Saturday, June 11, 2011
Day 82 (June 11)
Have made a tremendous amount of progress since my last post. I am no longer using the boot or crutches. The swelling is down enough in the morning so that I can see my achilles. If I'm on my leg for more than a few hours, it does swell up. Pain comes and goes, sometimes worse than others. My range of motion is about 70%. I can't walk down stairs yet but can pretty much do everything else. My leg is incredibly weak. Therapy consists of exercises in a therapeutic pool, strengthening, range of motion, and massage. My calf is very sore and I can feel the knots of muscle. The bottom of my foot is still very sensitive and stepping on anything (including a grain of sand) feels like a needle. My heel still feels very awkward. I bumped the back of it during therapy and it was incredibly painful. The fat pad is still quite sensitive. I could definitely work now if I were able to elevate at the office. Anything that requires an extended amount of time on my feet would not be possible though. Standing still for more than a few minutes is painful.
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I am on day 21 post op. I have really gotten a kick reading your post!!! I had a calcaneal Osteotomy with a PB tendon repair. Im trying to keep it elevated as much as possible. My nerve block did not work so just to get home they had to give me 2 vicodins and morphine. Needless to say the pain was horrible I cried however I did not check my self back into the hospital. Women can handle pain so much better then men. While reading your post I was laughing so hard I cried! I even told my mother about your blog! This has been a nightmare so far, I am also 34 with 2 little girls which makes this horrible!! I have then so sceduled in lots of activitys so I can heal! I get the cast off in 3 weeks and can begin with the boot. When will I be walking?
ReplyDeleteIt seems that everyone handles this pain differently. I don't have any cartilage in my knees and have been putting off knee replacements/allografts for years. I'm no stranger to pain but this has been miserable. The surgical staff also told me the calcaneal osteotomy is much more painful for men than women. Must have something to do with bone density.
ReplyDeleteSome people can walk immediately when they get out of the cast. Rare though. I could walk in the boot immediately and without the boot 2 weeks later. The healthboards forums have a lot of information and input from others that have had this procedure. I recommend you check them out.
Well on day 3 when the pain was horrible I was fortunate to have the doctors cell # when I called him in tears he told me to take an aleve. Well last night I took a total of 3 Norcos because I was in pain!I hope my bone fuses together. I cant read other peoples stories because they all have problems and are negative. I had this done due to having high arches. I have pretty much stayed in bed or on the couch for 3 weeks. I got one of those knee scooters to get around the house. Im pretty small so I was a little off balance with the crutches. I feel like the first 6 weeks is critical in healing so Im taking it easy however Im afraid Im going to waist away if I dont exercise. I ruptured this tendon working out on a tred mill can you believe it. Trying to be healthy and this is what I get, total nightmare! The first foot doctor had a horrible bedside manner and freaked me out. The second doctor had a wounderful reputation and new some family members so I felt better with him! He is very conservative so not to many meds for me. I think this is best for the long run. My pinky toes is numb, will that come back. I go wed. for a new cast and check to see how Im healing. What state are you in, Im in Texas.
ReplyDeleteThe whole left side of my foot was numb for 8 weeks. Now only the outside of my ankle and part of my foot are still numb.
ReplyDeleteWhat strength Norcos are you taking? I was/am on the 10/325. Most people are only supposed to take one but I'm 240 lbs and have built up a tolerance so I take 1.2 - 2 every 4-6 hours. Be very careful. You will heal quicker if you're not in pain so if the prescribed dose does not work, let your doc know and he can supplement it if necessary. I was originally prescribed a low dose of oxy and ended up on that super cocktail. You have a very long way to go and you need to be comfortable. Adding valium really helped me. Bear in mind that I had the pleasure of a week of opiate withdrawals once I stopped taking thee norco. Very very miserable but it as worth it to me. I don't have an addictive personality so it was only physical.
Well Im on 7.5-325 Norco 1 or 2 tablets every 4-6 hours but I dont think I need it. Just sometimes when I get shooting pains. I really cant feel my heal at all maybe its just numb. Im half the size as you so I dont need that many meds. Should I begin to put my foot down or just keep it elevated to prevent swelling? I wish I could send you a pic of my incisions but I dont know how to up load on here. You sound like you have been through HELL!!! I wounder why Im in a cast for 6 weeks and you for 8. He wants me in a walking boot for 6 weeks though. JE
ReplyDeletedo not want to have opiate withdrawls that sounds horrible. Im going stir crazy!!!!
ReplyDeleteFrom what I can tell, every doctor has a different protocol. Some wait 6 weeks and other 8. Once the cast comes off, they will x-ray to make sure the heel has fused together. If not completely healed, they will recast for a few weeks.
ReplyDeleteI was told two different things about elevation. One nurse said to keep it elevated as much as possible the first 6 weeks to keep the swelling under control and help it heal. Another told me to let my foot dictate what I do. If it's possible to keep it down without swelling or pain, then keep it down. Just remember, this is a major operation and being extra careful for 6 weeks will pay off in the long run. It takes a year to fully recover. I opted to baby it and keep it elevated and am now ahead of schedule in my physical therapy.
when its down it tingles in fact it tingles all the time but worse when its down.Im going to baby it for the next 3 weeks doing as little as possible. This is very hard for me to do because Im very active!! I have really good help otherwise I could not do this! Why have you had all of these medical issues if you dont mind me asking? I hope he x-rays to see how its healing wed.Ive been taking calcium and drinking a glass a milk a day! could be the worst!!
ReplyDeletea year this is horrible
ReplyDeleteMy knee caps ride high so I've worn the cartilage away underneath.
ReplyDeleteThe modified brostrom is due to tearing my ligaments last summer when I rolled my ankle. The calcaneal osteotomy is the result of my doctor telling me a need it. I don't think it was necessary.
will keep you posted on my progress and let me know how you doing. Seeing the doctor tommorrow wish me luck!
ReplyDeleteEverything went great at my appointment!!! The swelling is down and I can be put into a boot on July 4th and begin rehab. However he told me I have to stay in the boot for 6 weeks?? He does not want me to go into a shoe until the 4 month, crazy. What do you think? I was really hoping to be in shoes by the end of the 6 week.
ReplyDeleteEvery doc has a different program. Mine likes to wait 8 weeks after surgery to remove the cast but he was flexible after that. I actually had mine removed at 7 weeks due to him going out of town. He said to let my body (and physical therapist) decide when I can go without the boot. I was very aggressive and numbed any pain with pain killers (which they do not recommend). I paid for it by having to go through withdrawals but it was worth it to me to get things moving again.
ReplyDeletemy heel and whole right side of my foot is knumb! when I put weight on it it felt really weird! I guess you just have to get used to having a new foot. It's going to be a tough road ahead however Im not having to much pain it just tingles like its falling asleep! excuse my language but this sucks!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, I believe I must be a couple of weeks behind you. I had my surgery May 25th and I get my cast off on Monday (day 47). I was wondering if you are walking in your boot now. I still can't imagine bearing any weight on my foot yet. The bottom of my foot is still completely numb. I do not have those shooting pains anymore (at least not severe ones and not frequent). I also have an ache on the outside of my foot. I think it may be part of the incision area but I read the other day that a nerve resides there that when injured,"burns" and requires intense therapy..whatever that means.
ReplyDelete