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Total knee replacement

Posted by whitewords @whitewords, Apr 19 10:40pm

Hi everyone where ever you are, so I’m 6 weeks post op on my right knee, I’ve got my ROM at about 85, but I’m not complaining, the pain is so horrendous, it’s making me depressed, I’m in Australia so the medication would be different to the US, my doctor told me that I’m on some pretty serious medication, but it’s just not working, the burning sensation is worse to when that epidural wore off. I had my other knee replaced about 8 months ago and the pain was nowhere near as this.
I’m only getting maximum 5 hours sleep a night because I wake up in serve pain.
It’s really dragging me down.

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reypr61 | @reypr61 | Apr 20 10:19pm

I need a knee Replacement and am dealing with severe pain and throbbing of my thigh and calv!
Doctor does not want to put me with painkillers

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1 reply
whitewords | @whitewords | Apr 21 2:05am

When are you going to have a knee replacement, what medication do they have you on.

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ezas123 | @ezas123 | Apr 21 5:24am

It is hard especially when you know what to expect and that is not happening…. You have every right be concerned…. Reach out to Dr have that conversation let him explain why two recovery are different ….maybe in doing so he can put your mind at ease… I know won’t solve things but sometimes just having information we need helps our psyche….sounds like you did very well your last tkr ….. so you know it does get better just takes little longer sometimes…..when I had my tkr I could not sleep pain , insomnia I tried olly gummy… I took these for like a month or two label said you can take two but I only ever needed 1 that is what I started at helped tremendously…….having a good night sleep helps you get through the tuff days …. I doubt if you are allergic to anything they used hence you did not have reaction with you last tkr ….just keep pushing through this time is harder just push harder ….unfortunately you have to dig down dip you got this , having knee replacement is not for lazy people that’s for sure …. Call the Dr that may hopefully give you piece of mind ….

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1 reply
whitewords | @whitewords | Apr 21 6:33am
In reply to @ezas123 "It is hard especially when you know what to expect and that is not happening…. You..." + (show)
@ezas123

It is hard especially when you know what to expect and that is not happening…. You have every right be concerned…. Reach out to Dr have that conversation let him explain why two recovery are different ….maybe in doing so he can put your mind at ease… I know won’t solve things but sometimes just having information we need helps our psyche….sounds like you did very well your last tkr ….. so you know it does get better just takes little longer sometimes…..when I had my tkr I could not sleep pain , insomnia I tried olly gummy… I took these for like a month or two label said you can take two but I only ever needed 1 that is what I started at helped tremendously…….having a good night sleep helps you get through the tuff days …. I doubt if you are allergic to anything they used hence you did not have reaction with you last tkr ….just keep pushing through this time is harder just push harder ….unfortunately you have to dig down dip you got this , having knee replacement is not for lazy people that’s for sure …. Call the Dr that may hopefully give you piece of mind ….

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Thank you so much

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cyndi2013 | @cyndi2013 | Apr 21 10:30am

Hang in there it will slowly get better. It takes a lot of patience and stay on your physical therapy evey day.
I am almost 6 months post op. Some days are better than others.
Lots of rest and ice.

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cathymw | @cathymw | Apr 22 8:19am
In reply to @reypr61 "I need a knee Replacement and am dealing with severe pain and throbbing of my thigh..." + (show)
@reypr61

I need a knee Replacement and am dealing with severe pain and throbbing of my thigh and calv!
Doctor does not want to put me with painkillers

Jump to this post

Get an order for physical therapy. You will need to learn exercises that will strengthen your muscles for the surgery. It also will help your pain. I wore a Velcro brace prior to surgery . I walked as much as possible daily as well- lubrication to the joint!
I had purchased a large gel ice pack that was awesome. Really helped. And if you can, take NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatories such as Motrin, Alieve...)

Narcotics are for after, when you really need it.

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lynnn | @lynnn | Apr 23 4:05pm

I lost sleep for four months post op. Some nights 3 or 4 hrs. and many nights none due to pain. Dr. said to get up and walk. Pain went away but started again after 1/2 hr. in bed again. Who can do that the entire night! No pain
daytime. Couldn’t take NSAID’s which may have helped. Now at four months I have had 5 nights with no pain and could sleep. Knee feels fine. Worried my left knee may need the same. Best wishes for those of you dealing with this.

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lonna66 | @lonna66 | Apr 28 6:14am
In reply to @whitewords "When I had my TKR of the left knee, there were complications and as a result..." + (show)
@whitewords

When I had my TKR of the left knee, there were complications and as a result of that, six months after surgery, I had to have an MUA. I got that sorted. I don’t know if they use metal or ceramic. But the pain on my left knee was manageable.

When I had my right knee done on the 14/03/25, when I came out of surgery and the epidural had worn off, I was in the most horrible pain ever in my life. The burning pain I experienced was next level. My body was shaking from the pain. I was in a panic and sweating. I told the nurse who was looking after me, “Give me a consent form to end my life so I don’t have to put up with this horrendous pain.” In those hours of pain, I re reflected on my life and said, “ I’m happy to leave this world, even in my late 50s.” I thought my siblings would understand what I was going through. I thought they would sell my house and split my superannuation up.
I was practically begging for it to stop. They rang the anaesthetist, the surgeon, and they even rang the ICU doctor. None of them even responded while I was being pumped with so much medication. A nerve block would have fixed it in like a few minutes. I am 6 weeks post-op. The burning sensation isn’t as bad as in the hospital, but it’s that bad I can’t do PT. and I can feel it getting worse by the day but my ROM is better than my left knee.
My GP has given me so much heavy medication, and it’s just not helping. I’m not sure if they used metal or ceramic on my right knee

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So sorry to hear this is happening to you… don’t know what kind of insurance you have, but at this point I would look into another Dr.
Which Mayo did you go to… I went to Dr. Clarke in Arizona and just can’t see him doing this to his patients!

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1 reply
whitewords | @whitewords | Apr 28 6:50am
In reply to @lonna66 "So sorry to hear this is happening to you… don’t know what kind of insurance you..." + (show)
@lonna66

So sorry to hear this is happening to you… don’t know what kind of insurance you have, but at this point I would look into another Dr.
Which Mayo did you go to… I went to Dr. Clarke in Arizona and just can’t see him doing this to his patients!

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Thank you so much for your kind comment, I sincerely appreciate it.
It’s now 7 weeks since surgery, it’s hard to increase my ROM due to the amount of pain I am having currently.
I seen the surgeon, they aren’t the easiest people to deal with at times, he told me that I have 2 weeks to get my ROM up or it’s back into hospital for a MUA, I believe that I need a bit more time due to the pain that I having to which they can’t work out why.

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2 replies
cathymw | @cathymw | 6 days ago
In reply to @whitewords "Thank you so much for your kind comment, I sincerely appreciate it. It’s now 7 weeks..." + (show)
@whitewords

Thank you so much for your kind comment, I sincerely appreciate it.
It’s now 7 weeks since surgery, it’s hard to increase my ROM due to the amount of pain I am having currently.
I seen the surgeon, they aren’t the easiest people to deal with at times, he told me that I have 2 weeks to get my ROM up or it’s back into hospital for a MUA, I believe that I need a bit more time due to the pain that I having to which they can’t work out why.

Jump to this post

How often are you doing physical therapy? What has your PT said about your flexion and extension measurements?

I really wasn't aware of how important these measurements were. I thought by doing everything I was told at PT and at home, my knee would work. I had extreme troubles bending and straightening my knee as time progressed. I wished there had been more communication between my surgeon and PT. I will know better for knee # 2.

Take a narcotic an hour before your PT and really work hard while there. Use ice after and rest for sure. Write out a schedule of how you are taking your pain medication, and follow it. This includes your over the counter medicines as well. This part my surgeon and staff really helped me out on. Never knew how well a combo of Extra-strength Tylenol, Ibuprofen and Oxycontin worked during those painful days.

I did have an MUA at 11 weeks. They work the best if done under the first 12 weeks.

I am coming up on a year next month. It was grueling for sure. I thought I'd breeze through it as I am somewhat younger, BMI good, active, great support system... NOPE! It's a hard surgery for sure. Best wishes.
https://www.onestep.co/resources-blog/range-of-motion-after-knee-replacement-surgery

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