TKR - sunburnt shin
Posted , 7 users are following.
Hi folks. It's been interesting reading this forum - thanks for all the contributions.
There has been some mention of my specific problem some months ago on here but rather than resurrect that I thought it may be useful to start a new specific thread.
Im 56 yo male. 16 days post-op of left TKR. Operation went well. Had epidural and when that wore off pain was off the chart and after about 5 hours waiting eventually got some oxycodone which helped.
I had significant swelling and bruising BELOW my knee - on my shin, calf and foot - much more than the average displayed on a search on Google images for TKR.
I was discharged after 3 days as once pain under control I was managing to exercise and got 90 degrees and leg raises and as knee itself wasnt cause of any undue pain they were happy to let me go.
Swelling remained at discharge. I was told to take self injected Fragmin as precaution for DVT which made the swelling even worse...and the pain with it significant. I went back for a scan to see if there were any indications of a clot but that was inconclusive as the leg was so swollen the scan wouldnt go deep enough so DVT doctor increased dosage of DVT drug to treatment level (as opposed to precautionary dose)
Wow...that made my leg swell even more...and pain increased again.
Oxycodone didnt touch it. So after second dose I made decision to stop taking it....and slowly the swelling came down over following days....and I actually managed to get 2 hours sleep. (Have since had another scan which was negative for clots - so yes, I know not following orders to take Fragmin is definitely not advised - but it was my decision)
It left me with some reduced swelling on my lower leg but that is now very hard and VERY tender to touch and constantly uncomfortable. The skin on my shin resembles sunburn....like the worst case I ever had.
The original post which prompted mine suggested their GP prescribed Neurontin...and following a phone call with my GP he agreed to let me try it....and it came in form of gabapentin. It certainly worked and took the pain away from the sunburn....or rather reduced it to bearable levels.
I cant get in to see my GP until Friday. Whilst the gabapentin is dealing with the pain nothing is being done to treat the condition.
Has anybody else had this? Did you find a cure?
Im supposing the excessive swelling has done some damage to circulation or nerves and that it will sort itself out, hopefully, eventually, but its really stopping me doing any advanced exercises I wanted to do. I can walk half a mile with sticks....yay it's sooo good to get out in fresh air but wanted to work more on flexing my knee sooner rather than later..
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doug47821
Posted
In other news I'm walking well...with crutches but only there for when I need them (ie not putting weight on them much) about a mile a day - in fits and starts (shopping trips)
Hospital hasnt sent me any appointments for physio so Ive just been doing minor exercises. For me I'm not bothered if it leaves me with a limp or I cant quite bend the leg as much as the other - the progress Im making is enough for me and my goal is to take my dogs on the beach by week 12. I'll only do that if I'm safe enough to be able to control them - and at 5 and a half weeks...thats looking very likely. Considering I hadnt harldy been out of the house for 2 and a half yearsI'm quite chuffed with that.
The worst thing about this whole situation, for me, apart from that horrendous swelling and subsequent "sunburn" was the insomnia. My GP has eventually given me a 7 day course for 7.5mg of sleeping pill an last night I had 8 glorious hours sleep. Today I feel like a new man and, I guess, the reason for this further post is up until yesterday my answer to "was it all worth it?" was a resounding "NO!" But today has really been a boost and the pain of the last 5 weeks has been forgotten. If my recovery continues at this rate I'll be doing a Michael Flatley when I see my consultant in 3 weeks and shake his hand.
Thanks EVERYONE for relating your experiences and advice - they have helped me enormously in making decisions that have been right for me.
sueisobel doug47821
Posted
Well done for getting out there with the added bonus of a nearby beach.
Just a few words of caution, you are not at the 6 week mark yet, that is when a normal broken bone should be healed. Yours is more complex and will take a little longer, so when you reach the 6-8 week mark and you feel as if you have stopped reaching your goal, do not lose heart/patience. You are one of the very few that have taken the meds prescribed and felt better for it. Keep relying on them for as long as you need; they are there to help not hinder. I wish you all the very best and can imagine you irish jigging on the beach, crutches (preferably walking stick) in the air with your dogs chasing after you.