Calf/ankle healing process (and pain!!)

[Hel7]

Ok, time to ask and annoy everyone, but since this forum is also a great reference to anyone on the web, I hope this will be useful to other too! Sorry for my bad English for what concerns precise terms ! Anyways, I'm having a sleeve done on my right leg, the first three sessions were perfect but after two days from the fourth one I had my leg swollen and painful like this:

Have to take into account that it was (it still is) August and it was really hot outside (and had that 4th time a lot of bleeding during the process), but I never experienced problems like these. The artist told me to see a doctor, so I took antibiotics and anti-inflammatories and within 3 days the swelling went away, so now my ankle is perfectly normal. The bad thing is that it's still F***ing painful! Exactly like a sprained ankle (I had problems on that ankle when I used to run years ago). I feel like a circle around my ankle and it's painful to walk. I took anti-inflammatories for the first week and then the pain slowed down a bit, so I can walk even if it hurts.. but some 20 days are passed and still I experience much pain on that area.

I'm almost sure that it's a muscle-related issue, but really, I don't know when it will go away. I'm sure it's a question of time, but I'd like to hear some other calf/leg healing processes! The tattoo goes (so far) from the knee to the ankle (including the whole back calf), but the pain is on the non-tattooed ankle (hence there is no infection, no pus, no blood, no color problems on the ink). So it's something "inside" that the artist in her 4 sessions had "triggered". Doctors don't know anything so the only thing I could do in the future is see a specialist but really, it would be the first time ever in years of tattooing!

This is it now:

So it's perfect on the outside and there's no swelling and such, but still the pain remains. The doctor told me it's due also to gravity, to the fluids going down and to the constant use of the legs (in fact I have no pain when I'm on my bed!).. 'cos the whole tattooed area (calf, shin, lower knee) is completely unaffected from pain.. I keep on asking myself wheter this could be classified as a normal "difficult healing" or not (on my left leg I have only tattoos on my "upper calf" and the artists never went near the ankles).. I saw that for everyone it's the worst part so I'll wait in order to see an orthopedic (I don't even know what they could say!).. any opinions to share for your general healing in the ankles-shin-calf area? 

Thanks!!  (Yeah I'll see an orthopedic but doctors usually aren't anyways really tattoo savvy so I'd love to hear other experiences on lower leg healing )

[Tanya1024]

Hi there!

Oh my gosh I am going through something VERY similar. 

Big sleeve on calf and ankle on right leg, inside of calf (outside had been done before with no issues). 

Been 2 months of swelling and pain, with no answers as to why! 

Was on antibiotics and now anti-inflammatories. 

Please let me know if you hear anything helpful!! 

[Hogrider]

15 hours ago, Tanya1024 said:

Hi there!

Oh my gosh I am going through something VERY similar. 

Big sleeve on calf and ankle on right leg, inside of calf (outside had been done before with no issues). 

Been 2 months of swelling and pain, with no answers as to why! 

Was on antibiotics and now anti-inflammatories. 

Please let me know if you hear anything helpful!! 

I’ve had both legs tattooed with no issue, but if it was me, I’d try using cold pacs and exercising the lower legs to try to help blood flow. Disclaimer - I’m not a doctor.