Hi all, I know we each have different rates of recovery but how did you feel and what could you do 2 weeks after your op. It will be 2 weeks on Friday and I dont think I am doing enough but some of the exercises I really just cannot do because of pain. To be fair I havent done any today apart from walking from the house to the car and then to the surgery and same back as after having the staples out the nurse told me to take it easy for today but am hearing different things from different people - the general concensus seems to be mainly rest for the first two weeks and then to increase exercising after that, would you agree with that? All comments/advice welcome please?
I'm also 2 weeks post op on Friday, doing my exercises at least 3 times a day, icing up to at least 8 times a day and doing two short walks a day, physio is quite happy with this. I know it sounds silly, but the more you move, the less the pain is. Also do your exercises at least 1and a half hours after you have had your pain medication, that also helps.
Hi Diane, thanks for replying, I havent had a physio appointment through yet since leaving hospital which is why I was unsure at what speed i should/could be doing things the pain generally is better than it was, until the dreaded "toothache" pain kicks in, thanks for the help/advice. How are you feeling in yourself? Are you sleeping - am having real problems in that area, just cannot get comfortable x
Sleeping is a problem, am propped up on pillows at the moment, but have to stretch a few times during the night. I take 2 paracetamol and 1 Tramadol at about 10pm, then another Tramadol in the early hours if I need it. I have a very high motivation, I am a retired personal trainer so I won't be beaten, which, if I'm honest, could be my downfall. All in all, I'm not feeling too bad, but that might change when my husband goes back to work next week, so we shall so.
Rest is the most important thing. You need to regain your strength. I am sure you are not sleeping through the night.
Rest and listen to your body...I am 5 weeks post-op and finally slept thru the night...it takes lots of time and patience....go slow with the exercises and rebuild your strength...ice, elevate and take your meds...good luck
Tramadol do not have any effect on me I am still on Paracetamol, Ibuprofen and Oxycontin, am waking up every hour but I am hoping it will settle down eventually, good luck when your husband goes back to work, I am lucky in that my husband works from home.
No I am not, I am waking up every hour, I cant sleep on my back and as my leg is still not straight, I cannot put it flat, I have tried turning on my side and putting a small cushion under my leg which is ok for a while but then gets just as uncomfortable so have to try and move again - which is a feat in itself and after having my staples out today I am not looking forward to moving around too much in bed tonight - although I think it should be ok - hopefully!
At 2 weeks you should not be doing much except the exercises, icing and elevating. And taking your meds regularly. Don't wait to get sore as harder to get on top of pain then. Gradually you will find you can do bit more. As for sleep it is hard for everyone so rest during day.
Good luck with your recovery.
Hi Susie,
I am 4 weeks po. The first two were very tough, very painful. I done some of the excerises but like you was very hard. Third week got better was able to move a little more, pain still there, same with swelling.
Everyone is different. The best advice I received on this forum is listen to your body, take pain meds when scheduled, ice ice and more ice, elevate. Rest do what you can but try to get the knee moving, ankle pumps, heel slides,
What ever you can do helps. But don't over do it.
The people on here are fantastic and they are always here to help with encouragement.
Thanks and good luck and take care
ICE ICE ICE ICE IS YOUR FRIEND
Tom
Thank you, I am hardly icing and elevating so maybe I should be doing that more, have ordered a new footstool this afternoon as the ones we have here are just too high, so hopefully when that arrives it will be easier.
You need to elevate and ice to help reduce swelling especially after physio exercises walking. Even on sofa lie with feet up on sofa.
Hi Tom, thanks for the reply, I agree the response on this forum is terrific and always so encouraging I am glad that I seem to be at the same stage as you were two weeks in will just keep on as I am going and try to do a little more each day, as I previously said I am hardly icing or elevating so I really have to do more of that, but thanks again and Good Luck , Sue
I was told not to sleep with a pillow under my knee. It was fine to do before the surgery, but that will contribute to problems (as in being able to properly straighten your leg) in the future. I know it helps ease the pain, but try to avoid it.
Thanks Sue for your reply, I am finding that I can sleep in the chair during the day so that is what I have been doing, must ice and elevate more though as I have not been doing that
So was I. It causes the leg to stiffen too much and not be able to straighten without a lot pain and discomfort. It is hard sleeping. I found it very hard to sleep on my back but even now find its the only way I can get comfortable.
Susie, it is a painful process, but you need to find ways to stretch and move. Because my furniture was difficult to get in and out of (I had a bilateral TKR, so both knees were out of commission), I chose to lounge in my bed. I didn't realize how this was a positive in getting my knees to straighten. But I didn't just sit there, I was constantly finding ways to work on my range of motions, bending my knees and lifting them straight from the side of the bed (it was high enough that I could dangle them). Also while sitting with legs straight out on my bed I would slide my feet up towards my rear, gently. And then holding it for about 10 seconds. Then I would bring it in a little more, holding again. And one final move and hold. Initially I didn't get very close, but after continually doing this, I was seeing progress. My PT also would put a fist under my knee (when lounging on the bed in a sitting position) and then I would have to push against it, lifting my heels off the ground. When he wasn't there I found a plush toy (a hedghog of all things) that I would push against. This also helped with my straightening. Before I was at my two week mark, he also had me attempting stairs. I was terrified I was going to fall, but I was determined that I would be able to go up and down stairs the same way a normal person does. 1.5 years later I am happy to say that I do this. I might not have the same spring in my step as I did when I was younger, but I don't look like someone who had both knees replaced.
Hang in there and make yourself move. And ice it! If I could have had more ice packs, I would have. Coordinating the exercise with ice and meds is the best way to go. After taking your pain pill (and it's started to take the edge off) exercise. Then ice it. And if you are lucky, you will be able to nap afterward (part of the beauty of hanging out in my bed was there was always a pillow nearby to drop my head onto when I was able to sleep). Grabbing sleep where and when I could really helped. At 6 weeks I was getting on a train, traveling 4 hours across India to visit a friend, and was able to walk up several flights of stairs to get to her flat. I had that goal as well as a trip to Thailand from India (I was living in India at the time, but home is in the USA).
You can do this!
Tom is right about the first two weeks being the hardest. Week three I definitely felt a shift and knew that I was begining to move out of the woods.
Hi Susie,
I hard my first TKR four years ago, and did all the excersices religiously, iced and rested, and had a good bend.
I had my second knee done last August, and was prepared for pain, swelling etc.
I did excersices as and when, didn't bother hardly at all with icing, walked round as much as possible, and guess what they both feel exactly the same now.
We are all different we all suffer the initial pain, it's a big operation to get over.
A Jamaican sister at the hospital gave me the best advice ever.
Sit on a high stool with both legs off the floor and swing those legs,backwards and forwards from the knees. Do it as much as you can, keep em moving or they'll be like a creaky gate.
She was brilliant and made me laugh, but it worked my knees are really mobile, I drove after two weeks, my surgeon said it was ok.
I never used a walking stick for short walks at all,,and my GP couldn't believe it whe I walked into the surgery after four weeks under my own steam.
So don't be afraid to do anything your body feels comfortable with.
it will soon let you know when to stop.
Wow!!! what an inspiration you are!! when sitting in the chair I am lifting my leg off the floor and holding for the count of 5 and repeating two or three times, lifting in and out of bed is okay, I can do the stairs with my crutches as the hospital wouldnt discharge me till I could negotiate them, I am rotating my ankles when sitting in the chair and also pulling my knee back as far as I can comfortably, I find though that when I am walking I can step properly with my operated leg but for some reason seem to be hopping/dragging my good leg, I really have to concentrate on lifting the good leg to step properly, did you have that?