Need total knee OT

Has any one had a total knee in the Houston Texas area.  If so what doctor did you see.  I want a very good surgeon of course.  I am beginning to research this.  And what pain meds were you able to take after the bypass surgery.  I am concerned about the pain.  Although with the amount of pain I am in on a daily basis I am pretty stoic.  Gathering information for a first of the year surgery.

I just had right knee replacement surgery on July 23, 2014. Please note this is my experience only.

The first 3 weeks the pain was pretty intense! I had a strong negative reaction to the Hydrocodone (a combination of acetaminophen and a semi-synthetic opioid/narcotic derived from codeine). I experienced nausea, vomiting, headaches, blurred vision and major depression due to lack of sleep-I only slept about 2 hours a night for almost 2.5 weeks. Of course this led to having to take 2 other medications to combat those side effects!

I needed a 10 day plan of action to wean myself off of Hydrocodone that my RN son suggested for me. He also suggested I take an over the counter sleep aid called Alteril which is helping me get some much needed sleep. I wake up 2 times a night for restroom breaks and the throbbing pain from inactivity while in bed, but at least I now go right back to sleep rather than being wide awake.

My surgeon had me take a blood thinner for 4 weeks and I am to wear support hose for 6 weeks to avoid blood clots.

I was completely off pain medication as of the end of week 4 and the pain is now manageable and intermittent but the throbbing dull pain in my knee does interfere with my sleep.

My physical therapy progression is excellent and I have always been above the expected parameters for flexion and extension. I had a Physical Therapist come to my home daily for 3 weeks. I do the PT exercises on my own for the following 9 weeks. I can begin a regular exercise program at 12 weeks post op.

I am off work for 6 weeks. I started driving again yesterday (the beginning of week 6) and will return to work in the middle of next week. 

In November I get to do this all over with my left knee.

Thanks for the info.  So much of it seems your personal response to both the surgery and the rehab.  My plan is to go to a skilled nursing facility for hopefully 21 days to begin the therapy.  I have to go up 4 steps to the porch to get in this house then up 15 more stairs to get to the upstairs bedroom and shower.  Pretty impossible at first. Also at home therapy for as long as possible.  I have been told it is arthritis and nothing will help other than a replacement.  Both knees but I have decided the left is the worst so the first to be done.  I was wondering about pain meds with the bypass.  I came home from the bypass with hydroco???  But never had to take it.  I am pretty tough but there is a limit.  I did have an unpleasant reaction to the morphine pump after the bypass and they stopped it after a few hours and pumped in something else.  I am in Houston and know there are lots of good surgeons here at Methodist and Memorial Herman and Texas Orthopedic Hospitals.  Just was hoping for a personal recommendation.  Thanks again and if you have any other tips let me know please.

I have had both knees replaced and it was painful but ice works the best. I never dreamt life could be so good. I am thin and can ride a bike daily. No regrets at all!!!good luck

I had both knees replaced last year, one in a March and one in November.  I'm not in Texas so I cannot help with a surgeon recommendation, but your WLS surgeon may be a good source of information. Surgeons generally know who has a really good reputation even in other surgical specialties.  Your PCP may also have a recommendation.

I would suggest that when you DO get in to see an ortho surgeon that you tell him your concern and ask him about his post-op pain management. Most orthopedic surgeons know how painful a TKR is and provide adequate pain control. That doesn't mean drugging you up so much that you have NO pain, but it does mean giving you sufficient pain meds so that the pain is bearable during the day and you can sleep at night.

I was given oxycodone (Percocet) the last two days at the hospital and for the first 3-4 weeks after I came home.  After that, I was on hydrocodone (Vicodin) as needed, which was mostly before physical therapy and before bed.  Taking something for pain at the right time so that it kicks in for your physical therapy is REALLY helpful.

I have a two story house, and found that after 3-4 days in the hospital and 3-4 days at my mom's (she has no steps and I needed her help taking care of my puppy) I was quite able to navigate the stairs at home, BUT I used crutches instead of a walker because my stairs are much less deep than the ones they had me practice on with the walker at the hospital.  I was already comfortable using crutches because of a broken ankle as a kid and another knee surgery in 2000... but many people find they are easier to use (and they feel more secure) on the stairs than a walker.  Trying to use the walker on the steps was freaking me out, because the LAST thing you want to do after knee replacement is fall!

I put my first knee replacement off for a long time because I was afraid of the pain. Yes, the pain from the TKR is intense the first few weeks, but it is temporary (unlike the day to day pain from the arthritis).  It takes a full year to fully heal from a knee replacement and not have any more swelling, get full bone healing, etc., and I am still within that first year on my second knee, but I can walk without pain now for the first time in about 15 years!!

Lora

Lora:  Thanks for the comprehensive reply.  It is EXACTLY what I needed to know.  I have printed it out and am putting it in my "knee file"   I have a surgeon recommendation from my PCP and since I have been asking around it seems all the folks I asked have a surgeon they love too.  I need to keep it at Methodist Hospital where my records are and my PCP frequents, stay with a surgeon who accepts Medicare and be mindful of where the particular surgeon does his therapy.  Houston is huge and I want the therapy visits to stay in my loop if possible.  I also found that I can go to a skilled nursing facility for a while after surgery if it is needed which relieved my fear of the stairs till I am ready for them.  My stairs and not deep and I don't know about even crutches.  I do have a wall on one side and a rail on the other 2/3 of the way down, then there is a small landing and a direction change, then another wall and rail the final four steps.  Why did we buy a two story house?  I also have to come up three steps to the porch and another fairly high step into the house.  Stairs are everywhere!  But this is a must.  The knees are just getting worse in spite of the WLS.  The doctor said it was osteoarthritis that did it ... not necessarily carrying the weight.  All five people I have talked to so far say it is the best thing they ever did for themselves.  Initially painful but it heals.  The pain I have every day doesn't go away ... even during the night.  Thanks again.  I think the long holiday weekend set me back in replying.  I always heed your advice.  I have been following you for 2 years now.  Very sensible advice always.