Posted , 16 users are following.
He took one look at me and told me I was way too young for a TKR, but then he looked at my X-rays. I am now off work and waiting on the cancellation list. He told me that the damage to my knee is unbelievable.
He told me what to expect and said that the pain for two weeks post op is unbearable and that when he comes in the next morning to bend my knee that I will throw up from the pain because everyone does. Is it really as bad as he is saying? I'm so scared now😳
1 like, 43 replies
Susan_lyon emma14089
Posted
Oh bless you. I didn't throw up. Just keep up with the exercises after you will be fine. I went yesterday to see my surgeon now 5 month post op.he was really pleased. Yes you will have off days but light ar the end of the tunnel. X
jenny80029 emma14089
Posted
CHICO_MARX jenny80029
Posted
Always great to hear from someone minus 3 standard deviations on the bell curve.
https://patient.info/forums/discuss/the-tkr-recovery-bell-curve--563756
We all wish we had your experience...
jenny80029 CHICO_MARX
Posted
A good and effective treatment centre will make sure patients pain is managed in a way so that the phrase "unbearable" doesn't need to be used. It is always very challenging, and it is painful, but pain can be well managed in those early days especially. Many hospitals have a help line for patients to call if they need help with managing pain. Or a GP can help. My experience was not easy, it was hard, and challenging,, and it isn't over yet. We are all very different. Fear helps no one. I am very grateful that i was sent home well armed with pain relief, that is all!
CHICO_MARX jenny80029
Posted
That doesn't exist here. You go home the next day with a bagful of either Vicodin/Norco (hydrocodone) or Percocet (oxycodone) plus maybe some Flexeril to relax the muscles. You're home...period...no "pain center"...no pain management. There is no "pain center" monitoring you. You're on your own for 10-14 days when you see your doc to get the stitches or staples out. Then it's back to hell until the pain slowly subsides over the following 2 weeks.
The only other option is to go to an in-patient rehab place for a week to 10 days (that's what happened to me...my wife couldn't care for me and shipped me out), but even that is not that great. They give you the meds the doc ordered on the time schedule he ordered. You could do that yourself. Yes, you get a bit of PT there but nothing like the kind that breaks down the scar tissue...too early for that when you're a few days post-op. They also get you walking which you can do yourself at home. In other words, a rehab center is NOT a pain management center...just a place to park your butt for a week so your family doesn't have to deal with your pain. Docs may alter the med dose/timing but they'll do that over the phone to your pharmacy if you're home anyway. No difference.
If you are still in a lot of pain at 4 weeks, the doc will refill the opioids but probably for only another 30 days. Then they titrate you over to something like Tramadol. You're on your own to do icing, elevation and anything else you can find that works.
Meanwhile, you start PT in the 2-4 week timeframe so that's more pain. You can't drive on the opioids so you need help there. The next time you see the doc is at 6-weeks for your "alignment x-ray" that makes sure everything is healing in a straight line (hip through knee to ankle). At that point, the very bad pain should be gone.
So... It's different here...no "pain center". Well, actually there is but it's called Your Bedroom and it's more like The Center of Pain than a Pain Center...
jenny80029 CHICO_MARX
Posted
CHICO_MARX jenny80029
Posted
I always remember Steve Buschemi's line from the movie Armageddon when he's being forcefully strapped into the space shuttle by a beautiful female NASA engineer...
"You know, if NASA goes under, you could always get a job at Helga's House of Pain."
Yeah...I know Helga very well...
jenny80029 CHICO_MARX
Posted
😀
chris00938 jenny80029
Posted
Well said Jenny! My hospital had a line to call if I needed ANYTHING. I SO AGREE THAT FEAR HELPS NO-ONE! Especially when they are about to go for an operation! Again, I see the reply below that ' that doesn't exists here' - well every hospital is different and has a different protocol - just take post op physio, for example - some do a lot of physio with patients and mine just gave a leaflet, so again we cannot say what a particular hospital will do. But people do have their GP, as you said Jenny, and if they need help for any pain, then they CAN get it. A TKR is one of the most wonderful gifts we can be given that can change our lives more than we'd dare dream, and should be seen as something really positive!
emma14089
Posted
Thank you so much you lovely people! I woke up last night around 1am in total panic about this "impending doom"!!!!! After reading your replies I do feel better. I know that my surgeon was trying to put me off and maybe he thought that he would try scaring me but I really need to get this done so that I can return to work and get on with my life!
I have had several other surgeries and so I know what to expect pain wise but have never had a surgeon be so negative before so just wanted to check from people that have been through it.
Have a great day everyone😊
CHICO_MARX emma14089
Posted
"... so I know what to expect pain wise..."
I've had 28 surgeries in 17 years (sucks to get old) including the knee, replaced hip, three spine ops, four knee scopes, two shoulder repairs, gall bladder and FOUR KIDNEY STONES!!! You do NOT know what this pain will be like. Everyone has cautioned you about the first few weeks...listen to them. This will likely be the worst pain you will ever encounter. However...
That should rev you up to dig deep and beat it back. That's the challenge. A minuscule number of us have escaped that level of pain so be prepared for it. Don't let it take you by surprise. If you do your meds diligently, you can keep it under control. After the first month, there should be a noticeable reduction in the post-op pain. Then you have to deal with PT pain, swelling from overworking the knee, a tight, band feeling and more. Again...if you know what's coming, you can prepare for it.
I had ALWAYS brushed off post-op and rehab pain. Nailed it every time. I thought I could handle anything...I couldn't. After one day of rolling out of bed, drooling all over myself and writhing in pain, my wife shipped me out to a rehab place for a week...30-year nurse couldn't handle me and my pain.
It is so common for people to report that this was the worst pain they've ever experienced...the chances are you will do the same. The problem is that no doc prepared them (or me) for it...or we just ignored the advice. Don't do that. Prepare yourself for this physically, mentally and spiritually. It will test your resolve down to your core. But you can beat it...we all did!!!
The "fear" part of this is completely irrelevant. It gets done, you overcome the pain and then have your life restored. Simple...you just have to get through it like the rest of us. Honestly, I hope you don't have to. I hope you're one of the lucky few that gets past this quickly and without much pain. You can hope for that too but be prepared for the other path because you will have to face it head-on.
If that's the way this goes for you, there is one great benefit: You will find out that you are stronger than you ever thought you were. And you will carry that knowledge with you the rest of your life.
Frank Herbert was one of the greatest sci-fi authors of all time. Dune was his Opus Magnus. In it, there was a group called the Bene Gesserit, a sisterhood of incredibly strong and powerful women. In their "order", fear was completely unacceptable so they had a prayer, a mantra that they would repeat over and over again when fear crept into their minds. I have used it for years...have it burned into my brain. It can help you too...
The Litany Against Fear
"I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain."
Just say it over and over again. Hope this helps...
davidjk22 CHICO_MARX
Posted
I'm sure there are many who like me had pain , at times severe but not unbearable . There are some who would have had little pain compared to others , but we don't hear about many , because they don't post on here . Most who didn't have a hard time would not feel the need to look at this forum . Looking back at my recovery I had many more good than bad days, and was able to do the physio without much discomfort , that must have helped with my good recovery 19½ years ago for my left 17½ for the right . We are all different , what works for some wont work for others . Follow medical advise but don't be afraid to question it if you think things are not right .
CHICO_MARX davidjk22
Posted
We do get a few far left "outliers" from the bell curve who post on here but even they recognize how lucky they were compared to "the norm". Then again pain is completely subjective and relative. I've had four kidney stones so my concept of a "10" is very different than most other people. I will tell you that my pain was definitely a Spinal Tap "11" on their amplifiers. I have breezed through a hip replacement, three spinal surgeries and more...thought I'd nail this one in a heartbeat like all the others...WRONG!!!
Is it the doc that makes all the difference? The complexity of your op? The structure of your knee? Your DNA that prevents scar tissue from forming? No one will even know what definitively makes the difference between a 6-week rehab and a year-long one. I know that I was NOT prepared for what I got hit with even after everything I'd already been through. I can withstand a lot of pain but this was over the top...for me...subjectively. Everyone has to deal with their own pain levels and commitment to the rehab.
Totally agree that you have to be your own doctor. Do the research...ask the right questions...speak up when something doesn't sound right...challenge the doctor's assumptions...have your own set of "what if's" ready to ask the doc...and more. Be informed, be aware, be your own best advocate.
karen14697 davidjk22
Posted
Don't know what happened. I had PT yesterday, measured 122 and am to be released tomorrow from therapy. Today my knee swelled up and I have bad pain. I don't know what in the heck happened. I am afraid when I go to therapy tomorrow to be my marching papers, they won't release me. I am 15 weeks post op today. When does this end??
davidjk22 karen14697
Posted
It varies from person to person , you may not think so but it will end . Ice and rest , ask your physio tomorrow . Most of us here are not medicaly qualified and can only relate to our own experiences . Don't be frightned to use pain relief in the correct dose . I think most on here have had a moment or two when we wished we hadn't had the surgery , but after all the physio etc things do get much better . My young granddaughters think it is great fun to find my knees with a metal detector .
Guest karen14697
Posted
I got reset a few times Karen. Just released at 6 1/2 months. I remember saying to my PT , "what a difference 5wks made!" I got set back 3 of thosr 5 wks for an arthroscopy/bone spur removed. Mentally I'm SOOOOmuch better because physically i FEEL like i can do things that before i could, but struggled. The is still swelling after a 12hr day on my feet but my knees just ache rather than PAIN and thats NO MEDS OF ANY KIND!
Oldfatguy1 karen14697
Posted
Remember the goal is to heal but it doesn't happen on a timetable. Honest docs tell you that you dont own the prosthesis for a year.....up till then it owns you. You just overdid it which is no uncommon. A large % of us do that. I'm almost 2 years out after my 3rd prosthesis and 5th complete rehab. It happened to me again today. I did a lot of walking on uneven surface in the yard. Tonight I'm swollen, in pain and irritated with myself. I should know better. I've been at this for years and know what the consequences are. Just ice and elevate. Tomorrow will bring a bright new day
davidjk22 CHICO_MARX
Posted
chris00938 CHICO_MARX
Posted
Chico, you said - to quote This will likely be the worst pain you will ever encounter. YOU CANNOT SAY THIS! You just don't know how each person will react and before now you've frightened people so much that they've thought about not even having the operation!!!!!! As I've said before, there are more likely to be people on this group who HAVE had problems because it's people in difficulty who seek out a group. My pharmacist told me that the vast majority sail through with a little pain initially but that's it, so it's not just my experience of no pain. We have had a few on here now who haven't had serious pain. I don't understand why you're SO negative all the time! I know you've had a difficult experience but while I tell people it varies from person to person and 'MY EXPERIENCE WAS' you're telling them not that YOUR OWN EXPERIENCE WAS, but that THEIR EXPERIENCE WILL MOST LIKELY BE BE HORRIFIC...... You just can't do that because you don't know! We had the chap who came back fuming after his op that he nearly cancelled because you frightened the sh.. out of him and he'd not had a fraction of the pain you said he'd get. Even when Freestork said she'd done so well, you told her not to get cocky! When I've mentioned about getting the other knee done you've reminded me several times that while I sailed through the first knee, the second might be totally different. This is what I call pessimism! And when people are going into an operation like this I don't feel it's helpful to get them in such a state about it when the worst may well not happen to them!
I feel we need to be giving people a BALANCED view and not telling them what their experience will be because we have no idea of that!
Oldfatguy1 chris00938
Posted
Chris....I think the operative word here is "likely". Everyone is different, indeed, but this forum tends to deal with those who don't recover, text book style. Those folks are gone and forgotten but most of the others appreciate chico's candid approach. As everyone on here says, we're all different so no one should try and be the voice of EVERYONE.
chris00938 Oldfatguy1
Posted
Oh absolutely - I DO agree that there needs to be information for everyone Oldfatguy. But it really concerns me when people are being told to expect a horrific time (and we're talking about 'going into hell' here and so on) and go in to an operation terrified, when they might not have nearly such a bad experience. As I said in my post, I think it's one thing to say 'I HAD this experience' and another to say 'YOU WILL most likely have this experience'. I wouldn't dare to say to others that they will have the same experience as me, although they might! But I would sooner go into any operation with hope than being pulled down with depression because I expected 'to go through hell' quote. I think when someone says 'YOU WILL LIKELY experience this' they ARE trying to be the voice of everyone.
CHICO_MARX chris00938
Posted
OFG1... I'm going to take a pass on this one. You said it all. I'm afraid of what this Sicilian from Brooklyn might say in public to someone who tells him what he can and cannot say. Everyone on here knows the truth...I'll leave it at that...
davidjk22 CHICO_MARX
Posted
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