Warfarin and post knee operation recovery

[Nicholas55]

I’ve been on warfarin since I had my mitral valve replaced in 2016 with an INR target of 3.3. After years of knee problems I had a partial meniscectomy on 22 March. I agreed with the surgeon to manage my INR down to 3.0 but no lower because of fears of a TIA or worse (I’ve had three TIAs). All was well for four days post op and then the knee started to swell, with lots of bruising and then cramp in my calf. I turned to the crutches because it was difficult to weight bear. The surgeon says I have a ‘knee full of blood’! I’ve managed to get my INR under control (by testing every 2-3 days - it has ranged between 5.0 and 2.3) and I followed the Rest Ice Compress Elevate protocol. There are some improvements but it’s very slow. The surgeon said this could take six weeks.

Has any else experienced anything like this after having an operation while taking warfarin? Any suggestions, thoughts etc will be very valuable. Many thanks.