Hi, I am seven week post op. Very healthy, active person, with normal knee recovery. However I am continually suffering from exhaustion. I am tired by the time I am dressed in the morning. I am normally very active, able to do housework, gardening etc. Is this normal after so long
Hi Jan. That's how I felt a couple weeks after surgery I'm nearly 6 weeks post now. I saw the doctor & she gave me blood tests , a couple days later she rang to say the result was that I was anaemic, & could have lost too much blood during surgery& never really made it up as I didn't eat much whilst in hospital due to feeling nauseous, my blood count was fine before. So she gave me Ferrious Fumerate a kind of Iron tablets & I picked up fairly quickly & fine now. Hope you can sort it out. The pain is bad enough without anything else to struggle with x
Hi Jan. I was 7 weeks last Friday, I too am exhausted, find it hard some days to get motivated. I try to make myself go somewhere in order to get up dressed for. I saw specialist yesterday and he said I would be exhausted as its a major trauma to your system and everyone is different. I'm sure we will get there good luck.
I am 7weeks post op and have healed great but I feel like I want a nap everyday. I never ever took naps before surgery. I am going to the doc tomorrow and plan to ask him about it.
Thanks for your reply. I too had blood tests which came back normal, so I probably have to just sit it out
hi Chris. We sound exactly the same. Much as I am very impatient, I think we have to sit it out. Thanks for the reply and good luck
I guess that's good that your blood count is ok. I think that we lose so much sleep at nights & the intense pain is draining the body takes its toll. Hope that soon you will feel better x
Hi Jan!
Seven weeks is STILL healing time! Our bodies go through SO MUCH TRAUMA with these surgeries!
Move around every hour. Increase your time slowly. When you are tired--REST!
I began to notice increased stamina after about 12 weeks which coincided with FINALLY getting four or five hours of straight sleep at night.
Listen to your body. It will tell you what it needs. Drink plenty of water, and eat good foods. Take naps when you can. There is no shame in treating yourself well as you recover!
TKRs June and October 2015
Thanks Cheryl. It's good to know that other patients experience the same problems. I too am due my second TKR at the beginning of April so am desperate to feel well
Yes Jan, all normal and improves w sleep. Thats why I've ended up calling this surgery a mind game. All the pain is one thing, and our individual bodys go through a time frame no matter how "ready" we think we are, BUT mentally we struggle with "will i ever get back to normal?" Because it takes SO freaking LONG. Most of us who are active get a little more impatient and have higher expectations of faster healing. The better shape were in it helps, but its still A PROCESS,that we just cant hurry.
Best thing has been this forum! It reminds us we're not crazy, we have encouragement in each other and for me, mentally, that helped me be more patient and not so hard on myself and my expectations. Despite my flex and straight, still working on strength and endurance.
Keep up the good work.
Hi Jan Im 6 weeks post op and feeling exactly the same! This is knee njumber 2 so i remember this feeling from before. It takes the body ages to recover from the trauma and tiredness plus the pain and also inactivity we go through. Our quad muscles are totally wasted and need to build up again which takes a lot of effort. I just had a 10 minute power nap, i also wake up every two hours in the night. Its a journey that has a time line and about 12 weeks is the benchmark for feeling anything like your old self. Sending good wishes for a good recovery xx
Phew 12 weeks seems forever Cheryl do you get help with cooking meals? I am my husband s cater so I do have to get up & go even if I feel tired. Eileen
Had the same problem early on like you (and 7 weeks is still early on...). Asked my doc why I was tired and sleeping all the time. She said that all the energy in my body was being directed to healing my knee. I was to eat healthy, hydrate and sleep as much as my body demanded. It does go away over time...especially after you finish PT and have to start your gym work. You're just fine...
Your first TKR will surprise you at how it will be SUCH a good helper to your new TKR!
Having TWO good knees is WONDERFUL!
You will love it!♥️
Two days after my second surgery I was discharged, had to walk using my walker all the way around my yard to our back deck because we had just had our front walkway and driveway poured (wet cement!). Everyone cooked and set up for our son's birthday, so all I had to do was SIT and EAT and ENJOY the party.
That was my "vacation", and the next day I went back to cooking, doing laundry, etc. with "breaks" of elevating, icing, and NAPPING!
I now had TWO replaced knees, and honestly, after suffering tremendous pain in both knees prior to my two surgeries, I felt SO MUCH BETTER than I HAD felt for many, many years! Outside of the pesky swelling and dealing with the heaviness and awkward feeling of learning how to walk all over again CORRECTLY, I really felt pretty good. I rested when I needed to, napped when sleep came ( yes!!!), and just soldiered on ---thrilled to be done with the terrible pain I was USED to having.
Getting both bad knees FIXED has changed my life. I hope you will see much success each day!😊
Hi Jan
It's to be expected I'm afraid!
You've had a major operation, a brutal operation! Your body needs to recover from that as much as anything else.
Rest whenever you can, sleep or nap when you feel you need it.
This is an endurance recovery! So I'm afraid you have to endure it!
It does get better, you will find that gradually you are doing more & napping less. It doesn't happen over night but creeps up on you, you just realise that you haven't been as tired as you were & can do more.
For now just go with the flow.
I am at 4.5 months now & do not sleep in the afternoon any more.
All the best
Marilyn
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Hi Marilyn
Thank you so much for the advice. My brain is telling me to accept the situation, however I know I am impatient.
I do feel so much better after joining this forum, and realising that everyone has the same symptoms as me.
Thanks again
Jan
Hi Jan,
Yes I was sooo glad to find this forum. The people on here are all ace.
Good advice & a dash of humour, for good measure.
Marilyn
XX
I am 5 weeks post op and feel so tired all the time. I am taking 100 mg of tramadol a day so think this also contributes to the fatigue. I don't think I'm anemic. I cannot take iron as it makes me nauseous. I am looking forward to getting past this stage of recovery and feeling better again. At this point it's hard to see the benefits of the TKR. I am doing therapy which has helped tremendously to strengthen the knee and gain some flexibility. Hope you are doing much better.
Keep going. The fatigue will disappear in time. Just accept that it will take time to recover. I am three months past second TKR and six months past my first. It took me a while to feel normal. I now ride a bike, swim and walk so there is light at the end of the tunnel. Good luck