now almost 3 weeks after TKR and still in a lot of pain especially in the morning. Feeling very frustrated about process and wondering if I made the right decision to have surgery
You made the right decision...we all did. Those first weeks are horrible; very few escape it. Click on my picture and then "See All Discussions". You may find some of it helpful. Check out other members' posts...we've got great people on here to help you.
It is so early, much too early to make decisions about if this is worth it. Decide to put that decision on hold until the one year mark. Pain makes our thinking graduate towards the negative.
Take a peek at my profile and maybe visit my blog. I have devoted one of the pages to my own TKR story. It is very long. Skim reading recommended! But possible to just dip in and out of, as with this forum!
Everyone has very different experiences which vary in management from location to location, but I am sure we would all testify that the first six to eight weeks are a big challenge not just to the body, which has just undergone a traumatic major operation, but to the will. Decide to take this on and resolve to be positive. It will help you in the process off recovery immensely.
There is itself good input to be found here. If you go to the main page it is possible to look back on past posts too by going to different page numbers.
Hi
Some are lucky and have no pain, for me 6 weeks was a lot better, but did not get rid of the majority of the pain especially at night to 12 weeks.
Keep icing if it helps ( it really helped me along with very hot baths)
Keep your chin up , it's not an easy recovery for the majority of us. Crying helps get some emotion out.
Good healing
You made the right decision. 3 weeks is so
early and you've had very traumatic surgery. It will get better believe me you just have to be patient. I noticed a bug improvement at about 8 weeks but this process can take up to a year to feel normal. I'm only 11 weeks but I feel I'm getting my life back so keep positive and concentrate on the things you can do rather than what you cant and keep in this forum you will find it so helpful and encouraging especially when your feeling down I don't know what I would have done without it. Keep positive and take care.
I am six weeks post op today, the last few days have got easier, still in pain when exercising or walking too far but the evenings/nights are better!
It is a extremely painful operation and we have all questioned if we have done the right thing but in most of our cases we really didn't have much choice, I personally have spent the last 4 years in pain with dreadful locking of the knee causing unbearable pain!
Keep moving, keep exercising and I have found a good massage all over the knee with bio oil makes the knee feel less tight and stiff, do small amounts everyday but take time to rest the body needs to recover but the knee needs to keep moving to keep the stiffness away!
I will be 9 months post TKR and I still wonder I made the right decision to have surgery! Since they had to do mine without bone cement, it is taking a lot longer to feel right....my knee always feels inflammed inside. The bone is constantly growing into the implant to secure it and then it feels like small tears. 3 weeks is very early, hang in there!
You're still just a baby in the healing process. I'm at 5 months and still feel twinges and pain. Not often but it lets me know I'm still,healing. You need to only be concerned at this stage with exercises, icing, elevating and resting. Read all of Chico's posts they really helped me to put it into perspective.
Resist the I shouldn't have done this mantra. You must have been in pain to have had the surgery in the first place. It WILL be worth it. Feel better!
I think we all feel that way afterTKR. I just try to remind myself how I was before the surgery. Honestly, at this point (9 weeks post) I am still worse than before. However, without the surgery I had no chance of getting better and back to the active things I love, & was gradually getting worse. Now I know that eventually I will be better. I might not be the same active person I was years ago, but I trust that I will be able to do many of the things I used to enjoy.
Hello! Yes you are right on track! I felt exactly the same at 3 weeks. So glad you have found us. You will see all you're going thru is normal for your knee Journey!
Chin up Mary edna. Each day you go you will see the changes. Manage your pain, cry those tears. Rest, elevate and ICE.
Above all, know you can come here for a shoulder and encouragement that you can do this. You are normal. Plus you will find advice on exercise, what you should be doing later in the healing.. I literally found peace of mind here once I delved into every ones posts. Chico has awesome posts, advice that are GOLD to read. No Dr's office will give that you!!
Good healing to you and post as you can.
Thanks Julia for your encouraging words. This forum is going to keep me from dipping into depression!
Oh no...there will likely be depression...Post-Operative Depression. Read the appropriate section in here...
https://patient.info/forums/discuss/the-tkr-experience-or-wish-i-had-another-kidney-stone--524499
Very common in cases involving replacement surgeries. Lots of people on the Forum discuss this very topic. Just know that it's normal, temporary and manageable WITHOUT anti-depressants. In fact, once you know what it is, it disappears...just a Jedi Mind Trick.
Chicho. Thank you and the other forum members so much! Still in pain but more managable since reverted back to stronger pain killers.Using Voltarol 12_hour strength gel night and morning and massaging joint with Bio oil . Pleased with extension but struggling with flexion as exercise still verypainful. Physio on leave this week but see her again next week so she might manually stretch joint to improve flexion! This forum has been a real support!!
I found listening to music lifted my mood a lot. Plus watching comedy and having cream teas! Try and do nice things every day, and focus on them . Best of wishes to you, it does get better!
Refer to: Anatomy of an Illness: As Perceived By the Patient - Norman Cousins. Classic. Locked himself in a hotel room and cured himself by watching The Marx Brothers. True story.
😊 I watched a spoof hospital documentary in the UK called "hospital people" . It kept me sane! Just hit the happy spot!
If you can access it, it is very funny. ...blurb here...
Hospital People is a mockumentary set in the fictional Brimlington Hospital.
The show follows the lives of a collection of characters connected to the hospital in some way, all played by one man: Tom Binns.
Hospitals are mainly about the medical staff and the patients, but what about the other inhabitants? Porters, hospital radio DJs, chaplains, hospital managers - you could call them 'non-essential' but they would all strongly disagree. Hospital People follows how the big decisions affect the little people.
The key characters are Brimlington hospital's inept DJ Ivan Brackenbury, its ambitious manger, Susan Mitchell, Hospital Porter and spirit medium Ian D Montfort and over-enthusiastic hospital chaplain Father Kenny Mercer.
On BBC America, I LOVE The IT Crowd..."Have you tried turning it off and on again?" Sorry, been in IT for 46 years...it's sooooo real...
Yes, I love that too!