10 days post tkr and pain unbearable

The dr gave me prescriptions for 3 medications yesterday.
Still in pain but it is now manageable. Had a reasonably good sleep last night. I had physiotherapy today and will see my acupuncturist tomorrow. Hopefully this is the beginning of things improving.

TKR is so different for every person. I suppose that’s why we don’t usually hear the “horror” stories before hand. No one would undergo it! I sat at the surgeon’s office yesterday for a 4 week post MUA procedure that left me unable to walk and in pain from bleeding and quadriceps hematomas. Initially I had TKR surgery, followed 2 days later by a “perfect storm medical emergency” - had followed doctors orders implicitly - and ended up in the ICU + hospital for a week. Didn’t get the immediate PT I needed and developed a “stiff knee”. (I am 74, have been exercising , biking and hiking for most of my life). I sat near someone there for a 2 week check up from TKR. An overweight man in his 50s, knee bent more than 90 degrees, breezing right through. I could hardly bear it, as I may now have to have a revision surgery to remove excessive scar tissue so I MIGHT be able achieve 90-100 degrees. Of course, reliving for the 3rd time the recovery and all the PT I’ve invested for 12 weeks. I praise God for the grace of strength to get through this. There are some great you tube therapy sites for those who need encouragement and guidance. This site is great too. Good luck everyone.

Spinner I had bad tkr ….revision one year after tkr …. For me was not as much pain …. So hopefully for you be better as well …. I went from 70 before revision to now 100. Good luck ……by chance are you having new dr for revision ?

Thanks for the reply. I am getting an appointment for a second opinion before I decide what to do. My present surgeon is highly respected with a 5.0 rating in my area. Still, I could make a change .

I had hip replacement issues, and I learned that being an excellent surgeon doesn't always translate to being as skilled clinician. The doc did everything right, but had NO patience or skill in dealing with complications. I changed to someone who was willing to see "the whole person" and the difference was amazing.

Thank you for your insightful comment. My surgeon gets nothing but rave reviews. Then, there’s me, something of an anomaly. With medical advancements what they are, and the number of TKR s in the last 20 years I am really surprised I should be so unique. Makes you wonder if you’re not getting the whole explanation. Most people have similar feelings about 2nd opinions. They feel embarrassed and disrespectful. Till my youngest sister, a former nurse said, “there’s no shame in getting a second opinion.” I’m passing that on.

My first surgeon was highly rated …. After manipulation at 4 weeks that made things worse his own therapy team told me get second opinion but told me that was between us …. Crazy yes …. I did my new knee with original after surgery X-rays was 2 sizes too big that is why I could not retain any flexion and I was having so much pain trying to gain ….my original dr would not tell me it was to big …just said at our last appointment maybe we can go in a year clean it up … knowing what I found out at second opinion would have done nothing just cause more scar tissue……best thing I Did was get second opinion …. Having revision saved me from so much more pain …, I woke up out of pain ….i am still stiff always will be having to have multiple surgeries… I believe in your best interest to get second opinion and a good dr won’t mind …. Please let me know how your appointment goes ….

srm - I had a TKR of my left leg on June 11th. I am stunned to find someone else who experienced the intense post surgery pain that pain meds could not control. I was lead to believe that I was the outlier. For the first 48 hours post surgery, no medication would dull my pain. I was on OxyContin, tramadol and dilaudid. Due to the stress on my body, my doctors experimented with a cocktail blend on the third day. My pain relief was marginal. By varying the dosages of the three and frequency of administration, I began to feel some relief. However, my blood pressure tanked and they had to reduce my pain medications to get my blood pressure up. By day 8 in the hospital, I had healed enough that the meds began to have some effect. In retrospect, I wish I had gone to Mayo for my surgery, but I didn’t.
My doctors couldn’t explain why the pain meds would not work on me.
QUESTION : has anyone offered you an explanation why the meds would not work for you ?
I’m on day 24 now and pain is now tolerable.

Were opiates offered for pain or were just ineffective once given. Opioids gave me very little pain relief…without an explanation from my doctors.

I was prescribed oxycodone 5mg. Did absolutely nothing. I was in the worst pain. My surgery was on a Friday so I had to wait until Monday to get something stronger. I ended up with oxycodone 10mg
It did help except it messed up my stomach
Stayed on them 2 weeks
Then I took meloxicam