Arthroscopic surgery - looking for ideas

[JCJRSmith]

I had my left knee scoped yesterday. I had a torn meniscus and the doc evidently went in and fixed it - I say evidently because I was asleep for the whole thing

Today, my knee is very swollen and sore. I am keeping it elevated when I sit, icing it down, and taking Naproxen (precription strength Aleve for the inflammation) and Vicodin (prescription strength happy pills), and using a cane to help me get around. Hmmmm - Vicodin, a cane and I need a shave - OH MY GOD I'VE BECOME GREG HOUSE!!!!!

The soreness and pain I can handle, but the ITCHING from the stitches is gonna drive me bananas


Any ideas?

 

[Griggle]

Can you put anything topical on the stitches yet?

If yes, Cortaid or Benadryl ointment would help...if no....bummer.

 

[4nana]

OH MY GOD I'VE BECOME GREG HOUSE!!!!!

Be careful! Very, very careful!
You know how many of the Dis ladies here feel about House!!

In all seriousness I hope the surgery is a success and you feel better soon! My DH had orthoscopic on both his knees for Osteo arthritis and altho it was not fun, it's bought him several good yrs. Good luck!

 

[Heidict]

You should be off the cane in a couple of days. I had my torn cartlidge repaired back in November on my left knee. Everything worked great until I tripped over the baby gate in February. I think I tore it again.

Hope you feel better soon. Have fun with the happy pills.

 

[TheDisneyGirl02]

Maybe you should call your doctor about the itchy stitches. I've had my knee scoped once and two ACL reconstructions and my stitches never itched this early in the recovery. I know it can drive you crazy though...

Keep taking those pain pills! Good luck and I hope the pain and the itch goes away quickly!

 

[CinderellaIam]

When I had my knee done I used neosporin to help keep the stiches moist (Stops the itch) and minimize scaring. Worked pretty well.

Here's to a speedy recovery!

 

[JCJRSmith]

Thanks for the replies. I may give the Neosporin a try for a few days.

 

[DawnCt1]

Stay away from steroid creams. You don't want to limit your response to infection. Could the tape be causing the itching and not the stitches? Lots of people are allergic to tape.

 

[mamajoan]

Please Do not put any ointment on the stiches unless the DOC tells you to do so.

Did the Doc say anything about 'Cleaning up or smoothing out" the knee? This will sometimes cause increased swelling.

Did the Doc or PT give you any exercises to do post surgery? Quad sets?
Try pumping your ankle to help move that excess fluid a bit.
When you can lie flat placing the leg on top of several pillows so the leg is above your head in elevation. Place an ice pack below and on top of your knee.. a knee sandwich, for 15-20 minutes. Do this 3-4 times per day.

 

[JCJRSmith]

Well the knee is a lot better today. Not nearly as swollen so the fluid is moving. I can bend it a lot more easily today, and the stitches still itch. I replaced all the tape and gauze with large band-aids, but I can feel the itch right where the stitches are. Not so bad today though - yesterday it was about to drive me insane.

So, for today, more RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) as the doc said. Thanks again everyone.

 

[WDWVillain]

I just had mine done......again, it heels quickly. You will feel better in a few days!

 

[powellrj]

could it be the meds? I had my knee replaced in dec and it felt like bugs were crawling in my leg. It was awful. I noticed it wasn't as bad when the meds were starting to wear off, so I stopped taking my pain pills and the crawling stopped. Maybe you could try a different pain med?

 

[Nette]

They told me I had to leave the bandage they applied from surgery on until my post op appt (10 days!!!) No way was I doing that. On day three after much itching and pulling up of a falling off bandage, I took the whole thing off and added "waterproof" bandaids to each stitch. My doctor told me I absolutely did the right thing.

However, I had one that itched more than the other two, and it was oozing still at 10 days. Turns out I had an infection. The day that I started antibiotics was the day it quit itching and oozing.

One other word of advice. Make sure you do your PT!! I didn't do mine at first and it definitely lengthened my recovery time!