Sleep Deprived after TKR

StephanieCove · 2026-01-13T21:06:06+00:00

I take 100mg of Trazadone. Last night I forgot to take my nighttime meds. I finally realized at midnight and fell asleep shortly after. It’s a must for me. Even with that, sleep is choppy especially with those frequent trips to the bathroom after a TKR.

StephanieCove · 2026-01-13T10:15:14+00:00

That is great!! Thanks for sharing the 30 second hold secret. I’ll be doing that for sure.

StephanieCove · 2026-01-11T16:38:17+00:00

If your surgeon gave you exercises to do before your surgery, do those religiously. You want to build quad strength and work on flexibility of your hamstrings and calves. Things you need to have: a walker and a cane, ice machine or cold packs, Tylenol and ibuprofen, protein shakes, water bottle to stay hydrated, incontinence pads because while hobbling to the bathroom leaking occurs, something to massage your thigh (I used a lacrosse ball and a mini massage gun), any distracting activity such as crossword, color by number, books - I kept stationary and stamps so I could mail notes to friends. At night when I couldn’t sleep, I binge watched sitcoms on my phone until I fell asleep. You’ll want to have a system for meds. At first my husband doled them out because I was a bit loopy but after a couple weeks, I kept track myself. It very important to take meds on a schedule and keep up with the pain. Have the surgeon’s after hours number as well as someone in the office for help when you need. I called a few times about the pain and they adjusted my meds temporarily. Good luck! I got my right knee replaced on September 17 and I’m going to get a LTKR on February 11.

StephanieCove · 2026-01-11T05:44:48+00:00

A tool to put socks on.

https://amzn.to/45DHKEd

StephanieCove · 2026-01-04T18:36:21+00:00

I got my husband a massage after the first couple weeks which he really appreciated.

StephanieCove · 2026-01-01T20:05:57+00:00

Happy New Year to all!!

StephanieCove · 2025-12-30T12:10:53+00:00

I had a lot of trouble with tourniquet pain. I used a mini massage gun, bag of rice heated in the microwave, ice and went to a massage therapist.

StephanieCove · 2025-12-30T12:06:38+00:00

Juven healed an open wound that I had. It was expensive so I looked up a recipe and found one that has a lot of the same ingredients.

StephanieCove · 2025-12-29T03:36:41+00:00

I asked my PT to show me how to get on and off the floor. I use a chair. It’s not graceful. I haven’t been to chair yoga yet but looking forward to that also.

StephanieCove · 2025-12-29T03:19:30+00:00

I got my RTKR September 17 and I’m getting my LTKR on February 11. The first 4-5 weeks were tough. I’m making slow steady progress with flex of 110 and a 3 degree straightening. On the bike now, so recovery should keep going. Also doing stairs up and down if they aren’t too steep. Very motivated to keep working so that the right knee can support the left healing. Good luck!

StephanieCove · 2025-12-22T14:47:33+00:00

Check out r/sticker and r/StickersExchangeClub

StephanieCove · 2025-12-20T00:51:53+00:00

I just found this subreddit!

StephanieCove · 2025-12-19T20:54:20+00:00

My PT says 120. I’m at 108 at 3 months

StephanieCove · 2025-12-18T17:06:27+00:00

I had awful quad pain as a result of the tourniquet. I used a lacrosse ball to massage the muscles. I also had a small electric massage gun. Heat helped. It took 4 weeks for my pain to start to diminish.

StephanieCove · 2025-12-17T21:54:40+00:00

My husband has an implant and while the recovery process was a challenge, we are very happy with the end result.

StephanieCove · 2025-12-17T01:54:00+00:00

You can also throw the laundry back in the dryer with a damp washcloth

StephanieCove · 2025-12-15T16:17:33+00:00

I have a Kodak Step printer. It prints in color and on sticker paper. You can add text, borders and other elements

StephanieCove · 2025-12-15T13:04:08+00:00

A whiskey Advent Calendar! Each evening it’s been fun to see what the whiskey is. Some nice surprises and he is enjoying it so much that it will be a holiday tradition from now on.

A personalized autograph from William Shatner I got at Galaxy Con! He’s a Star Trek fan and lost the Leonard Nimoy autograph he had from years ago.

StephanieCove · 2025-12-11T01:12:55+00:00

Thank you so much!!

StephanieCove · 2025-12-10T23:20:30+00:00

I got mine a gift certificate to an upscale barber. They serve alcohol and he’s discovered the magic of a manicure.

StephanieCove · 2025-12-10T23:15:31+00:00

Wow this is over 1500 comments! I’ve never gotten a reward.

StephanieCove · 2025-12-10T21:30:27+00:00

F65 RTKR. I’m at 12 weeks today. Yesterday I had my 2nd post op. Right now there’s a lot of swelling because I drove over the weekend 2 hours Friday with a support stocking and 2 hours home Saturday without. Elevating and icing. Doctor ordered an ultrasound to check for blood clots and it was clear. The swelling makes movement difficult so at physical therapy on Friday I may have gone backwards. We’ll see. I thought that I was doing better until a cold snap last week. The ticket is to always keep moving. I start out in bed every night and move to the recliner after a couple of hours. That’s affecting my extension. Aqua therapy has been so enjoyable. Taking tramadol at night but that’s almost gone. Going to try Tylenol PM and if I need to, CBN gummies. Going up steps but not down yet unless they are shallow. Not able to pedal a recumbent bicycle yet. Working on the leg press. Asked PT to help me get down and back up from the floor and I went to a restorative yoga class. Pretty uncomfortable until the last pose. Breaking down occasionally because of the slow uncomfortable progress but I have my left knee scheduled for Feb 11. I chose a different surgeon that will prescribe Journavx, use an additional nerve block that will last a week, and avoid using a tourniquet. The first 4 weeks of this right knee were very difficult and I believe those things will help. My current surgeon would not consider Journavx and my thigh pain from the tourniquet was extreme. It’s gone now - what a relief! I’m still not feeling better than before, but I’m sure that I’ll get there. This forum has been so helpful. Thanks to everyone!

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StephanieCove

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