I am 14 days out of TKR. I am having severe burning in my knee when I get up to walk. Dr. says it is from the surgery where they cut the nerves and should get better as the swelling goes down in time. I don't have much swelling. I ice my knee 2or3 times a day. I do the exercises twice a day and I use the CPM machine twice a day for two hours at a time. The burning pain does not respond to my hydrocodone meds. I have a tendency to stay in bed with my foot above my heart and not get up to walk much. I am wondering if I should be walking more and toughing it out through that burning pain? I realize that not everyone who has TK our experiences the burning in the knee. If it wasn't for that I could do a lot more. I am feeling a little discouraged because I can't do moe. My husband and I are caregivers for his mom who has dementia. He takes good care of both of us but I feel bad that I can't do more to help. Thanks in advance for reading this and posting. I guess I just needed to vent a little.
Nancy, you are at a vey early stage and the insides are still healing as well as your scar. I presume you have had the stitches, staples out by now? You might need to walk about a little more, but do not overdo it! Keep elevating as and when you can, massage might help, ice and meds do help but you must take them at the times prescribed...miss out a med or take it late and your body will react.
This op takes time, you can't push yourself to get better...slowly does it and it will come right..
I am 26 weeks po and I feel great now, still a little stiffness at times but it goes with walking. Vent as much as you like we are all here and have or will be in the same boat.
Thanks Hazel for your reply. It was very encouraging. I will try walking a little bit more and see how it does. My bed is truly getting old :-)
Hi Nancy
I don't recall having burning sensations with either of my TKRs, but I did have a lot of pain.
You do need to try and walk about a bit more, but you are doing very well using the CPM.
Remember to keep drinking water.
Early days yet!
Patsy
right TKR Dec 2012, left TKR Sept 2013 a further surgery on that one in about 4 weeks time.
First 3 weeks no fun.mnormal. Keep moving and icing. It gets better. Massage knee.
Your dr seems to be on top of it. Nerve dsma : e is the one big unknown to everyone and everyone heals differently. If your pain meds arent working, talk to your general /primary care dr. I have found that they are better in dealing with pain meds than surgeons. I doubt if walking would be an answer for pain. You are doing a lot of excercise for as little icing. Im in the US and the machines are rarely used in this part of the country. In fact most hospitals have put the in storage ot gotten rid of them completely as ive been told. Ice after every time you do any activity. Things will get better in a few weeks but you will find this is such an up and down journey that there will be new pains and discomforts for weeks to come. All of those will have their own life and some will suddenly reappear. Nerve damage is the slowest of all the healing processes. I am 9 weeks out this time and woke up this morning with that eerie feeling of a wet, icy spot on my hip that i hadnt had for 5 weeks. It will go away as soon as im up and around. Surgeons are just that......wxperts at their craft but often times they forget we are just mere mortals and arent privy to their wisdom. They dont explain all these little nuances to us and we are scared out of our minds when they hit. Again, ice more often....6-8 x's a day and night, rest and drink lots of water. A rested, hydrated body heals much faster than than a tired, dehyrated one. As abdormal as you feel now, you will continue to improve as you soundlike a person dedicated to healing. Stay with this group. They will give you much more help andsupport than most of the medical profession because we have all been through it. I'm in my 5th complete rehab now and have had 11 surgeries plus radistion on the leg. I'm now 78 and been fighting it for 13 years and as a sideline take card of my wife who is in advancing stages of parkinsons disease. Gotta go as i am helping building a recreational item for my youngest daughters boys. Been on my feet for 3 of the last 4 days. Moving slow but gonna finish itvtoday.
Thank you for responding. I have had unrealistic expectations for this surgery. I have recently had 3 foot surgeries and still six months out from the last heal fusion surgery where I was laid up in bed for seven weeks. So naturally I thought I would be able to be more active with this one. Now that I have been set straight I can relax and take it one day at a time. I will drink more water although I do drink a lot now, so I thought, and I will ice it more. Thx
We are all hard on ourselves at times. Vent, make the most of the decent weather. You do have to push yourself sometimes, but saying that, guilt will make you over do things. It is a juggling act, but then, isn't life.
Nancybone, your dr. is right on the money about the burning!!! This is one of the worst joint replacement surgerys one can have. Worse than a hip replacement. Time is the healer here, lots and lots of time. The CPM machine was a G_d send as far as I'm concerned. It moved my leg and I could catch up on the sleep I didn't get at night. Of course the pain meds might have been a big help too. The first 3 weeks are the worst!!!! You do have to push yourself BUT not to the point of any real pain. Be sure to take your pain meds before exercising, otherwise, you won't be able to do very much. Walking is good, icing is VERY good. Discouragement comes with the territory, as well as sleepless nights. It's an up and down experience for sure. Your 14 days is still early in your recovery. I am 19 weeks PO and still sometimes wonder if I did the right thing. I only know that the pain in my knee joint is gone and I can walk w/o it hurting the way it once did. I do still have trouble going down stairs but that too is getting eaiser day by day. The surgeon wasn't kidding when he said this would be a LONG road to recovery. They cut almost everything, nerves, tendons, ACL, move the knee cap, so there is a lot of recovering going on in there. It all takes time, perserverance and patience. Take it one day at a time, things will get better. We're all in the same boat, though, at different levels of recovery.
thx for your input. Like you said dome days are good and some days , like today, are down days. It's nice to know others are in the same boat.
Well for the last three days I've been trying to drink more water and take my meds every four hours. If I miss my four hour mads I can really feel a difference. The burning comes back with a punch. As long as I'm taking my meds every four hours I can be up more and do more walking. I am sleeping better also. Thanks everyone for your encouragement.
Just one small word of caution..... Whilst drinking lots of fluids is good for you, drinking too much is counterproductive
What would be too much? Ive read you should drink half your weight in water.
Wellllllllllll, if you drank half your weight in water, I, personally, think you would drown. By drinking to much water you will deplete the minerals that are inside your body. It would be like a massive flush and you would become rather ill. 'Health' people say drink 2 litres of water per day to keep hydrated, but you also have to think about all those cups of tea/coffee etc. The best way is to keep your glass topped up and just sip every now and then, don't make an issue out of it as it will become a chore.
You do need to flush out toxins and any 'bits' that are floating around after your operation. Anaesthetics also take time to leave your system, but like everything else; moderation
Th a t would probably bbq e a little excessive. Im not sure you would hvectime ti do anything but drink and pee.
I do agree with you. Half my weight is only 80 ounces. And yes I do conciser coffee and juice etc. I don't drink sodas. Thx for your input
what could be better, sitting on the loo all day reading, doing the crossword and drinking..... All in the privacy of the smallest room in the house
Do whatever you are comfortable with. I work 10 hrs/day and just drink herbal teas, 1 teabag stays in my cup which gets repeatedly filled until the water tastes like water, then a new starts, must get through a good dozen cups a day. I make the 1st cup of the day for myself and colleagues and then they take over. By the time I get home I am ready for that glass of wine, yum