Foot surgery - lots of crutch-time

[OakLeaf]

Sending good thoughts for quick healing and a minimum of pain.

[SheFly]

GLC - hope the surgery went well. Have been thinking about you, and sharing your story with DH (who is VERY much like yours!). Take care of yourself.

SheFly

[GLC1968]

Surgery went well, I guess. I don't remember it!

Actually, what I do remember (apart from the nausea) was outstanding. Everyone at the hospital was wonderful. Truly. It made it all a little easier to take.

Recovery, on the other hand, is a b1tch. I took one Vicodin at the hospital and it was awful. When I got home, I took the anti nausea meds and they helped but then I decided that I'd wait to take any more pain meds until I couldn't bear it anymore. I would much rather deal with the pain than I would feeling dizzy, sick to my stomach and generally awful. There were a couple of super intense pain spells last night and this morning it feels like there is a red hot poker jammed into my foot, but I'm dealing. I'm also still a little dizzy and groggy from the anesthesia.

I'm still not eating much, either. AND I have to keep my foot elevated above my heart, so I'm not very comfortable either. Honestly, this sucks a lot and I cannot wait for it to be over with.

But I'll survive.

Oh, and the doc told my husband that I completely tore my ligament off the bone in that joint. It was apparently worse than he'd thought. He gave me a couple of xray films they took after the procedure and they show three huge screws in my foot! Owie! One of the worst parts is also knowing that I'll go through all of this again after my ligaments heal because those screws will have to be surgically removed, before I can walk on that joint. Oh joy.

[indysteel]

What a huge, huge drag. I really feel for you. I hope your pain lessens to dull roar soon.

[ny biker]

Glad it went well.

As I recall, the follow-up surgery to remove the giant screw from my heel was much easier to deal with than the initial ankle surgery that put it there. And while I was under, they broke through some scar tissue that had developed. It was actually a good thing -- an important step toward recovery.

After my first surgery, I had one of those morphine drip machines. The anesthesiologist told me never to press the button unless I was actually in pain. Then he made me press the button to show I knew how to use it, even though I was not in any pain at the time. I threw up a few minutes later. Thanks, doc.

The morphine also made me itch all over, and I continued to feel nauseated. So they gave me companzine for my stomach and benadryl for the itch. I remember being awake, but physically unable to open my eyes.

Anyway, it's all in the past now. And this whole experience will be all in your past. Just take it one day at a time.

[Crankin]

Glad it went well.
As one who can't even take a Tylenol with codeine, I admire your decision to take pain over nausea and dizziness. Give in to being on your back with your foot up for a few days and by then you'll be ready to start scooting around and working on your upper body. I think it helps to look at recovery from surgery as you would training for an event. But right now, you need to let your body heal, just from the shock of surgery.

[soprano]

To reduce narcotic-related nausea, lay down and keep your head still. I have a touchy tummy and it helps to take Vicodin with food.

Pain is much easier to deal with if you stay on top of it. You will also heal faster and take fewer pain pills overall if you take care of your pain before it gets ahead of you. Don't wait until it becomes unbearable, because then you will have a harder time getting it back under control. If your meds aren't working for you or the side effects are unbearable, call your doctor. Different pain meds work better for different people and there are lots of other things out there to try.

On the nurturing/caregiver thing: Being thrust into the caregiver role is surprisingly difficult. Even though my work+life load was objectively manageable, I remember feeling constantly overwhelmed. It was a marriage changer; we're stronger now, but it was definitely one of those trial-by-fire things. We flew in my mother-in-law for a week at one point so I could get some rest and it was a huge help.

[emily_in_nc]

Glad you made it through the surgery okay, GLC, but what a drag about the pain. I am SO lucky that narcotic painkillers don't bother me at all. I was actually on them for close to a month after my pelvic surgery, though I tapered down every week until I switched completely to ibuprofen. I can't even imagine getting through the first month of recovery without painkillers. You are one tough cookie!

Hope the pain lessens soon.

[goldfinch]

To reduce narcotic-related nausea, lay down and keep your head still. I have a touchy tummy and it helps to take Vicodin with food.

Pain is much easier to deal with if you stay on top of it. You will also heal faster and take fewer pain pills overall if you take care of your pain before it gets ahead of you. Don't wait until it becomes unbearable, because then you will have a harder time getting it back under control. If your meds aren't working for you or the side effects are unbearable, call your doctor. Different pain meds work better for different people and there are lots of other things out there to try.

Absolutely. There are some meds I can take and some I cannot. Also stay on top of the anti-nausea drugs. I used to take those for migraines.

[redrhodie]

Right now is the worst it's going to be. Tomorrow it will be better. Soon this will be a memory.

[Wahine]

I'm glad it went well.

As for positioning, you can get your foot above your heart in positions other than on your back, like lying on your side with your foot propped on the arm of the couch with a few pillows, and lying on your stomach with your knee bent. It is really uncomfortable to bee on your back all the time.

[jessmarimba]

Glad you're doing well! I also can't take any pain meds without getting really sick. I'm ok with percocet in very low, extended-release doses but that's about it. I find pain much easier to deal with mentally and emotionally than nausea! In away, I think the predictability helps. When you're sick to your stomach, it's so difficult to tell what's going to send you over the edge.

Hope the boring, painful, stuck-on-your-back phase passes quickly!

[OakLeaf]

(((((GLC)))))

+1 on asking for a different pain med. People can have very different reactions to meds that are closely related chemically.

But also, I've read that the pain-relieving qualities of opioids are overrated just because of their ability to also improve people's mood and make them better able to deal with pain. Honestly, after my wreck last year, Aleve helped me more than the Vicodin 7.5 they prescribed. I don't know if you're allowed any NSAIDS, but don't dismiss them just because they're OTC.

Hang in there.

[GLC1968]

I spoke to the hospital on the follow up call and asked about taking other pain meds (OTC) and she approved tylenol only...but to keep track of how much I was taking. She said that I'd have to speak to my doc before taking anything else.

Then, when my doc called, I asked him. He said Tylenol was fine, but he also approved Ibuprofen. I've been alternating between the two every 5-6 hours now and it helps.

I have a pretty high pain threshold, so just taking the edge off it with these two OTC drugs helps enough. And it's a little better every day, too.

Today I need to get my rear end downtown so that I can pass my Shamrock run registration to a friend. This should be an interesting adventure! After two days of lying here, it'll feel good to get out, I suppose.

[bmccasland]

After my knee surgery last summer, I turned in most of an unused Rx for Oxycodon at my local police department for disposal, street value of $2500 according to the Sargent who met me at the door. Oxy make me sicker than any puppy should be. Remember asking Friendly Sargent how anyone gets hooked on it - all he said was that people do, dispite it making them ill.

I wound up switching between tylenol and ibuprofen too, and using an icebag after fun time in the "knee machine".

Hope you get to feeling better, an are more mobile soon GLC!