Lateral pain 4 months TKR post-op!

Ha ! Thanks - it is also a pain when people have expectations (of you) as 'X was running the maraton in 4 weeks!' 'You should be much further down the recovery road by know'! It's hard to switch off from those comments that are not invited BUT have they had the surgery themselves NO.....perhaps they think I am malingering but when they have to look after me, they can comment but as I am alone and caring for myself then so be it - unless they fele guilty for not helping out more....bt then I don't ask either - is tough eh....I will look at your other posts...thanks for taking the time to reply...it helps....x

Yes...that's another thing...others' expectations of you.  I'm a Sicilian from Brooklyn...you know..."Leave the gun, take the cannoli,"...right?  For those "commentators", you simply run them over with your walker or club them repeatedly with your cane.  This serves two distinct purposes: 1. They will never do it again; and 2. It's very, very, very cathartic for you.  All that pent up frustration released in a matter of seconds...ahhhhhhhh...and how gratifying all those broken bones and brain matter scattered across the various rugs and sidewalks of your life...  Then again, I've got Carmine and Paulie out back idling in the '68 Caddy...they're always available for a little side work...

Ah - yes - certainly sorts the wheat from the chaff eh........think my last ride in a '68 caddy was on a trip to Cuba of all places....thanks for the cheerful note...x

You are so not right and I LOVE it!

Ha !  Me too - I need the other doing eventually but no way Jose......never say never but it will be a tough call if I ever put myself in this postion again but will see how this end up.....been like a hibernation thank goodness it's been a bad winter here in UK and still going on would you believe - so maybe I will emerge from the chrysalis - as long as the hairy knee goes too....not a good summer look - what a phenomenom that is too - lol !

Thanks for taking the time to reply...this is actually my first forum......I will have a look round to see what I can see......x

Mmm - bed changing - another challenge......good you are getting on though and chatting here is very cathartic.....people are good to take the time to respond as I think my friends and family have compassion fatigue....so pleased I found this site...keep up the good work....I expect I need to find a happy medium with my walking/exercising plus I sort of stopped the huge ice pack....so perhaps should take that up again before bed as Carol suggested.....it may stop the awful restless leg too..that's a real fidget init ?

Your knee healing depends on your health. I had my knee in Dec 5, 2017.  I never took any pain meds after the surgery upon leaving the assisted living where they overdosed me with opiods. I am using a cream for my knee pain of Voltaren gel, lidocaine and an essential oils mixture.  You can buy lidocaine 4% at any drugstore but the Voltaren gel is a prescription from the new ortho doctor I now go to!  I had the same problems you are describing and still have s foot that tingles.  The cream has saved my life , taken away almost all of my pain. I can tell you I exercise my knee every day, yoga, weights, cryotherapy.  I have done everything to strengthen my body as I was getting severe muscle fatigue.  I would ice your leg at night before bed.  Prop it up on pillow above your head. Go buy some lidocaine roll on cream at your drugstore.  I feel so sorry you are not not better!

Crikey Carol, you must be wonder woman not taking any pain reflief...there's no way I could have managed without despite how awful it made me feel....good tip about the night pillows etc and may try some sort of topical analgesia before bed too as goodness knows what next door must think when their 70 year old neighbour is screaming out in the middle of the night with a leg lock....ha ha x Thank you for taking time to comment x

 

I have Hypogammaglobulinemia.  It is an autoimmune disease of allergies and asthma. I am allergic to over 500+ medications which includes all pain meds. The doctor almost killed me with the anesthesia they used to do the knee.  I am lucky to be here, as in coma 9 days after surgery!  Once I came home and did my own thing, daily I am getting better.  I have bad health problems so the doctors never even done the surgery.  

Thanks Carol. I will definitely try the cream. I do ice at night and doing my exercises when it's not too painful. Im hoping that this time next year I will be able to say to myself what's all the moaning about? Lol. You keep up the good work too.

Yes - I had a dreadful problem in recovery as allergic to morphine (depsite telling anesthetist) and Ketamine was used too - that sent me tumbling and fighting for my life and was in hospital for over 10 days and they really like you up and out in 2-4 on the NHS! So not a good start and am trying to put that behind me....am fairly pragmatic after 70 years on this earth and need to look forward but it's tough as during this episode I had a collapsed vertebrae which also needs fixing - which means more surgery but to coin a phrase 'it is what it is' and not much I can do about that, except try and chose my surgeon carefully for the spine repair too....and no - i am not very overweight now but could so with losing probably another stone as I lost 3 in preparing for the TKR!

So sorry to hear of your experience...it must have been terrifying - no wonder you didn't want to take any meds...keep strong and I wish you a speedy recovery...x

I am 69 and my experience was very similar to yours.  I finally just got so fed up with my doctor doing nothing with major Seroma and fluid on knee which was infection.  I was put on Antibiotics and was fearful I would need more surgery but my scar incision opened up and infection poured out.  The new doctor did a day surgery and went in cleaned it out, still on a/b but now no pain at all.  I was so smart to get another doctor as my doctor had no follow up!  Finally I am on my way to feeling good!