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Re-reading older posts, depression after tkr

Posted , 16 users are following.

Neizie
Neizie

I'm 3 weeks post tkr ( my 2nd) and have been crying off and on for days. I just went back through this site and read so many posts of others who experienced the same thing. It really does help to see how normal and common it is after a tkr.

And there is nothing like connecting with people who have been through the same experience. Some friends of mine just don't get it, and I understand. Anyway, thanks to all.

4 likes, 42 replies

42 Replies

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  • lynda18183
    lynda18183 Neizie

    Posted

    Hi Neizie

    I had my ltkr done March 26 2018. I as well went through depression. No one could understand the pain or sleepless nights I went through. I felt very alone while everyone in the house slept I was up flipping the tv stations and crying. I would go to my doctor appointments and they acted like they never heard of it. I think a lot of it was that the doctor never got me ready for what I was about to face prior to the surgery! I felt sort of betrayed in a way. One early morning I found this forum and realized there were others out there like me. It really did help me to ask others questions and get replies. I also got myself a journal and wrote in it daily. It helped me keep my sanity and felt like I was in control of what I was going through. I went back to work June 18th full time. I can honestly say that I do feel better. I still have a knee at the end of the day that swells and feel I’m dragging a ball of lead around but it’s not the same feeling as the one I have not had surgery on which still needs to be done. I’m not planning on having that one done for a long time although it needs to be. You can say I’m a bit afraid to go through all this again.  One other thing I went through was no energy. It was terrible. I finally started taking every morning B12, One a Day vitamins, prenatal vitamins and Alieve. It took a week or 2 but my energy started coming back! I still wake up during the night, my knee feels tight and I’m trying to find a comfortable position. I take lunesta now to help fall asleep and get a few good hours in.  I hope this has helped with knowing your not alone. We are here for you. This what your feeling will pass. Give yourself time to heal and please stay with this site and let us know how your doing. 

    Best of luck to you 

    Lynda

    • Neizie
      Neizie lynda18183

      Posted

      Thanks so much Lynda. I had my left tkr last year and I, too dreaded doing the other, though I knew I needed to. I tried putting it off until winter 2019, but that didn't work so here I am. I thought maybe I could skip the sad, weepy part of this process but it caught up with me. I think I stopped taking the pain meds too soon which causes me to lose more sleep and be more emotional. One day at a time.

    • martha08360
      martha08360 lynda18183

      Posted

      I was so bad, sleepless nights, etc, that I was actuallly jealous of my husband being able to go to bed and actually lie down with no pain or problems.  I made him stay up with me many a night... I know, I know, Im bad, but we've been married for 47 plus years, and we said for better or worse, and that was my worse..

    • celticchick
      celticchick lynda18183

      Posted

      Lynda I’ve found using voltarol gel on the back of my knee seems to help with the tightness - you might have shortened muscle as I’ve been told I have - and the inflammation makes it worse. Very gently and regularly doing exercises to stretch that muscle too.  Plus my trusty cryocuff which ices ALL around the knee not just the top - best thing I ever bought possibly! 
  • brozz1e
    brozz1e Neizie

    Posted

    I truly don't think anyone understands unless they have gone through the same procedure, I can go days feeling good then bang, it hits me and I cry through sheer frustration. I'm new to this group as I wanted to know if others feel the same as what I'm going through and it seems as some people do. 

  • susan22517
    susan22517 Neizie

    Posted

    Oooops, I think I responded to lorri3432 instead of Neizie.

    Neizie, I hope you are feeling better.  I found this site by Googling something along the line of "non-stop hysterical crying after a TKR".

    3 weeks seems to be when the crying and depression kicks-in for a lot of people.  The constant pain is mentally exhausting.

    It DOES get better and it helped me tremendously to read from other TKR patients that the crying jags are normal.

    • Neizie
      Neizie susan22517

      Posted

      Hi Susan. Thankfully, the crying jags have stopped. Of course I still get frustrated and sometimes overwhelmed by the pain but that out of control depressed feeling is gone. In the past couple of weeks I've started doing some walking outside and spending more time outdoors on the deck of my house. So, 4 weeks and 2 days and the black cloud has lifted!

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