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LoriLynnB · 03-02-2012, 10:49 PM

I made it thru everything. Now time to mend.
I'm on Percocet 7.5mg every 4hr as needed, Oral Dilaudid 4 mg every 6hr as needed. Naproxen twice a day. Colace. Trying to only take 2mg Dilaudid, I bought a pill cutter at Walgreens. I came home around noon. Been in bed ever since w/ leg elevated on hexagon(?) wedge pillow, ice packs. I am getting up to bathroom using walker. Hubby got me elevated toilet seat thingy n rented wchair that has leg/foot rests that can be elevated. I'm writing down every drug I put in my mouth. Kinda achy all over. Arm hurts where IV was, bruised. I wanna shower sooooo bad, but I'm groggy and feel I don't have enuf gusto. Will def do tomorrow . Thank God for downstairs bedroom and bathroom with shower stall!! Stairs are off limits as far as I'm concerned ! I have new shower bench and had leg cast shower protector I used when I had cast on a few mos ago for conservative treatment. Hubby has been awesome.
Hard time getting in/out of car!! Have 4 dr 2010 Focus, dr suggested sitting in back seat w leg up on it. Hard to maneuver, esp getting outta car. Hard time getting into front door cuz of little step up from porch into foyer. Had to use crutches that one step.
So tired. Hope everyone is recovering well.
Gotta get thru this together!
Lori

Lurchy24 · 03-03-2012, 06:14 AM

Wow, oral dilaudid? Wish my doc would have prescribed that for me. I was on a combination of norco and oxy but it didn't touch the pain.

Sounds like you're through the worst of it and on to recovery now. Good luck!

LoriLynnB · 03-03-2012, 12:22 PM

Just got done showering w hubby coming in now n then for help. Had no way to elevate my L leg in shower while sitting on shower bench, just had the protective cover over the splint/dressings. Had to keep in down-- hurt a lot when I got out. Never thought showering would be so exhausting, but omg I feel so much better overall! I will write more later. Gonna take a nap.
Thanks for your reply Lurchy!

Lurchy24 · 03-03-2012, 12:27 PM

Seriously, you are doing incredible. There is no way I could have showered this soon after surgery. I wasn't able to keep my foot down that long. You are definitely off to a fantastic start.

roxygirl1 · 03-03-2012, 01:10 PM

I didn't shower for a few days. Those blood rushes when the foot was down was murder. I have a walk in shower so I sat on the shower chair with my foot out of the shower and elevated on a chair next to the shower. We got a hand held shower head attachment also.

Sounds like you are doing great

Loretta> · 03-03-2012, 01:12 PM

So glad you are doing really well and have everything set up downstairs. Very happy for you!

MrsHeidi · 03-03-2012, 01:27 PM

So glad to hear all is going well. I comment you on being able to get in the shower so quickly. Maybe you can use a small trash can turned over to prop up your foot while in the shower.

LoriLynnB · 03-03-2012, 02:42 PM

I HAD to shower, esp wash my hair. I felt so gross! LOL. I'm paying for it right now. Had to take Dilaudid oral 2mg 2.5hrs ago, now just had one Percocet 7.5mg. Foot hates me. Heel and inner foot hurt a lot. It's elevated and iced.
MrsHeidi-- thanks for trashcan idea. Will try next time.
Hard time getting in/out of shower stall due to "step" thats there.
Grrrrrrrr.
Thanks for all of your encouragement n support!

Hollywood48 · 03-03-2012, 11:18 PM

I hear you girl! I HAD to shower too! I felt so gross before the shower and so much better afterwards. I was on heavy pain meds 15mg Percocet every 4 hours then) so pain was tolerable, but I was exhausted after the shower! Of course, my surgery wasn't as bad as yours and it was outpatient so I'm sure those 2 thins made it easier for me to shower so soon. I had Brostrom-Gould with fibular groove deepening and peroneal tendon repair. You're doing great! Keep it up!!

kowalik · 03-22-2012, 12:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LoriLynnB

I made it thru everything. Now time to mend.
I'm on Percocet 7.5mg every 4hr as needed, Oral Dilaudid 4 mg every 6hr as needed. Naproxen twice a day. Colace. Trying to only take 2mg Dilaudid, I bought a pill cutter at Walgreens. I came home around noon. Been in bed ever since w/ leg elevated on hexagon(?) wedge pillow, ice packs. I am getting up to bathroom using walker. Hubby got me elevated toilet seat thingy n rented wchair that has leg/foot rests that can be elevated. I'm writing down every drug I put in my mouth. Kinda achy all over. Arm hurts where IV was, bruised. I wanna shower sooooo bad, but I'm groggy and feel I don't have enuf gusto. Will def do tomorrow . Thank God for downstairs bedroom and bathroom with shower stall!! Stairs are off limits as far as I'm concerned ! I have new shower bench and had leg cast shower protector I used when I had cast on a few mos ago for conservative treatment. Hubby has been awesome.
Hard time getting in/out of car!! Have 4 dr 2010 Focus, dr suggested sitting in back seat w leg up on it. Hard to maneuver, esp getting outta car. Hard time getting into front door cuz of little step up from porch into foyer. Had to use crutches that one step.
So tired. Hope everyone is recovering well.
Gotta get thru this together!
Lori

kowalik · 03-22-2012, 12:50 PM

Hello Lori,

I too had this surgery on January 24th. I took Oxy-contin for two weeks and then for two additional weeks I took just one tablet before bedtime. I found that my incision site was irritated with the cast and it really seemed to bother me most by the end of the day. I am now partial weight-bearing
(25%) with a walking boot, and hopefully will start physical therapy the first of April. I get discoloration in my foot when it is in a vertical position for more than 3-5 minutes. The skin on my foot peels and I suspect this also is a result of compromised circulation. My days are spent in a recliner with my foot elevated on extra pillows. This seems to work well. The sitting gets soooo long. My husband is a great help. I am sure it must be difficult for him also. Nothing gets done unless he does it!

Let me know how you are progressing. I think that "time heals all".

Kowalik

LoriLynnB · 03-23-2012, 12:11 AM

Hi there Kowalik!
I'm doing ok. Thanks for inquiring!! I took my Ambien and Norcos a while ago so I could sleep.
I'm going to go ahead and write to you in the morning, cuz there's a chance I might not make sense!!
Hope you're doing good!
Lori

LoriLynnB · 03-23-2012, 06:43 PM

Hi again, Kowalik!
I am 23 days post-op today. I'm non-weight bearing another 4 1/2 weeks. Things are going pretty well. Last Fri i had my sutures removed and the dr I saw (he assisted in my surgery) told me I'd be fine to go home and wear my CAM walker boot which I had worn for conservative treatment when first diagnosed with PTTD. I had the dressings on my foot, put on a long soft fluffy sock I used to wear with the boot, and tried to put the boot on and had to stop after a few minutes cuz the boot was totally hurting the incisions. I went back to the office Monday and saw my surgeon, and she made a new posterior splint for me, because the med asst threw out my original one on Friday. (it was too high on my leg anyway and made it hard for me to use my knee scooter). She would like me to start wearing the boot closer to 7wks post surgery. She was totally understanding.
I switched from taking Percocet to Norco about 6 days ago. I never took OxyContin. I had oral Dilaudid for breakthrough pain which I took when I was first discharged from the hospital. I still have leftover. As far as the Norco, I'm taking 1-2 tabs approx every 5-6 hrs. My foot, like yours, does turn darker pink/purplish when it's down for too long. I still get that slight-moderate "rush" of blood circulating when it's been elevated and I lower it. Not much swelling. Incisions are closed, healed over, but tender and feel numbish around the perimeter. I haven't had the skin peeling issue (yet), maybe had a little on my upper calf last week. I try to moisturize as often as I can after showering. I always dab a little neosporin on the incision lines before I wrap my foot with a dry sterile dressing, then apply the splint and ace wraps. I too, spend a lot of time on the recliner with my leg up on extra pillows. I'm trying to gradually increase my time up using the knee scooter to do simple household chores. My hubby took a family medical leave to be here for me. He's been great. I don't know what I'd do without him. I have 2 daughters, ages 15 and 21, but they're so busy with school, sports, friends; and my older girl works, goes to college and has a steady boyfriend. They help when they can. I'm bored too. I try to keep busy with cross stitching (which I haven't done in decades! I'm 47. It just get frustrated! I did a little latch-hook rug project (I did that years ago too! Much easier too!). I have an iPad which I'm on a lot. FaceBook, online games. I watch things on Netflix on it. Different tv series's and movies. I read books on it. I'm on it now typing this!!! I have a downstairs bedroom and bathroom with a shower which I'm sooo glad I have now! I haven't been upstairs since my surgery!!
My hubby built a ramp for outside of the front door of the house for my knee scooter (and wheelchair -which I don't use a lot anymore and it's a rental going back soon). I try to get outside and roll around and sit and talk with my neighbors when it's nice outside.
I totally share in your boredom and frustration. I've been off work since Nov 18th when I was first put in a cast for conservative treatment. I'm a pediatric nurse. Part-time night shift. I'll be off until at least until the beginning of June. A loooooong time. But like you said, time heals. Just have to take it day by day.
Hope you're doing well!! When do you start PT? Is your pain better? How soon did you start using the boot after surgery? Have a great weekend!

planemark · 03-24-2012, 08:24 AM

I had the same surgery on March 6th, repair of the posterior tibeal tendon, FDL transfer and my heel shifted and secured with 2 screws (I think this is a osteotomy).
Unfortunately I am single and have nobody to care for me. I also have my father living with me and I care for him, he just had quintuplet bypass surgery in Janurary. I ended up going to a nursing facility for 10 days untill I could come home and care for myself. Those first 5 days were tough, and I didn't like the way the 15 mg of Percocet made me feel. I only took half the dose 7.5 mg at first and it didn't help with the pain at all. I spent a few days literally crying in severe pain untill I gave up and decided to take the full dose of perc.
Ive been home for a week now, and I spend most of the day in bed with my foot propped up. I try to make it out to the living room to watch tv with my dad for a couple hours. I'm not able to prop my foot up as well out there and my foot throbs and hurts to remind me that it is still healing. Thank God for my knee scooter, it has really helped me be more independent. I bought it on Craig's List and plan to sell it when I recover.
It is encouraging to read all of your posts on here. It makes me feel not so alone in this epic journey as I call it. How long are we supposed to be on bed rest?? I was told that I had to be on 2 weeks of bed rest, then activity as tolerated. I can do allot, but I still seem to tire easily. My foot throbs and hurts if I hold it down for even a little bit. I took a couple of showers in the nursing facility when I had help, but I only tried one shower at home on my own. It takes allot of energy! I did it in the evening and ended up falling asleep after I got settled in bed.

LoriLynnB · 03-24-2012, 08:38 PM

Hi Planemark.
I was told by my surgeon that for the first week or two post-surgery I'd basically be a "couch potato", staying in bed, or on couch, or recliner with my leg elevated. She never called it "bedrest". She was right. Now I'm 3 1/2 weeks post-surgery and I'm trying to do more chores around the house while on my knee scooter. I try to get out of the house with my husband to go the the store, pharmacy, eating out. I haven't driven yet ( I haven't needed to). I do get tired easily also. I'm taking just Norco 5/325mg tabs 1.5 tablets approx every 6 hrs. I take Ambien every night (I worked night shifts when I wasn't out on medical leave, so I have insomnia issues, still, if I don't take it).
I feel so blessed to have my husband to help out. It must be difficult for you, I'm sorry. Hopefully it's getting a little easier with each passing day. I bet it was awkward for you being in the care facility, but I too, would have had to do the same if I were single. There's no way to go home and be alone right after this surgery, let alone be responsible for a family member who's also still convalescing. Just getting up to the bathroom those first couple of days is a hike!! Getting food/drink is another thing!
How long are you non-weight bearing?? What is on your leg/foot now? Pain better?
I hope you're doing well, your father also!

planemark · 03-24-2012, 09:33 PM

Thanks for your kind reply. Yes this surgery takes allot out of you, and there is no way I would have been able to care for myself. It wasn't as awkward as I thought to be in the nursing facility. I checked out several places and found a newer one with private rooms. It was allot like a hotel, and I had a georgous view of the woods. Everyone there was so good to me, and helped me so much those first couple of days. Then I got in my wheelchair there, I didn't bring my scooter there, and I forced myself to be as independent as I could be. I would straighten up my room and make my bed, then I would rest and get myself dressed. I learned to pace myself and do things before I ran out of energy. Then physical therapy there would work with me to practice using my crutches to walk and climb stairs. I am a husky guy, so those crutches really zapped my energy quick. Thank goodness for my knee scooter at home! My dad decided to stay home while I was in there and thank God he did fine on his own. His heart condition has improved greatly since his bypass surgery, he is two months out now. It's amazing because he had several close calls with his heart last year. I think the Good Lord is looking out for us!

As for me, I just got my stitches out last Wed and the OS says my foot looks real good. I got a new hard cast which I have to wear for 5 more weeks. I'm so excited that I was able to go with camo. Lol. I am completely NWB until I get the cast off then I will be back in an air cast for a month with partial weight bearing and LOTS of PT untill I learn how to walk on my "new foot". I'm really in no hurry to get the cast off because it makes me feel safe. Sometimes I feel like its a boot and I unconsciously want to take it off, but all in all it isn't too bad.
This has been a long journey since I was injured at work. I fell 10 feet out of an airline catering truck in November of 2010 and I landed on my left foot. Half the battle was fighting with Workers Comp, but now they are doing everything possible to help me get better. I also had to deal with another OS who basically told me I was fine, and I would have to deal with adult flatfoot syndrome. I'm so glad I got a second opinion, and I'm glad I found my current OS. He is a top rated and well known surgeon with the Cleveland Clinic.

planemark · 03-25-2012, 01:43 PM

Lori, are you in an air cast now? I think that's what read in your post. I really can't believe they wouldn't keep you in a hard cast for the full 6 weeks at least. It seems to protect the foot allot better.
I also wanted to encourage you that you will be able to drive when you feel up to it. I am having some complication from taking Percocet nd my Dr told me to take Colace to help "loosen things up". I called my pharmacy and they said I could pick it up at the drive thru window, so I made it to my car and drove up there. I'm so glad they were able to help me out that way! It also felt good to be in my car driving again. I hadn't taken any pain pills since last night, so I felt safe driving. :-). I missed my freedom, but now I'm in bed resting up for a bit.
Kowalik, was your foot more painful after you got your cast off? How are you progressing in PT? I had my cost off for 20 minutes at the Dr. Office while I was waiting for him to look at it, and it felt so numb. I'm also having trouble wiggling my middle toes. Is anyone else having the same problems? It kind of worries me, but the Dr says its normal because they transferred the FDL tendons over where my torn tibeal tendon is to help it out. I hope I can move my toes again with PT. My incisions alo hurt when he press against my cast. I'm glad they put memory foam inside my cast over the incisions to help make it more comfortable. My OS is meticulous about things like that and his staff know it.

LoriLynnB · 03-25-2012, 02:59 PM

Planemark, the dr who assisted in my surgery thought I'd be able to already wear the boot, I tried putting it on once I got home from my appt and it was too painful on the incisions. So I'm back in a posterior splint. (Kinda like the back half of a hard cast). I can remove it to shower. Otherwise it's on my leg all the time. So on my foot I have it wrapped with a roll of soft gauze--I roll it on in a way that it helps cushion my incisions, then the splint, then a couple of the soft ace wraps. It keeps my ankle at a 90 degree bend. My other option was a cast, but my dr felt best for me to use the splint.
As for the driving, I haven't had to drive anywhere since my husband is around. I'm sure I could if I needed to. I'm glad it's my left foot and cars we have are automatic transmissions!
As for the Colace. Dr prescribed it for me when I left hospital, twice a day for 2 wks. When it ran out, I started using Miralax every other day. It's on the shelf in the stores by the Metamucil. It's a tasteless powder and you stir it into juice or water and it really helps. Also try to eat fruits/veggies/whole grains, and drink a lot of water.
Glad to hear you're doing well!

Hollywood48 · 03-26-2012, 12:09 AM

PLANEMARK--That's awesome that your doctor put memory foam on the inside of your cast! Wow! I know why he's so meticulous! My doctor is too and he told me that the #1 reason OS get sued is for cast sores! I never would have guessed! For that reason, only he and his assistant put their patients' casts on. When I got my splint off and my first hard cast on, my doc's assistant was out sick and another PA offered to put my cast on for my doctor and he was like thanks but not thanks and he put it on himself!!

planemark · 03-26-2012, 08:39 AM

After reading about a few bad experiences on this site, I realize how fortunate I am to have a good OS. Having confidence in the person who is doing your surgery and follow up is half the battle. I realized how meticulous he was during pre-surgery. They had my leg shaved and ready when my OS came to see me and check things out. He wasn't satisfied and had them shave more and he put marks on my surgery leg and verified the correct leg and exactly what they were going to do. I really felt like I was in good hands and I was able to relax.

The Orthopedic office I go to is a very busy place, and I go to see the cast technician before the Dr comes to check my foot out. The technician toldme that the Dr likes allot of padding and memory foam discs over the incisions to make room for swelling. I have really appreciated that when I have over did it a few times and I could feel my foot swell. If there is anyone out there who is pre surgery, keep this in mind when you get your first cast. Request the foam pads if they don't do it on their own.

Finally I have a question for everyone. Is anyone else having trouble wiggling their toes? I am 3 weeks post op and I have 4 more weeks in the cast.

I hope everyone is doing good and on the way to recovery. Good luck Lori and Kowalik. I'm sure you are as anxious as I am to get your life back and start using our new feet.

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