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TKR on Monday ... Getting very nervous

Posted , 18 users are following.

31pebworth
31pebworth

Hello ... This is my first posting to the Forum.  I am having a TKR on my right knee on Monday due to severe osteoarthritis ... No cartilage left.  I am not nervous about going into theatre for the op. Itself, more the pain and tiredness and being stuck at home etc. I had a three level lumbar fusion back in February this year .... Not what I would call a recreational experience! I would like to black out the first couple of months after it from my memory. I have fused really well and 85% of my leg nerve pain is now well reduced and under control. It is only now that both the back and knee surgeons are allowing me to go ahead with the knee .... After all, why have such a major op. on my back to be held back by the knee?  I can hardly walk now and am putting severe strain on my 'good' knee and all this does not help my back recovery which depends on a walking. I have been waiting for the go-ahead but now nerves are setting in and I am dreading the pain, tiredness,swelling and lack of mobility and independence again just as I am finally able to do a bit more. It is making me feel tearful and depressed though I know the eventual outcome should be very good.

i have been warned that the knee will be no picnic and my courage is beginning to fail.  I am lucky that my husband has been amazing and will be again, I have a lovely surgeon and an excellent, supportive GP, good kids, three adorable small grandchildren who will now have to take a backseat again and friends. I am only 59 ... Lucky that I don't have an illness that is life threatening but I am having  a real wobble. All encouragement and tips would be appreciated.

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  • deb88473
    deb88473 31pebworth

    Posted

    Hi

    i had a TKR 13 weeks ago at the grand old age of 55 and yes it feels way too young to be going through an op like that. I had a Hip replacement at 50 and have never regretted it, although I'm sure you will have read and been told a knee is a completely different beast altogether. It's not going to be easy, I found the first 6 weeks the worst, the pain, swelling and immobility are tough but things do get easier. Keeping up with the pain meds, regular exercise and plain old patience and acceptance are key. It's a bit of a roller coaster, good days, bad days but on here there's always someone in the same boat and it's so good to know you're not on your own going through it. There'll be times when you wish you'd never had it done but they will come and go.

    You sound like you have lots of support and that will make all the difference and you'll make new friends on here who having actually been through it will have total empathy and know just how you feel. I wish you all the very best of luck, you're going to be fine and don't hesitate to get in touch if I can help with anything

    Debx

    • judiwoo
      judiwoo deb88473

      Posted

      Hi Deb I just want to say thankyou as I also had a THR in July at the grand old age of 51 and I'm due to have a TKR in December/January and reading your reply to 31pebworth has made me much less nervous biggrin 
    • deb88473
      deb88473 judiwoo

      Posted

      Good to hear from you Judi, seems unfair doesn't it, two youngsters like us. I'm due for my 2nd knee probably around Feb, keep in touch and let me know how you get on, all the very best

      Debx

    • debbie02705
      debbie02705 deb88473

      Posted

      so good to hear from the early n50 s ,im 53 and have just had my 2nd tkr and still stiff and painfull on the numb side of both knees , but do feel like its all working out just slow , but us babies need to have it done early to be able to have a noral life lol ,debbie

       

  • betty07083
    betty07083 31pebworth

    Posted

    Hi,

    I also had TKR going on 9 weeks now ( the time really does fly!!) I also had severe osteoarthritis with no cartilage and was absolutely dreading the surgery after everyone told me how painful it was. What I found out was that the pain was no worse than what I had been living with before the surgery! I think that is why I progressed so well, because I had gotten used to the pain. You are also younger ( I'm 67) so I know you will come along just fine and will be so glad you did it and it's all behind you! I think the anticipating is the worst!

    Good luck to you and keep us updated!

    Betty

  • No1nanny
    No1nanny 31pebworth

    Posted

    i had my op 12 weeks ago & i am 52. think the only thing i am annoyed with now, is that you are not prepared mentally or physically for post op . you take care, julie xx
  • gloria29023
    gloria29023 31pebworth

    Posted

    Hi there Pebworth

    I am a fairly longtime contributed to this forum as I had a TKR about 6 months ago and you are right it was no picnic in fact one of the most traumatic experiences of my life. 6 months in I had improved a lot but was still uncomfortable inmany ways. However, and this is the very good part that you can take from me due to experience. I have just, 4/5 days ago had the second knee replacement and Imhere to shout from the rooftops that the secret to an easy time is ot the surgeon but the anethesist! I had a chat to my new chap about the trauma I had been through and he prescribed high level of meds right from the beginning and ot when the nurses decided. It eery 2 hours if I, the patient requested. And be damned whether. Hone else thought it was too high. I was prescribed between 5m and 25m of a morphine based drug and each time for 3/4 days every 3/4 hours I asked for and got 25m . Consequently I was able to do my bending and walking without pain. I was bending 100 degrees on day 2/3/4/5. I'm day 5 now. I can do everything without pain. On day 4 I chose to go down in dosage to 20m and will take 20m this morning but will opt to go down to 15 at midday and see how I go. I believe it will be good because I have already worked the knee. They are always scared of addiction but I am decreasing the dose, exercising well without pain I believe I have convinced the nurses and all areaazed at my recovery. This knee actually had ore work done on it. Talk to your anethesist, get a good understansibg of what he is going to give you. Ask for a high dosage and know exactly what you can have o no one else except you is I control. Others I. This group if you are reading this, you will remember me and that I was going to have a second knee done, week this is the result! I'm over the moon. I will paste more when I return home from hospital to se if my quick recovery notices. Good luck!

    • 31pebworth
      31pebworth gloria29023

      Posted

      Thank you ... What drugs were you given? After my back fusion I had a morphine pump for the first. 48 hours and then offered Oromorph which didn't agree with me and then switched to OxcyContin slow release, morning and evening and oxcyNorm quick release if nothing else worked. Also on a nerve painkiller (still) called Amitriptyline. For pain now I take either Paracetomol or CoProxamol .... Imagine after the op that coproxamol won't be enough.  My GP was very good helping me to slowly reduce it until I was off it at 9 weeks post op and then doe to the coproxamol.  Cocodamol makes me feels sick and codrydamol no use at all.  Tramadol has mixed results .... Helps me relax a bit but wears off for me exactly Four hours after taking it, so I rarely bother with it.  I know somebody who was offered only Paracetomol and Nurofen .... Surely that won't be enough, will it?

       

    • No1nanny
      No1nanny 31pebworth

      Posted

      amitriptline i am on, does nothing for me, or tramadol, or ibuprophen. i think after being on these for 15yrs, i am immune, i have not had my back done, its beyond repair. had tkr 2 wks ago & my knee has made my back worse, with the added pressure xx
    • Tucks
      Tucks 31pebworth

      Posted

      Hi there, I am 6weeks post op and my only medication is 4paracetemol a day. I had a problem in hospital with some of the meds they gave me hence the low voltage pain killers. I think I am at last improving although today is a bad day for me .knee very hot and painful when I walk again,it seems to ease and then comes back with a vengeance  the weepiness is back also today it must come with the pain I amsso longing to get back to normal but today I feel it will never happen I am 82 so of course I'm going to be slower to heal.sorry for the moan its good to be able to let off some steam. Take care tucks
    • No1nanny
      No1nanny Tucks

      Posted

      your not moaning at all. the pain so wears you down. i am -6 days post op & at the moment, my knee is rock hard, burning & throbbing. i still try to exercise, although its hard. i am back to the hospital in the morning. i had my staples out on tuesday gone, but i have a bit of a gape in the wound. they put temp stitches on, so i really hope it has closed in the morning. you can have a moan to me anytime love. take care, julie xx
    • No1nanny
      No1nanny

      Posted

      ps, these tabs are not for my knee, i was already on them for my back & fibromyalgia & other stuff xx
    • jennifer86104
      jennifer86104 Tucks

      Posted

      Have you tried icing when it becomes hot and painful? Sorry to hear you're having a bad day. Jen x
    • Tucks
      Tucks jennifer86104

      Posted

      Hi Jen thank you for your sympathy , yes I have been icing all day, perhaps I did too much yesterday. Haven't done any excersises because I feel so miserable. Ah well tomorrow's another day how are you feeling my friend lovely to speak with you love and take care x
    • Tucks
      Tucks No1nanny

      Posted

      Hi Julie lovely to speak to you, feeling really sorry for myself today. I felt I was improving yesterday,today I'm back to square one. Hope all goes well for you tomorrow. It seems to be all hurdles at the moment. Love and take care. Xx
    • No1nanny
      No1nanny Tucks

      Posted

      i have days like that. not been to good last 2 days. you can still unload on me anytime. always nice to hear from you lovely. take care xxx
    • jennifer86104
      jennifer86104 Tucks

      Posted

      Hi Tucks, I'm not too bad today. Been out for a meal with some friends tonight. I enjoyed it - I'm beginning to get my appetite back I think. Went to a knee class at the hospital this morning which was quite good. Made me realise that I can modify some of my exercises a bit and not struggle with ones that cause too much pain. Hope you feel better tomorrow and are able to do some of your exercises. We need to do them but also need to pace ourselves. Take care.

      Jen x

    • Tucks
      Tucks jennifer86104

      Posted

      Hi Jen I feel a little better today thank heaven, I certainly feel easier having left the excersises alone for a day.i like you am getting my appetite back, but I have lost a lot of weight. I was 10 stone 4 last Christmas my ideal weight. To day I am 8 stone 6 its a lot of weight yo lose, not all of it is due directly to the op though. Both my daughter in law and my sister have both had really bad health scares which has been really difficult to cope with. Both have the all clear now but I still worry constantly about them both. Your evening out has done you good Jen if nothing else it certainly takes your mind off your knee. Have a nice weekend and take care, love from tucks x
    • jennifer86104
      jennifer86104 Tucks

      Posted

      Hi Tucks, glad to hear you feel a bit better today. If your appetite is improving, give yourself lots of nice treats. You can afford to enjoy them, having lost all that weight 😊 Sorry to hear about the health scares in the family. We can't help worrying can we but glad they've been given all clear. I think this op breeds anxiety and we've got too much time to think about things. Hope you have a nice weekend too.

      Jen x

    • gloria29023
      gloria29023 31pebworth

      Posted

      Hi PebworthI . For a slow release I am having Targin which I believe is the same as OxyContin but better for the bowels. I had paracetamol regularly every 6 hours but that was just to take ff the she. The secret was my anethesiSt prescribing endome a morphine based drug and between 5m and 25 m every 2 hours as requested. I requested 25.m every 4 hours. The nurses were not happy as it was a very strong dose but they gave it to me. I was bending on the machine 100% on day 2 and from then on. I am day 6 ad doing everything that I achieved by 3 weeks last time and without pain. I have cut myself down to 15 or 10 m Endone and still have the Targin slow release and paracetamol. It has been the best recovery. Talk with ur anethesist before hand if you have another TKR. Strong meds controlled by the patient not the nurses is the answer. Good luck all
    • carol45436
      carol45436 31pebworth

      Posted

      After coming home on Monday I decided to sort my own pain relief. Morphine was out once I left hospital, cocodamol makes me really ill and tramadol, well I've never felt so ill in my life. So, I've decided to ignore the nurses who warned me against too much ibuprofen because it has been my life saver for over thirty years for back and knee with no adverse effects. (If you have stomach disorders that's different). I am now taking 800mg in the morning with 1000mg paracetamol, ten 600 twice a day after with prescribed paracetemol. And of course lots of ice. My swelling has nearly all gone and the pain is exactly the same as when I smashed my tib and fib 45 years ago. I got through that and I'll get through this. And so will you. Be prepared for the worst, hope for better and it will be ok.  Best of luck.

       

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