Just had right total knee replacement surgery Monday, and have PMR

I have not personally had joint replacement surgery, but my friends who have had knee replacement surgery all told me that the pain during the early post operative period was very severe. They all needed opioid meds for pain control for at least the first few weeks.

Hello @joycecawthon, I would like to add my welcome to Connect along with @mark2471 and others. Fortunately my PMR was in remission when I had a total right knee replacement. A couple of things that helped me deal with the pain at night were icing and elevating the leg. I used flexible ice packs and wrapped them in towels so they weren't quite as cold against the skin and placed them under my knee. I also used some folded blankets at the bottom of the bed to raise the leg a little. There are quite a few discussions in the Joint Replacements support group that you might find helpful. Here's one of them:
-- How to deal w/intense night pain from total knee replacement surgery.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/how-to-deal-wintense-night-pain-from-total-knee-replacement-surgery/
I was able to get by with just using Tylenol but if my pain was worse than I could handle, the doctor did prescribe Oxycodone which I never had to take. I would have taken them like other members have mentioned if my pain was really bad. Did your surgeon prescribe anything for the pain following the surgery?

I've had 2 knee replacments, one a total. The pain for me was excruciating to the point I'd hyperventilate. Even strong opioids, while providing some relief weren't totally effective.
This was many years ago, so I don't know what the standard protocol is now, but I would think you would be prescribed something stronger than Tylenol! I wish you well with your recovery. Most importantly, do the exercises and move often.

Hi. Are you taking anything for your PMR, like Prednisone, Kevzara, Methotrexate…?
Are you unable to take Hydrocodone?
Tylenol3
(Acetaminophen+Codeine)?
What does your surgeon say?

I have not had any joint replacement surgeries, but I have had 3 surgeries on my right knee, 2 surgeries on each ankle and 1 lumbar spine surgery. I don't like taking pain meds but if my doctor prescribed it for me, I took one at night so I could sleep. Tylenol at any strength does nothing for me. Ibuprofen takes too long to work for me and doesn't last long enough. You need sleep for your body to heal and your mind to reset. If your doctor prescribed something, take it at night and get some sleep.

@stonewheel I'm taking 15mg Prednisone for PMR and extra strength Tylenol and celebrex for my knee pain. I can't get in to a rheumatologist until May!

Hydrocodone and Prednisone don’t interact negatively and may be taken together says (Drugs.com and SingleCare.com)

Did you discuss pain prescription meds before and/or after surgery?

Perhaps you are taking other meds that may interact negatively with it?

I think you should contact the surgeon or your PCP (primary care physician) to get some relief if acetaminophen alone is not doing the job.
Discuss hydrocodone-acetaminophen (such as Norco or Vicodin) for pain relief.

I’ve had both of my shoulders replaced and my surgeon prescribed hydrocodone. It works well.
Good luck.

I have had 2 knee replacements. My orthopedic dr recommended that I rent an ice machine for 2 weeks. I relied the machine heavily. You can set timers and use it continuously, 20 minutes every 2 hours or so. You can set the knee wrap to apply varying degrees of pressure around the knee during use and the pressure also seems to lessen the pain. Both the NICE and Game Ready machines are good. In Denver, I was able to call NICE and have a machine delivered to my home immediately. I Prefer NICE because, unlike other machines, you don’t have to add ice. The second time around I bought a BREG machine as a cheap alternative but it was a disaster. I returned it the same day and rented a NICE machine.
I can’t tolerate opioids, so I rotated high doses of Tylenol and Ibuprofen, as prescribed by my physician. I had a nerve block that lasted 24 hours, which helped. After 24 hours, nights were really tough. A 400 mg dose of Gabapentin (which is prescribed for nerve pain) at night made me sleepy, which is half the battle. Don’t forget to wear your compression socks. They help as well. Hang in there.

@wellsbjt Great comment. That is a device my first shoulder surgery surgeon recommended that I buy. I used it after both of my shoulder replacements. Ice is your friend, especially after joint surgery and for controlling swelling. I bought the $100-150 version, but instead of ice cubes (I don’t have an ice maker) I froze plastic bottles of water that fit in the circulation reservoir and put just enough liquid water in there for circulation through the hoses to the wrap part. I had a second set of water filled bottles in the freezer ready for another session. I always had extra water bottles freezing or frozen. Those devices are worth every penny.

Another way to get the “Cold Therapy” is to get the large size “hot/cold” pads.
Two of them, one under and one placed over a knee, held in place by a long elastic Ace bandage stretch wrapped around them are very effective at numbing the pain. That’s a less inexpensive way.
(Walmart and other pharmacies, including the online stores carry them.)
But to sleep at night, I needed the drugs.