Surgery to wire olecranon fracture 4 days ago. arm and hand now very swollen and bruised. is this to be expected? anything i can do to reduce it? thx

Yes, expected: This would not be surprising after the type of injury and surgery you had. Elevation of the arm, including while sleeping (use pillows), use of cold compresses, as well as tincture of time, will help reduce the swelling. As long as your hand sensation, movement and temperature are normal, you should be fine. If there are any concerns, contact your orthopedic surgeon for advice.