Is there a Dr/Nurse/Orthopaedic here? Fuck!!!!!

[mishfish]

Can’t name change as forgot password and totally outing but not sure if I need this checked out or if I’m freaking for no reason.

I had a bushing revision (I had a distal femoral replacement and a knee replacement in 2007) on Friday last week. Discharged last night. I’ve just taken my snazzy socks off and seen my leg is HUGE but unsure if I’m freaking out and actually it’s not huge so can you let me know what you think?

I’ve been on my feet and crutches a lot today, I’ve taken my codine, paracetamol, and the injection I’ve had daily (to stop blood clots I think?) but I haven’t taken any ibuprofen today...

Do I need to get this checked out or am I making a fuss over nothing?? The lighter photos are at hospital and over the last few days. The darker ones with terrible lighting were when I took my sock down to get in the shower!

Thank you in advance for any reply’s

Its really hard to tell from a photo like that. Do you feel like the swelling is much more than it has been? If this is the first day you are moving around properly on it there is bound to be swelling, but if you are concerned go and get it looked at in the morning.

Unless of course there is redness/heat etc or you have a temp, in which case you should get it seen tonight.

I AM IN NO WAY QUALIFIED TO DIAGNOSE
It does look swollen but i wouldnt worry top much unless it is hot and red or uncomfortable and getting worse etc.
Did they not give you a number for the ward when they discharged you? If they didnt i wouls call 111 just to put my mind at rest or see the GP in the morning

My first day of being very upright today

It doesn’t look as bad now that I’ve had the socks off for about 15 minutes and laying on a bed.

The lighting is terrible so can’t get very good pics.

It’s slightly warm but not hot, not red, I don’t feel I’ll or like I’m getting a temperature. I’ve got a number to call but I’ve gone to my mums for a shower.

I think it’s going down so possibly freaking out over nothing. Thanks for any replies!

Interesting that it's going down now you have taken the socks off. On your own pics you can clearly see a constriction where the top of your sock is acting like a tourniquet. May be worth checking whether you need a larger size?

Alexa that is what I’m thinking. I’m going to keep the socks off for tonight, take some ibuprofen and spend the rest of the evening in bed with it slightly elevated. Will do my injection as soon as I wake up and phone the ward in the morning thank you all

Keep leg elevated to reduce the swelling, which is normal post-op. Especially as you have been moving around recently.
Compare warmth with other leg and pay attention to colour. Is the limb cold, pale, normal, reddish?
Be aware of any pains (and/or bruising) in leg that you think are NOT related to the op-could be a sign of blood clot.
Keep on top of your medications especially the injection.

The socks prevent bloodclots though so whilst it is tight not sure its the best plan to leave it off entirely overnight. I would go down to A&E or maybe out of hrs and explain the situation and see if you can get a larger sock (or if you have a good chemist open locally) and they likely will be able to give it a once over and reassure you. Or try phoning to see if you can get hold of a Dr on 111 although it seems quicker to get an OOH appt to be honest

Pls note AM NOT MEDICAL

Call ward now. It'll be open.:)

It does look like there's swelling above the knee, but the compression socks may be responsible for that.

I think the 'swelling' is just a bit of oedema gathered above the socks - if you take it easy over the next few days, keep the leg up to disperse the fluid then you should be fine :)

All of the above but socks are now back on... not as high as previously though. Alarm set for 6 for injection! Thanks all

Life it’s very slightly warm but not hot to touch, not red and no unusual bruising or swelling. I can’t bend it as much as I could yesterday but imagine that’s down to the swelling. That’s a lesson taught for me not to do too much 6 days post op

Put your knee higher than your hip when elevating, pop some ice on. Also with the stockings make sure the square hashed type bit near the heel in in fact on the heel. Tendency to pull stocking up so that it doesn't hang over toes but then the compression is in the wrong place and you get the tourniquet effect. It's common to have stocking hanging off the end of your foot when the heel is in the right place and this is how it should be worn. The more you re up and around on it the more it's likely to swell. Lots of movement followed by lots of rest and elevation.

I love how these threads OPs specifically ask for advice from medical professionals, and lay people who are in no way trained or qualified to give said advice pile in instead. All threads seeking professional advice on MN go this way. Odd.

MeadowHay. You assume that all who have replied have no relevant qualification. I am a health care practitioner, I just didn't bother to say so.

who says we are not medical professionals?

Sorry, I didn't mean all of them, I meant the ones that explicitly say ''AM NOT MEDICAL' and 'I AM IN NO WAY QUALIFIED TO DIAGNOSE' etc. Why post then?

Because they can still know things. They happen to be correct, so what is your issue?

Call the ward/see gp or whatever but don’t ask on mn. HTH

Whatever our position and profession, None of us are qualified to diagnose because we've not seen the patient. A photo on the internet isn't enough to guarantee our advice applies.

I don't feel people are diagnosing. Myself included! More giving advice on how to manage the swelling and whom to call.

Nobody is diagnosing, just giving an opinion as asked and reiterating to get it looked at by a professional if concerned.

Ive had knee replacements and the area does always swell and get hot - you must have experienced that when you had yours? Ice and elevate and rest. Hope it gets better soon.

Ive just read about the procedure and it seems to be more complicated than an initial replacement so there will be swelling, heat and pain - there is a great patient forum i used when i had mine done where you can discuss or just learn how others are coping. Just google patient forum and it should come up.

Little- whoops already did

Thanks all. I wasn’t asking for diagnosis, I couldn’t tell if it was a ‘don’t be ridiculous that’s normal’ situation or ‘that’s not normall’ Situation

It went right down and swollen back up again after being upright in a chair working for a few hours so clearly need to rest it more.

Bilbodog- I honestly can’t remember, it was 10 years ago, I was having chemotherapy at the same time and in hospital pretty much solidly so pretty much every aspect of me was looked after so didn’t pay that much attention! Ridiculous as it sounds but I was very young at the time x

You need to look at recovery for a knee replacement - it is tough and it looks as if a revision can be more difficult to get over. Go on the forum and take tips but you need to take it easy for a few weeks - it is a tough operation. You need to get the balance right between enough movement to keep things moving but getting enough rest,icing as well. Can you do some hydrotherapy as this really helps.