Just Another Not So Ordinary Day…..

Well, I finally figured out how to make this pic smaller to upload…..pic taken a week ago at 2 weeks post-up before stitches and staples were removed. 

COOOOL!!!!  You can click on it and make it bigger!!! WOW

Thanks to all who posted regarding my question on icing the cast.  You guys are awesome and because of you, yesterday was a GREAT day!  The relief I felt from the bags of peas (Damacar :)), ice wrap in front of knee (Bri :)), and ice behind the knee (Doc Ross :)) was so relaxing and reduced the swelling, during the day, immensely……..I did alternate these icings, and left my leg free of ice for 1/2 hr. breaks as suggested……..

Now for my next question…..common guys, I know you can do this………After a very comfortable day “on ice”, when it was time to turn in, around 11 pm, with no ice, the swelling returned, with gusto…..no pain…..just felt like my foot/ankle was the size of a grapefruit, or maybe a small pumpkin and very hot….to say the least very uncomfortable and claustrophobic.  I didn’t expect my foot to swell so quickly after the icing wore off…….I was wondering if the fiberglass cast helps to conduct cooling so well, can it also act as an heat insulator once that cooling is removed, making the foot swell even more than usual once removed?     I don’t know if i explained my theory very well, but basically i’m asking if anyone can help me with the extreme swelling i feel once i stop the icing………maybe i should stick to just icing the knee area, or would the swelling in the ankle area have occurred regardless of icing or not late at night?   The questions that have plagued mankind for centuries……… :)    any thoughts or advice, if you understand my question, would be greatly appreciated……Thanks again in advance!!!!!!!!!  Oh, almost forgot I also ate my watermelon and popped those B vits.

Marianne

Was wondering if anyone had any luck icing their leg while in the cast?  It would be awesome if I could learn of some way to do this.  Is this a stupid question?  Oh, well…..i’m desperate.  Any advice would be appreciated as I have swelling issues although am laying around with leg elevated.  Thanks in advance.

Need some input here…..I’m 3 wks post-op in cast, had stitches/staples out a week ago, and last night as I was making my regular trip to the bathroom using wheelchair and crutches combo, I developed stabbing pains in my whole foot.  The pain was the worst I have experienced so far to the point of me weeping hysterically for an hour….popped more ibuprofen and darvocet although my husband said, “take the vicodine”, but because of the loopiness factor/panic attack stuff I said, “i can’t”…..

Well, this experience has me really afraid of the reality of horrific pain.  I don’t know if this is to be expected, because even though I understand this to be a very long road to recovery, I was assuming being 3 wks post-op, the worst of the pain was over…..Anyone else have this experience with the extreme pain this far after surgery? 

I am stressed to say the least and afraid of that pain coming back….I’ve been following all advice regarding keeping leg elevated and doing nothing but resting, but come on…..I do have to occasionally use the bathroom…..Any words of wisdom would be appreciated :)  Thanks, Your blogging buddy, Marianne

Well, Wednesday, June 18th was my first visit back to the doctor’s office since surgery.  I was 2 weeks post-op and fortuneately everything went as they had explained.  I saw the Physician’s Assistant, in the cast room.  I was anxious just hoping everything would look good.  I just wanted to hear the words, “Everything looks great”.  Dave, has a super bubbly personality and is very up-beat– very funny guy….well, anyway he started sawing away at the cast, which was a wierd feeling, and off it came.  As he pulled the cast away from my leg I could see a dark coloring inside the back portion of the cast….it was black.  The first thought I had was, “uh - oh, is that normal?”  So I immediately asked Dave, “how does it look?”  His reply was, “I don’t know; I haven’t seen it yet.”  I was just so anxious, but my dear husband who immediately bent down to check out the leg said,  “It looks really good!”, and he was smiling.  I felt relieved, as I couldn’t bring myself to trying to look…It just felt very, very tight.  Dave had me lay on the table, face-down, to take out the staples and stiches.  He had me taking deep breaths, and boy did I need them.  11 staples and 8 stiches hurt like hell while he was taking them out!!!!  I know I have a very low tolerance for pain, but I had been hoping for less pain :)  Yeah, right…..  Then some hydrogen peroxide and back on with another cast after moving the foot up a little bit.  Dave said that everything was looking good. …. Yay!!!!  I was sooooooo relieved.  I then asked him “since the incision is closed, does that mean it won’t get infected?”  PA’s reply, “Anything can still get infected…sorry I don’t have a magic wand.”  I guess I asked a stupid question, but I felt it couldn’t hurt to ask…..:)  Dave wants me moving my toes alot for the next couple weeks and my next visit will be July 1st….My husband took a picture of my incision before Dave took out the staples/stiches, I just haven’t been able to post as I’m getting error message when I try…..It’s about 6 inches long.  Dave’s parting words to me were, “Stay out of trouble….”  I thought to myself, “how much trouble could I get in laying around all day?”

Well, as I continue on this slow road to recovery, I am so grateful for all of you and your stories and comments.  I read everything on this site and feel like we are family, although we haven’t met….This situation we are all in doesn’t seem so lonely…. thanks dennis and thanks to all of you for sharing and for your support.

Marianne

Well, I survived the surgery on Wednesday I followed one of the site members’ advice and asked for anti-nausea med. from the anesthesiologist. It worked– no nausea Like most posters have said, the pain is manageable the day of surgery. It was yesterday, Thursday, the day after surgery that I suffered quite a bit. Slept on and off the first night taking the darvocet, but as morning approached, was in quite a bit more pain, so tried the vicodon again, which is what they perscribed the day of the injury, even though it really messes with my mind and that is very scary for me. 24 hours following the surgery was the toughest pain– extreme burning, stinging and stabbing pain…very unbearable and I was in tears:( My husband called the doc around noon to tell them that I was not coping at all… I spoke to a nurse and she asked me why I was afraid of taking vicodon and i explained that I’m very anxious and don’t like the feeling of not being in control which is how the vicodon made me feel. I had a panic attack after taking 2 pills and I was still in extreme pain. She was extremely nice and told me to just stick with the darvocet and to go ahead and take 800 mg. of ibuprofen, as well, in between the doses of darvocet. That seems to be helping me with the pain a great deal . Luckily, the excruciating pain only lasted through the mid-morning and early afternoon yesterday and I slept well last night So, I am hopefully over the worst the pain and am on the road Thanks so much for asking how it all went and for letting me vent. I soooooo appreciate it !!!!!!!

I am just waiting for surgery on Wed., but was wondering how long it will be before I will be able to drive again with my right foot having the ATR? Anyone with a time-table?

Welcome to Achillesblog.com.
This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!
Be sure to fill out your achilles rupture date and surgery date (if you know it).
We can give you more customized information this way.

Here’s some information: http://achillesblog.com/dennis/achilles-timeline-widget/

Here is the web address for your blog’s control page to start blogging: http://achillesblog.com/[your username]/wp-admin/

If you have any questions, don’t be afraid to ask!
Just to be clear, please substitute [your username] with your username..

Marianne
http://achillesblog.com/marianne/2008/06/hello-wo… | Fethrfan@aol.com | 207.200.116.71