Knee Replacement Surgery, No Appetite, Nausea, Lethargy, Weight Loss.

Posted on Fri, 20 Jan 2012

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 Answered on

Tue, 11 Sep 2012 Last reviewed on

Question : I had a knee replacement on 12/19; Basically the operation went fine, but now I find that I have no appetite; and slight nausea; and lethargy. I'm 75-yrs old and go to work every day. My weight was approximately 160 lbs when I had the operation and I'm down to 146 lbs.

Answered by Dr. James M. Schwartz (7 hours later)

Hello XXXXXXX,

Thanks for the query. I am happy to help you with your question.

I would recommend that you follow up either with her family doctor or your orthopedist. Reason I recommend this is that the symptoms you are describing are nonspecific, i.e.,they could be caused by a variety of different conditions. There are certain postoperative conditions that he would want to rule out, including infection (including pneumonia), and possibly even a blood clot. If postoperative complications are absent, then other conditions (irrespective of the recent operation) should be considered.

Unfortunately, nonspecific symptoms such as these, cannot be accurately diagnosed by a e-mail communication. They will certainly require an accurate medical history, physical exam and possibly appropriate lab tests.

I hope I have answered your query. I will be available to answer your follow up queries. If you are satisfied with all my answer, please do not forget to accept it.

Best regards,
Dr. Schwartzshe

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T