Nerves v tendons - Foot Problems Message Board

kimann · 05-03-2006, 05:38 AM

If absence of pain is evidence of healing, my bones are healing! I did not even need one dose of tylenol yesterday, so I gleefully flushed the remains of my percocet in the loo.
I had only been taking them at night the previous week to ward off what I thought was nerve pain, but they didn't touch it, so I quit them and Doc told me only Tylenol. (The NSAIDS interfere with my bp meds, and my bp is elevated recently, I wonder why!!!)
I awaken anywhere from 02:30 on, with the sensation that my heel is trapped in a tightening vise grip. Toss, turn, readjust pillows I use to elevate the beast, take a pill, hug my Poohbear, (A Yorkie, the love of my life), pray, whatever I do is useless. I get up. After several hours, it resolves.
I'm reading the posts on PF, and I get the idea. What I wonder, and will fax my surgeon a sheet of Q's, but probably won't hear till tomorrow, is: Is it possible that rather than actually damaging the pf band itself, the related nerves were irritated during the fibula surgery? So it presents as pf? But might conceivably dissipate?
I know I have tendon damage in the medial and anterior compartment, but until the last couple of weeks, I never had this, and I certainly wouldn't have missed it!!!
With the immobility, nwb, and cast, all tx except ice, which really doesn't get there due to the cast, are out of the question for about 6 more weeks. I'm in week 4 of 10. It's not a matter of meds, they didn't touch it anyway.
For now, I guess it is ok for me to just get up, now that I know for sure this is the drill. Lack of sleep, though, is severing the few nerves I had left, and I've actually, instead of getting stronger with feeling better, gotten weaker. How do people sleep???
I appreciate you all being here, and any answers at all!!! Kim

jules3 · 05-03-2006, 06:11 AM

Maybe you can try a sleeping pill like Lunesta...everybody needs sleep..

kbest5443 · 05-03-2006, 02:04 PM

I had nerve trauma after a Chronic Achilles tendon rupture repair surgery (February). One of my nerves (the sciatic nerve I think but am not sure. It may have been Sural.) was not where it should have been (a gross anomoly, was like that when I was born.) when they went in to repair my tendon (with a slide graph.) My doctor had to slide the nerve out of the way in order to do the repair. After I got out of surgery I had problems with sensations that were being caused by the nerve. It felt like something was crawling all down the side of my foot and that there was something constantly biting me. It was definitly the worst at night and it would keep me from sleeping. When I mentioned this to my doctor, he was able to move me into a below the knee air cast which I still had to were all the time (even when I was sleeping) but I could loosen it some when my foot would start to swell really bad. This seemed to help quite a bit. It was way better than the regular cast.

I have my cast off for a little over a month and a half and still have some problems with the nerve sensations in the side of my foot. My doctor said that it could be something that doesn't go away completely, but I can tell you that mine is way better now that I don't have to wear a cast at all anymore.

Not sure how similar my situation is, but I just wanted to share my experience in case it helps.

kimann · 05-03-2006, 04:41 PM

Thank you, KBest, for taking the time to post. It could be an actual tear in the fascia, or nerve, but I am hoping it is "irritation", from being moved, not cut. It is comforting to know it could be possible. Did you call your Doc asap, or wait for the next scheduled visit? Maybe I'm being too impatient?
As anticipated, no results from Doc. I'm really discouraged with him not respecting me enough to return calls or instruct his tech to call me with instructions. Having come this far, what choice do I have? I'm evidently being too polite with them, but really don't want to be a "nasty" patient nobody likes to deal with. Well, thanks for the encouragement. Hopefully he will see me or have suggestions for the waiting period. I hope your symptoms continue to recede. Have a good one! Kim

kbest5443 · 05-04-2006, 07:57 AM

Hi Kim- I waited until my next appointment because I just thought it was me going crazy. My Doctor had told me about the nerve right after surgery, but I didn't realize the connection. I just mentioned to him at my next appt. and he told me why it was feeling that way and came up with the aircast as a way to deal with it.

I do have the advantage of having a really wonderful doctor. He had already completed flat foot correction surgery on both my right and left foot so I felt really comfortable asking questions. I only had to have this last surgery because I was a klutz and fell and ruptured my tendon I had already had lengthened during one of my previous surgeries, so at that point I was I think what they consider a regular in their office.

Well, I really hope that everything works out for you.

Kristy