My Tkr op was 7 weeks ago, since then I've been on various medications. At first liquid morphine then Naproxen, Tramadol & extra strong paracetamol . My knee is stil painful stiff & hot.though not so intense, I can get 105 rom. I'm wondering if I should try lessen painkillers as I hate being on them, like just take Ibuprofen. If not I will have to go back to the doctor for prescription only drugs. When did other folk come off the strong stuff ?
Eileen, after I finished my Percocet I only took over the counter meds. When I went for my 6 week check up without asking my surgeon gave me a prescription for Vicodin. I only take it before PT and before bed. I think I am going to stop taking it before bed as I don't feel it helps. Maybe I will try an Aleve. I am getting so disgusted, I will be at 7 weeks post op and stuck at 100 ROM. I am so nervous I will have to go through a manipulation as my Dr. mentioned and have so much anxiety over it. What does your surgeon say about your progress? We seem to be very similar in ROM.
Yes I was thinking of using o t c med as other doesn't do much now , As you say. I'm not going back to my surgeon until May 8 th. but the physio thought 105 was good. When I said I wanted more he said why ? You can use it. He sighed when I said, on the internet folk are getting 120 + he said it's early days & in time it will come when you start to do everyday things. I just keep trying but we mustn't over do it like I did lady week . It only puts you back good luck
If the pain in manageable for you, I would come off the strong stuff. I take tramadol once a day all of the time as I have afib and cannot do aleve, ibuprofen or aspirin; just tramadol and tylenol. I came off any morphine meds as it was making me constipated. Good luck to you. The pain will end soon,
after i got out of the hospital i was not on morphine any longer. just norco for awhile . Have not heard of anyone being on morphine at home after tkr
Hi Eileen!
I quit the Oxycodone after two weeks with my first TKR and quit the Hydrocodone after two weeks with my second TKR.
My reasoning was twofold: 1) was beginning to need MORE to get a similar result as the days progressed, and 2) Doc wouldn't renew prescription!
I had just completed giving myself the blood thinner shots which took two weeks. That cleared me from needing to avoid anti-inflammatories.
All things considered I resumed my two Ibuprofen liquigels every six hours which I had taken for years prior to surgery.
I was VERY, VERY pleasantly surprised that the over-the-counter Ibuprofen actually WORKED MUCH BETTER for pain and EXPONENTIALLY BETTER for relieving my swelling!
Yes Connie think I'll come off the hard stuff now & use ibuprofen. I'm sleeping a little better now & sure will can only get better
Hi Cheryl, that is great about the o t c ibuprofen & just what I was hoping. Was a similar experience for me with the blood thinning tablets. I don't think the hard drugs are helping much now & I don't want to start taking even that's what made me think of stopping them. Hanksnfor your reply good luck
If you can manage your pain without the heavy stuff absolutely. I definitely found great improvement with swelling taking Ibuprofen. Some of us (I have nerve and muscle damage) still on the hard stuff. And it plays havoc with my stomach. Good luck!
I think it depends on the person. Ibuprofen does absolutely nothing at all for me . . I did once find the reason for that on internet, but I have forgotten it! something to do with our response to drugs. Nobdoy ever mentioned to me not to use anti inflammatory drugs while injecting the blood thinners! I had to do that for six weeks. . . .
Hi Milla I didn't take any hard drugs last night just ibuprofen & paracetamol, must say it wasn't a good night,but I had been sitting down a couple of hours in the evening not elevating leg so I put bad night down to that, but I'm not sure . :-(
Eileen, say no more. I tried to sit on Friday (in anticipation of going back to work). Regular sitting, no elevation. Been in bed with bad swelling and heat and pain ever since. Right after I finally managed that week to space my meds out to every 8 hours. 🙁
Could definitely be the sitting. Posted about it and lots of people had the same experience. Hope it gets better soon!
Ah, thank you for reassurance Milla, I just thought it might have been the sitting, honestly there's so much going on with the recovery it's hard to always know. i am SO sorry to hear you've had to stay in bed again ,for a while. , the swelling & heat is unbearable & seems to me easily triggered. I hope it settles down again soon . Going back to work sounds difficult even if possible. Take care, feel better soon !
You may find Advil or Aleve work best for you or even a different over-the-counter medication. The point is that I discovered that Oxycodone and Hydrocodone have Tylenol plus the opioid. Tylenol does NOTHING to bring down swelling because it is NOT an anti-inflammatory drug. My big issue was SWELLING, so I was getting ZERO help from the opioids on THAT.
I was VERY HAPPY that finally SOMETHING was helping with the swelling.
Sometimes I think that when we get a PRESCRIPTION we think it is a miracle worker. I know that I thought that way. Turns out that for me, MY miracle worker was an old friend...My Ibuprofen!😁
Anti-inflammatory drugs from what I can gather contain aspirin or some form of medication that thins the blood. I was told to stay away from these WHILE I was giving myself the blood thinner shots during those first two weeks.
I know what you mean about "depending on the person" because my hairstylist who has arthritis swears by Advil. I tried it. NO help for me! I watched those commercials for Aleve. Tried it. NO help for me!
Tylenol is the same for me. NO help.
I hope you are doing well. 😄
I've just gone on to ibuprofen so am hoping my knee doesn't swell up again too much. It hasn't been bad really only when I've been over doing it & then it also gets ooh so hot. I'm 7 weeks now but it still feels so stiff. I go for little walks I practice up & down stairs & exercise I guess it's just a matter of time.
Just read an article on internet, published in the british Medical Journal (so it says) which says taht Ibuprofen can cause heart attack and stroke. . . So difficult to know what's best these days!
Martin my daughter is highly upset that I am taking it. She says it is the silent killer and if you even take one tablet a month you increase your risk for stroke. I have GERD though and Ibuprofen is the only OTC anti-inflammatory I can handle. Dr prescribed Celebrex even though he knows I am a migraine sufferer so I can't take it. Most people swear by it though and my pt suggested it too.
Hi Eileen
I was on on Oromorph in hospital, along with paracetamol & gabapentin.
On discharge went back to CoCodamol & Naproxen, which I have taken since the pain of arthritis got me! I need it still as the right knee still needs TKR.
They did put me on a Morphine infuser pump in hospital, but asked to come off it as it made me really bad!
Marilyn
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I have a lot of trouble sleeping. By the time I get ready for bed my knee is throbbing. I find if I move in some ways that I get a screaming pain right down to my ankle. During the day if I am uncomfortable I take naproxen. However at night I take oxycodone and am able to rest comfortably. So I guess it depends on the person. I am 12 weeks post op TKR . I walk and ride my stationary bike and have very good ROM.