Pain on outside of TKR knee

Hi David,  for the first 5 days and many more you just need rest,  as many say on this forum  Meds, Sleep when you can, rest and as much Phsyio as you can handle. you might be one of the lucky ones and able to walk (the dog)  early on ,  as for showers thats normaly a no no  till the stapples come out ,( i had a bath after day  4  but be very carefull getting in and out and keep opp leg out of the water )  my experience after the opp  was a big shock, am a 56 year old bloke  quite fit  due to my job, (postman ) not being big headed , but had a good pain fresh hold , but the opp is a very very big opp  it does take it out of you you do have pain , good days and bad days , cant real comment on how it will be 6 months down the road , but reading other post every one is different . some feel great early on but others still have problems 12 months on.    hope all goes well with your opp and your recovery is quick,  keep in touch if you need any more info.

Thanks Brian very much.

Is the surgery an "out-patient" process...i.e., do you go home immediately afterwards or do they keep you in hospital for a few days or send you to a nursing/rehab home to recover?

Hi David,    its normally a 3 to 5 day stay in hospital, depending on how surgery went, they look to get you out of bed on the second day (as they did with me ) Physio will come on the second day give you a few exercisers to do ,  3/5 times a day,  and they look for a 90% bend in your leg and a straight leg lift befor you can go home ,   lol  which is very very hard to do, 

plan nothing ! all you will be able to or want to do is rest eat take meds etc,I wasnt able to shower due to issues with staples but most people are able to if you can get in and out, the dog has had it ! you need a dog walker ! when you feel grim just remember that it will pass, days 2 and 3 are the worst but you will come through it. Use this forum it will help get you through, good luck and stay in touch

😥 i feel grim already.

I am just finishing rehabbing from major rotator cuff surgery. The notion of ANOTHER. major surgery back to back is just too much to swallow.

There's gotta be a way out...at least a short delay...a summer to regain my strength and mental sanity.

it does sound as though you are having a rough trot  clearly you know how   hard rehab can be  they say knowledge is power (personally \i subscribe to the ignorance is bliss school of thought !) good luck to you

You can do this.

Look at my post to Brian 2 days ago.

Ofcourse it is hard at first but let me tell you it is well worth it

You are not going to enjoy the summer if you are in constant pain with your knee as it is at the moment anyway.

If you need TKR you need TKR. I could not wait to get mine done.

I had TKR 3 years ago and was in hospital for 9 days.

You will be on crutches for quite a while so walkling the dog will be a no no for a bit.

The local hospital should be able to put you in touch with someone who will loan you any equipment you will need at home. Chair raiser, toilet seat raiser etc etc. Make sure all this is in place before you go into hospital, There is also a scheme run by Red Cross. They will do all your shopping for you for 4 - 6 weeks after you come home. Use all the help you can get, you will need it.

Sorry if all this sounds a bit daunting but the reality is you have to be practical.

Take care and keep in touch.

Praying for you

Love Sarah xxx

Hi David, Lotty's right, you certainly won't be walking the dog after only 5 days! I had a fairly easy time of it: pain not nearly as bad as I'd expected, no loss of sleep or appetite, the miseries only lasted about a week ( 2-3 weeks post op), I had a 90 degree bend 2 days after op and threw away the crutches 12 days post op (no stick either), stopped painkillers after about 6 weeks, and that's just after I started walking the dog again, but only every few days for very short stretches. I was also doing some light gardening, but still resting frequently.

The reason I mention all of the above is because so many of us have real problems in those areas. You're right, it is major surgery and no one can predict how they will react. While in hospital you'll be taught how to negotiate stairs while on crutches, and how to get in and out of bed, so you shouldn't need help with that. You must remember to take your meds on time, and not wait for the pain to remind you, and you MUST excercise! You may feel positively rotten, but you can't avoid your excercises without paying a price. And just as importantly, REST!

I'm 66, fairly fit, and worked very hard for 3 mths pre-op with a physio & hydrotherapy to prepare as best I could, which I think paid off. Not sure when your last surgery was, but a tkr is no picnic, so you might want to feel both physically and emotionally ready for it before you go ahead. The summer R & R sounds like a good plan. I'm nearly 4 mths post-op and only now having some problems - my fault (doing too much and pushing myself too far).

I'm surprised your doc didn't explain that this isn't day surgery. Some people need to go to rehab after their hospital stay, but that's usually when they don't have help at home or have had both knees done (aaargh!). Maybe you should talk to either your surgeon or GP & weigh up the pro's & con's in having the surgery sooner rather than later. My decision was easy - I was living with bone on bone and the pain before the op was worse than after it.

Best of luck, and keep in touch.

Denise from Oz

Evening Denise...YES that's the big issue.

I'm still recovering from major rotator cuff shoulder surgery-5 mns out, and now I'm being told i need a TKR

NO WAY...mentally and physically I'm no where near ready.

I won't make it...i know i wont

Thanks Denise for your thoughts <3>

Hi David, as Denis says, real look into the TKR opp. Asking yourself is it a good time to go through the opp now, to behonet i wished i,d left my opp till i was near retirement, as i still have 9 years left in me to work (here,s hoping i have)i cant see me ever geting back to the job i did (deliverey postman) so have a good chat with doctor,wife,family, and friends to make sure your decision is the right one Hope you make the right choice. Brian

Thanks Brian very much.

You must be an Ironman delivering the mail all those years. Your advice is appreciated!

Thanks Peglegbev    was thinking the same, as for the shocks you have all over your knee,   i had the same  up untill the stapples came out and up to 3 1/2 weeks  mine have gone now and all i get is a numb feeling to touch around the new , hope you to a quick recovery .

I still get those shocks now and again, usually in the venings.  I have also started getting cramp in my feet . Numb feeling is normal as it still is on left knee done 8 years ago....  12 weeks op.