Knee Replacement - Still in a lot of pain

Pain is like a phantom......you never know when it will hit asnd how long it will stay. Stay on your pain meds until your body and brain tell you its time to slow down. One day you will suddenly be told by your brain you don't need that anymore. Just use ice reguarally, add some anti inflammatories, drink plenty of fluids and rest more than you think you need. Your body has taken a beating with this surgery and you don't need to add to that beating by trying to reach the top of the mountain in one giant step. Slow down the speed and remember this is a process that you can't avoid.

Hi Michele!

I was on the narcotic pain relievers for the first two weeks. For me, I didn't get as much pain relief as I expected PLUS I felt really strange --out-of-balance, mentally fuzzy, pretty LOOPY!😵

After that second week following surgery, I was done giving myself the blood thinner shots SO I quit the narcotics and took Ibuprofen instead. I was AMAZED how much better I felt. My swelling was less, pain was less, and I began to feel more stable in my walking AND slowly felt more like my normal self again.

This MIGHT be something you may want to try.

Left TKR June 2015

Right TKR October 2015

"I thought by week six it would have eased by now."  Really???  Here's the real scoop...

https://patient.info/forums/discuss/the-tkr-experience-or-wish-i-had-another-kidney-stone--524499

 

Hi Michele

I had partial r knee May 19,

I had severe pain on and off for 8 weeks . Once I was back to work I only took 800 mg ibuprofen and it seemed to work good . I also iced as much as possible including sleeping with ice pack at night .

I really never felt as though I turned a major corner until 3 months . Hang in there and be patient . I got so much help from kind people on here .

Debbie

Your doing well. The surgery takes time to heel. Wishing you a complete and successful recovery soon. Your doing everything right. It's just exhausting and hard to get thru on some days. Just managing the pain and therapy is a lot . Take care this will get better! 

 

Sometimes you're the winshield and somethimes you're the bug.  Buzz, buzz...but it does get better...promise...

I'm 6 weeks post TKR as well. I was starting to get really depressed about things but I feel like I'm finally turning a corner. My swelling is going down and I feel like my walking is more natural and less robotic finally. The pain I'm having is down in my shin. I am still taking pain medication and not driving as well. I totally get your frustration. I just have to keep telling myself this was a huge surgery and a long recovery. Hang in there! It will get better!! (Right?! 😉

Adding a long acting anti-inflammatory will help.  I stopped taking aleve because it encourages scar tissue and now on Mobic or Meloxicam.  While on Mobic, one shoulld not take any other OTC pain reliever. (except a narcotic is okay) Mobic does not change your plateletes (clotting mechanism) so you "may" still want to be on one aspirin morning and night.  My concern is that as they have to force my knee to bend, it might cause bleeding so I take the aspirin to avoid blood clots.  Pain levels are so individual.  My RA doc says I should proabably still take the percoset as needed, which I do before the brutal therapy sessions.  I am so used to them now that one percoset is like taking ibeprofen, so I am increasing my dose to take the edge off.  I am at 5 weeks post op.  And my bend is around 105.  Also I use one crutch to take some of the weight off or my distance is limited and I have increased pain the next day.  I am able to sleep on my side using pillows which is a step up from being on my back all the time.  I keep the knee and foot elevated and ice it when it gets hot usually in the middle of the night and first thing in the morning.  I did start driving when I'm not on the percoset.  Freedom is nice to have back.  But if I go to the grocery store I use their motorized carts.  Believe me I know how frustrating it is to progress so slowly.  For awhile I felt like I was stuck.  My husband thought I should take anti-depressants till I read Chico's post.  Just recognize it and turn it away  because you will get better.

Hi Michele, your only 6 weeks! Do the PT and exercises and walking when the pain gets better and it will. Ice and Elevate. I've had both knees done. Total knee replacement. I'm not familiar with the partial replacement recovery but have heard from a few people that it's not that much quicker a recovery. So you're still short time. Just do the work and you will get better. Dave

I feel your pain. I am 8 1/2 week from a total knee replacement. At 6 weeks I was in so much pain. I went to a chiropractor and the adjustment helped a lot. I still take one pain med in the morn and one pain med before bed. During the day I take one ibuprofen 800 mg. Do your exercises 3 times a day... Give it time, meditate with music from YouTube and you will be fine.