Shin and knee and foot pain 9 weeks after a TKR
Posted , 4 users are following.
i had a TKR 9 weeks ago and my pain is excruciating in my shin, knee and foot, cant sleep or eat lost 15 lb in 3 weeks! and the doctor only has me on 7.5 norco, only 2 a day! i cant lay down or sit at all! they are doing some kind of test with a bunch of needles in 3 weeks. a few weeks! do you believe that?? ive been taking way to much Tylenol 500 my stomach is probably hemeraging! im taking at least 10 a day praying that i get relief but never do!! the next step is im going to start drinking! i cant take this horrible pain anymore. and NOBODY not even the surgeon is helping me! He got his $50.000 dollors, why worry about me! right, and these pain med laws are are ridiculious! even if your pain level is a 10 or higher they wont give you nothing! it makes me suck! thank you for letting me vent! is anyone else out there having a problem like this? thanks Laura
0 likes, 11 replies
hope4cure laura89349
Posted
LAURA PLEASE DONT GIVE UP ON FINDING THE CAUSE OF YOUR PAIN. IT COULD BE NERVE PAIN . i have had thr surgery that have had some horrible results. bad hip implant pressing on nerves . i went for help everywhere. i had requested all my records and I finally contacted an attorney to help the doctors in my area understand that the implant was bad and caused a great deal of pain and received a revision on that hip. during revision there was many issue that were found that did not show up on xrays or mris causing the many pain issues i had. i was in a wheelchair. i am doing much better as the pain has been resolved with a different size and model hip joint. be your own advocate learn as much as possible get your records and operating report. understand that there are somethings that we are not told about before surgery. research on the model contact the manu and push for answers.
CHICO_MARX hope4cure
Posted
"BE YOUR OWN ADVOCATE"
Absolutely 100% true. However, don't "jump the gun". Give yourself time to heal and do all the work necessary to regain all your strength. Hope's case is rare but can occur with any implant procedure. If you're not substantially better in 12-18 months then absolutely follow Hope's path. No one should live in pain.
laura89349 CHICO_MARX
Posted
Hi Chico, i think your right about being my own advocate! im in therapy 3 times a week and for some reason when i put pressure on it it feels better! my pain doctor is not helping at all! i feel like my surgeon doest care either never once called to see how i was doing!! im at my wits end im losing so much weight, think its heavy duty depression im even seeing a shrink. thankyou so much for taking time out to answer my question! i really appreciate it! Sincerely Laura W
laura89349 hope4cure
Posted
hi personally i think the implantant is to big for my leg! the knew us bigger then the other knee! now i dont know if its swelled or something else! this whole thing has been nothing but a nightmare! im definatly not doing the other knee thats for sure! most horrible experiance in my life!! these doctors dont understand when you say a 10 in pain you dont mean a 10 i would love to see them get a knee ripped out and see how they feel! then they are so paranoid to give out pain killers its rediculious! the people who really need them cant get them! makes me suck to my stomach!!
CHICO_MARX laura89349
Posted
The docs are merely glorified carpenters using saws, drills, rubber mallets, screws and glue. Once the op is over, they are d-o-n-e...DONE! Yes, you get a 6-week alignment x-ray to make sure that a line drawn from hip to ankle goes straight through your knee. That's it for the doc.
Since everyone is different, there's no telling in advance how much scar tissue your DNA will generate or how easy it will be to break it down. This is even true for patients getting a second knee. Very few have the same experience as #1, for better or worse. That's why we caution people to give up ALL expectations and never compare yourself to anyone else. Your brain can twist all of this into a depression.
And here's the truth about that...(Note: It's a Jedi Mind Trick!!!)
POD
The first 12 weeks are typically horrible with the pain and sleeplessness abating gradually after that. For most of us, it truly takes a year to go dancing again with some residual stiffness, noises, etc. lasting up to 18 months. Very few escape this fate. Remember that after you've done the ROM work, it's time for the critical muscle rebuild. No joke...this MUST be done to set you up for a great long-term experience.
Click on my name, Discussions and See All. I've got about 30 out there on a whole variety of topics. Hope they help.
CHICO_MARX laura89349
Posted
The size difference may be true but highly unlikely. Your knees will probably look different sizes for around a year since it takes a looooooooong time for all the swelling to go down. I remember looking at and comparing mine at 14 months and could still see a tiny, tiny difference. Now at almost 4 years, they look the same and have been like that for years. If there's a BIG difference at one year, then I'd say that you should see a different doc who can analyze the issue.
Regarding pain... A "10" means different thing to different people as we've all had varied experiences and also have different pain thresholds. For me, my "10" was always measured by the four kidney stones I've had. I thought those events measured my max...until the TKR. With a kidney stone, you can at least go to the ER and get IV Dilaudid!!! The TKR just goes on and on and on for months. I've had 35 general anesthesia ops in the last 19 years...pain and I are intimate friends. I'm having my fifth spinal op (third fusion) on January 22...that will give me an even FIVE POUNDS of metal in my body (the airport is hell...). Through all that, I must say that the first 3 months of the TKR were the worst...my pain meter now goes to 11.
Getting pain meds for that initial critical time has become more difficult in the US since this whole opioid thing exploded. Docs are very cautious but yes, they don't seem to realize how critical it is to get good pain management in those first 12 weeks. I tell people to ask for Tramadol (Ultram) as a way to titrate off the Norco/Vicodin/Percocet/Morphine. It's the mildest opioid available and should help. Remember...nothing will take ALL the pain away...you just want it to be manageable.
You also need to get creative in taking your mind off the pain...
The Power of Rest
Get into a great novel, binge a series on NetFlix, kill zombies on xBox, get lost in music... Can't just sit there and think about the pain. Too self-defeating. Good luck...
arlene94040 laura89349
Posted
Hi Laura
it is 1 am and i cannot sleep. My leg from the tkr feels like i have a 50 lb weight on it. Sometime it is so bad I just lie there and cry and worst of all it has been 2 1/2 years since I had it done. I have been back to the surgeon several times, they take xrays and say the knee is fine. What can I say, I dont think it will ever be better. Something ill just have to live with. I don't know where you live but if you can go to a pain management Doctor, they will prescribe anything you need. Good luck
I hope you feel better
laura89349 arlene94040
Posted
hi i am seeing a pain doctor and shes gives me 2 7.5 mlg a day! plus im taking tylenol 500 like candy! i begged her to give me at leat 4 norco s day and she wont do it! now on Dec 30 they are doing a test with needles to find where the painn is coming from but it wont relieve the pain! i wish i never did this! they want to do the other knee too, No way am i going yhrogh this again! thanks for your reply. i jope you feel better too ! nobofy should have to live like this in this day and age!! Good luck sincerely Laura W
CHICO_MARX laura89349
Posted
True that docs are very reluctant now to prescribe the pain meds for more than 30 days. You could ask for Tramadol (Ultram) as it is the weakest of the opioids and a good option when titrating down from the Norco. So many people on the Forum have the same problem; I don't know why the ortho docs refuse to recognize the incredible pain factor following TKR procedures.
See if this addresses your "other" pain...
Other Pain After a TKR
Again, this is very, very common. The best way to address these other painful symptoms is to rebuild all the musculature supporting the new knee. These muscles are now atrophied so the knee itself is carrying the load. You need to regain all that strength so the muscles do the work they are intended to do...
Muscle Rebuild
This will take months of work and determination in a gym or at home as you have to start slowly and build up your endurance. In the end, those other pains will subside, you will walk correctly, regain your balance and be able to do stairs alternately again like you used to. I'm almost 4 years post-op and I can tell you that yes, I went through hell at the beginning, but it will all pay off when you do the work.
Post this on your fridge...
Reality
You are not alone...
laura89349 CHICO_MARX
Posted
hi again Chico i was on higher pain meds for my hip replacement then for the knee ! i only went to rehab 2 times with the hip. i gave to go 38 times with the knee! i feel like im going to explode with the pain! its a 10 or more every day, and its constant never goes away even for 5 minutes! thankyou for getting back to me . Happy Hollidays
CHICO_MARX laura89349
Posted
It will absolutely go away. The biggest breaks seem to be at 3, 6 and 9 months where you're almost starting to feel like your old self again...IF YOU'VE DONE THE WORK!!! It takes a lot of determination to get all that muscle strength back but it is sooooooo worth it.
I "assumed" that my TKR would be a breeze since I rehabbed my hip replacement in a total of only six weeks...5 hours a day, six days a week in a therapy pool and gym. I even told my bandmates that I'd be doing a 4-hour gig with them the following weekend. DELUSIONAL!!! I ended up still drooling on my pajamas at six weeks.
That's why we tell people to give up all expectations and comparisons and just listen to the knee. Be Zen: "It will be better when it's better." There's really nothing else you can do but deal with it. Lose the mind games and heal.