@johnbishop ....After my first TKR while still on Iv pain meds, my pain level was sooooo high I maxed out the limits my surgeon allowed. I had been through many types of surgery, so it was not a new experience, but to this day I am still horrified by the memory of the pain. No one believed me. I was 42, and cried for 3 days in agony. I was terrified to go home with only pills and no help controlling the beast.I have always been a toughie. No whining, suck it up kinda girl. Well, the pain crushed me and turned me into mush. I don't know if the horrible condition of the joint contributed to the off the charts pain, or not. I do know that I had not walked properly on the leg since I was 14 and had my accident, then first surgery. Could it have been the fact that a correct joint forced proper conformation, which I had not had for all those years?

You are one of most that need their pain meds after TKR. For some, their knee actually feels BETTER right after surgery. Right away. That can not mean they suffered more than we did prior to surgery. In my case the joint was so distorted, I actually wore holes clear through parts of the joint, due to the mishapened bones. They found broken pieces of bone the size of almonds. Spurs so large I was the talk of the ortho department! I was always the one up and around, getting moving and actually helping roommates, sometimes just a few hours after my surgeries. Thank God, the second knee was, comparatively, a breeze. Oh, it hurt, but it didn't turn me into a blathering, out of my mind, crybaby.It was likely just what one would expect.

When you think about it, it's a wonder we don't all lose our minds due to pain. I mean, really, they just cut the top off one bone and the bottom off another...screwed on caps, removed our kneecaps and possiblely replaced it entirely....not to mention an incision bigger than a ruler. Yep. Pain med worthy, me thinks.