Posted , 17 users are following.
What is the best advise you all can give me? It's discouraging reading the pain y'all have gone thru. I've already asked to be put to sleep because I didn't want to be awake. I had foot surgery yrs ago & had to hear & smell the drill & knew I didn't want to go thru that again. Also I have fibromyalgia & wonder if my pain will be worse because of it.
1 like, 33 replies
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lyn32416 Debihearn
Posted
lynn40751 Debihearn
Posted
I had so much swelling I couldn't do anything. They had a hard time managing my pain levels. The good news is each week that passes you get better. I was great by 3 months. Now my other knee is killing me so that's set back my victory.
Debihearn lynn40751
Posted
I'm frm Ga & flying to Daughters house in AZ for Thanksgiving. Dr said I should be fine by then, but now I'm so wondering. We've already bought the tickets, & its a 10 hr commute frm me, so guess I'll just have to deal with it
lynn40751 Debihearn
Posted
I can only tell you my story. I'm hoping to be mentally able to do thanksgiving. It was all I could do to shower. My PT was about 1/4 mile from my home and my leg had to be elevated. No way could I put my leg down for 2 1/2 months. BUT you may turn out great and be one of the lucky ones that do well. I could barely make it to the bathroom with my walker and hobbling on one foot
lynn40751
Posted
My doctor told me the pain would be less than what I have been living with. I woke up and said "You lied"! They wanted you to be able to do all these things before you can leave the hospital. I finally begged for them to let me go home
justnora Debihearn
Posted
Debi - how great you get to see your daughter for Thanksgiving! The weather will be lovely in AZ.
Expect to be feeling fairly mobile. A few suggestions:
- plan on it taking longer at the airport because you'll be moving more slowly and security will detect your knee and you'll get a wand scan
- call ahead and ask for a wheelchair to and from the gate
- BYOI :-) That stands for Bring Your Own Ice. Buy a couple of "old school" fill with ice and screw the lid on ice bags and a soft collapsable cooler. On the other side of security, get them filled & put them in your cooler.
- Board early on the plane. Tell the attendants about your recent surgery and need for ice. They'll help keep you supplied.
- You'll likely mostly be off or reduced on pain meds by this time. If this is the case, I'd still plan on having some with you, though, to help you through your travel day.
Be excited about seeing your daughter and family! Expect that you will have a good outcome on your surgery. Do your PT faithfully following surgery so that you can be feeling your best by Thanksgiving. Your daughter will be so glad to see you. Relax, elevate, and ice when you get to her home and enjoy your visit! ??
Eyes on the prize -- a successful surgery, and getting to give your daughter a hug for Thanksgiving!
Best,
Nora
philguud Debihearn
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jenny80029 Debihearn
Posted
Are you in UK?
Try not to be anxious about pain...It can be very well managed and you can ensure that it is. They supply you with plenty of pain medication and you can appreciate that while it is going to be there you can determine how it is managed. If anything you may be more equipped to deal
with it. I found TENS good too . It is normally only the first few weeks which are the hardest. As long as you rest sufficiently and don't push your knee too hard, treated with respect it will be generally well behaved ! Best wishes for you on your knee journey!
jenny80029
Posted
Ah, read posts, not in UK. Make sure your pain is managed well. Simple as that. Can be. All in your hands! But don't over do things.
clive45466 Debihearn
Posted
Hi
Relax and focus on the future when it's all over. It's like worrying about travelling to go on holiday , Then once you are there you have a great time.
A knee replacement is necessary for us to have a better quality of life in our latter years. I still have my left knee to be replaced.
Yes the right knee was painful but it would have been painful if I never had it replaced.
Good healing
brent77382 clive45466
Posted
Hi Clive,I cannot speak for anyone else but I'm now exactly 5 weeks today into my recovery after my TKR and to be honest the surgeon said 1,this is a major operation 2,it's anything but a delicate operation,3 it will cause a lot of trauma to your leg,so I was expecting the worst,but it was only bad pain on the first evening after op but liquid morphine helped and really the pain after the first weeks onwards been 2/10.The main issue for me has been lack of sleep due to discomfort of the swelling not pain at all,got prescription sleeping pills after a month of little sleep to help me over this swelling period.Maybe I've been lucky but pain never really an issue after day one especially.Good luck and no worries,ps I also need the right knee replacing in 2018 and have no worries about it at all.
dee38339 Debihearn
Posted
Hi
I had my right knee TKR in Dec 16 by spinal anaesthetic absolutely fantastic no pain at all 2nd knee done 13 wks ago and had a general again fine but has taken a little longer to recover but i think thats because i was still recovering from the first one.
My advice would be to use ice often, take pain relief regularly and do your exercises. I didn't go to physio the 2nd time because I was still doing them anyway. The benefit for me now is that I walk without a limp and am pain free. Good luck x
kathylake Debihearn
Posted
I won't tell you to not worry but please realize the pain you are experiencing now before tkr will only worsen. Tkr may be painful but all that will resolve and you will be out of pain doing the things you wouldn't or couldn't do before. Advice, you and your knee are one of a kind and therefore your recovery will be one of a kind. Don't compare yourself to anyone else. Take pain meds before exercise, sleep nap often keep a positive attitude. I focused on one impotant thing i wanted back in my like Good luck keep us posted.
CHICO_MARX Debihearn
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Terrified?
https://patient.info/forums/discuss/tkr-strong-594566
Being apprehensive about this is totally normal. However, you have to be realistic. The first 30 days are the toughest. There's usually a lot of pain but it can be managed by meds, ice and elevation. The PT and exercising are demanding and take both strength of will and commitment to the process. This is not something you get past in a few weeks or months. Yes, it's a struggle sometimes but we all get through it...and you'll find out in the end that you're a stronger person than you ever thought you were.
Yes, there are the remarkable few that skate right through this...they are the rare exceptions to the rule. Maybe their DNA doesn't create scar tissue? Maybe they have a really high pain tolerance level? Who knows. You can wish for that recovery but don't expect it. In fact, don't expect anything. Your recovery will be yours and yours alone. Own it...be empowered by it...conquer it. We're all here to help.
Remember..."terrified" is not an option... You get this done...you kick its a$$...
sarah87162 Debihearn
Posted
I had TKR 5 years ago. The morning after my operation, yes I was in pain but it was a different kind of pain. All that arthritic pain I had had for so long had completely gone, so this was something I was going to be able to cope with.
It is a long hard road to recovery, but if you work hard and do the physiotherapy exercises then hopefully you will feel the benefit of having this operation.
I was awake while they operated on me but that was my own choice, I asked to be awake because I hate coming round from anaesthetics.
Praying for you.
Take care and keep in touch.
Sarah xx
CHICO_MARX sarah87162
Posted
AWAKE?????? Really?????? Geez... Braver than I was. I called Warner Brothers who sent over the coyote with the 16-ton weight he tries to drop on the Roadrunner. No problem. Out cold.
Totally agree with the pain. The original stuff was gone...replaced by post-op pain which you have to manage closely. The good thing is that it diminishes over time. I'm 18-months...pain is a thing of the past as is mobility. Soooo much better.
brent77382 CHICO_MARX
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Chico,your correct in what you said in a earlier post TKR is a brutal operation I also had a spinal and heard everything,but I also talked all the way through to the anaesthatist and we actually had a laugh about the surgeon building a cabinet behind the screen another plus is your not groggy,the hospital I got done at does all TKR under spinal if possible.if you want you can get a sedative to make you drowsy as well,so anyone getting a spinal don't worry about it and it's a lot safer than a general reaction wise.
CHICO_MARX brent77382
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Not counting endoscopies, colonoscopies, cardiac catheterizations, one cyst removal and a lithotripsy all under conscious sedation, I've had 28 ops in the past 18 years. A lot were minor things like trigger fingers (7), carpal tunnel, shoulder impingement (2), etc., but for every one, I've had general anesthesia. For me, KMTHO (*) is the most absolute rule of all time. I don't want to see it, I don't want to hear it, I don't want to know anything about it...especially when someone whispers "Oops..." in the middle of it. Just KMTHO!!!
(*) Knock Me The H##L OUT
jenny80029 brent77382
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😊😀😃 i reckon all knee surgeons must be very good at woodworking!
CHICO_MARX jenny80029
Posted
My doc cousin told me that hip and knee guys are called "carpenters" in the trade. To install my hip, they used three tools: 1. a saw to cut the bone off; 2. a Black and Decker drill to screw in the "cup" (socket); and 3. a rubber mallet to pound the implant down into the femur. That's it. Same with the knee guys. Just "carpenters"...
jenny80029 CHICO_MARX
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I decided to look at the tools and equipment used before my surgery! I like to be informed, and I used to be a dental nurse years ago so was quite interested.
Looked on the net.
Needless to say, i realised that if I wanted some cupboards made up, an orthopaedic surgeon may be rather good at the job.
I looked very carefully at my surgeons hands when i had my follow up appointment.
They did look rather strong!
As long as the tools are properly sterilized I decided there was no need to worry!
It is very clever the way they get the angles correct...
I did decide to have a sedation though...
Couldn't hack listening to it all!
😀😁😃