It's almost midnight and I'm home alone and I'm a bit concerned about my leg, specifically the thigh above the knee that was recently scoped. My knee had been swollen since before Christmas, so the orthopedic doctor scoped it a week ago last Wednesday. All he found was a small tear in the miniscus, osteoarthritis on the underside of the knee cap and arthritis one other place.
Well, about 4-5 days after the surgery, my thigh started sprouting black and blue marks every where they must have touched it getting me in position for this surgery. I don't know if this has anything to do with it or not, but right after the surgery, I bled quite a bit, soaking through the many pads and ace bandage that had been wrapped around the surgical site in order to send me home.
Anyway, I saw the doctor Thursday and he didn't say anything about the bruising, so I figured it must not be a problem. But my thigh has now become one large black and blue mass from just below my groin to the knee with only one small area that's not as bruised. It's also started swelling - I feel like I've got a stuffed blood sausage on my leg about to burst.
My hubby's working and I'm alone and the pain got so bad earlier tonight that I couldn't see straight. And I'm taking percocet every four hours with vicodin every four starting 2 hours after the percs. I can't lift my foot on the affected leg up to the other knee to get a sock on and sitting in any way is quite painful.
I know if I call the doctor, the automatic response is going to be go to the ER. Well, I can't drive myself and I'm NOT calling an ambulance, so talked to my hubby and I've been laying down in the recliner and elevating the leg higher than the rest of me and that seems to be taking some of the pressure off, but as soon as I'm up, it starts building again. Hubby will come home from work if I ask (he's checking in every houror so) but I know if we go to the ER, we'll just end up sitting on their hard chairs for four or five hours and I'll just feel worse.
So, I know that no one here can really give me the answer as only the doctor can do that. I'm going to try to stay off my feet and try the doctor in the morning. I just am tired of fighting with my body (as I'm sure you're tired of hearing about it) and needed to blow off some steam. This is my husband's first night back after almost 3 weeks of layoffs, so I really don't want him to come home, but it's very quiet and lonely when you're worrying about something and there's no one home but you and the cats.
I think I'll go put a movie in and try to distract myself til Joe comes in around 7. Thanks for listening. I really appreciate it.
Tracy
Tracy, Well, it sure sounds like you will need to be seen. I don't know what all they did during the surgery, but sure sounds like you had a big bruised area that maybe collected blood. Did they do any cutting and stitches that could have let go causing a "bleeded" in your leg. That could cause bruising and swelling.
Bottom line, you need to be seen. Does hubby work til Midnight??? If he does he could take you in after he gets off work. Have you checked your temperature??? Have any chills, sweats, etc??? I am sure you are sick of the hospital cause I get the same way. We do me for awhile and then my hubby gets sick and we do him for awhile. Usually weeks, etc. He is now having pneumonia and emphysema so he is sitting around alot waiting for his pulmonary visit April 1st.
If we didn't have to run to the doctors I don't know what all of us would do with the extra time, energy and money, but I would sure like to find out.
It is pretty much Murphey's Law that you would have an "owies" on the first night your hubby goes back to work, TRacy. I swear that things like this just seem to always be predictable. It is upsetting, buy we can't change it so just have to roll with the flow so to speak. I swear that since I have been ill I just operate in a different time and place as I don't panic over near as much as I used to. I hope that you can get in to ER tonight. Let us know how things turn out. Irish ;D
Tracy,
I'm sorry for all you are going through, but I also feel that you need to be seen as soon as possible for your leg even if that means going to the ER. And I know that was not the answer you wanted to hear, but your health is more important than anything else. Is there anyone else you can call? Can you call a taxi cab?
Please get this taken care of and let us know what you find out......what you describe does not sound very normal for what you had done....but I'm no doctor so that's why its better to go and have it checked by one! :)
Well,
You were both right (and so was I), it needed to be seen and I had to go to the ER. I finally got through to the ortho covering for the office around noon today (after spending the night sleeping in my chair with it elevated since my husband worked til 6am) and he sent me up to the ER to have a doppler scan to check for clots. The nurse practitioner that I saw first in the ER said it looked like a broken blood vessel to him, and after about 2 hours of tests, that's what they decided it is.
My leg looks absolutely horrendous. It's purple from my groin to my knee from halfway down the top of my thigh all the way over ot the bottom, then I have another long, 3-4" purple runner from one of the incisions in my knee to my ankle.
We ended up waiting in the ER for almost 2 hours to be seen, so my husband missed work. He never says anything, but you can tall he's really not happy and rather tired of all this hospital stuff. It seems nothing is ever easy anymore. When he had his knee scoped, it was done on a Friday and he went back to work Monday, even though they'd discovered a torn ACL. With me, if I get a splinter, you can count on at least one trip to the ER and another 2 to the doctor's office.
Well, I'm off to rest with my knee raised in a very silent livingroom. Perhaps the shot of dilaudid they gave me will work and I'll go to sleep.
While we were in the ER, I had my husband read the brochure about the Sjogren's Foundation Patient Conference this April. I'm going. It's only an hour from my sister's and his, so I'll stay with one of them and drive in. I'm trying to get him to go with me. Then, maybe, just maybe, he'll understand why nothing is ever easy when it comes to my body and health.
Thanks for your very good advice, Tracy
Tracy, It is good that you were seen cause blood clots are always a concern after a surgery. Also, I am sure my hubby could relate to how yours feels about sitting in the waiting room or ER. It seems like a life pattern that starts and never ends. Just wait til your hubby gets older and starts having problems. Then life really gets interesting.
If your hubby can go that would be great, but if he doesn't dare miss work that is sure understandable cause a job is hard to come by and hard to keep these days. At least you will have all that information for him to read. Take care. Irish ;D