[Jam&Ky]

I have come to this site knowing and feeling that along with sound medical interpretation, the best knowledge can be obtained by relating to others and thier life and medical experiences. so, I am thanking you in advance for sharing. I am 16 days post op from a labral hip repair. I traveled out of south Florida for this procedure since there are very few surgeons who have " mastered" the technique to date. At day 7 post op, I began having pretty dramatic leg discoloration only when I am upright. I am 50% percent weight bearing with crutches for 6 weeks along with a host of many other prescribed restrictions. My background is in orthopedics , so right away i wanted to be certain that my vascular flow was okay and without DVT. All tests were clear. However, vascular surgeon and neurologist have both said possibly RSD. I do not have what I would call excruciating pain, I do have sporadic diffuse pain to all areas of my body BUT keep in mind, I am on crutches etc....... My entire leg gets cold and discolored with swelling compared to the other side only when upright. All returns to " normal" when laying. My skin has in fact became very dry with some flaking of skin while the other leg remains normal. I am not sensitive to touch, heat , cold and again I feel my current pain level is as to be expected from a hip surgery 16 days ago. During the surgery both legs were in dramatic traction and surgical hip dislocated ( nearly) several times. I have numbness in saddle area that surgeon said can happen from immense traction and is last to resolve with surgery. There have been talks of having nerve blocks this Tuesday and I really just want to avoid if I can......Thoughts, suggestions??? Please share...... In Light, Jamie

[azoyizes]

Hi, and welcome to NT! This is such a great place to hang out with so much information, and many friendly, caring and helpful people.

We're so glad you found us!

Here is a link to the RSD forum to help get you started:

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum21.html

[Darlene]

Hello and welcome to NeuroTalk. Happy to see you have come to be with us. Just let us know if we can be of any help.

As you can tell there are great number of fellow members here to assist as possible. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

Again welcome, looking forward to seeing you around.

Darlene

[dahlek]

That YOU are up and 'moving' to me is a miracle! You are braver than I!!
Last year I'd had a complete tib/fib leg break [ontop of an ankle fracture 2 weeks earlier on the same leg]! It's NOT fun!
It took me almost 6 months before I could put whole weight on that leg! And in between? Not one doc could tell me WHAT 50% weight on the bad leg should/could be! I just fumbled on thru it as best I could when I needed to.
As for the skin? YES you have upset skin. Lots of nerves were likely cut during the surgery and those nerves are far smaller than head hairs... more like the tiny roots one sees when planting nursery plants... At least? [KNOCK WOOD NOW!] You aren't also getting swelling to boot [pardon the pun?]
Slather that skin that's flaky with the gentlest lotion you can find. Lubiderm, Cetaphil and Neutrogena products come to mind. The least additives and the most moisturizers are key to keeping the skin healthy while other systems heal in that area. Besides? After a surgery, especially a longish one? Somehow I think the anathestics come into play as well. Don't forget? Your body has been INVADED, for good, yes, but the intrusion is showing up in your skin.
As for the cold? Who knows? My not-operated on leg is always the cold one, go figger? To warm up, try passive heating methods such as 'bed buddy's' and warm towells or a hair dryer on LOW to thaw things out. Light massage of the surface skin UPWARDS helps get things warmer too.
Rear end numbness could have occurred during the surgery? I'd had some and asked my neuro about it. It's pressure in the wrong spots for too long-it took about 6 months to resolve, and not a minute too soon for me. It can be frustrating in the interim, but just give it time and patience. It's this stuff THEY don't tell you about BEFORE? You're committed now.
Do check out the RSD forum here further on down.
Heal and get better! Nothing is more important than being MOBILE!
Hugs and hope - j !!!!!!!