So, last night, even though I was on the Oxy, I continued feeling all the sharp twinges and burning in my ankle. It was decent during the day, but I guess it does get worse as it get toward the evening. However, I think I did discover one of the sources of the problem (other than the cutting of 2 holes in my ankle). I mentioned that when I bump the cast, it hits my ankle on the inside and then it flares up. Well, I think it's actually one step further. First off, I should probably describe the cast.
It's basically a splint that run along the calf muscle and the bottom of your foot. It's basically a cup that the back of your leg and foot goes into...think of a cast, but then the top half of the cast is gone. So my leg goes into the bottom half the cast and then it's stuffed with cotton (at least that's what it feels like) and then wrapped all the way down with a large elastic bandage.
From what it feels like, the hard shell also surrounds the bottom half of my ankle. I think since the swelling has gone down (I'm guessing this since I can't actually see), the cast has been able to move around a bit. Well, last night, I was feeling these sharp nerve twinges waaay more than normal. It seems like the cast had started rotating a bit, and the hard edge of the cast started to dig into the area of my incision. I start rotating the cast the opposite way, so that the soft bandage part was on top, and it instantly started to feel better. I still felt tingles and the heat sensation, but the sharp twinges seem to have stopped ( or at least occur less often.)
I think the Oxy still helps with the ongoing tingles and how sensitive the area is, so I'm gonna continue taking it...but it does seem that the cast was part of the problem. So, hopefully that didn't cause any further damage and add to the healing process.
This morning, I woke up with no major pains...I did notice that upon getting up, I still feel the rush of heat move to my leg, plus the associated tingles. I'm hoping that's more indicative of the blood all rushing downward after being elevated for so long versus being an actual nerve injury. As soon as I get up, I basically keep my leg completely still while I wait for the rush of heat to go through the leg, and the eventually dissipate. Once that passes, I can pretty much crutch around without too much problem. It's about 1:45pm now and it has been happening every time I get up so far.
One week lessons learned
As promised, here's a recap of lessons learned so far...I'll break it down:
Surgery:
- Prep your house for your recovery areas before you go in. I set up my beds and cleared paths for crutching and it helped tremendously!
- Inserting the IV needle is probably the worst part of the actual surgery.
- Scratch #2, failing to insert the IV needle twice before finally getting it in is the worst part.
- General anesthesia, while freaky, turned out to be a no biggie.
- Don't try to do too much after waking up! Take your time, and don't let them rush you into anything!
- Lorna Doone cookies post surgery are amazing (so are cupcakes)
- I've got post-op anxiety big time...
Google + downtime + new and painful experience = anxiety
If you're like me, this can't be helped...just try to learn as much as you can of what to expect before the surgery. Ask lots of questions! - Nerve block can last past 24 hours. I saw a forum post on this, and most people averaged from 24-72.
- Nerve block = foot doesn't work right. I've only found 1 site that specifically said that you will not be able to move your toes while the nerve block is in place. All other sites, says that it just makes your leg numb (duh)
- Call your doctor and ask questions...if something doesn't feel right, ask...if anything, maybe it'll settle your nerves so you can sleep and heal better.
- Take your painkillers that they prescribed. They are there for a reason...don't tough it out unless you have a bad reaction. The more they give, the more they expect you to feel it.
- Ask for help! I don't know where I'd be without my girlfriend or my parents to help me. This is not a time to be selfless...I'm getting a bunch of help and still managed to fall over a couple of times on my own. (Also, managed to spill drinks everywhere) At least you can minimize these accidents with those who are wiling to help
- Try not to freak - I have problems with this...but it's something that I need to do, so I'm listing it.
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