PKR partial knee replacement x2, swelling<<

[xyxex_kayn]

It's not the swelling draining that burns, it doesn't work that way. It's just pain from angry tissues.
That's just making up a reason for it.

My OS says the pain is caused by the fluid that builds up as your leg and feet swell, draining out as you elevate your leg

 

[Jamie]

It's absolutely true that the fluid buildup from swelling results in pain. The pain will lessen as swelling goes down. Elevating helps relieve the swelling (and pain). Icing at the same time also helps, as does taking some type of medication for the pain.

 

[xyxex_kayn]

Ok here is one for you. Had to change dressing on both the incision where the surgery took place and also where they put in a drain tube. It was draining thru the dressing that was applied when they removed the drainage tube, and was leaking all day, till the wife got home to find the clean dressing. Changing this out wasnt a big deal should be good in couple of days.

But because of they way they applied the dressing over the zipline and the location of the drain tube, both had to be change. This was not a big deal to do, but after gettng the old dressing off and putting a new clean sterile on back on there was a spot the was puffed up section, oh about the size of a M&M round half the size in thickness, was squishy to the feel. well with all the moving around changing out the dressing, it forced me to have to get up and go to the bathroom. Ok, i barely got up off the bed and stand with my walker. well by the time i got back to the bed my knee pain was at a 10 again. I can get some relief fromt he pain if i gently rub the incision. when i did this that puffed up section is about the size of a nickle and as tall as a 1/2 inch. Feels squishy to the touch. this didnt happen with last surgery, so im thinking it some type of fluid build up. Im going to keep an eye on it but wondering if i need to go have it looked at

 

[xyxex_kayn]

was a spot the was puffed up section, oh about the size of a M&M round half the size in thickness

Its about an inch long now, and about half inch thick or more. It stick out from under the steril bandage and looks like a regular old water blister. Hoping for the swelling to go down in my legs and this thing doesnt burst open

I still able to raise it enough to be able to lay in bed and lift my leg to get it into bed to lay down and move it to sit up, and i think still do some small exercises but, still im not able to put weight on my right leg to move around and get to

 

[SuperSnapper]

I wouldn't do any exercises apart from a few heel slides every few hours, movements to stop clots ie the ankle ones and just going to the toilet etc. Rest, ice, elevate and meds and sleep when you can. There's no point doing any other exercise as that will just aggravate your knee and make it swell more. Good luck with your recovery.

 

[xyxex_kayn]

I wouldn't do any exercises apart from a few heel slides every few hours, movements to stop clots ie the ankle ones and just going to the toilet etc. Rest, ice, elevate and meds and sleep when you can. There's no point doing any other exercise as that will just aggravate your knee and make it swell more. Good luck with your recovery.

im not doing much. did some leg raises and two versions of a heel slide, one sitting up on edge of bed and one flat on my back in bed. Was able to do them but yeah the hurt a bit. so only doing a couple of leg lifts to try and straighten the knee..but also at this point i dont want this water blister like thing to burst open either.

Thinking about getting some empson salt and couple of buckets to soak my feet to try to get the swelling down, just a thought

 

[Josephine]

1. Has been at 9 to 10 from around 4 pm Feb 4 till about 5 this morning, its now ranging from 4 to 6. plus alot more stiffness and swelling. i have a burning and stinging pain this time around the area of the drainage tube was.

At four days out, I'd expect this.

2. Percoset 5-325 one to two tablets every 4 to 6 hours as needed for pain
Oxycodone 5 mg one to two tablets every 6 hours as needed for pain
Tramadol HCL 50 mg one tablet every 4 to 6 hours as needed for pain
Meloxicam 7.5 mg twice daily as needed for pain

Well, you haven't told me the "how often are you taking them" so I'll assume you're taking them without a strict schedule, yes? So I'd stop the 'as needed'. You need them on a regular basis, by the clock. You are very much under medicating yourself.

So take the Tramadol 100mgs every 6hrs by the clock
Add in Tylenol 1,000mg to each dose of Tramadol.
Take the oxycodone 'as needed' in between times

However, Mobic is an NSAID and as such, an extremely mild pain killer. However, no doubt your doctor prescribed it to help with the swelling but I can tell you that NSAIDs do not help with this kind of swelling.
As you can see below, it's possible you might have cellulitis so NSAIDs definitely won't help here.

3 & 4. As before I with last surgery I would elevate about 3 to 4 hours at a time during the day, and elevate all night long if I can when the wife comes to bed.

Elevate more! I used to spend about 4-6 hours a day with my leg elevated as high as I could get it. Never mind "toes above nose" mine were toes above head !

Each time I ice the machine works good for about 3 to 4 hours, with a two hour period between uses.

Ice longer! Preferably while you are elevating.

the swelling gets worse, and will go down if i sit on edge of my bed or in recliner with my feet on the floor and ice pack on my knee. Don't understand why this happens but it does. I can get some relief from the pain if I gently rub the incision. When I did this the puffed up section is about the size of a nickle and ½" tall. Feels squishy to the touch. Looks like a regular old water blister

And that's exactly what it is! What we in the trade call fracture blisters because they often occur on or around a seriously traumatised wound - which is what you have. You should report this to your surgeon ASAP because if it bursts, you can get an infection in your knee. For now, keep it covered and protected so it doesn't break. But it's a sign of your excessive pain and swelling.

6. Swelling is moderate to huge, right around the knee and down the leg, and a lot of swelling in both feet.

see above

7. & 8. As of right now, I'm barely able to move,

I can understand. It's also possible that you might have some cellulitis as the symptoms you describe sound very familiar - I had a serious case of cellulitis in my leg a few years back and every time I put my feet to the ground it felt like my leg was filling up with scalding hot water! Another reason why you need to be more assiduous in taking your pain meds.

 

[xyxex_kayn]

@Josephine Percoset 5-325 two tablets every 4 hours
Oxycodone 5 mg two tablets every 6 hours
Tramadol HCL 50 mg one tablet every 6 hours
Meloxicam 7.5 mg twice daily 7am and 7pm

 

[xyxex_kayn]

Well ended up going to ER on sunday because of swelling in my right knee and leg and having severe pain when i tried to walk. Also because of the blister that developed. As expected, they did an Ultra sound on both legs to check for DVT's also did blood work to check for infection. On both these came back negative for both. So they came in and did x-rays of my right knee, and had the Orthor Dr on call come in and see me. I guess nothing showed on the x-rays because they never brought it up. Dr. said to go home and elevate and ice the leg, duh, which i have been doing.

At 6pm tonight my time, i decided i wanted to watch tv in the living room, plus i woke up because my left foot had swollen so much it was causing pain, so grabbed my walker and hobbled the best i could. Still severe pain when i have to put any weight on the right knee. By the time i make it about 30 to my recliner im about ready to fall. They can't find anything wrong with my knee yet im continuing to have severe pain. Now since I got home from the ER sunday about 4pm i have been in bed laying down with both legs elevated, except for about 8 one hour breaks when i sat on edge of bed, to stop the pain in my back from laying down for too long. Also would ice my knee for 5 hours take an hour break then ice again for 5 hours and continued iceing like that till this point.

I am going to see my PPO tomorrow to do some brlood work to check my blood thinning levels, plus talk to him about the continued swelling of my leg and feet. Reguested a wheelchair to be at entrance for me to use because there is no way i will be able to get into his office just using my walker. See if i can get any answers to my current issues, why when im elevating and icing my knee, why do i continue to have such severe swelling, and why the drain site from surgery is still leaking a week after surgery. Im stumpped.

 

[SuperSnapper]

Hope you get some answers soon. But you are still very early in recovery so maybe you will soon get some relief from the pain and swelling when things begin to settle down but you do seem to be having more than your fair share of issues just now. I hope the icing and elevating begin to show results for you.

 

[xyxex_kayn]

I had nothing like this with the first surgery that was 5 weeks prior to this, some swelling but nothing like this. So have no idea what is going on with me this time. At this point, week after surgery, on the first surgery i was zooming around with the walker, now i can barely stand up with it and try to walk, because the pain is so bad in the right knee, which is causing the left knee to hurt now. I am about at my wits end with this

 

[Josephine]

I guess nothing showed on the x-rays because they never brought it up.

If there was anything to be seen it would have been reported upon. But I mentioned before that I think you've got cellulitis. Everything fits. And so you need to be on antibiotics.

PPO

What's a PPO?

 

[xyxex_kayn]

What's a PPO?

Thats what insurance here uses to designate Preferred Provider/ Preferred physician

If there was anything to be seen it would have been reported upon. But I mentioned before that I think you've got cellulitis. Everything fits. And so you need to be on antibiotics.

I am assuming the blood tests that were done on sunday would have been to confirm whether or not it was cellulitis

 

[xyxex_kayn]

here is a new one, my knee is leaking at the surgical site. this is the area where i also blistered. what is leaking isnt red its its yellowish/red tinged clear liquid. im thinking this is from just the blisters leaking but going to er to check

 

[charmed-life]

Hope it's all ok!

 

[xyxex_kayn]

Hope it's all ok!

Im back from ER, they said it was fluid either from the blisters that had developed and they broke near the surgical site, or possibly fluid underneath the skin on the surgical site. By the time i saw the Doctor and the nurse came in to put a dressing on it to send me home, the drainage was almost completely gone. In the 10 minutes it took me to get home and get undressed for bed for the night, the dressing they put on had slipped down my leg and off the knee. Good thing i have fresh clean dressing at home to redo it. and do it so it doesnt come off.

 

[SuperSnapper]

So all is well?

 

[xyxex_kayn]

So all is well?

i guess from ER doctors point of view yes, will just keep an eye on it, will change dressing on it later today and see if there is still drainage or not and see if it gets better or worse.

 

[Pumpkin]

xyxex kayn,
Just curious reading your thread, have they said you do not have cellulitis? I would ask them point blank, do I have cellulitis? Some times they are so busy looking for zebras that they miss the horses.
Hope you start feeling better this weekend!

 

[xyxex_kayn]

Just curious reading your thread, have they said you do not have cellulitis? I would ask them point blank, do I have cellulitis? Some times they are so busy looking for zebras that they miss the horses.
Hope you start feeling better this weekend!

no they didnt saying anything at the ER at the hosp i had my surgery, which was when i went in because of the blisters showing up. They did do ultra sounds of both legs to make sure there were not blood clots, because of my history of those, they did do xrays and blood work. But know never said anything about cellullitis. My regular doctor that i saw on thursday, who i saw at that before mentioned hosp, i started seeing him when he was there, and has since moved to the city i live now and works for the hospital in the city i live now. He still has access to all my records from the other hospital so he got on his laptop and checked the results of those test which came back positive. but in particular the blood test which show my white blood count to be normal. But as he said i could have an infection with or without both a temperature or elevated white blood count. so to be on the safe side he gave me antibiotics to take just in case of infection. That being said, i didnt get first dose of antibiotic till 7 pm and take every six hours, and it just happened that the swelling and redness were reduced by 8 am when i woke up the following morning. could the anitbiotic worked that fast i dont know, it could be coincidence. that being said, the swelling and redness were reduced all day yesterday, until i went to ER last night and actually walked on it. but swelling and redness has continued to be down today, redness is almost all gone..with all that i still cannot put much weight on the right leg without causing severe sharp pain in the knee. Going to give the weekend and give antibiotic time to work and then im going to start doing my rehab exercises to start building up the extension and flexion on my knee.

but to stop rambling, and more direct answer no they didnt directly say i had cellulitis and i straight out asked because in the past (15 years ago) i almost lost my left leg to cellulitis. but like i said my regular docotor did give antibiotic to be on the safe side