Neuropathy after TKR: I'm 68 and fearful of future

Sorry to hear this but sounds like more than what a knee surgery would cause.
I would certainly look into a well-qualified doctor for your symptoms.
Best of luck, I know it’s awful.

I (his wife) may have had sciatica in my 30’s, sacroiliac pain a few years ago, some neck pain a few years ago, but not so much as to think these terrible symptoms of neuropathy could occur. Since my TKR, I’ve gone from a walker to a cane, back to a walker and I should probably use a wheelchair. Now have had an MRI ion my lower back with extreme stenosis L4 & L5, today I was told all my symptoms are from neck stenosis, another MRI in my future. I am not looking forward to another surgery. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

I am 61 and just had a total knee replacement and also have neuropathy. My healing process has been slow and painful as well and I share your concerns as I have always been very active and I can't even bend my knee at this point without excruciating pain and I'm totally reliant on my Walker and help at home. My surgeon was unsympathetic and dismissive almost as if he felt like I was attacking his competence. His cruel Behavior toward me has encouraged me to look at different doctors so I'm currently looking at different groups in different areas who might be willing to give me a second opinion. I just wanted to let you know that others are feeling the same way that you are. There has to be an answer for our delayed healing and Recovery. Good luck to you. I would suggest looking into getting a second opinion

I had two knee replacements about 10 years ago. I never think about them and continue to do sports and other than PN live a normal life. Your doctor sounds incompetant. Please get a second opinion. If you are in NC look at the group Ortho Triad. I had hip replacement done there and it also has been a success.
There are answers.

I’m so sorry for your pain and agony. I have severe lower back pain as well and had herniated disc surgery in 2015. I’ve had two sets of steroid injections in my spine, which only lasted for about three months. I am now looking into the spinal cord stimulation (SCS) by Abbott. I have an appointment with my pain doctor mid month. I’m currently taking gabapentin 300 mg twice a day. I’ve only been on this about a week so I really can’t say that it’s helping yet. The pain in my back prevents me from standing long periods and it’s not helping my mobility and addition, I also have dizziness and instability but I think I would feel a lot better and more stable if I didn’t have the back pain.

This procedure is first on a trial to see how much it is helps, if it all. If it works for you, then you have the implant.

Good luck to you

Sandra

I had TKR and I have to tell you recovery was long. It was at least 6 or 7 months before I could really bend my knee. It is essential that you take the pain meds, do the exercises diligently several times a day, ice after each exercise, and don't worry that you are using your walker. Keep walking as much as you can. Mobility is important. And forget about the doctor. His job was to fix your knee. Now if he did a bad job, that's a reason to look for someone else. Do you have a primary doctor that you can talk to about your pain or neuropathy concerns?
I hope this helps.

I contacted an old surgeon friend of mine who is finding me a specialist who replaces knees to have a look at my leg and give a second opinion.

I hear you but hang in there. It's only been eight weeks. Some people take longer to heal don't lose hope.. I realize your quality of life is not where you want it to be right now but just try to enjoy your life the best you can now. And have a hopeful vision of how your future will be with great health. Our thoughts and emotions make a big difference. I'm learning this myself. My symptoms are not cool with me at the moment but when I let that go and appreciate what I do have and just to choose to be happy and hopeful for the future it helps a lot. Try sound therapy. Go on youtube and look up a video titled (Good Vibes Miracle Nerve Regeneration: Repair Nerve Damage Cell Regeneration-Pain Relief Binaural Beats) this video in particular is strong and helps me and others. Check out other types of binaural beats for your symptoms. Try listening without headphones first and have the speaker somewhat near your affected body part. Don't play it too loud as the makers suggest but it really helps. See yourself better and feel what that feels like as a daily meditation. Take care.

Make sure the volume is on the low end when listening.

Yes, I have good news. Although I am not a doc, I got actively involved in my recovery when my TKR yielded less than desirable results (to put it mildly). The nerve pain radiated up and down my leg and felt like I touched bare electric wires. Therefore, I studied and requested a Genicular Nerve Block procedure. Via ablation, the doc mitigates the conductivity of the nerves around the patella. The first step involves injection of sedative into the knee whereby the doc is attempting to locate the nerves. If the nerve issue abates for 90 minutes after the injections, the doc assumes he hit the target nerves. A week later, he ablates the nerves. In my instance, the sedative stopped the firing of the nerves and I never went for ablation. It's been 7 months since the sedative was injected but I rarely experience any shocks. I can sleep for longer than 30 minutes.
Mayo's website discusses a procedure during TKR surgery known as "tuck the saphenous nerve". In my layman mind, that means they hold the saphenous nerve out of the way during surgery and thereby avoid this complication but my doc didn't "tuck".
Last, concerning your depression and loss of facility due to this surgery, I totally & completely understand. After all of the relentless pain, PT, support from my wife, I was in a constant state of rage having agreed to this procedure before trying Hyaluronic Acid, PRP & stem cell, but aside from the inability to bend more than 90 deg, I am able to do several of the activities I enjoyed while suffering "only" from arthritis. I can walk for almost 30 minutes w/o too much inflammation, I can finally use a treadmill but still can't bike which I miss dearly. However, thanks to the gym my legs are strong enough to hold the brakes during runup so I can go back to flying. I found that loss of weight increased capability.

Would I do it again? Not in a million years, but I can't turn back the clock and decided a terrible mistake was not going to end my life. As evidenced by the many replies you received, you are not alone. You can win this battle but it won't be easy.