TKR Toes Purple today

Lucy1

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Hello All: Made it to the other side on Wednesday and came home yesterday. Pain bad but mangeable with morphine amd tylenol and celebrex but this morning I have burning pain side of knee inside and can't put much weight on it. Any ideas. First time I have had this burning sensation. Thx. L So glad it's the other side even though I had forgotten the pain from last one. L
 
Sending good wishes, I had the burning sensation in the same area but think it wasn't there too long, though it's still a relatively sensitive area. Amazing how quickly you forget and how soon. Guess that's a kindness.
 
I asked OS about it and he said he did substantial bone work in that area.
 
Thanks for the input. Doing nothing today but ice and rest. Hope that helps.
 
You will have all sorts of pain around your knee. The first weeks elevate, ice, and keep under the pain meds. These weeks are hour by hour
 
Today my leg and foot are swollen. Maybe exercise would help? I'm even up 6 lbs since the surgery. Wondering if fluid as I haven't been eating a lot??? One day at a time, right?

I know you shouldn't compare but I had my RTKR on June 26, 2019 at 8 am. I came home the 27th and had burning pain and could hardly put any weight on it yesterday. So I did nothing except rest, ice, and medication. I seem to be so much better today after resting yesterday. Maybe two hours CPM is too much. My leg and feet are quite swollen so I don't think I will attempt too much exercise until I go to physio next Thursday. Just basic stuff like trips to bathroom and kitchen. L
 
Hello @Lucy1
I've moved acouple of your posts from another thread, because that thread should be about his recovery, not yours.

Please post about your own recovery in this thread, which is your recovery thread.

Here is some post-op reading which will help you:

Knee Recovery: The Guidelines

1. Don’t worry: Your body will heal all by itself. Relax, let it, don't try and hurry it, don’t worry about any symptoms now, they are almost certainly temporary
2. Control discomfort:
rest
elevate
ice
take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)
don't overwork.
3. Do what you want to do BUT
a. If it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physical therapist - to do it to you
b. If your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again.​
4. PT or exercise can be useful BUT take note of these
5. At week 4 and after you should follow this
6. Access to these pages on the website

The Recovery articles:
The importance of managing pain after a TKR and the pain chart
Swollen and stiff knee: what causes it?

Energy drain for TKRs

Elevation is the key

Ice to control pain and swelling

Heel slides and how to do them properly

Chart representation of TKR recovery

Healing: how long does it take?

Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?

There are also some cautionary articles here
Myth busting: no pain, no gain
Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds

We try to keep the forum a positive and safe place for our members to talk about their questions or concerns and to report successes with their joint replacement surgery.

While members may create as many threads as they like in a majority of BoneSmart's forums, we ask that each member have only one recovery thread. This policy makes it easier to go back and review history before providing advice.
 
Today my leg and foot are swollen. Maybe exercise would help? I'm even up 6 lbs since the surgery. Wondering if fluid as I haven't been eating a lot??? One day at a time, right?
The additional weight is because of swelling. I has nothing to do with what you ate.

You've been through major surgery and your poor leg is upset and swollen.

You need to rest, ice and elevate that leg, to help reduce the swelling.

There are articles about how to ice and elevate in the post-op reading I left you.
 
Lucy, you are given a lot of fluids as part of the surgical process and it is quite common to come home and see weight gain from your normal because of this. Drink plenty of fluids to help wash everything out of your system (this is a good idea anyway) and you should see things normalize in a week or two.

Now is not the time for a lot of exercise. You're less than a week out from a very major surgery. A better option when you see swelling is to ice and elevate your leg (toes above the nose). You can do this as much as is comfortable for you through the day and night. Just be sure you have a towel between you and the ice source so as not to damage your skin. Keep your pain levels low (pain can tend to increase swelling) as well. There is no hurry. Your body needs time to heal and things will be better if you allow that to occur.
 
I Hi there. I have that burning feeling too - it seems to be quite a common issue. I am assured it goes away in time. I agree with the others, rest, elevate and ice. I have noticed a big improvement in the last 4 or 5 days. So be kind to your knee and hang in there, things will improve ☺☺
 
Thanks for the encouragement!!!!! Lucy
 
LKR six days ago and leg is quite swollen and bruised. I am icing and elevating, but this evening notice two toes are now purple. They don't hurt. Just wondering is this common or should I have it checked out. Thanks for any thoughts. Lucy
 
Hi @Lucy1
You'll notice that I have merged your newest thread with your original recovery thread. Did you lose your original thread?

For several reasons, we prefer that you only have one recovery thread:
  • That way, we have all your information in one place. This makes it easier to go back and review your history before providing advice.
  • If you keep starting new threads, you miss the posts and advice others have left for you in the old threads, and some information may be unnecessarily repeated
  • Having only one thread will act as a diary of your progress that you can look back on.
So please post any updates, questions or concerns about your recovery here.
Don't worry that we won't see your question because, between us, the staff read all new posts every day.
If you need an urgent response to a question, just tag a member of staff.
How to tag another member; how to answer when someone tags you

If you prefer a different thread title, just post what you want and we'll get it changed for you.

Here are the instructions on finding your thread, How can I find my threads and posts? . Many members bookmark their thread, so they can find it when they log on. Please do that.
 
When I read your title I thought you painted your toenails purple!

I didn’t have any bruising, so I’ll let someone else answer your question.
 
LKR six days ago and leg is quite swollen and bruised. I am icing and elevating, but this evening notice two toes are now purple. They don't hurt. Just wondering is this common or should I have it checked out.
It's probably bruising that has moved "downhill" due to the effect of gravity.
Can you post a photo of your lower leg and purple toes?
Uploading a Picture in a Post

Have you seen this article about post-op bruising?
Bruising after surgery
 
Thanks Celle: Checked the pictures out and don't feel as concerned. Will get my foot back up. Thanks. L

Wasn't sure how these threads worked!
 
Friday, July 12th and just had my staples out. That hurt worse than the surgery. It's just a little over two weeks and today am feeling optimistic about things. Graduated to mostly using my cane and walker only when I am tired. Pain is manageable during the day with extra strength tylenol. Nights are still painful so doctor has sent another script to drugstore to replace the morphine. Funny thing for almost three years I have had back pain and pain down my left leg from my first knee replacement every morning. Since surgery on my right knee two weeks ago the pain on the left is gone. Wish I had done this two years ago!! Know there are many challenges ahead, but just wanted to say thanks for support and share the good day I am having. One day at a time. Thx. L
 
Not sure who the person was that wrote the above on July 12th.

Next Wed. will be five weeks and am getting really fed up!!!! Still not sleeping that well at night probably cause I doze during the day. My knee is still very swollen and stiff, painful. Still icing and elevating. In fact last night both knees were painful. Back pain from sleeping on my back. Have spoke with someone who had her surgery last Monday and her knees aren't swollen at all.

Sorry for the rant, but feeling down today. Hope to get away this week for one day and have some fun, (dinner boat cruise). Feel so sorry for my poor husband as he is doing his best. Thanks all for being here, 'cause friends don't understand.
 
Have spoke with someone who had her surgery last Monday and her knees aren't swollen at all.
Are you sure she had a knee replacement? Was she home from the hospital? Sometimes things sound better than they actually are.

This recovery is a roller coaster, you were having a good day on July 12, and you will again. :console2:
 
Lucy, you wrote that post. Your name is at the bottom of it and your avatar is beside it, with "Thread Starter" written on it. That means you are the one who started this thread, which is your recovery thread.

You can also recognize your posts in your thread, because their background colour is a pale grey/blue, while the background of posts by other people is white.

Five weeks is still very early in this year-long recovery. Your knee is still upset from the surgery and it will take a while longer before it starts to feel more comfortable.

Two possible reasons for pain at night are under-medication and over-exertion.

Are you still taking regular pain relief?
And how much exercise are you doing?

Compare your activity against what we recommend in this article:
Activity progression for TKRs

I'm going to ask @Josephine , our Nurse Director, to advise you. She has many years of experience in orthopaedics.
She'll probably ask you a lot of questions. Do try to answer them as fully as possible, so she has all the information she needs, to advise you appropriately.
 

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