Posted , 7 users are following.
Hi all I am 10 weeks TKR and wondered if I should be still on reg pain medication I find after an hour of walking or standing my legs for some time my knee is swollen and painful and getting down about it
0 likes, 19 replies
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Michelle62 janethocter
Posted
Hi. I'm at 9 weeks after TKR, I came off painkillers really quickly, but I know quite a few people who were still on them at 9 weeks. I'm like you walk on it for an hour or so, swollen very stiff and sore.
Don't push yourself, listen to your body and rest when you need to...
Good luck...
cheryl90571 janethocter
Posted
I switched to over-the counter Ibuprofen beginning week three. It worked better that my prescription Oxycodone which was running out fast with NO REFILL AVAILABLE!
Even now, a year and a half post surgery, I find that on SOME DAYS, I need more pain relief. On OTHER days I forget to take any.
Things that cause pain/discomfort/ stiffness for me are:
1) rain/ snow
2)sitting too long
3) sitting with my legs NOT elevated, like at a movie or in the car
4) really hot weather which causes swelling
5)general achiness especially in my arthritic back if I stand too long
(Knee replacements help KNEES, but OTHER arthritic body parts STILL hurt!😵
If you need pain relief, TAKE IT! You are still early in the healing game!
Things WILL get easier!😊
shan99257 cheryl90571
Posted
OMG Cheryl!! You still have pain after 18 months????
Oh when does it ever end??
cheryl90571 shan99257
Posted
Hi Shan!
Mostly my pain comes from my joints that HAVEN'T been replaced (back, fingers, elbows, shoulders, wrists, ankles, and hips). Arthritis is a TOUGH OPPONENT! 👹
My two replaced knees are good! 😊I DO occasionally feel twinges which I'm guessing are nerves growing back and "telling" me WE'RE BACK!!!😲
How are YOU doing?
shan99257 cheryl90571
Posted
Oh I am riddled with arthritis too! In my spine, shoulder and my other knee. I;m 10 months post op now...but still feel as bad as I did 6 months ago. There has been no improvement in all that time. At this stage, I won't even consider having the other knee done. I guess I'm just one of the unlucky ones who takes 12-18 months to fully recover.
You sound pretty good girl! Keep up the good work! xx
cheryl90571 shan99257
Posted
Awwww! I'm sorry to hear that even after six months you aren't feeling better.😓
Is your pain possibly because things aren't alligned properly with your prosthesis? I know my surgeon was looking very closely at my X-RAYS at my one year check-up to make sure all was looking good.
Do you still have swelling?
I know that a number of people on this site have had revisions that have helped them. Maybe you could get relief from seeing about that as a possibility.
Pain is bad. It interferes with every moment. Medications only do so much; surgery can often be the only choice for relief. Unfortunately not all surgeries go perfectly.
I hope that you will visit your surgeon or get another opinion so that you can get relief from your pain. You have waited long enough and deserve relief!!
Let me know how things go for you. Sending prayers of strength and insight and RELIEF to you today!💗
CHICO_MARX shan99257
Posted
Pain relief. Invasive but it works...at least for me...
Shoulder: I had subacromial impingements in both shoulders years ago. Arthroscopy...minimal invasion. They clean up all the arthritis and bone spurs plus shave back your acromium and clavicle so they don't rub anymore. Fairly quick rehab to get 360-degrees of ROM. I did not have a ton of pain; recovered quickly.
Knee: Same thing with the knee unless the docs say there's nothing else they can do in there except for a TKR. Maybe SynVisc shots will buy you more pain-free time. Worked great for me for many years.
Spine: MRI and neurosurgeon. My back is a "junkyard" (doc's word); your's may be too. Arthritis and bone spurs impinging on nerves causing a lot of pain. Stenosis. Who knows. Worth getting it checked out.
shan99257 cheryl90571
Posted
Thank you Cheryl. I am 10 months post op....not 6. And yes, I do still have swelling. I see my surgeon in March. Thay have never done an x-ray except the day after surgery. I had a check up at 6 months but still no x-ray. I thought that very strange. Oh please don't wish a revision on me!! I'd run away and hide if the doc wanted to do that!! Nobody is ever gonna touch this poor knee again!!
shan99257 CHICO_MARX
Posted
Yep Chico...my spine is a lot like yours. Osteophytes touching my spinal cord. From cervical to lumbar. I haven't had an mri for 7 years. I kinda don't want to know what's going on in there!! I have just done the vacuuming and I'm in agony down the lower back now. My gp has had me on Targin for 18 months now...for all my pain problems, not just the knees. And to be honest, it does next to nothing but make me sleepy!! The shoulder has arthritis but also a full thickness/full width tear in a tendon. They don't seem to want to do anything to it. I'm in Australia and we have a "public health system", so you wait years to get any surgery done. But hey, I'm grateful for having it! I'm only 60 yrs old but most of the time I feel 80!
CHICO_MARX shan99257
Posted
My wife is recovering from an impingement plus a full thickness tear of her rotator cuff in her left shoulder. Been very painful for her for a long time. Caused by her falling a lot since her brain surgery six years ago and jamming the shoulder. I had impingement surgery on both shoulders a decade ago. The crap just doesn't end...
dee53186 janethocter
Posted
While no one can tell you exactly how long you personally need pain meds, I would have to say that pain that comes from swelling is best treated with rest, elevation, ice and anti-inflammatories (i.e. Voltaire gel, ibuprofen). If you have stopped taking pain meds but now feel things have changed to warrant starting again I would consult with your physician. If you have not completely stopped them yet don't go cold turkey - start tapering down and try OTC antiinflammatories in between doses of pain meds (unless you have allergies or sensitivities). Everyone experiences this recovery differently so listen to you knee - swelling is normal after activity and rest etc may start becoming enough to combat that discomfort. Hang in there - it does get better eventually!
kimmers88 janethocter
Posted
Hi, I am at 8weeks and havent had pain meds since about 4 weeks. This was because my Dr, said to stop. I have to say that I could use pain meds at bight time. I don't feel like Tylenol helps me at all. If your Dr. will give you them then I say go for it. Every Dr. is different. Good luck!
kimmers88
Posted
CHICO_MARX janethocter
Posted
As for meds, most are off the opioids by 12 weeks...some take longer. Lots of people swich to Tramadol 50mg or Ibuprophin 800mg and then wean off those over time. All very individual...gotta listen to your body. If you need meds, take them. This is a year-long process...maybe more. Buckle up...
johnny17592 janethocter
Posted
im 15 weeks po tkr i just took the odd ibrupephen after about the six week mark its very strange some days i can walk for ages others not so long i find standing in one position makes my knee very stiff its a long process as many in here will tell you there is definitely no set time for a full recovery each one of us is different but we are all bonded together
good luck johnny.