TKR Purple swollen leg 5 days post-replacement

[nell41]

Hi @Lindylee , @Jockette @sistersinhim,
Thanks so much for your “likes” on my thread.
Lindylee, how are you doing? I hope enjoying that spring!
I am coping with a 4 sq. in. chunk of skin just to the side of the incision that’s still giving me bee sting pain, extremely hypersensitive to any touch at all, like I hate wearing pants or even a sheet over it at night. I’ve stopped icing as that is crazy irritating to it. It’s just like RSD (early CRPS) that I got in my wrist right after a base of thumb surgery, then again in that hand right after a laceration in pinkie requiring 3 stitches. Those I coped with by catching them early, upping pain meds, steroids, and using a pain therapist’s guidance with certain touches and mental work around the area. I’m well aware these can get chronic and best to nip them in the bud.
I do believe my getting behind in my Addison’s those times and this TKR initially may have triggered those high sympathetic responses, as I was overly stressed the first 3 weeks...probably had soaked myself in 24/7 adrenaline on hindsight!
This last week, I did go up on those steroid supplements, that has helped me feel more normal and generally more well and functional, there’s much less joint swelling, and I’m functioning real well, sleep about 3-4 hours, netter than just 2! I went up on gabapentin as my PA suggested, now using 300 mg. a.m. 900 mg. bedtime. I sometimes have to use a Tramadol at bedtime or 2 a.m. which is when this skin flaming acts up.
I’m doing well in most ways now, at 4 weeks, moving about without a crutch except to manage snow/ice and protect myself in public for not getting bumped. My PT is going real well, enjoying walking! and exercise like biking 10 minutes, balance board, stepping up and down, flexing and extending progressing.
I started back to work yesterday, real good for my soul, though more sitting and not as much elevating as I needed.
I’m doing the healing touch all around that skin area, and considering calling the pain therapist to jump on this again.

Any words of wisdom, like how common is this at this stage, people getting what starts like this but gets better on its own, etc., welcome!

Thanks, all, for this forum, it’s been a big comfort!

Cheers,
Nell41

 

[nell41]

Hi folks,
I have a new problem I’m hoping is just temporary: my foot feels numb, some tingles, and seems to walk sort of dead weight, slapping on the ground, and behind my knee is still very sore. My PA blames it maybe on “something wrong with your L4-S1 fusion,” as he says peroneal nerve problems are rare excerpt in deformity which I never had. That doesn’t make sense as I explained my foot would go to sleep just with the extension exercises, so he said lay off those, and I’ll see a physiatrist if it’s not better in a week or two.
I finished PT and am now at almost 7 weeks post TKA. My PT explained, about that nerve stretch, that nerves need to be “flossed.” But this is way harsher than the nerve glides I learned to very gently do for my wrists, neck, and still maintain years later. I’d never let those go to pain and certainly not to the hand falling asleep; I am so confused! I was walking pretty well, without crutch last week, and do have good strength, but this week my walking feels very insecure.
I finally am getting more hours of sleep and with that big exhaustion feeling, I’m sure there’s a lot to catch up. At least I do trust the physiatrist I’d go to if I need it worked up; he helped years ago with my spine stuff, which has been great since.
I still can’t get to my beloved water pool because a piece of the wound opened up! So frustrated!
Do you others have some of the numbish/dead-heavy foot on the surgical side, likely from overdoing pulling behind the knee for extension?
Does it resolve with now gentle approach?

thanks,
Nell41

 

[nell41]

Hi folks, it looks like I never gave a follow-up from my TKA which now is 6 years ago. I saw a physiatrist for the Numb/dead feeling I got in that lower leg, and nerve conduction/EMG studies confirmed I had pulled a peroneal superficial sensory nerve, so at least it wasn't me that was wrong when I kept telling the PT that working toward extension 0 by 6 weeks made my foot numb. I wish I had been more assertive then. In any case, I went through a whole different PT to learn to walk despite the injured nerve, and then a warm water pool PT who was even more experienced, and told me that you can continue those mobility goals for a year or two. So now I'm fine.
That knee recovered it's hpersensitivity, but I learned a new lesson on that front. I've since had 2 foot surgeries and a hand surgery, and those surgeons were well aware that any nerve block for anesthesia make that terrible hypersenistivity more likely, so we avoided them and I just got generals, which went fine.
Live and learn.
I hope you all are doing well. I dropped off this forum years ago once I was back to my life. I'm rejoining it now for a whole different joint, and just re-read my threads.

 

[Pumpkin]

@nell41
Welcome back to BoneSmart!
Glad your team for your foot surgeries listened to you and gave you general anesthesia.
You have had quite a journey with your peroneal damage and hypersensitivity, and relearning to walk.

I'm rejoining it now for a whole different joint, and just re-read my threads.

What joint are you having replaced?