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Rest after tkr

Posted by painfree1 @painfree1, Mar 30, 2022

I had my tkr three months ago, and have found the need for more rest ( naps) ever since. Recently, I have felt the need to take very long naps!..like three hours!…but I still sleep soundly at night…any thoughts?…I feel like a hibernating bear!

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Mentor
John, Volunteer Mentor | @johnbishop | Mar 30, 2022

Hi @painfree1, I think you are not alone 🙂 I took naps for awhile after my TKR also. Here's an article that sheds a little light on the topic.

Prevalence and Determinants of Fatigue Following Total Knee Replacement: A Longitudinal Cohort Study
-- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26866417/

Are you still doing leg exercises and walking to help with the recovery?

REPLY
1 reply
Mentor
Sue, Volunteer Mentor | @sueinmn | Mar 30, 2022

So as a veteran of at least a dozen surgical procedures, including 5 joint replacements, I like to remind people that this is a major assault on your body. And I see from your screen name that you are now (or soon hope to be) free from pain. That means your body was at war with pain before, which saps your reserves. Now, it needs to heal from the surgery, repair muscles and nerves, replenish blood cells, and get used to foreign material in your leg. That takes time - after a few of my operations, it was about 6 months.
So be kind to yourself and rest as you need - but if the long naps continue for more than a couple of weeks, you might want to let your doctor know. You may need a "boost" for your red blood cells, or the surgery could have affected something else like your thyroid.
Have you told either your surgeon or primary doc about the need for long naps?
Sue

REPLY
1 reply
painfree1 | @painfree1 | Mar 30, 2022
In reply to @johnbishop "Hi @painfree1, I think you are not alone 🙂 I took naps for awhile after my..." + (show)
@johnbishop

Hi @painfree1, I think you are not alone 🙂 I took naps for awhile after my TKR also. Here's an article that sheds a little light on the topic.

Prevalence and Determinants of Fatigue Following Total Knee Replacement: A Longitudinal Cohort Study
-- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26866417/

Are you still doing leg exercises and walking to help with the recovery?

Jump to this post

Thank you for your information…yes, I do a lot of walking, am back to normal with most activities, and my knee pain is very minimal…I will give this situation a bit more time, and make an appointment with my primary if it persists.

REPLY
painfree1 | @painfree1 | Mar 30, 2022
In reply to @sueinmn "So as a veteran of at least a dozen surgical procedures, including 5 joint replacements, I..." + (show)
@sueinmn

So as a veteran of at least a dozen surgical procedures, including 5 joint replacements, I like to remind people that this is a major assault on your body. And I see from your screen name that you are now (or soon hope to be) free from pain. That means your body was at war with pain before, which saps your reserves. Now, it needs to heal from the surgery, repair muscles and nerves, replenish blood cells, and get used to foreign material in your leg. That takes time - after a few of my operations, it was about 6 months.
So be kind to yourself and rest as you need - but if the long naps continue for more than a couple of weeks, you might want to let your doctor know. You may need a "boost" for your red blood cells, or the surgery could have affected something else like your thyroid.
Have you told either your surgeon or primary doc about the need for long naps?
Sue

Jump to this post

I recently had a blood test, and all was normal. I am back to almost normal with my activities, and pain is minimal. I am considering a thyroid test if this persists..thank you for taking time to reply!

REPLY
montem | @montem | Mar 31, 2022

I was extremely exhausted as well. My Primary care doctor did blood work and found my iron levels extremely low. It’s normal for them to drop a little after surgery but mine was extreme. In addition, some medications interfere with absorption of iron. She placed me on iron supplements 325 mg with vitamin C and I was careful to not take it with ibuprofen.

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