One Week Post-Op

Yes I think you're being a bit ambitious.  Just take it steady....Sleep as much as you can, do the exercises that you feel you are capable of right now, keep taking the pain killers and don't be in too much of a hurry....It's not going to get better 'quickly'...Have a read of my blog.  I'll PM you the link.  (You can read it while you're resting... )

It sounds as though you are doing great . The low blood pressure is very normal after spinal block , so we were told . Each one of our 4 in our ward all fainted because of this . I was just sitting up in bed and went out like a light , woke up surrounded by doctors and nurses lol and a drip in my arm . My husband was visiting and just gone down for a cup of tea . He left me looking great and nearly had a heart attack when he came back lol . Drink plenty of fluids this Help with this . Just work through your exercises now . Don't over do them . Your leg will feel heavy and bending and straightening will hurt for some time , but you must do them . Elevate your legs when ever you can .regular icing also helps keep swelling down . It sounds as though you are doing great . Keep it up 

I came home Monday at 6 days post op and thought I was doing well. The problem started yesterday morning when I started to be sick and dizzy, (the room was going round very fast). It went on for the next 18 hours and today I am so tired I just couldn't possibly do exercises. I can barely keep awake. It seems I had a severe reaction to Tramadol which had replaced the morphine when I left hospital. The knee and leg hurts as much as it did when I broke the leg years ago.

As you are new to this thread you haven't seen my previous ramblings so I'll try not to bore others. Since 9-02 I have had 9 whacks on the limb due to a rare tumor. Add to that 30 rounds of low grade radiation. After 4 surgeries and the radiation, the pain and bleeding was so bad they decided to do a tkr, this at age 67. In '12 the tumor reenergized and caused the prothesis to come loose and move inside the bone creating another level of pain. Jan '13 a knee revision was done (replace old hardware with new), Being an old hand at this by now I decided I was more than a mere mortal, fell, broke the femur and returned to surgery where a, 18" plate and 8 screws put me back together. this occuring 3 weeks before my 76th birthday. I came back beautifully and by June was doing well except for the constant irritation caused by the plate and screws. Lathe Oct, back to surgery and the hdwe was removed on an outpatient basis and recovery was zooming along UNTIL the day before Thanksgiving appx 1 mo. later......a serious staph infection required opening the join completelt, removing the disc and flushing with antibiotics....then came the PICC line and antibiotic infusion for 2 months and I will be on antibiotics the rest of my life. The moral of this being, the body has a natural healing method and everyone is a little different. The basic order of pain, pain meds, excercise, REST and good nutrition are important. You will experience some of the most mind blowing ups and downs you have ever had with this type surgery. Be persistant in your efforts but your body is going to give you guidance,, listen to it. If you hurt, medicate.....If you're tired, rest.....If you're hungry, eat. Try to stay ahead of the pain curve with regular doseage of what works for you. Most of all, be patient....like the rest of us, you'll heal as your body allows. Good luck and keep us advised

Hi, everyone is different, but from my own personal experience, I did not have the spinal block, but was put under by general anesthesia. Between that and I think all the other drugs they gave me through IV, I was vomiting the entire 3 days I was in the hospital.

When I got home, I was told to take the pain meds every 4 hours to stay ahead of the pain. One day when my therapist came to the house, I was dizzy & could hardly raise my arms. After conferring with the nurse, they realized I was taking too much pain medication, (Tramadal) after lowering the dosage, I was much better & my appetite started coming back. That first week was a nightmare, so don't be discouraged as you are going through all the normal stuff!

Sorry to hear of the sickness. Don't think you've fallen behind though. Sounds about right for one week post op. Just do the exercises now but also get plenty of rest. Listen to your body. This is a very slow recovery process I'm afraid. I felt very tired for weeks. Good luck.

Jen 

all the nausea etc was probably due to anasthetic still being in your body.  Keep up the exercises and in a few months you should be in better shape.

Richard

Just a quick question but I am now day 14 post op had my staples out yesterday and my knee is still very very warm. I did have cellulitis day 3 and am still on a high dose of antibiotics. Should I be worried or is this normal? Thanks x