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TKR - Developed DVT in bed 21 days post
Looking to hear from those who (DID NOT) have a normal TKR Recovery.
I am 21 days post TKR and still in bed.
Was very painful beginning 3rd day post. 4th-5th day post started feeling intense swelling pain in calf, called Dr, office said get here asap.
Had to be carried by 4 men and placed lying down in van as I could not bend the leg to sit in car let alone use walker.
Placed in wheelchair from hospital lot to Dr office and the burning, pain had me in flipping tears. Dr examined me and said joint looks Good, knee swelling is less than normal cascases??? said ligaments are good you just have to tough it out and start doing the exercises then bent my leg back to 90 degrees and I was begging him to stop my calf is going to explode, he said "you have to tough it out and get to 110 degrees by next appt or your going to walk with a gimp". I asked him why is my calf swollen red and burning, he said "we're going to get that checked out" then sent me upstairs for an ultrasound which came back 4 large clots in calf. Put on Eliquis thinners and 7 days later 2nd ultrasound determines clots are gone, but the calf swelling and level 10 pain remained.
Post 21 days - calf is swollen, now foot has constant level 6 burning pain down to the last 4 tops of toes. I am STILL not able to flex/articulate foot due to calf swelling and foot swelling so unable to use surgical al leg to walk. I can bear weight on it but not push off of bend the foot.
I'm in bed all the time elevated foot.
I am doing PT instructions, able to get 98 degrees and zero degrees, quad is firing and can lift post 21 days.
Home PT said she was delaying last 2 weeks (6) visits due to my clots and inability to do things and dr agreed to delay out patient PT until i can use walker outside.
Q- Has anyone else developed DVT and how did it effect yor recovery.
Q- Has anyone else developed extreme burning swelling pain in top of TKR Foot and did it abate, how long did it take.
I'm having to stay on pain meds every 4-6 hours.
Ps. I had a very painful varicose vein sealed in TKR calf 12 months prior to TKR, I was on a calf stimulator recovering 1 night in hospital after TKR,wo during why they don't send you home with one as this DVT DERAILED my recovery\PT , just not right..
Thank you
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I am sorry to hear what you are going through….I can not relate to the particular issues you are going through…. But I am going through issues since my tkr august of last year…..I sought second opinion when I could not get any range of motion I am at 70-75 now my dr also told me it was my fault i was not getting range of motion…..second opinion found my tkr slightly to big that I would never get more range no matter what I did……so I can relate to pain and staying in bed because to swollen to walk ….. now I can walk I stopped doing exercises to try to get bend that has helped so much with pain and swelling…..I go for revision surgery july 28 …. I am anxious about it but I know I am doing the right thing I can not function how I am going …..so you see some of us have issues but we push not physically but mentally through it…..so stay strong mentally ….I know it’s been 21 days but it will get better you are doing what you need to do …..not for nothing you have good flexion 90 that is great …. At rest just do whatever exercises you can do …. It will get better just need time to heal….
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2 ReactionsHello @rjstroebel, Welcome to Connect. I'm sorry to hear about the complications you are having following the knee replacement. I know this has to be extremely difficult for you. My surgeon did explain that a DVT is one of the risks they watch for but it went over my head as all I cared about was don't make my neuropathy worse. I did a search on Connect and couldn't a member who has experienced a DVT after a knee replacement. Hopefully someone who has had a similar experience will respond to your discussion.
I also had the calf stimulator for my one night stay at the hospital after the surgery. I did have a lot of swelling early on in the leg and knee. I also did all of my PT at home using the exercises the surgeon gave me. The big key that was stressed from day one for my recovery by the surgeon was to ice and elevate the leg anytime I wasn't walking or doing the exercises. Did your home PT specify elevating and icing the knee and leg often?
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1 ReactionPOST 9 WEEKS UPDATE - 24-July-2022.
- Pain subsiding, level 4-6 mostly after PT , walking and at night trying to sleep, still taking pain meds twice a day - IT band pain still present but getting better, level 4-5 pain.
PT told me to take pain med 1 hr before session and to buy a hand held therapy roller and it works MAJIC and provides amazing ROM even if it is temporary, i just keep doing it before getting out of bed.
Off walker 2 weeks ago and now on cane.
Joint area pain greatly reduced, swelling and pain when walking more than say 200 steps and have to elevate and ice.
Main pain is peroneal nerve pain in foot and between great toe and index toe and pain when I sit in chair, when sitting at dinner table, my upper hamstring area has pain that radiates down to the top of foot. It's the deep peroneal nerve which I've heard from Dr thst it gets crushed during Anesthesiologist giving nerve block before surgery theyvapply a 3" wide strap tornicet to upper thigh and crank down on it while under, so they keep femerol bleeding into the joint to minimum. The after effect is secondary pain going down the thigh to the foot so I have to elevate alot.
PT
Twice\WK, Insurance only pays for 30 Min sessions which is a joke the PT says.
ROM - 110°
FLEX - -3
Lots of stiffness and swelling after being on leg for more than 15 mins.
Using Dynasplint, level#3.5. but it causes pain when strappped at upper thigh.
I hope to God the Tornicet did not cause permanant Deep Peroneal Nerve pain.
I go to YMCA and stretch the hamstring, walk in pool then hot tub, then stretch the hamstring and sit in incumbent bike( back rest) and just do ROM with no resistance.
Sore, swollen when done and ice.
What KILLS me is these damn Orthos WONT be honest up front and tell you " ITS A LONG PAINFUL RECOVERY, THE KNEE WONT FEEL NORMAL FOR A LONG TIME, 9-12 MONTHS OR MORE, SOME PATIENTS HAVE SWOLLEN STIFF FEELING REST OF LIFE, 20% OF TKR PATIENTS ARE NOT SATISFIED"
They use non scary words like
- Some discomfort
- you'll be stiff for a few weeks...
They discharged me with 5 bloodclots in lower leg an I didn't know it was DVT until 8 days post TKR and re over from thst took 3 weeks before Home PT could get me out of bed on walker but calf felt like it was going to explode..it wasn't till end of 4weeks that home PT started on me and it was very mild as I couldn't flex calf due to massive calf swelling and incredible pressure pain.
At 9 weeks I STILL would NOT recommend this procedure to anyone.
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1 Reaction2 YEAR UPDATE
due to being discharged with undetected blood clots first 8 nights post TKR, I wasn't able to start pt until some 21+ days later duetosevere swelling and pain lower limb so scar tissue formed and ROM max 105.
2 years later ROM is about 117 and the HORRIBLE level 10 pain behind knee when trying ROM has abated about 60-70%.
Occasional achy pain in knee, stiff, clicks.
I would highly suggest anyone getting a TKR to
INSIST, DEMAND your surgeon ENSURE the hospital does a ultrasound on your Surgery leg BEFORE you are discharged. Insurance won't pay for it as they claim " studies show only 1% of TKR patients develop blood clots in the hospital" so they deny the service...
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1 ReactionHello,
First I wish to send you empathy for your conditions.
I am on day 32; and have reflected on this surgery. I just do not understand why in modern medicine there is not a less brutal surgery for osteoarthritic knee pain. Before sugery I did my home work, and did sign on for the work. However at this juncture I just have become sad and mad at the : 24/7 pain of varying nature, being on narcotics, having nausea, I have no true interest in food, (I lost weight-not to the positive), and the also relentless PT (causing different pain). I have NOT slept any kind of a normal night from the start. PT says hang tight for another two months and life should look clearer. BUT I FEELING TRAPPED INTO THIS LONG HORRID RECOVERY. My thrust of this (long) comment: Aa d sorry rhetorical-
Medicine needs to find a kinder resolve osteoarthritis of the knee.
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2 ReactionsI am truly sorry that you are in so much pain. I had both knees replaced at the same time in 2016 and yes there was lots of pain. I was able to switch my thinking around to tell myself that the pain I was experiencing was "getting better" or "healing pain." This helped me cope and I did not take narcotics after two weeks. Tylenol and Advil did the trick. I also used water circulating machines for two weeks and cold packs after that to help with the swelling. It is normal to loose weight because recovering from knee replacement surgery burns lots of calories. My PT told me to eat lots of them and I did. I just wish I had stopped eating "lots" of calories cause I gained my weight back :(! I do love my knees and now to me the pain I had before surgery was worse.
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2 ReactionsI too had a to large implant and went thru revision surgery 4 months after TKR. My issue was when waking up from surgery I had a tremendous (scale of 10) unbearable pain in my lower back and TKR knee. This lasted for 5 days 24/7 with No relief being offered, in fact the surgeon didn’t even know I was still at the hospital!! Horrible neglect and care. That was in 2019 and to this day the pain is worse than before original TKR! Due to the extreme pain from pinched sciatica I could not do any rehab nor was it offered and I deviled scar tissue. My question is are you CB considering any legal action? Can anyone here advice me?
I had 2 years with statute of limitations unfortunately…if you had surgery in 2019 that is over 4 but never hurts to call a lawyer find out for yourself your state may be different mine was 2 …. But I did file a suit and found out dr are aloud to put in 2-3 sizes to big with no accountability……I am happy my knee although stiff I am not in constant pain like yourself that must be heartbreaking after going through all that….i found scar tissue to be hardest part also because of the two surgeries there is more …. I still go for graston technique that helps brake up scar tissue and do 40 min on treadmill and 10 on recumbent bike 5 times a week that is only thing that makes me not hurt ….. if I miss a few days at gym I begin to hurt ….so good luck I hope you talk with a lawyer and works out better for you …..keep moving the only thing that truly helps