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Revision TKR Bruising 3 years out

Thank you @Clipless for the reassurance. Makes me feel better and less anxious. @Celle and @Josephine I will take your advice and stay away from things like the push-board as you are more experienced than I am with this recovery and I value your advice greatly. Right now I'm taking a 100% break from the gym except to go for hydro therapy massage for probably at least the next week, possibly two until I get the pain and swelling back under control and when I do go back I'm going to keep my exercise limited to the bike and maybe a little bit on the treadmill with no incline. I was doing the push-board because I can see where the muscles in my thigh just above my knee have shrunk badly and I got frusterated and thought that pushing that muscle would strengthen it but what I accomplished was setting myself back and no change in muscle mass or strength at all.
 
Did you forget our mantra? First is the reading - everybody gets a free copy of the recovery reading!

- if it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physiotherapist - to do it to you
- if your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again
 
I took my son to his well child exam today and the nurse there was shocked. She told me she's seen a lot of knee replacements and mine did not look right at all. It was heavily swollen and my entire knee area was a deep angry reddish purple color.

I've been resting, elevating and icing. Nothings working. Not the ice, not rest, not my pain meds. And when I walk or move it something does not feel right. I do know that my neighbor had her knee replaced by the same doctor and he botched hers but lied and said it was all in her head.

I've talked to a few people (who have had knee replacements) and they said they NEVER would have let this doctor operate on them. Apparently he has a bad rep that I didn't know about. BUT I've got great news. I'm past my 3 month mark and on the 17th I've got an appointment with one of the top rated orthopedic doctors in the country. He comes very well recommended, has earned many many awards for being the best around, his schooling was done at one of the top schools in the US and he's even been featured in magazines and on the news.

I called his office today and they feel something is not right when I described to them my lack of care in the beginning, the brutal PT, the lack of pain relief this far out and the intense pain and swelling, and the doctor is more than happy to check it out and make sure it's ok and make sure nothing was botched. And if I like him he has agreed to take over my care and just in case something WAS botched (let's hope not). He is also a revision specialist.

I wish I had known about this guy before I let my OS touch me. So while I'm up half the night crying, in pain even with the ice on, I am going to bed feeling very optimistic and yes, excited because from everything I've read I'll be getting the best care around. It's a bit of a drive to his office but if everything on the website is true, it will be well worth it.
 
I do need to add that I have not been doing much of anything at all for the past week. No exercises except walking around the house and that's it. I spend 98% of my time in bed with a book and my leg propped up. I haven't even gone to the gym for hydro massage. My husband is back over here with me because he became very worried and has been taking very good care of me. So I guess some good did come out of all this, the seperation is over at least for now, and while I have mixed feelings it's nice to be taken care of again. I don't have to cook, clean, nothing, he does it all for me and it's been a real blessing just being able to be lazy lol
 
Hi @Xanaphia
I'm sorry to hear of your ongoing problems, it must be a very worrying time for you. However you are doing absolutely the right thing to get another opinion and it's great that you've found someone you have confidence in. All the best for your appointment on the 17th, I really hope you get some answers.
Tabby xxx
 
Thank you @Tabbycat I appriciate that. I am very frustrated and all this is really depressing me. I miss sleeping and eating normally. Heck I miss living life period. And this pain, it's not just minor pain, it's like something sharp is grinding against the area between my kneecap and the top of my tibia. It's a horrible pain and I know it wasn't caused by exercise or almost falling on the stairs as I've had problems ever since I woke up in recovery.

My personal opinion - and this is just my opinion based on the amount of lies in read in my medical records and his not so good reputation - my opinion is I think he botched it somehow and is covering his behind. That's what I think. It happened to my neighbor, so why not me too? Same doctor and she told me NOT to go to him and like an idiot I did it anyway. She can barely walk and can barely bend it because she flat refused to let him touch her again.

Intuition has been screaming at me for the last 4 months that something isn't right but I keep getting blown off or told it's all in my head... or told the pain is because of the narcotic pain pills etc... I've never been shown my xrays, so how do I know I wasn't lied to?
 
Don't blame yourself, this is not your fault. Having this surgery is scary enough because of all the possible risks. The important thing is to get that second opinion, and find out how your problem can be resolved. I'm rooting for you!
Tabby xxx
 
I'm glad you're getting an appointment with this specialist. It does sound like more is going on than just typical recovery ups and downs.
 
[Bonesmart.org] Bruising 3 years out
So I had an echo ultrasound done today, just checking out my heart because I have tachycardia and I got into a discussion with the ultrasound tech about my knee. He asked who the doctor was and apparently him taking a 3 week vacation right after doing major surgery and leaving NO doctor to look after his TKR patients is neglect. Then he tells me that NO doctor will work with him or for him because of his reputation. He didn't go into much detail but he hinted that he had surgeries that he has botched but never admitted and that the only reason he's keeping me in the office is because hes covering his butt making sure I don't sue him, which technically I could.
So it appears that I chose a very bad doctor for my surgery. And the ultrasound tech is not the only one with a negative view of him. The ladies I talked to said they would never let him operate on them. Bad sign.
Anyways, my progress is slipping backwards, icing and elevating aren't touching the pain or swelling. The pain is so bad it feels like someone's driving nails into the bottom of my knee and a new development, I can no longer walk unassisted unless it's a very short distance because my knee gives out and I have fell once already. Thankfully my bed was right there and I landed on it, but it's gotten to the point where sometimes I cannot make my leg move right, have massive pain lifting it and cannot stand up for more than 5 minutes and that's pushing it and I'm 4 months out.
I really feel that something is very wrong and right now I'm scared.
 
[Bonesmart.org] Bruising 3 years out


My daughter took this 10 minutes after I got out of bed and unstrapped the ice. All I had done was go to the bathroom, the coloring gets darker the longer I'm up
 
You should be doing much better than you are.
I am relieved to read you have found an OS who specializes in revisions. I hope he has some answers for you, and a solution to all your pain, swelling, discoloration, and lack of mobility.
Take care until you see him,
 
@Pumpkln I've heard that from alot of people lately. Mostly older women who had it done and had very little peoblems. I've been told for being only 36 as apposed to 50+ my recovery or lack thereof is odd, and they all say something is wrong for it to be like this 4 months out. My PT who came to the house in the very early weeks said I was an odd case that she'd never seen anyone have as many problems as I have. My doctor says the pain is all in my head and that if I would just stop taking the pain meds the pain would go away. I find that to be a jerk statement. It's all in my head. Well if the pain is all in my head then everyone around me is hallucinating lol because my son's nurse seen it when it was a very very dark shade of purple red.... she must be hallucinating too and it's all in her head lol
 
I am glad you are having a second set of eyes looking at your knee.
It is not in your head it is in your knee, your knee does not look right to me, seems to be offset, swollen, and red.

Sorry to hear how uncaring and un professional your TKR surgeon has been. Hope he is in your review mirror as you move forward getting smaller and smaller until he disappears.
 
Nooo! Oh my goodness, that does not look okay. I'm so sorry- you don't deserve this. I hope your new OS can fix you up without delay. Going forward take careful notes. Even this thread may prove important if you eventually need to file suit. Just keep documenting everything. It sounds like your original OS should not be practicing medicine, let alone surgery! But...worry about that later. For now concentrate on getting repaired and getting well. We are pulling for you.
 
So I'm assuming this type of swelling and pain isn't normal at 4 months??
 
Doesn't look normal at all. See what the second OS says. I've been where you are. Don't give up until you get your answer.
 
Bless you heart. No one should go through what you have been through. I'm praying that you get an answer and improvement really quickly. At this stage a revision with a wonderful surgeon will be better that what you're going through now.
 
Xanaphia, I had lingering intermittent swelling and pain with my LTKR for 9 months or so, but not as you describe. The edema in your photo appears lumpy and strange vs. mine which was generalized and without discoloration. Remember, though, that photos can be misleading. Also, we are not physicians and cannot diagnose your problem. We can only support you in your journey. It sounds like you have found an excellent surgeon for a solid second opinion. Please keep us posted.
 
@Xanaphia
Im so sorry this is happening to you, it's very depressing and it's normal to be worried. My surgery date is only nine days after yours, and I know we mustn't compare because all recoveries are different, but my knee still feels swollen on the inside, I can tell when it feels tighter. My ROM 100/10 measured at PT today and I can't walk very far without one crutch, I'm quite wobbly and have weak quads.However, your pain and swelling is extreme, so you are doing absolutely the right thing to get a second opinion. I hope there will be a solution on the horizon for you.
Just took this photo of my knee so you can see how red the scar is, it sometimes goes purple too.
Good luck on the 17th.
 

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