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I am 4 weeks post TKR and having so much trouble sleeping.

Posted , 11 users are following.

helga35
helga35

I sleep for an hour and wake up to the knee being somstiff and uncomfortable. Any suggestions? I am exhausted. Thanks, zhelga

2 likes, 18 replies

18 Replies

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  • cheryl86544
    cheryl86544 helga35

    Posted

    Hi Helga35, I think that all of us have been through this and yes, it's so hard and so tiring. Do you take pain meds at bedtime? That's always helped me. When you wake are you able to move your knee gently to unlock it? Those 2 things have saved me and I know you're about to receive many helpful tidbits of information from some great people.  All the best. 

    • helga35
      helga35 cheryl86544

      Posted

      Hi Cheryl, I do take the pain meds before. The knee is so stiff at night. I guess patience is the key but the lack of sleep is taking its toll on me.
    • cheryl86544
      cheryl86544 helga35

      Posted

      Sorry to hear Helga, it's so hard when you can't sleep enough. Read through Chico's links about this, he's very informative.  It's still very early in your recovery.  I was still in hospital and then rehab at that stage so I really feel for you. With both of my TKRs I spent nearly 5 weeks in hospital and rehab. My house is 3 storeys and no-one to help me so they were so good to me. There's also no level that I could just stay on.  But now my stair walking is fabulous! First TKR about 20 months ago and 2nd about 10 weeks ago.

  • kat1e
    kat1e helga35

    Posted

    Hello Helga,

    I was told to ice, ice, ice but what I found helped me was a really hot bath an hour or so before going to bed and doing exercises whilst in the water. I'd then take pain killers and found I seemed to sleep much better. Sometimes also when I woke up during the nigh with my knee so stiff and painfult I'd do just a few exercises (not too many) and that also seemed to help. I'm just over a year post tkr and I promise it will get better. Good luck with your recovery x

    • Maryedna21
      Maryedna21 kat1e

      Posted

      Would love to be able to get in and out of the bath!! Only 5/52 post op so still early days but sleep very elusive.I try hard not to get anxious about not sleeping and have read more books in the middle of the night putting time in until I can take painkillers again. School holidays so not good time to go to local swimming pool but think this would be beneficial
  • jenny80029
    jenny80029 helga35

    Posted

    It is common. Knee gets stiff, move it around for a bit. Keep up pain medication overnight. Mentally work on relaxing so not to get anxious about not being able to sleep. If you cannot cope contact GP who may give you something to help with sleep.
    • CHICO_MARX
      CHICO_MARX jenny80029

      Posted

      Helga...  If that doesn't work, call Warner Brothers and have them send over Wiley Coyote with the 16-ton weight he used to try and drop on The Roadrunner...guaranteed to work.  My wife keeps a huge rubber mallet on her side of the bed...

  • terri90278
    terri90278 helga35

    Posted

    Hi Helga. My doc prescribed a muscle relaxer (flexiril) which I take about an hour before bed. It lasts longer than the pain meds & has really helped me to sleep. It's actually the only thing that works for me but makes me too sleepy to take during the day.

    • kathleen19751
      kathleen19751 terri90278

      Posted

      So glad I read your post! Asking for a muscle relaxer med to take before bed is a brilliant idea! I dislike the norco I take and worry about having problems getting off it...I take as few as I can and try to go a day without and then maybe a day with 1 or 2 only.

      The side effect of feeling too sleepy is also perfect too! I'm going to ask my internist about this. 

    • CHICO_MARX
      CHICO_MARX kathleen19751

      Posted

      I was on 10mg Percocet and 10mg Flexeril after my TKR.  Those mid-range opioids don't really work on me so the Flexeril was a great help.  Titrating down from the Norco is easy...take half the dose (snap the pill in half) but stay on the same time schedule...

      https://patient.info/forums/discuss/staying-ahead-of-the-pain-563395

      The goal is to maintain a specific level of pain reliever in your body at all times.  You don't just stop.  I was married to a pharmacist for 25 years and now a lady who was a psych nurse for 30.  You get to know this stuff after a while...

  • rudonna58981
    rudonna58981 helga35

    Posted

    Hi,

    I am 1 week behind you, but only a partial knee replacement. We are very early in the process from what everyone on here says. I, too, have suffered from no sleep from the very beginning. It drives you crazy. For me, I have to use an ice pack on my knee, along with a Tramadol. The tramadol doesn't really help me with the pain so much as the ice does, but it makes me drowsy and I'm able to get a couple of hours of sleep, then up again to get a new ice pack. Stay with this website. I follow posts everyday. There is a lot of wisdom on here. I hope you can find what works for you! 😀

    • CHICO_MARX
      CHICO_MARX rudonna58981

      Posted

      Tramadol is a mild opioid but still an opioid.  If you need to get drowsy, try 50mg Diphenhydramine (generic Benadryl).  Two capsules 1/2 to 1 hour before bed.  See if that works for you.  Check for drug interactions before you take ANYTHING!!!
    • helga35
      helga35 rudonna58981

      Posted

      sleep still eludes me. Had a total knee reolacement in 2015 and had troubles then too.  I find this website very helpful. Suggestions are great and very much appreciated.
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