Hydrocodone APAP 5-500 causing sleeplessness?

[pegleg1951]

Hi,
I had a total knee replacement done about a week ago. I'm only 56 years old, and quite fit. I'm healing fast, walking without assistace, doing my excercises but I'm getting very little sleep. I'm basically taking pain pills, vicodone when doing therapy or at bedtime.  I feel drowsy on the meds and will fall asleep but I almost always wake upwithin an hour of falling asleep. Shoulc I try going off the meds? Except for tiredness I feel pretty good but I'm not sure how excercise will go without pain pills. I'm an avid cyclist and want therapy to go well. Thanks!

[JainMD]

Hi,
How are you feeling?
If you give little detail regarding your symptomatology it will helpful in discussing further.
I would like to know where the pain is exactly if you have to point out with your index finger.
When did your pain begin, what were you doing at the time, and what were the initial symptoms?
Do you experience any grinding, locking, catching, or giving way of the knee?
Grinding is characteristic of osteoarthritis; locking and catching are characteristic of meniscus injuries and osteochondritis dissecans (meniscus injuries are much more common than osteochondritis dissecans); and giving way is more characteristic of ligamentous injuries.
Are there any positions that make your knee more or less comfortable?
What is the quality of your pain (sharp, shooting, dull, etc.)?
Have you tried anything to help the pain and, if yes, has that been successful?
Have you ever had surgery on your knee? Do you have any hip or ankle pain?
When any patient complains of “knee pain,” the initial differential diagnosis in most of the cases includes: Osteoarthritis, Ligament damage, Meniscus damage or Patello-femoral disorder.
In your case it might joint disease causing the problem.
Keep me informed.
Bye.

[pegleg1951]

Sorry this has been so long, I really forgot about this site.
Hmm,
Grinding noise. I had that for years before surgery. You should know by now, only the xray will tell. My surgery was because of an old ACL  injury that caused arthritis. It hurt but not to the point I had to take pain pills unless I was doing something like a long ride. Then only Advil. One of the biggest problems was having "loose bodies" floating around getting in the way. I had more bend in my knee before surgery which is a bit upsetting but it is getting better, I can go up and down stairs pretty easily unless I'm carrying a big load. My weight is pretty normal so I suppose that made recovery quicker. I was very good about therapy, doing it at home twice a day and going to all recommended sessions. The pain wasn't that bad, the thing that bothered me the most was how long it took me to get back to my normal sleep patterns. I'm still having some problems with that , occasionally  taking Ambien, which I really hate doing. I can't say if I'd do it again, the doctor tells me by spring I'll be thrilled, hope he's right. I was really hoping I could do child's pose in yoga and I'm still hoping I can do simple seated.

[lynn1964]

Hi, Thats what im possibly facing. Seeing the ORTHO doc this afternoon. Im hoping my family doc was wrong and its not as bad as he thinks..Its making a trerrible grinding noise when i bend it, or do stairs, and ive also been taking vicodin, I would take it maybe a half hour prior to your therapy, to help get you through it, if it hurts without..maybe take half, at bedtime, or a xanix along with it at bed time see if that helps..Good luck to you, and if you could, just incase, tell me honestly, how was the operation? So i can prepare incase that is going to be the outcome..
Sincerly Lynn1964