able to get up and around on your own? If you are by yourself, please take things slow and be very careful.
yve20637 ron56673
Posted
no,!im still in hospital, they cant discharge me yet because i havent been up yet.
nora48259 yve20637
Posted
Don't despair! ! ! Get your BP under control , try to do the exercises you've been given in bed ! ! They shouldn't be sending you home if your incapable of transfering yourself in and out of bed and to toilet and shower independently. Especially if living alone. Alternative is to go to rehab 1 week. . By then you will fr sure be doing the above independently. Analgesia important to enable you to stick to exercise programme. Don t despair
Deigh yve20637
Posted
I was told by my nurse that your blood pressure drops right after surgery, which mine did as well. It took a few days for it to come back to normal.I had bilateral knee replacement, which was very painful and I did shed several tears, which made the medical staff re-evaluate my meds and the amounts when they found out how much pain I was in. I was in a rehabilitation center for 12 days because of double knee replacement, and had access to medical staff 24/7. I can only imagine that if you are at home it is very scary not knowing what to do. I had to have my pain meds changed from oxycontin to hydromorphone as the oxycontin did not help with the pain. Speak with your doctor about adjusting your medications, either increasing the amount, or changing to another pain medication that might offer more relief. Once I had that straightened out I was able to get relief, and actually slept better. You need your sleep to heal. I wish you the best.
jenny61596 yve20637
Posted
Quite common to have low bp after surgery ,I did and nearly passed out when first out of bed, also quite normal not to be able to lift leg . It is a very painful op but by about 7 weeks you should be feeling better . Good luck and ask for more pain relief
yve20637 jenny61596
Posted
thank you. im feeling a bit better this morning, i managed to sleep a bit ( in 2 hr blocks) and my BP is up, so hopefully i can get out of bed today.
i really appreciate the replies, it makes me feel that i can do this.
Dcweather yve20637
Posted
This Saturday, the 18th? How you feel is completely normal. I was in hospital here in the UK till the 3rd day because I felt faint when I stood up, probably because of low BP. You may be a day behind getting out of bed but everybody is different. My second TKR I thought would be easier as knee wasn't as bad but it was worse at first. A lot of pain at times in first week and terrible pins and needles type pain in my calf for two weeks which I didn't get first time. It only happened when I was vertical and I dreaded standing up . It will get better believe me. Try and hang on in for 10 days and then look back at this post and you will then realise you are improving. The pain mostly usually eases after a couple of weeks unless you overdo it. Other stuff like movement keeps improving for at least a year.
I think it must be a bit how I imagine post natal depression. At first there is so much elation that this big event is over and you have survived then after a day or two the anaesthetic wears off and you see your knee black and blue and wrecked and the anxiety that it isn't right kicks in. It is ok and it gets better unbelievable as it seems now. It's frankly a bit of a miracle!
Whatever anybody tells you I wouldn't worry about actual exercises till you feel you can do them. Obviously try and move your feet and your leg as much as you can along the lines you have been told by physio once the pain allows you and the muscles are out of trauma. But worrying about them causes stress and your body will tell you when you can do them and that's when you should. One of my knees I couldn't do exercises much at all for several weeks other than light bending and straightening and the other I was much more intense early. The outcome after three months was virtually identical. The most important thing is to remember we are all different with this and common sense is your friend!
lynda49844 yve20637
Posted
I kept passing out the first 2 days that they tried to get me out of bed. My leg felt like a dead weight. There was no way I could lift my leg without aid or move it across the bed. I felt such a failure until the physio said it was perfectly normal and just to keep trying to move it and it would happen . I used a therapy band once I was home. It took a while, but I can still remember the elation when I could move my leg across the bed and then finally lift it. You will get there, just be patient. Our knees and the surrounding tissues have been severely traumatized so it's no wonder they start to ignore us for a while!
yve20637 lynda49844
Posted
thank you!!!
that makes a lot of sense. Im so glad i found this forum- I dont feel so lonely anymore. It really helps to hear from people who have experienced this and come out of the other side. There is hope
lynda49844 yve20637
Posted
There's definitely hope. This is not a sprint, it's a marathon and each knee will take it's time to get to the finish. You'll have setbacks along the way, feel down at times, be impatient at times. It goes with the territory. Don't fret if you can't sleep. Accept that it seems to be common with TKR , find something to occupy you in the wakeful hours and catch up by napping when you feel like it. I read, used my ipad or played mindless games and always took a drink and a snack to bed in case I got hungry, which I did frequently in the first few weeks. My advice is to try the exercises they give you, but don't do anything that causes pain, as opposed to discomfort. If it causes pain and swelling ease back for a few days. I used the therapy band to lift the leg, would try to take some weight and hold the leg up before gradually letting the band slacken to lower the leg. Good luck, I wish you an uncomplicated and successful recovery.
yve20637 lynda49844
Posted
thank you.
jenny25655 yve20637
Posted
I had the same problem. I was told that the pain medication sometimes causes low blood pressure in some people.
Please tell the nursing staff about your pain. In Australia the rating is from 1 to 10.
10 being the worst pain in the world. Don't suffer in silence. TKR is a major operation and it is normal to cry and feel sad. I was like that for a long time . I think it is shock and also all the drugs.
It has been 6 months since my TKR and I now walk normally and am almost pain free. The only pain I have is getting up from low chair. I am still doing physio to build strength in my quad muscles.
I wish you well. This forum is good therapy. Keep in touch.
Regards from Jenny.
jenny25655 yve20637
Posted
I had the same problem. I was told that the pain medication sometimes causes low blood pressure in some people.
Please tell the nursing staff about your pain. In Australia the rating is from 1 to 10.
10 being the worst pain in the world. Don't suffer in silence. TKR is a major operation and it is normal to cry and feel sad. I was like that for a long time . I think it is shock and also all the drugs.
It has been 6 months since my TKR and I now walk normally and am almost pain free. The only pain I have is getting up from low chair. I am still doing physio to build strength in my quad muscles.
I wish you well. This forum is good therapy. Keep in touch.
Regards from Jenny.