Rankled by the Ankle

Two week out of surgery, the days have become pretty similar. The mornings are good. While I'm not very active, medicated (except for pain pills) and fully booted, the ankle feels very good. I've sat outside with the dog, taken a car ride or two, made my bed and minor things like that over the days. This recovery week was also over the Christmas holiday, so I've had some visitors come by. By the evening time, usually around 6pm, pain sets in: anywhere from a bit chirpy to fully painful. The pain area isn't any surprise now. It is located right at/around the main incision site. Right where you'd expect it to be. A few times I've had some interesting nerve "shocks" within the foot and ankle, as well.  So I'm holding off on pain pills until the evening time most every day. I then tend to take one and then another at bedtime to help me doze off. Sleeping has been a bit problematic. Perhaps it is all the meds, naps during the day, the boot...I really do...

I'm not sure if excited is the right word, but I was glad to be going to the post-op appointment. The foot had been wrapped up in a mummy bandages with 10 lbs of cotton for tend days. Just getting it released from this bondage was something to look forward to. I was also wanting to hear more from the doctor about the actual surgery. Mummy Ankle elevated in front of the TV In some ways, things went good but in others, not so much. I met with a nurse instead of the doctor. She wasn't part of the surgical team for my work, so I didn't get any more details from the procedure.  The bandage did come off, though, revealing two small incisions on the top of the foot that were used to look at the underlying ligaments. I don't know if he saw anything or did anything to these still, though. Also revealed was a the large incision on the outside of the ankle/foot complete with stitches. Frankenfoot for sure.  Pretty Gross It felt good to have them out in the open, but also I was pre...

 I've generally settled into a pattern with the ankle. The days aren't bad; I feel pretty good. Granted, I'm doing nothing at all. Occasionally I'll get up and knee-scoot around to clean up, do some things, and even at one point sat on the deck (same level as where I'm "residing") and three the ball for the dog. I've kept myself busy with cleaning out old emails, pictures and stuff off the computer. If I don't stay busy, my mind tends to focus upon the sad state of my foot.  An appreciative dog; finally got the owner off his rear end The evenings are when things start to hurt. I don't take a pain pill (Oxycodone) until then, but usually will take one late in the evening and then before bed. If I wake up in the middle of the night, I'll often take one then, too. The gabaepentin and acetaminophen, though, I take religiously every 8 hours. Sleep is off and on; sometimes it is difficult. The meds help.  So it is pretty tolerable until the night...

 The pain in the top of the foot became a problem on day four. It really manifested a few times...in a bad way. Eventually it was somewhat constant to the point where I felt like I had to hold my foot in a certain way to avoid the intense stabbing feeling. It prompted me to call the doctor's office.  They were remarkably quick in getting back to me. She advised that the culprit was probably the incisions the doctor made on the top of my foot to examine the ligaments. She said that there is a nerve there that tends to cause problems after such a procedure. She recommended bumping up my dosage of "Gabapentin," a drug that does a lot of different things but in my case addresses nerve pain. I was previously only to take it at night; the new dose is three times/day. The wife picked up the new script and I started the new regimen immediately. Day five was much better, perhaps as a result. Still a bit of pain here and there but the best day yet really. I have a 30 day supply and...

Day 3 was a bit of a bear. With the nerve block ancient history, pain seemed to settle in pretty well. I gave into the pain med gods in the early afternoon and continued through the evening. I then had trouble sleeping at night.  PAIN OF THE DAY The top of the foot continues to be a problem spot. I had to reach for something and I guess I tensed up that area's muscles and ligaments and it really barked! I've also started to feel some pain on the outside of the foot, likely where the incision was made.  GLAD I GOT THIS BEFOREHAND A laptop desk. It sits on the couch next to my blow up bed. I just slide it over when I want to get on the computer. This is the model I got, although I don't really extend the legs. I might give them a try when I'm upright more of the time. 

 I woke up pretty early on Day 2. Obviously sleep patterns tend to be a mess under these circumstances. Early in the day, the nerve block is running strong.  I decided early on to take all the meds that were provided to me during the first few days, including those for nausea, nerve pain, muscle spasms, etc. Most are on a 6 hour schedule, so I decided to take the pain pills on the same routine. The Oxycodone in particular knocks me out so I spend several hours at different times of the day dozing.  I'm committed to the crutches, by order, until the knee block wears off. The knee scooter is so much easier. While I'm not looking forward to losing the block, I am looking forward to the convenience of the scooter.  I'm able to hope around and used the kitchen bar stool to help me clean myself up for the day, brush my teeth, and stay somewhat presentable.  I keep my leg propped up on the wedge pillow, supporting it with tons of other pillows at different angles throu...

Surgery day arrived. The wife took me to the Surgicenter where we filled out paperwork and paid the big bucks. The wait wasn't too long before they took me back.  First step was to put on everyone's favorite, the wonderful gown (with nothing else underneath). Next was the IV. The doctor stopped by to discuss things. Then I was given a pill by the nurse to take the edge off things before the nerve block person came by. I thought I had one of these before, but I don't believe I did. First was a numbing shot around the knee. He used an ultrasound machine to locate the nerves and then gave a shot in each of them. I could feel the exact route of each nerve from the knee to the ankle during the shots; felt like an electrical shock. Wild! Before long I couldn't feel anything below the knee.  Anesthesia was next.  I was wheeled back to the surgery room, scooted over onto the table, and given a bit of oxygen before going night-night. I was out.  Next thing I was awake and the...

  Surgery day is two days away. I’ve been preparing for the NWB period post-surgery. I’ve also received a lot of pre-op instructions, nine (yes, nine!) medications (not including the pain killers), and billing (rats). This is quite expensive because the doctor is going to use a graft procedure not covered by insurance. I also received the exact orders:   Arthroscopy with possible right ankle lateral ligament repair Peroneal tendon repair with Amniofix wrap (this is the thing that isn’t covered) Potential Achilles tendon brisement   We’ve been setting up the main level to be my living quarters for probably two weeks. This includes clothes, toiletries, electronics, a blow up bed, wedge pillow for leg elevation and all that stuff. I also remembered today how tough it is to get up off of the toilet (TMI?) on one leg. I have a spare set of crutches that were given to me but are too tall and I’ll position these strategically in the bathroom for this particular purpo...