hi,
can anyone please tell me how i should be feeling and doing on day 6 total knee replacement.
I know everyone's different but if anyone is feeling the same as me iit may reassure me.
my leg feels like a ton weight and is so stiff and tight.
I am performing all my exercises as told by physio 4 times a day and it is quite a struggle due to the pain in my kneecap, especially straight leg raising. When walking with my elbow crutches which i try to do more of each day,my leg feels very weak and i feel like my knee could give way. I am presuming this is due to weakness in the quads muscle. I am probably wanting to run before i can walk, but i don't feel like i am performing very well, which is making me feel very tearful. I am not usually a giver upper and i'll try my very best as i want the most out of this new knee! Please tell me what you was like in week one. Xx
Hi Jilly iam on day 4 of 2nd tkr everything your experienceing is normal I pushed my self to much on the first the brusing you get after is very sore so this slows you down give this time to ease. Stiffness and tightness is probably due to stitches do keep up with exercise but dont over do it this can be as bad you can get tearful been and had the t shirt there but stick with it it does get better .
You are going through one of the very toughest times. Having been through this 5 times I can tell you the 1st couple of weeks are horrendous. Everything hurts and the mental aspect is out of control. Just continue to do the best you can. Rest when rest is available and try your best not to be overly concerned you aren't making progress based on a criteria established by someone else. Stay hydrated. Its easy lay there and become dehydrated which slows all of your senses. Take pain meds as prescribed.....not just when pain kicks in. Set realistic goals. As most will tell you and you will hear over and over on this site: this is a marathon not a sprint. Just stay positive and don't get down on yourself because you aren't meeting someone else's expectations.
Hi Jilly
Please dont worry. Its no time at all since your surgery.
I wish I had kept a diary but I do remember that very early on you think you will never be able to lift your leg and especially do those leg raises. Please believe me when I say that you will. Pushing my leg back also hurt like mad.
Your tearfulness could be due to your anasthaetic, if you had a general. It takes ages to work its way out of your system.
I didnt have crutches and used one stick for a while. But indoors got by without.
I think we forget what a massive trauma our bodies have gone through.
As for the swelling, ice ice and ice again in those early days. (I am very good at dishing out advice but not so good at doing these things myself!)
Good luck with it
All this advice is spot on. You don't hear much about recovery from this major major surgery, but it's a long and kinda painful road. I would do those exercises twice a day, not four times, you are overworking an area that is not ready for it yet.
Leg raises were tough but my bugaboo was the heel slides. Hated 'em. Make sure to elevate and ice after exercise also, very important to reduce the swelling that is restricting your movement this early on. It will get just a little better each day, next thing you know you will say to yourself, "hey this wasn't quite so bad today".
Hate to say but you're in the infancy stages of recovery. The bruising and swelling is still going on, it doesn't just happen the day of surgery. I had bruising for more than a month. The stiffness is due to swelling. Keep it elevated and iced. I can't be more specific about how absolutely vital this is. Healing happens in tiny little increments, but it does.
Hi jelly, I am day 6 as well. I wish I could do the exercises 4x a day! I a, getting two in daily and the CPM MACHINE I am managing about 4-6 hours day. I had my left knee tkr back in July and my wife is telling me that I am not remembering any of the hard parts I'm going through now. I, like you, am having a lot of pain in my thigh and knee cap area. Had PT Last Friday and literally screamed....that was a first for a 50 year old man. Think I shock the therapist as well. I know it will all get better just stick with it. My kids are already tired of me so that's a good sign, we sound at similar places but if you can manage 4 sets of exercises a day you are out pacing me. Good for you. Best of luck!
Jeff, it's interesting that you are using a CPM machine, my surgeon said hardly anyone uses that any more because there is virtually no evidence that it does anything. Also, if you screamed during PT because the therapist manipulated your knee, I would tell them that YOU will move it and they can measure it after YOU move it. I would not let the therapist move my leg.
Everyone so far has done a STELLAR job of explaining Day 6!
I would just add that although we all may have HAD the surgery, only YOU have had YOUR surgery. It seems there is a very wide variation of feelings, results, pain level, pain tolerance etc. with everyone.
Be kind to yourself.
Rest as much as possible.
Look for small victories.
Be confident that you WILL feel better the more you heal.
You ARE very early in the game.
You can do this!
Sending prayers of calm and strength and courage to you today!
Hi jeffchicago,
good luck to you too. I see the physio on friday so now i'm dreadin it!
keep in touch re progress, maybe we can spur each other on!
thank you jemma. I know you're right, i'm just so impatient!
Hi Jilly. I am also at day 6 of my left TKR. I am experiencing all of the same issues. I am glad to know that I am not alone, and that there is light at the end of the tunnel, albeit farther away than I want. My surgeon made me feel that it was going to be a walk in the park. Best wishes to your and the others for steady progress.
i think you're right telcpa, trouble is the improvements are so small you really have to look for them. But as long as they're there that's all that matters isn't it?
When you see the physio remember it's your body. He tried to bend my knee on the first visit and I screamed at him just as Jeffchicago did. I certainly don't lie back and think of England!
Thank you, Cheryl, for the encouraging words. It is hard to be patient with myself--want to be done with it NOW.
hi chris,
i just can't imagine using only a stick at this stage. I feel so reliant on my crutches at the moment, so you did really well. I am using a lot of ice tho' helps with the pain too.
i know what you mean about comparing yourself to others, but i do it all the time unfortunately.
i was watching this guy on youtube on day 4 total knee replacement, carrying his zimmer frame and walking as if he'd had nothing done at all!
Good luck and speedy recovery to you and thank you for your comments.
Best wishes to you too leslie. Keep in touch re progress as we're at the same stage!
I wish I hadn't told you that. But I was ill with a reaction to the anaesthesia in the first week so didn't get around much anyway. I am very clumsy so would probably have tripped over two!
I really wish I had known about this group when I was at your stage.