What has happened? - leg problem after varicose vein op

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Help! Had varicose vein op on tuesday - veins tied off in both legs - lots and saphenous vein removed from top of left leg to ankle.
Lots of pain in left leg after op - felt like it was on fire when I stood up after the epidual wore off. Pain in ankle, top of leg crease, around the knee and under the knee cap.

left leg very swollen around the knee & can't bend it.

Anyhow - still can't walk on left leg or bend it. Had a check up yesterday and I have loss of sensation under my left foot. Dr scraped under my right foot & it was a shock but on my left foot was just a feeling of soft pressure
I have at various moments a feeling of the end of pins & needles in my left foot, feel as though my leg below my knee is very thick & numb (this is all the time), feelings of coldness and get goosebumps, can just about twiddle my toes but is an effort & feels twitchy.
Any ideas on what has happened? My doctors here don't know.

Blimey that sounds horrendous,poor you!
Sounds like a nerve ending thing?
The doctors are referring you to a specialist i presume?..

Bumping to see if anyone else has any ideas..

Good luck x

Thanks Jellykat

I've an appt next week so might get some answers. With another doctor rather than the hospital doctor. I'm in Belgium so you can go to see who you want depending on the waiting time for an appt. Not happy with the hospital at all. Waiting it out at home. Kids sick with high temps & dh doing everything.

Sounds like there's some sort of nerve damage. Your leg will only be starting to heal now, so don't panic, there's plenty of time for things to settle down and return to normal.

Thanks for your reply ilovemyhens. I hope so - taking it easy by staying bed. Can't walk on it so have compression stockings on.

Do you have any anti-inflammatories you can take?

Taking apranax 550mg (naproxene) twice a day with paracetamol 1g inbetween the apranax. Tried contramal (tramadol hydrochl 50mg) but it made me feel really sick & dizzy.

Strange thing is I get a grip of goose bumps feeling below my knee every so often. I know just before it's going to start.

Knee still hurts underneath & around despite medication. Big bruse appearing there as well.

Goose bumps around the knee as well - happening now!

I had veins done in one leg and there was nothing like this afterwards. Either you've had a more extensive op, or they've been a bit hamfisted

Thanks ilovemyhens - Had the saphenous vein taken out from ankle to top of leg and lots of veins tied off in left leg & just veins tied off in the right. My right leg is fine so I can get about on crutches.

Sounds like they've done quite a lot in the left leg then. That might account for it. All you can do is rest up and keep taking the meds.

yes - Hope you got better quickly. I have a check up next week with my gp so I'll hopefully get some better opinions on what has happened. Hope I'll be mobile for back to school & looking after smallest dd who's crawling everywhere. It makes me realise everything I normally do.

Get yourself some vitamin C and zinc supplements - these are good for wound healing. Try to rest whilst you can and before you have to start doing the school run again.

I can't remember much about my recovery, but I don't think it was long, due to not having much done. I think it was just the one vein that was causing problems. I didn't even bother asking tbh

also arnica, great for dealing with bruising

Thanks nightcat & ilovemyhens - good tips to help with getting better.

when you have alot of inflammation,the fluid can cause pressure on the nerves temporarily and as the fluid subsides normaly the feeling will return

Good point Alypaly - my left leg was really swollen all the way up but now goes in again where my knee is iyswim. Hoping this will help

when i had a plate put in my leg...it was swollen for ages and i had loss of sensation and it felt like a long term dental injection and then it kept coming back like pins and needles

That must have been awful alypaly. Was your swelling bruising? Mine seems to be as it is going down as the bruses appear. Just hoping I can walk again soon. I hope that you recovered quickly. Best wishes.

The doctor who did the operation, & that I saw two days after (he asked if it was an anxiety problem wtf), just called to ask how I was. He thinks that the saphenous nerve was irritated in the vein stripping and the bruising isn't helping either.

From saying they didn't know what was the matter & refusing to believe any thing was wrong at least now they indicate they know a reason why.

Can't work out why they had to deny me proper pain relief after the op & why they took nearly a week to just acknowledge there is a problem.

Good thing the phone was next to me and that I answered it.

my swelling was bruising and alot of fluid. you could push my flesh in and it would take ages to pop back out because of the fluid.

is the feeling coming back for yet. bruising can takes at least a week or more to come out properly and then 2-3 weeks to go completely.

why do bloody doctors always put things down to anxiety. it is normally when they havent a clue

i was in hospital a few weeks ago with suspected peritonitis and was in alot of pain. i was given an injection in my bum and the nurse has done it in the wrong place and hit my sciatic nerve. i have had allsorts of pain since especially in my buttock and raising my leg. i also cant sleep on my right bum cheek. its taken them nearly a month to reply to my letter of complaint. im pretty fed up at the moment as things always seem to be going wrong for me. i love my sport and all this has really affected me.

i hope you arent in too much pain...have you got pain relief now?

Must have been awful that swelling. I can now see where my knee is - before it was the same leg thickness from my calf to thigh.

Bruising is coming out & strangely enough on my right leg I have some almighty ones on my calf but they just don't hurt. Thank goodness as this is my leg to get about on.

Poor you with peritonitis. I've had this a long time ago with gangrene - bloody painful didn't describe it. The sciatic nerve problem must be awful - hope you are better soon. It's totally awful that the nurse did the injection in the wrong place.

I've got apranax helping with the pain but it's the weird sensations. I washed my feet today and the hot water felt spiky on my left foot and this stayed for a while. Feet feel nice now though!

Hope you're better soon. It's awful to be prvented from doing things.

Saw the surgeon today & shocked at his total refusal to see that my leg doesn't work. He just isn't interested. To get any help I had to say I wasn't leaving the hospital until something was done.

Totally awful.

Had the stitches out but was given no follow up info on things like wearing compression stockings & whatever else.

So then saw a nurologist - who checked reflexes (ok) & then I Had an mri scan to see if there was bruising after the epidural that could be effecting the nerves but luckily all ok here. Have a emg test next week as was told was too soon after the operation to have it today.Don't know why this is?

OMG that is awful. I would complain about his apparent disinterest. what an emg is that the electrical stimulation.

i get the feeling they dont care anymore. i went into hospital with suspected peritonitis in mid november and was told that i would have a follow up appt after no more than 4 weeks. not heard a dickie bird. great[grr]

How awful for you as well. Just don't understand why it's like this. Plus peritonitis is really serious.

After seeing the first doctor today I thought it through & realised that he's just not interested. If I was the dr I'd really want to find out what had happened - curious to know more & learn from it.

So emg electrical test at the end of next week.

Hope you get your appt asap and get some good news. Best wishes.