Posted , 18 users are following.
If you could only give one (1) piece of advice for people recovering from a total knee replacement what would it be?
My advice would be to be prepared for a long, slow recovery and to not get frustrated. One thing I notice from all these postings is that a huge percentage of people feel they should be doing better than they are (including me) and more than a few are worried something is wrong. Statistics show that 95% of patients are delighted with their recovery at 12 months so unless you're very unlucky, you're doing just fine. Just continue to plod along.
What is your #1 tip? (Just one please)
1 like, 63 replies
johnny17592 Ozziegee
Posted
My tip would be prepare for a marathon.
CHICO_MARX Ozziegee
Posted
"I'm x weeks post-op. I thought I would be..."
Worst phrase ever for a TKR patient. One piece of advice?
GIVE UP ALL EXPECTATIONS
Your body will be healed when it's healed. Period.
Oldfatguy1 Ozziegee
Posted
Hydration....most often neglected item in healing. Just water.....nothing fancy.......minimum 64 oz a day. Yes, you"'ll have to get up to go pre a lot and that is t good...its great
lyn32416 Ozziegee
Posted
davidjk22 Ozziegee
Posted
It's different for everyone , what works for some , won't work for others .
Mary0987 davidjk22
Posted
cheryl90571 Ozziegee
Posted
Keep a journal.
It will help you to see progress really IS happening as you re-read your entries. It will offer you a sounding board to express your thoughts, feelings and, yes, even your frustrations. It will be an interesting read when you are finally feeling yourself again (or when you feel even better than you have felt for a VERY long time!)
📓. 📖.📒. 👍👍
ellen57898 Ozziegee
Posted
Ozziegee ellen57898
Posted
Thanks Ellen, I struggled with this. My initial pain meds worked well but made me dizzy, Hospital staff switched me to half dose of Tramadol. I wasn't dizzy anymore but was miserable with pain.
Duckfan Ozziegee
Posted
Sleep - sleep - sleep. Don't feel guilty, don't apologize, your body needs to heal.
Ozziegee Duckfan
Posted
Duckfan, my body doesn't seem to want to sleep. I'm up most nights. Any suggestions?
chris00938 Ozziegee
Posted
Are you sleeping during the day Ozziegee? If you are, but can't sleep at night (if pain or discomfort aren't keeping you awake) then I'd reduce the daytime sleeping. If that doesn't help I'd try taking an over the counter sleep aid just for a few nights (but make sure there are no contraindications with any meds you take!) to get into the habit of nighttime sleeping again. If it's pain or discomfort keeping you awake, then ask for something from your GP to sort that - a good night's sleep makes so much difference!
Ozziegee chris00938
Posted
Not really sleeping at anytime. I can usually get a nap in (1 hr) in the afternoon and maybe a total of four hours during the night split into sessions. I tried some of the Melatonin and it puts me to sleep, then weird dreams and I wake up as usual. I've tried a couple of other products with similar results. I guess it's good news I'm retired. Any other suggestions?
cheryl90571 Ozziegee
Posted
I'm an EXTREMELY light sleeper! I have ALWAYS been this way. I also have taken 20-30 minute "power naps" for as long as I can remember. Sleep is something I do only IF I'M TIRED. Often, I just am not tired. I usually sleep a couple hours, wake up refreshed and then go DO SOMETHING! If I get tired, I sleep some more! Sleep patterns vary greatly in humans.
I tell you this because I think many things can affect our sleep patterns. We can be a person who just requires less sleep. Trauma can cause us uneasy feelings which affect sleep. Medication and anesthesia mess with our sleep, too.
Have you tried just STAYING AWAKE until you get tired? I read, clean out a drawer, write in my journal, check e-mail, load the dishwasher, all kinds of things! Soon, my body and mind are ready for sleep. I, too, am retired, so I have the luxury of NOT having to wake at 5:00am as I needed to when I was still teaching.
The funny thing is my husband COULD sleep 16 hours a day. Really! We are SUCH a odd couple when it comes to sleep! Interestingly enough, he is ALWAYS TIRED, and I'm rarely tired. Two people, two VERY different sleep styles!
Try just ignoring the idea of sleep. Don't even THINK about sleep! I bet you'll be in Dreamland before you know it!😴
Oldfatguy1 Ozziegee
Posted
Time...it well gradually come back to you as the nerves heal and the body starts readjusting to the foreign object. I've been through 11 surgeries and 5 complete rehabs none of which were identical. Due tomorrow the number ofvrehabs and the amount of time I've spent in the gym, ice met a lot of fimks, many if which have had both knees done and several with bilateral. The story is the same with a very, very high percentage, its never the same. Just test when you are tired. The body needs rest and hydration as a natural part of the cure. When you yet to function without them you are just kidding yourself and slowing process activity. Don't get discouraged and remember what is said so often on this site..tor recovery is a marathon, not a sprint. You'll get there but not on what you were expecting timetable wise.
Tkr's have brought more people with little or no patience back into reality than any others I have met in rehab.
Hang in there and accept and rejoice in the little things. I like it to potty training a child....every success is major and the failures will be fewer and fewer but may last for a duration longer than we would like. Enjoy tour successes
chris00938 Ozziegee
Posted
I'd ask your pharmacist Ozziegee. There are so many over the counter products, but you do need to make sure they aren't contraindicated with any meds you take. If I go into a pattern of not sleeping I take one piriton for a few nights and that sorts it - that works for me, but there is nytol and various other products to take on a short term. I hope if you can just break the pattern of not sleeping you'll get back to normality then. Good luck!!!!!
Duckfan Ozziegee
Posted
I wish I had a great answer for you but I don't. I'm so wary of sleeping aids. My friend, after her husband died, was put on Ambien. She got up one night, went downstairs, made bowls of ice cream, stuck a cookie in it and passed them out to her son and daughter on law. She went back to bed and didn't remember any of it.
Are you giving yourself time to sleep. By that I mean do you just lay down with comfy blankets, ice on your knee and quiet or do you try to sleep with the tv on? I sleep better during the day in the recliner so I didn't worry if I didn't sleep well at night. Anyway you can rest is good. We worry ourselves into all kinds of problems. Just rest, relax, read, watch tv. Whatever it takes.
chris00938 Duckfan
Posted
Just looked up Ambien - I'd never heard of it - it looks as though it's a prescription med? It's certainly serious stuff, reading about it. That's awful about your friend! It's a hypnotic, apparently. I'll stick to my one piriton - that's enough to give me a good night if I've got out of the pattern of sleeping. It's awful this sleeping thing - you read so many articles telling you how important it is to sleep so many hours or whatever, and that just makes people more anxious and less likely to sleep LOL! A lot of us worry about waking partners up if we can't sleep too, so that just makes it worse - in bed, wide awake, trying not to keep fidgeting or turn the light on. Not fun!
CHICO_MARX chris00938
Posted
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