Advice

Bones, joints and muscles
1

Hi,

I am only 6 days post op so I know that it early days

Generally doing OK but have been hit by severe nausea

Just wondering whether it could be related to any of the medication I took after the operation.

Also I would be interested to know how long it takes for the bruising and swelling to disappear.

Any feedback would be welcome.

2

Hi, I'm three weeks post op, pkr on 2nd knee, I felt sick and alsort, this time and last which was eleven weeks before 2nd I wondered if it's  anaesthetic , or pain relief , seen to go off around the 2 week mark, or at least it did for me, my bruising is still coming out, every one says my knee looks worse now , than when I came out. I assume I'm pretty average, . Best of luck with your recovery, hope this helps a little.X

3

Thanks Mandy

Hope that things continue to go well for you.

It is so good to be able to exchange ideas with other people on this forum.

4

Yes no what you mean, before we would have had to go to doctors with every worry, or just live with it ,this way is so much nicer,. I get very  impatient with my second knee, I want it to hurry up, I no it sounds silly but I'm bored with my self constantly having something wrong, and I figure if I'm bored then those around me must be to, so I like to come on here and have a good moan, lol , and I'm getting really good at it.😀

5

Hi, I found that the painkilling meds were to blame. Never take them on an empty stomach even if you only eat a couple of biscuits beforehand. And drink plenty of water at all times.  Sometimes anaesthetic can cause nausea too, if you had a general it can take sometime to get out of your system.My bruising lasted weeks and looked like I'd been kicked silly.  Keep your chin up I'm sure you'll soon get over this. The support on this site is so encouraging. Take care

6

Hi christine,

im now 6 weeks post op,but i found the first coupleof weeks quite nauseous,think its the meds myself and also my lack of appetite..I had really bad bruising from the top of my leg to my feet,but now at 6 weeks its all but gone and now its just the swelling that remains..its early days so dont worry too much hunni,i feel i have now turned the 6 week corner,and things are looking up.take care and take it easy..xx

7

Anaesthetic and meds (tramadol always makes me nauseous and my eyes don't focus properly).

So e bruising comes out later (I found that with my first knee it didn't come out until the 2nd to 3rd week), but everyone is different.  Don't forget that there's been a lot of trauma inside.  You will also find that it swell when you exercise or go out for walks.  All perfectly normal.

Patsy

8

Oh and the swelling is still quite bad,mainly after exercising/walking,my consultant says it can take up to 12 months or more for the swelling to really go..x

9

yes i did both times it was meds with me worth talking to gp mine changed the meds and nausea went pretty much straight away ,bruising will go in a few weeks swelling could take months im still swollen after 12mths

10

Thanks for all of the feedback.

I have just had some tea and ginger biscuits as I read that ginger and peppermint are natural remedies for nausea.Feeling a bit better now.

I am only taking paracetamol and ibuprofen for the pain as the knee pain has not been too bad. I think some of the medication I was given after the operation may be causing this nausea.

Managed a very short walk this morning. Physio said that they advise patients to walk a mile by six weeks so I am trying to walk one sixth of a mile this week.

Feel guilty because I can not even focus on reading a book. Just about managing to do the exercises and that is it

11

Some are very, very sensitive to pain meds. Don't let it continue. Call your Dr immediately. There are others that can do the job without the nasty side effects.

12

I always take a packet of ginger biscuits into hospital with me, as they do help.

13

Oh, I had nausea, too!

When you think of all our bodies went through with surgery, medication, anesthesia, TRAUMA to so many tissues...well, any NORMAL BODY would say, " What the heck? What are you DOING TO ME?"

They gave me some medication for it. I felt like I was going to throw up. My family was there at the time. I thought that if I could just sit up FAST, I could DO IT! My son literally scooped me up and took me into a complete sit with me holding this big wash basin in front of me. Instead of vomit, which I fully expected, I let out this AWESOME BURP!

It was a VERY GOOD FEELING! My family applauded, and my nausea was GONE! I was very, very thankful for that!

I didn't have TOO MUCH bruising, but the SWELLING...now THAT I had and STILL have nearly seven weeks post op from my TKR.

The swelling is much better but WILL flare up IF I sit too long with my feet down or if I don't rest when I should. My doctor said to expect SOME swelling for up to a YEAR. Oh JOY!

Wishing you success and many good days as you recover!

14

while in the hospital when my nausea was really bad one of the nurses went to the shop for me to get soda water and it really helped