Hard to believe

Posted , 12 users are following.

Hi all Tkr’s

After going out for a meal a couple of weeks ago, l got into a conversation with another TKR recipient who insisted after the operation there was  no pain at all even throughout the recovery period which made me envious is this believable.

0 likes, 12 replies

12 Replies

  • Posted

    I have had a TKR early March Jonkee and stll experience pain at times Either that person who has no pain has an extreemly high pain threshold or is on some

    Kind of happy pills.

    You just need to note what other people are experiencing ,,...... sounds odd to me . Linda

  • Posted

    It's about as usual as willing the lottery jackpot twice.

  • Posted

    I have a friend who went through it with no pain at all. Her words were it’s ‘uncomfortable’ . Either a massive pain threshold or she was in so much pain before op the post op pain was nothing.  

    Lucky them I say..........

  • Posted

    Hi Jonkee

    ?My mother (now 87) had both knees replaced 10 and 7 years ago and says to this day after a few paracetamol  days she experienced no pain in either knee.  To be fair she didn't aim to be an athlete just alleviate the arthritis.

    ?I on the other hand have had 2 partial knees 11 months ago and 9 weeks ago. Both were extremely painful and still are. I needed powerful drugs just to be able to move and exercise for the first 6 weeks. I still have pain in both knees now, although less so in the older knee, requiring some pain relief regularly especially after walking for about 30 minutes. I have no problem doing all my exercises daily and have great ROM 132 and 142 and straight.

    ?I am trying to be optimistic, which is increasingly harder as time goes on, as I personally know of several people who have come out the other side and one is now skiing! However all have had a total knee not a partial and that is the only difference.

    ?So it seems, as we are constantly being told, everyone is different and heals at a different pace.

    ?As long as we get there eventually, like the hare and the tortoise I keep going.

  • Posted

    Pain is as individual as you & me. I have a high pain threshold but I did have pain! And a lot of discomfort!!

    Marilyn 

    XX

  • Posted

    I have had 2 spinal surgeries with instrumentation,a hip replacement and most recently a knee.The knee was brutal I have never experienced pain like it.I find it hard to believe anyone has no pain maybe some less than others.
  • Posted

    I have had 17 surgeries all on the same knee this includes 5 TKR's  the only thing that was not painful is when the knock you out for surgery after that BLAH. I would have loved to be the person that had no pain instead I live with it daily and its been 2 years since last OP.

  • Posted

    I am now 5 months post TKR and I hate to say it but I was one of those people that didn't have any pain after the surgery only discomfort.  Not really sure why but I am thankful.   I had some pain after my MUA but it wasn't my knee, it was my leg were he held on to my leg to break up the scar tissue.  

    I do know that after living with migraines most my life I do have a high tolerance of pain.

     I am in the US and for my surgery I chose a hospital and a surgeon that specialized in minimally invasive surgery in order to prevent post operation pain.  The surgeon only does knee/hip joint replacements nothing else.  He schedules 3 hours for each surgery (normal time is 1 hour) and then he put in the replacement (or the knee I don't remember) a drug that helps with the pain for several weeks after the knee is in.  

    My family doctor did tell me last week that he has had three patients now go to that hospital for their knee replacements (different surgeons) and they all said the same thing no pain at all with their knee.  

    If ever had the other knee replaced would be so lucky don't know but I know I would want the same doctor doing it or at least at the same hospital.   

     

  • Posted

    My 83 year old neighbour said the same- bit of discomfort - Ha ! He was fundamental in my making the decisions to have mine done....and I say it was brutal and never experienced pain like it - I have had many surgeries on my spine etc and nothing compares to the TKR - I am 5 months post op and still have pain and my neighbour feels really guilty now Ha Ha - and so he should....lol.....lucky devil ! Infact he has just talked his twin sister into having one of hers done (and paid fo it - bless him) and she agreed on the strength of his recovery - how naive are we eh....so wished I'd found this site before I'd agreed to have mine done as still not sure if I have done the right thing and at the moment, I defintely wont be having the other done any year soon ! But who knows as people here say 5 months is still early in some case but am going for a review on Monday to see if all is ok as I can't still do stairs - am tryng but just making the pain even worse - it really is two steps forward and 3 steps back for me ! Oh Happy Days...

    • Posted

      I feel exactly the same and I am no stranger to ortho surgery.I am at about the same stage as you and I feel as if my life has gone back 10 years.For some reason the knee surgery  appears to have made my back much worse ( my lumbar spine) and my mobility is worse than before the operation.Never again.
  • Posted

    Pppphhhhwwwwwaaaarrr!! Liar liar your hairs on fire!! This person is a machine! 11 weeks post op and I still have pain but I just have to understand it’s a part of the healing process..
  • Posted

    Yes...but it's very rare.  I'm 2+ years post-op and I've read over 4,000 posts on the Forum.  I can count those people on less than one hand.  Even wrote about it...

    https://patient.info/forums/discuss/the-tkr-recovery-bell-curve--563756

    Remember...for every one of those "lucky ones", there's another who is undergoing a very lengthy recovery.  There are always outliers on both sides of a bell curve distribution.

    PS:  The guy you met?  He may be in for a rude awakening.  After reading soooo many posts from people who have had both knees done one after the other, the great majority reported that #2 was completely different from #1, better or worse.  So if this guy's first TKR was a breeze, the odds are that his next one will run him into a brick wall.  Not guaranteed but very possible.  Then again, some people have DNA that does not produce internal scar tissue and they skate right through this.  No way of telling in advance.

    So take heart...  You're just like the rest of us handling the pain and working through a normal year-long recovery.

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