I had the knee high TEDS which extend over the knee up towards the thigh. The hospital gave me a pair and I bought a spare pair to wear when the other pair was in the laundry. I got the tip about an extra pair from reading "What items will I need at home after surgery?" on Pat's corner of this website. The handouts I got from the doctor said "TEDS stockings can be very helpful if you experience swelling, and would be used while a patient is up and around during the day (since fluid levels tends to accumulate by gravity)," and "Fluid can accumulate in the legs due to the effet of gravity. It is not unusual that you didn't have it in the hospital, but it got worse when you went home (because you are doing more!) To combat this, you should elevate your legs at night by lying on your back and placing pillows under the legs so that they are above your heart. There are also TEDS stockings (the white stockings from the hospital) that you can put on during the day - have someone help you on with theim in the morning, use them during the day, and then take them off at night. If you did not get TEDS from the hospital, you can purchase knee high, medium (15 - 20 mm Hg) compression surgical stockings at most drug stores."