Pain is getting unbearable after bilateral knee replacement

"...I would be in great shape and dancing at the wedding"... Totally delusional. You dance at your one year ann-knee-versary party. They were only off by 100%!!!

Yes, the discrepancy between what the docs say and what the reality actually is abounds on the forum. The same story is told over and over again. We all have expectations and they all prove to be false. I'm 3+ years post-op and have been on here since my surgery. I can count on less than one hand the number of people who've beaten this in 6-8 weeks...and I've read over 20,000 posts. This is especially difficult for people who do a bi-lateral since you literally "don't have a leg to stand on". Youzeguyz are my personal heroes...I could never imagine doing both at once or even close to each other. You are braver than I...

For pain, there are some topical choices. Voltaren Gel (RX in the US, generic diclofenac elsewhere...check for interactions with other meds) is the best topical anti-inflammatory out there. Use it multiple times a day and especially at bedtime. Works for me in about 15 minutes. NSAIDs (ibuprofen, Aleve, Naproxen, etc.) are useful but not for long periods of time (> 10-14 days). In the long term, they'll eat right through your stomach lining.

There's also AsperCream 4% Lidocaine, pain patches (lidocaine, menthol, capsaisin, etc.) and BioFreeze. Try a few to see what works for you. Last, you can pick up a cheap ($25) TENS machine at the market or pharmacy. Gotta play with where the pads go but it could also provide some relief. If you have a local pharmacist who specializes in and has significant experience in natural "oils", those can be amazing. I can't type the actual Characters By Detail in the post but ya gotta get the right blend for pain which is why you need someone who knows them really, really well.

Aside from these "pharma" solutions, also consider acupuncture which can have good results for some people. I have a discussion out there based on an NBC article that contains other strategies...

The Power of Rest

One big thing is to take your mind off the pain. Get engrossed in a great novel, binge watch a TV series, kill zombies on an XBox, etc. You'd be surprised how much less pain you feel when your mind is directed elsewhere. The worst place to be is in bed, wide awake and screaming at your knee. Just know that it's temporary and goes away in time. Yes...that time seems like an eternity now but it does subside and then you look back on it wondering how you ever got past the "drooling on your pajamas" stage. Ratz...should have kept that one to myself...

You've been through the worst two weeks and need to vanquish the PT Monster but then it does get better. People complain about the lingering stiffness. The truth is that it goes away so imperceptibly that one day you realize that it's gone and cannot pinpoint the exact day it happened.

You are not alone in that the docs told you nothing...no one gets told anything pre-op. I told the guys in my band that I'd be playing a four-hour gig with them six days post-op. I was literally a delusional puddle of protoplasm. I was so out of it for so long that they had to replace me. Imagine trying to load, drive, unload, set-up, play, tear down, load out and drive home as a BASS GUITAR PLAYER with all those HUGE, 80-pound bass cabinets, amp heads and guitars!!!! I couldn't carry anything around for six months. Like I said...delusional. I actually thought I'd skate through this in six weeks like I did with my hip replacement. Sorry... You can push a hip or shoulder...you cannot push a knee. It just sits there all swollen laughing at you.

With 4 1/2 pounds of metal in me, this was the most humbling of them all. If you aren't a patient person, the knee will teach you patience. It is a harsh taskmaster... Go to the wedding in a wheelchair to take the strain off your legs and have a good time. Who cares what other people think. Run them over with the chair...back up...and do it again. Be regal...be amazing!!!

Hi , I had bilateral TKR in July last year - it's exhausting and I certainly wasn't prepared for the emotional trauma !

Recovery is a bit of a roller coaster. After surgery I had a bleed in my leg , so it was very swollen and I struggled to move it for 5 days so it was a bit behind re getting the bend etc.

I got NHS physio every 3 weeks for 20 wks , I did the exercised and iced my knees afterwards , the icing really helped . I was still having problems with stiffness and felt my L leg was not as good as my R and having real difficulty sleeping .

THINGS THAT HELPED

I went to a private physio who initially focused on deep tissue massage ( which is painfull) and exercise this made a real difference with my range of movement, swelling and comfort of my knees. during this time I also went swimming 3 times a week.

Following advice on this forum I bought an aircast cyro cuff and cooler ( approx £100)

this really helped with pain and swelling , I set it up beside my bed at night and used it if I couldn't t get back to sleep . Quality rest is important also .

As many on this forum will tell you it takes time , it is frustrating at times and can be disheartening .

With hindsight , for me going back to work helped, I wasn't sure if I was ready but did it with a phased return at 13 weeks. The routine helped with my sleeping problem , it took my mind off me and my knees and I gradually improved .

So at 10 months post op , I still have a way to go . I still get swelling and stiffness if I stand /sit too long , get aches and the odd pain but otherwise I'm doing Ok.

BE KIND TO YOURSELF AND GIVE YOURSELF TIME TO HEAL XX

my surgeon told me no pain no gain.

i know 5 people who had tkr and they all tell me it takes a lot of time sweat and sometimes tears.

try not to over do things. you have to rest. you've had major surgery.

do take care i will be thinking if you and hope you can enjoy your daughters wedding .

I don't want to wrongly influence you but I never did any exercises, this after the second day when the physio said I must keep on trying to get movement from the knee.I said it feels as though something is going to burst and he said impossible, outcome was I split the wound and burst out two staples and it bled profusely. I woke up during the night and there was a big crimson stain where it had been bleeding this probably down to the blood thinners I was given

That was it ,common sense told me that the the knee could not move properly because of all the swelling and the wound was only getting aggravated by me attempting the exercises. When I got home I started to row again on my indoor rower I could only use arms first of all then very gradually a small bend of the operated leg which I gradually increased every day, I truthfully never had any pain unless I walked on it, I was obviously icing quite a lot for the first three or four months and then stopped.

By the way the painkillers were making me feel ill so when I left hospital on the sixth day I stopped taking them and the pain was bearable, except for the extreme pain when having the staples removed two weeks later. 15 months out from the op. I don't have a terrific range of movement about 95-100 but I can walk ok and I am pain free but I still row about 5k everyday for cardio vascular exercise., I am still getting little signs of progress such as I can dig with the t.k.r. leg and can kneel down without causing pain plus the feeling is gradually returning to the outside of my knee. The inner part of my knee soft tissue/muscle is still swollen by about an inch and I suspect if and when that goes my r.o.m. will increase.

I stress this is what I experienced ,I am 75 years old and feel good and I am not advocating that others follow me as we are all different.Hope your pain soon subsides

Seamus..