TkR blues!

HiJayne

Early days for you yet, but you are doing well.  It will be difficult to lift much at all at the mo.  Make sure that you use pillows to support or buffer your knee, and get a memory foam bed topper if you don't already have one.  Also make sure that you have been given strong painkillers (ie Tramadol), and ice and rest regularly.

Every one is different, but we know what you're going through.

Patsy 20 weeks pot TKR - 2nd knee

Hello Jayne

sorry you are feeling like this. It is exactly how i felt in the beginning. Sleep still eludes me and my legs get jumpy and restless which drives me crazy. However in the early days it was the pain and i have screamed and wept long into the night before. My knee muscles are always throwing obstacles in the way. Pain in that muscle was common. Just listen to your body as far as exercises go. Your are in very early days. It really does get better. I am 8 weeks and i cried at the physio today. Emotionally its a killer but we have all been there. Be kind to yourself as the pain eases you will be able to exercise more confidently. I still dislike bedtime but i bring a flask of tea up with me for the wake ups and it helps. Keep in touch. You are not alone.

hi Jayne

you're going through the worst time at the moment ...things are healing inside the knee which adds to the pain

its par for the course ...I cried buckets at first...and sleep was a No no ...but I can assure you it does get better even though my words will to you at the moment will seem pie in the sky

hang in there 

exercise...rest ...and plenty of ice

chin up 

Jean ....22weeks 

Hello Jayne

I was about 16 days post op when I ended up in tears in my GP surgery - he then added tablet morphine, 2 x 4 times a day - the relief was almost instant. I'm now at 13 weeks, & have weaned myself down to just 1, twice a day, but the main thing is - please take pain relief - it is available, & justifiable. The muscle above my knee killed too, it was the physio who told me to take a wrapped hot water bottle to bed, as the knee needs ice, but the large tendon & ligaments etc, need heat. That too, was a huge relief. When you excercise - no matter how little you raise the leg - you are still raising it - try to massage the top area of your leg above the knee quite deeply - you will get there.

You are not a misery!! We have all been there and it does get better. Unfortunately it is such a slow slow process. It's really early days for you but you will notice the difference in a short while.  Are you taking your meds regularly? If they are not doing their job see your GP and get some different ones. You don't have to put up with the pain without suitable medication.  After exercise make sure you ice the knee and elevate it. It does help. I am 24 wks post op but can remember the first 4 wks as if it was yesterday.  I seemed to be forever tearful! You are allowed to feel fed up and angry. You've had major surgery and your poor body needs to heal. As I said earlier, it is a slow job and sleep deprivation is so very common with TKR.  I still have a few sleepless nights but they are now few and far between.  Try putting a cushion or pillow between the knees or under the operated one when laying on your side. However, do not put the pillow under the operated knee if you sleep on your back as it will make the knee stay bent.  There is light at the end of this dark tunnel. Stay with this forum as everyone supports each other and helps with any queries that you might have.  I hope you have a decent night very soon. Keep your chin up. Wishing you all the best xx

Hi Jayne

its now 8 weeks since my TKR & I know how you fell

Everything feels harder when you can't get any sleep, but believe me it does get easier, it's still very early days for you so don't get too disheartened.make sure that you take all the medications that you have been prescribed without over doing it & if that doesn't help see your GP & ask for an alternative, some people get better relief with different drugs.

even now after 8 weeks I'm still struggling to go right through the night without getting up once or twice to stretch my leg,, but the discomfort does get less .your legs gone through a lot of trauma & the ligaments have been pulled around a lot so it's goona take time and I know it's painful , I think you should start to feel things improving in the next couple of weeks ,

I found that sometimes it's just best to get out of bed at night & perhaps walk around the room or bend my leg over the side of the bed.

i also found that visiting a swimming pool & just walking in the pool ( not swimming!) help to bring things on loads.

please don't get too down , I'm sure that you will begin to feel a lot better by 6 weeks. I've got friends that have had both knees replaced & they say take your time do the exercise , use plenty of ice & you will get there in the end. 

Regards

Andy

Hi Jayne.

I am so very pleased I found this site. I was thinking all the things that seemed to be not working as they were supposed to were only happening to me. I too was soo teary and depressed. But Knowing that other patients were going through the same was in some way reasurring.. I keep getting told by the medical guys that this is the worst and longest recovery and not to get discouraged by the slowness. But when you are in pain almost all the time, it does not seem to help much. As everyone has said, you are very early on. Take heart that you are not alone. I am definitely better at 9 weeks but still frustrated that I can't do things I thought I would be able to.  I found I had to take naps in the day to compensate for the lack of sleep at night. Now I am at least getting some good sleep.

Hope this helps Jayne.

Big hug to you Jayne.

it is a game of swings and round abouts. It will get better people talk of 'turning a corner' and that time is different for everyone. You have a bright new shiny knee make friends with it. I found myself talking to mine . Sometimes we have arguments . Lol ;o)

The sleep thing... Don't force it, sleep when you can if you can't read, watch tv, knit, 

Chin up. We're all here to support. There's usually someone on line as we are international . And internationally in the same boat. Xx

Hi jayne, I don't often post now but I do read the posts and yours really tugged at me. I,like most others, have been exactly where you are.I was just telling a friend yesterday that the first 4 weeks were horrendous. The lack of sleep and pain were unforgettable.I posted on here in the same tearful state. That is why we are here,  to help each other. Please believe me  it will get better. I am lucky not to need a second knee done but I would if I had to because it really is worth it in the end. I wouldn't have said that 3 months ago but time is the healing power here. Just do the exercises that you can. Some days are worse than others and the more you do the more it hurts but that is normal. I got through the nights by planning a long summer holiday, routes and everything, in my head. Now it is going to happen. Accept that you won't sleep and let your mind drift to lovely places and freinds. It helps a little. x

I'm six weeks out from a L & R TKR and have yet to sleep through the night. At first it was like an hour of sleep and two hours of restlessness and frustration. It's getting better. I seem to sleep best on my back with my feet hanging off the side of the bed along with taking pain medicine. Even during the day there seems to be no good position of comfort. Excercise helps.  I do excercises off and on during the day.  Icing really helps the pain, I ice three or four times each day. I bought Velcro knee wraps on the internet so the ice would stay put. Pain management has been a problem.  I tried to cut back on pain medicine, thinking that was the right thing to do, but at my 6wk appointment my doctor wanted me to get back on pain medicine as he thinks the pain and discomfort are hindering my recovering. He wants me on Vicodin during the PT sessions and as needed for pain. The downside is I'm not going to be able to drive for a bit. It does get easier, but it's a gradual process. Good luck. I found this site a real morale booster. I think I'll try the tea before bedtime as sally58158 suggested. 

Jayne, you are among friends here. We all have been through it and if words could heal you would now be out running. You are going through a healing plateau that never seems to start tracking upward. My recliner became more compassionate and caring than did my wife. After that initial couple hours of sleep and then the horrible waking in pain I headed for my ice bag and the recliner. Took a pain pill and got my leg elevated to help blood flow, then tried to get back to sleep. I also found a big bowl of ice cream with hot fudge to offer relief but of course that's a personal option. Hang on there, it will get better. Just do whatever it takes to get a little relief whenever and however you can.

As you now know you have gained a wonderful extended family who are all here to help and support. We are all in the same boat. Yes we are all at different stages of post op,recovery,,but we all have a common bond. I am 6 weeks today and still yearn for a full nights sleep.,it's better than it was.  As said already it gets better with time. I used to.nod off at 5am and get 3 hours sleep. But, I would nod off during day. Keep cheerful. Take your meds and remember above all it will be worth it.

lots off hugs

Robert

Hi Jayne - you've received a ton of replies and I hope that makes you feel more comfortable.  You have been accepted into a group that has been there and are compassionate to everyone who enters - I know because it was just a few short weeks ago that I found this group.  These people have been lifesavers.  I well remember my first few weeks at home after surgery - sleep was the worse.  I just couldn't sleep unless I was deeply medicated.  I am now 9 weeks post op and can almost sleep 5 hours at a time.  Still use a pillow between my legs to help the knee.  TV and computer were helpful to take my mind off my knee.  I was directed by my surgeon to stop therapy at 6 weeks and he saw me for the final checkup at that time directing me to come back in a year.  I still get sore but at least I'm past the days of asking myself "why did I do this!".  It does get better!

Hi Jayne....it will get better as everyone here says. Like you I thought it never would. Every night I would get into bed and say to my husband, 'it's like getting into a torture chamber'!

Now at 8 weeks things are much easier but bed is still the most difficult part of the 24 hours.

Like others i found getting out of bed and moving about helped heaps and meant I could go back to bed and get another couple of hours sleep.

Suddenly at 4-5 weeks you will start to see light at the end of the tunnel. Hang onto that.

You are not alone ... I am further on than you but I will never forget how it was. You really are in very early days and I know the nights are terrible, a torture for me at that stage.  I woke around three or four times a night and could also not get comfortable. I tried the pillow between my legs, sometimes it helped but at this stage you are prolly dealing with so much pain and swelling that it is just not possible to be comfortable for long. It WILL pass. I used to ice before I got into bed and again each time I woke up. Sometimes just getting up to walk around for a few minutes can helps my husband used to put a thermos flask of hot Ribena next to me ... Keep hydrated. If you are up through the night don't worry about the loo and drinking .. You are up anyway!

try to time your painkillers .. Of they are not really helping, see the GP again. At one point my GP agreed to a week of sleeping pills to help break the waking habit ... But that was at about five weeks. If you can sleep during the day, do as it won't stop the sleeping at night and while you sleep, you heal.

I do feel for you ...