I am now home after having a new knee fitted. They kept me in an extra night due to being in surgery much longer than anticipated and low sodium levels, so saline drip overnight. I am guessing I was given more anaesthesia than planned, I am finding that I am more tired than I've ever felt. I can read half a page and drop off, then read the same page again and be no further forward.
I began to wonder, last night, about Prednisolone as the fatigue is amazing. The question is should I increase the dose (I am currently on 6mg) or leave it where it is and wait for things to calm down? I can increase for a couple of weeks and drop back, I suppose. I have no joint pain (well, just the one) nor any stiffness so I wonder if the adrenals are struggling to meet the demand?
Thank you in advance for your advice which will be gratefully received. Also, if anyone else has managed to get through a replacement knee op and come out the other side happily able to walk it would be lovely to hear from you. I'm sure mine will get there but on day 2 it doesn't feel like it. Many thanks.
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Miserere
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Hallo DL, just wondering if you felt a need to urinate more frequently and with a degree of urgency post-op? It may be because the anaesthesia went on for far longer than anticipated but I am hoping it will wear off eventually.
Hallo DL, just wondering how long you used the TED stockings for? I can get them on and off but I find that in the night they 'biteth like a serpent' and it's like having a tourniquet under the knee - then I roll them down a bit - then I want to scratch ... grrr... I change them each morning but I do give myself an hour or so's rest from them and moisturise the legs as much as possible.
Boiler just broken down - fortunately it's done so before the holiday and our heating engineer should be here today. It never rains ....
I think I overdid the exercise to begin with and thigh muscles are very tender - particularly down the inside. Deep heat seems to help a bit.
I kept them on for the six weeks for knee and hip ops... but not as long for shoulder following medical advice, and more difficult to get off and on with only one useful arm! - and yes they can get very uncomfortable... and good to have a rest from them.
Morning. Quite a whole since I was in your position, also didn't have PMR then either, at least as far as I know. Had a full replacement in 1999, think it's probably a tad different now as I was kept in for two weeks. Has to be able to walk up and down stairs and be generally mobile before being let out. They also had a problem with my reluctance to wake up after the op!! (another story). Best thing I ever had done though. Listen to the the physios and do everything they say and above all learn to trust it. It won't let you down. It's a major op. so don't expect to recover in a few weeks. Take a walking stick with you when out and about (assuming your not using crutches). Even if you feel you don't need it it's a)there to give you support and b) equally importantly it shows others that your mobility is compromised at the moment and you wil need extra space and time to do things, like crossing the road. I don't notice mine and I'm pretty sure that nobody who can see me walking or doing things would never know I have a TKN. Take care, don't rush things and don't be afraid of asking for and/or accepting help when needed/offered.
Personally - I'd be using Sick Day Rules, your body has had a massive insult and needs some help in getting over it and healing. Very poor of the anaesthetist not to have considered that - they will have given hydrocortisone cover during the op (I hope, but nothing surprises me any more).
I'm not surprised you are sleepy - it was a big job, especially if you were in theatre extra long, Rest and the physio are the priorities now ...
I've had the two surgeries in 4 months and not been advised to up my pred. I agree with you but they just dont seem to bother past the actual surgery cover. I put mine up for couple of days but im sorry i didnt do longer, i feel like hell.
The whole point of the new emergency steroid card was because of this utter ignorance of the effect of long term steroids in adrenal function. But they havn't accompanied it with an education programme - or at least, not an effective one.
After my hip op they suggested I upped from 5mg to 10mg for a while. You need to rest and help the healing process with lots of good food. Pamper yourself.
Wishing you well in your recovery.I had both knees replaced about twelve years ago,they were done six months apart.Please do your exercises and ice your knee for about twenty mins several times a day.I used frozen peas wrapped in a tea towel.I have had both hips replaced in the last two years.We are all different and recover at different rates.
Gosh, well done! He is planning to do the other knee in about six months, so a similar story. I can't lift the leg yet but try several times a day with the other exercises. I take it you were pleased with the results? I just find it hard to believe I shall be walking again soon but am determined to. I hope the hips are working well.
Woken up today with bruises coming out and swelling, but can't expect anything else. Last 'Longtec' oxycodone MR 5mg today. Have taken one every 12 hours. Only painkiller left is short acting oxycodone (liquid) 5ml dose. As needed so this is where ibuprofen has to take over. I have some codeine phosphate - 15mg tablets, prescribed by GP for knee pain pre-op that I didn't use. I wonder if I could make use of those? Of course it's now the weekend so can't check. Will play it by ear.
Hi Miserere, please keep me updated on your knee surgery recovery, I have just had steroid injections in both my knees and it has helped with the pain and stiffness. I am waiting for the ops. Best wishes for a speedy recovery xx
As you can see from comments already made the first couple of weeks are the worst - you can't expect it to be painfree, and I had a couple of set-backs peculiar to me, so don't be put off by anything. I think we are the same age? But we are all different.
Hi. I would stick on the same dosage for at least 3 weeks. I have had both knees replaced and the trauma to your body is massive. Like others have said, do your exercises and do as you are told. I’m 5 years in and my knees are brilliant. I’m still amazed by the lack of pain and I still do exercises to keep the muscles strong. Good luck and be patient, tiredness is part of the healing.
I thought I was going to have to have knee surgery but thankfully it's not necessary at the moment and has settled down. I just wanted to tell you that I live in a sheltered community and lots of the people around me have had successful joint replacements. I asked about when I thought I was going to have surgery. They are all walking well and join in the exercise classes.I think the key to any recovery is to follow the physiotherapists advice and keep up the daily routine. It's hard at first but everyone says it's better after the first two weeks.
I had spinal surgery earlier this year. I kept up the exercises as requested and did extra (hence hurting my knee). I am fully recovered now and it's so much better than having excruciating pain.
Good luck with the recovery. You will need all the extra sleep to help you heal x
I had a total knee replacement on 18 January 2018. The only advice I can give you is to trust the physios and do your exercises to the best of your ability. The one tip which may help you to lift your leg on and off the bed by yourself is to get an old towel, put it under your foot, take both ends in your hands and lift your leg gently off the bed onto the floor and vice versa. I hope you'll find this helpful and wish you well for your recovery.
Hi i used my belt from my dressing gown to get my leg into bed.Regarding pain relief see gp for possibly co codamol30/500.You will probably need a laxative as well as it can constipate you.I still have swelling in both knees but i have Rheumatoid Arthritis,Polymyalgia and underactive thyroid.I cannot get fluid taken off my knees now as it could infect them.My sister had her hip replaced one week ago she is badly bruised.I had her stay with us for six days as she is a widow.I just hope she takes it easy over the next few weeks.Wishing you well in your recovery.
Clips out on Thursday at GP surgery. TED stockings are supposed to be below knee but because I have short legs and the stockings stretch if you pull them up then they rest on the knee joint itself, so I had turned the tops down a little. GP nurse said not to do that and pulled them on to joint. Slept with them like that last night and today knee is very sore. The back of the band rolls down anyway and feels like a tourniquet. It is also incredibly stiff and was very painful this morning. For the last three days I have been able to lift the leg from lying down but today it just doesn't want to know although I shall work on it. Yesterday I was hardly relying on the crutches but today I am back to leaning heavily on them. Probably my fault for having short legs but I am now loathe to put them back on. I am trying to contact the elective nurse to let her know but of course it is Christmas weekend and doubtless she will be trying to get her shopping finished, bless her. I'm certainly leaving the blasted things off at night now but also they've stretched so it means there is more to turn over to keep them below the knee, so not sure what to do. Think I will try it and see how it goes.
If anyone else has experienced this do let me know.
Do they stay shorter if you don't pull them up as you roll them on? If you see what I mean ... They should also unstretch if washed in warm water - non-bio of you use soap
I have to pull to some extent to avoid wrinkles which I was also warned against. I am drinking plenty of water, I put the leg up to drain regularly after each exercise session and I ice it when necessary as well. I tried a new pair which I bought - same make - but they have done the same thing straight away. I think I will leave them off and watch for any swelling etc. then try to put them back on somehow if I need to. I have had them on day and night for 3 weeks - it was only the nurse pulling them up on to the middle of the joint that seems to have caused the problem. I will exercise them back to where they were but, for instance, lifting the leg is so much more painful at present. I'm just cross I listened to her.
I can't agree with the nurse on this one. They should have supplied you with the correct size/length stockings. They shouldn't be over or on your knee. They are there to prevent the possibilities of DVT in the leg and shouldn't be anywhere near the wound/scar. If you have a spare pair/s you could try trimming the top to see if keep their integrity.
I think I am going to have to try and cut them as having looked on line all I can see on any of the sites is 'knee length' - no short legs seem to be catered for. I shall try it and see what happens - I have 4 pairs so if one goes wrong ... I am just a bit annoyed about this as everything was beginning to work so well. I shall get it back but it has set me backwards if you understand. I find the hospital nurses know what they are talking about but sometimes, practice nurses ... like the one that put me on calcium channel blockers for no good reason. Rant over. I doubt I would get any delivered now before Xmas anyway.
Just a tad…. but got ex demonstration model with a good price reduction plus a free soundbar… and the usual 5 year warranty - and with himself’s approval. So we’ll see next week when I get home and he’s installed it!
I like that sort, had many ex-demo or "that's the last one on the shelf". Scatches are a good wheeze too. Best was an oven with microwave in it - £300+ off at John Lewis because there wasn't a box!
He’s just had to get it out car and test it this morning - although I know he just wanted a play - quite sensible really as shop we bought it from is local to him, rather than get to mine and find something wrong….and then have to trek back..
So it’s up and running- easier for him to just connect sky etc when we get back to mine….
Just for information in case it helps anyone else. In the end I cut the tops off the TED stockings. They do not ladder and seem to still be doing their job without the painful cutting in where the welt was. They still curl over at the top and leave a mark but it is copable with. I take them off at night and at last am able to sleep more. I'm sure this is not what is recommended but it works for me. I certainly would not have done it during the first two-three weeks but at this stage I was desperate. Certainly never, never, leave it stretched over the wound!
OK - final update on the TEDs. A different practice nurse removed the dressing yesterday. She said that the stockings were too long and should not be pulled up over the wound )left hand/right hand?) The way that they rolled down under the knee meant I was more likely to develop a DVT, so they haven't really done a lot of good by the sound of it. Anyway, she told me to contact the ward and request the correct size of stocking. Spoke to the ward - they don't have 'shorter' knee length stockings - I didn't think they would. I suggested that I leave them off and they agreed provided that I mobilise regularly and do the exercises. So, I have been doing all the exercises with a bit of pottering and suppose I had better begin to increase the walking distance gradually. I had not bothered about this because the physio was far more interested in the exercises for range of motion than in walking - now I understand the need for both.
Yesterday the knee was more sore and I was exhausted - maybe overdid it and, of course, I sometimes forget in among all this that I also have PMR. One step forward and two back is how it sometimes feels - however, onward and upward!!!
The other nurse needs reporting and retraining. And that is something that should have been sorted out at the ward before discharge - especially since it could have caused a DVT which was what they were aiming to avoid.
The other nurse (who stretched it over the wound) will be on her way to Australia on New Year's Day - she is emigrating for a better life and better money. She was not a regular practice nurse but was doing a shift to make some money. Says it all, I think. Personally I hope she stays in Australia.
2nd physio session yesterday and all seems to be going well. However, after session felt completely wiped out and couldn't do anything more. Complete fatigue. Good sleep last night but after getting up this morning beginning to feel wiped again. Slight ache in left shoulder - no energy.
I thought I had done well up to now and have only increased steroid by .5mg after surgery. However, am now wondering if it is catching up with me. I feel so whacked that I have taken an extra 5mg just now in the hope that I might start to feel 'normal' again - also to knock any PMR on the head before it gets going. I need to exercise but feel too tired to do so - however, will do some now. Any advice appreciated as always. Many thanks.
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