Swelling after total left knee replacement!!!

Hi Angela I’m sorry to hear that your going through so much pain. I had my tkr done June 28 2018 and I’m still in pain. Not so much like what your going through though! I’ve been where you are. I was also bone to bone due to arthritis. My meds are useless as well. My doctor suggested a pain management doctor that I’ve seen 2 times now. He prescribed me the same meds my surgeon did. I believe it’s because of all this stuff in the news about medication and getting hooked on it!!  You are at the beginning stages of this process. I still wake up at night in pain. I went through depression thinking I was the only one on the planet going through this. I wasn’t. If you read other people’s experiences you will find they are similar to yours. The one thing I suggest right off is don’t compare yourself with others. We all heal differently. You have had a huge operation! Give yourself time and know when it’s all said and done you will be better off. I know right now it doesn’t seem that way but it’s true! Remember to ice ice ice. Also don’t forget your excercises. Do what you can and no more for now. It will get better. I can tell you this because I was where you are. I’m still not where I want to be right now. I’m exhausted all the time, it takes so much energy to do a little something around the house. Give yourself time. 

I also need to have my other knee done!!! No way.... some people are back up within a short amount of time, others not so much.  Take your time and heal. 

Please let me know how your doing. Your not alone in this .

Talk soon

Lynda Eddy 

Keeping icing and stay on pain meds.  Call doctor to see if he can give you something strong for pain. It's horrible no doubt about it.  Try to exercise a little and change positions often.  From bed, to couch and your favorite chair.  You will get through this.

Massaging your knee help too.  Front and back.

I am soooo with you on being in an induced coma and that my other knee will fall off before I have another butchered leg.   And to think we chose this!!!!  Not enough research.  And why is there such a discrepancy with everyone's results and healing process?  I hate hearing " O I had a great recovery!  ROM was 125 while still in hospital!!"  Just shut up!    I'm 4 months out and am still on mild pain meds, still icing, still can't bend past 95, and still not sleeping well.  And I had 3 months of PT and am going to gym every other day!!!!  I have considered amputation to this TKR.  

Hi. I feel terribly for you.  I had both my knees done in January and the so called bad one has done well. I just had the left manipulated last week because the bend was poor.  It’s swollen, uncomfortable and still stiff.  Sleeping, which you need to heal, is bad.  I ice regularly, go to pt three times a week, and exercise every day.  All of it seems to help, but I often feel defeated. Remember 6 days is too soon to judge your recuperation. Sleeping in a chair with legs elevated does help as well.  Have you started pt?  They help both physically and mentally.  Reading other people’s stories on this site helps to know you are not alone.

Good luck

Only 6 days after very, very serious surgery, for most people bad pain is very usual, not many have little pain after TKR. I think many if not most at some time after the OP wish they hadn't had it done. The good news is it does get better in time. I know it's easy for me to say so almost 20  and 18½ years since my TKRs, but I have had many years free from knee pain, and no problems. Looking back I'm really glad I had them done. Everyone recovers differently, please don't compare your recovery with that of others, some will be better and some will be worse. Physio, as much exercise as you can without overdoing it, medication to control pain, don't try to be brave. It's much easier to exercise and do Physio if you are not in pain. Ice, Elevate and Rest. It can be a long journey but trust me it is well worth it in the end.

I had tkr on may 2 I thought the same thing today is the 3rd week I’m still in pain but I can walk I can even walk up stairs every other leg but it is a process I thought the same thing but it’s getting easier my leg swelled and bruised all the way down to my foot ...everyday gets better... don’t get me wrong I couldn’t go shopping yet but I’m working on it ...GOOD LUCK

Deep breath...  Normal, normal, normal.  A full recovery typically takes a year but the docs never tell you any of this.  Typically...

Lots of pain for the first 30-60 days but diminishing over time.  Stay on your med schedule.  If you have problems with the meds, work with the doc to find the right med combination, dosage and schedule.  Trial and error.  If your current drugs are useless, you need better drugs or an increased dosage.  Doc will help.  After you don't need the heavy duty opiods, get some Tramadol (Ultram) as a transition med down to plain ibuprofen.  Titrating down takes some time. 

Stiffness will decrease gradually over 9-12 months, can last 18, will last even more if you don't keep the knee active.

Swelling is ALWAYS a problem but will decrease almost imperceptibly...EXCEPT...when you push the knee past its current limit.  How do you figure that out?  Simple...go walking a lot and see if you get a "balloon knee" for 3 days.  That's your limit.  Get a fit bit or similar and TRACK YOUR STEPS.  It's not about distance, it's about the number of steps.  Starts to swell?  Back off, ice, elevate and resume gradually.  The software will chart your steps, show the day you went too far and display your progressive trend.

After you get your ROM back, head to the gym to rebuild your dead quads, glutes and core.  These muscles have all atrophied so you're putting all the daily pressure on the new knee joint.  Result: More pain.  You need to transfer the work back onto the supporting musculature.  This will take months 4 through 9 and beyond.  Muscle rebuild is mandatory is you ever want to walk correctly again, regain your balance and be able to go up and down stairs normally without holding onto anything.  It's all about the muscles.

Many people also experience Post-Operative Depression.  Totally normal and a Jedi Mind Trick...it's not real but seems like it.  More people experience other pain after a TKR in other parts of their body.  Again, totally normal.  My chiropractor got rid of my sciatica in a few weeks.

Click on my name and then "See All Discussions".  I have 30 posts out there addressing all these topics and more.  Remember...there are advances, setbacks and plateaus...ALL are normal since this is NOT a linear recovery.  Eat healthy, hydrate a lot, give up ALL artificial sweeteners and junk food, eat protein and complex carbs (rice and beans) for energy, ice, elevate, sleep well (a post is out there on that subject too).  If you want to ice 24 x 7, get an AirCast (picture).  Great portable device...very helpful.

Finally, post this on your fridge...

https://patient.info/forums/discuss/the-reality-of-a-tkr-recovery-in-one-picture-626038

...and don't forget your oars for the boat part...