TKR At home TKR recovery questions<

[sistersinhim]

I use Miralax every day plus stool softeners. They work. Walmart has generics.

 

[Bebita]

Is it normal to still have a lot of swelling at almost 7 weeks? Feels like it doesn't take much for my leg to swell up. I also pick up a stool softener and laxative so hoping that does the trick with my constipation.

 

[KarriB]

Yes, it is normal to have swelling at 7 weeks, I had some swelling at 12 weeks and it would become worse if I spent too much time on my leg. Be sure you are spending equal or more time elevating/icing than being active. So if you're up and on the knee for half an hour, elevate/ice for at least an hour if not longer.

 

[Bebita]

It drives me crazy and then I worry if I did something and going backwards instead. This darn scab in one spot is still there. Leg dry and ashy and I know you guys told me not lotion or anything until all scabs are gone.

I went for a haircut today, went from hair washing chair to hair cutting chair and then sitting and as result leg is swollen and stiff as anything. I was even given a foot stool to rest my leg on. Really didn't feel like I overworked it at all yet I'm getting my butt kicked right now. Immediately put ice on it and elevated it as soon as I got home.

 

[KarriB]

When do you see your doctor next? Can you put a photo of the scab up? It could be an internal stitch.

 

[Bebita]

I attached a photo. Don't know if it came out okay or not.
And internal stitch would scab on outside? incision area still very tender to touch. I go back to os on 23rd of this month.

 

[KarriB]

@Jamie may be able to tell if this is something for you to worry about, but I'm sure it's just a scab.

 

[newlybionic]

The picture was a bit blurry but it looks like a scab. While you can't put lotion or cream on the incision itself you can put some on the rest of your leg. Leave the scar alone and don't rub it. It will heal on its own. If you are very worried then you can call your OS and have him take a quick look.

 

[uva55]

Monday I'll be at 9 weeks and I still have swelling, specially if I do lots of walking!!! I think we will have this swelling on and off for a while, remember patience is a big part of this journey!!!

 

[KateRVN]

Hi Bebita and everyone!

I have a wound that has healed, at the top of my incision is an internal vicryl suture that got caught in the final closure. I'm not too worried because I know from my nursing days that vicryl is a dissolvable suture. Take a look at your discharge notes, your surgeon may have written something there about what methods of implant, internal and external closure were used.

Now, if it is any consolation, my "op site" is still exceptionally red and angry. Sometimes it feels like someone is holding a hot iron against my skin, other times the incision line feels like someone is wiping a rather sharp blade across my skin. To touch it, makes me cry. My swelling is still thus that my knee does not fully touch the bed when I lie on my abdomen.

The top of both of my feet are swollen to the point that you can touch them and the marks of your fingers remain. Yeah, yeah, I know elevate and ice.

The only issues I have here is that I'm a Raynauds sufferer and ice causes extreme pain. Heat I can tolerate no probs it's cold that sends me into a complete frenzy. So before you ask......no I'm not icing!

I have more flexion in this new fangled contraption inside my left leg, compared with the piece of cr&p in my right. 1 X MUA later.......still don't feel any better. Bloody leg gave way on me today!

Annoyed as normal meds cause me to be fairly loose in the department, but I have added oxycodone into the mix the last couple of days and now I feel like a bee he'd whale carrying a baby elephant in my guts

Not bad for a 40 year old eh?!

Oh the other thing I found that helped with the painful incision was to use lidocaine ointment. You need to ask your pharmacist for this as its not an item that can be just picked off the shelf. (Here in the UK at least the category for this item is P. The P stands for Pharmacist dispensing only)

Current meds:

Gabapentin (Neurontin), 300mg tablets take upto 10 pills a day 3g
Paracetamol (Acetaminophen) 2 X 500mg tablets upto 4 X a day
Oxycodone (Lynlor) 5mg tablets 1 X tablet 3 X daily

Other meds
Asthma:: Ventolin 200mg take as necessary
Secretive (Fluticasone (50mg/Salmeterol 500mg) steroid inhaler 1 puff 2 X daily

Fexofenadine 180mg 1 X tablet daily
Omeprazole 20mg take 2 X 40mg pills at night
Montelukast 10mg take one tablet at night

 

[KateRVN]

Oh yeah......pain ain't great.....that is why I'm dossing about on my iPad at 2am because I can't sleep

Anyhow, if the image will load of my fat swollen leg......you can clearly see at the top of the incision (bottom of your screen), the offending piece of white material sitting inside my incision. Yeah when I first noticed it, I tugged at it a bit, then was worried so went to see the doctor and he tugged at it a bit.....the thing ended up being about 1cm (1/3") long
So.....bravely, I took a set of cuticle trimmers to it and cut it as close to the incision as I could. Note:: I squirted alcohol hand gel all over the blades and let it sit for a minute or two before being a complete dick and whopping the offending article off. Wouldn't advocate any of you to do that. Go see a doctor!

 

[Bebita]

Some of my scar is sunken in like that as well. Couldn't for the life of me figure out why. It's just in certain spots. I will attempt to take a better picture in the morning.
Sometimes the ice tends to sting and burn and that's with a small towel between it. I will have to look and see if there's anything written on the discharge paperwork I was given but I really don't think so.
Medication I'm currently taking for pain:
Oxycodone 5mg 1 every 4 hours as needed
Acetaminophen 1000mg every 6 hours as needed.
Ibuprofen 600mg every 6 hours as needed

Try to use the oxycodone more at night and during day if in extreme pain. Doesn't always work that way though.

 

[Bebita]

Sorry was unable to post a hopefully better picture of my knee.
Scabby part still on part of incision area. Swelling seems to be the new norm for me these days. Every so often I will have a sharp pinching pain in the knee area. I am thinking maybe from the internal stitches or something like that.
I go back to doctor the 23rd so I will have to make a list of questions and/or concerns I may have

 

[KarriB]

Can you send him an e-mail with the photo if you're still worried? The 2nd photo is good and it does look like just as scab. I had an infection and never had a scab at all with the TKR. My incision totally closed up!

 

[Bebita]

Today was my first day back to work. Though I rarely got up from my desk, it was still rough. I took ice packs to work as well as a lot of elevating. Despite all of that my knee is totally swollen and sore. My ankle has bruising on it. Truly stinks since I was very cautious of being on it or doing too much.
Don't understand why I'm having some much swelling if I am being cautious.
It may be a rough night for me.

 

[KarriB]

You're still at the early stage of TKR recovery at 6-7 weeks. Swelling can continue for up to the year of recovery. I'm not sure if I've shared this, but at 10 weeks I went out to dinner and theater where I couldn't put my leg up at all. My knee was so swollen I had to peel my trousers off and elevate toes above the nose for hours to get it down. Even then I had to elevate the whole next day. Swelling is normal at this point in your recovery, especially if your leg is down for any length of time. You could try compression hose, some people have found them helpful for swelling.

When I went back to teaching part time at 12 weeks I spent all afternoon and evening elevating and icing to keep the swelling/pain down.

 

[Bebita]

Thanks for sharing that experience and no you haven't previously shared that before with me.

Is it normal having the ankle bruise up and swell as well? Was elevating and icing while I was at work in hopes that it would not be that bad. Guess I was wrong. Don't know how I will be in am for work and dreading the pain tonight.

 

[uva55]

I went back to work at 7 weeks, my ankle and knee swelled, even though I iced and elevated throughout the day. When I got home I elevated and iced until bedtime. This is week 9, yesterday and today I had no swelling on my foot and the knee has been much better, I still ice at night.

 

[KarriB]

I think bruising is moving down from your leg to the ankle. My ankle would swell a lot, but I never had any bruising at all, even right after surgery.

 

[kneeper]

Today was my first day back to work. Though I rarely got up from my desk, it was still rough. I took ice packs to work as well as a lot of elevating. Despite all of that my knee is totally swollen and sore. My ankle has bruising on it. Truly stinks since I was very cautious of being on it or doing too much.
Don't understand why I'm having some much swelling if I am being cautious.
It may be a rough night for me.

Like KarriB said, it's early. Just the getting ready for work, walking to your office etc. is a lot.
Good for you for taking the ice packs to work and elevating. If you hadn't it would be worse.