Jul 09 2008
Day two post op….
I had my surgery yesterday morning and it seemed like I was in and out of the hospital here in Boston in a flash. I went into surgery at 7:30am and was home by 1pm ( i live about two miles from the hospital, but still). My doctor said the surgery “went well” and while I was still very woozy I went home. Getting up the stairs on my butt was completely exhausting but afterwards I was able to get some sleep. Some family members came over last night and we got take out which was nice (it is always nice to have visitors). All in all I thought things were going really well considering the circumstances of the day.
BUT I tried going to sleep last night and that is when the local pain blocker shot wore off and I was just using the pain meds….I am on Oxycodone but it didn’t seem to do a thing last night (or this morning for that matter), anyone else have problems with this pain med not working well? I couldn’t seem to get comfortable and was in pain all night…maybe an hour of sleep. Anyone have any suggestions on the most comfortable way to sleep etc? I continue to be in pain this morning and hope that it will get a little better as the day goes on.
I just keep telling myself that at this point, every minute that goes by I should be getting a little better….doesn’t feel like it yet, but i’m at least on the road to recovery now after waiting it out for the last 9 or 10 days.
i had problems with perococet but mine is different - it made me too high and dopey that i cant do anything but sleep.
after 24 hours post op i called a friend who is an MD and asked if i could just take advil.
IMO you need to call your surgeon’s office and ask for advice to change meds .
also please take in a lot of fluids as youll be constipated and dehydrated .
the trick to sleep would be a lot of pillows of different sizes.
you dont have to ptop the leg too high - just enough to get it above the heart when laying down . you can lay on your side at times with the right pillows everywhere.
if you dont have one yet and if you have a tub / shower - buy a shower chair .
wear cargo pants so you can carry a lot fo stuff with you . a small backpackor shoulderbag will also help .
if you feel lazy using the crutches at home - if you have a rolling computer chair and your house is not carpeted and accessible you can wheel around on the chair.
I was amazed how little pain there was after surgury until the block wore off. I was prescribed Lortab 7.5 for pain and they did the trick as long as you stay ahead of the pain. I took 1 EVERY 4 hours for about 5 days and even set the alarm to not miss one. Between elevating and ice and pain meds it makes it bareable but not comfortable. I slept with one pillow below the leg and slept pretty well. Elevating is the key early and dont rush recovery and try to do too much. The first few weeks are rough and challenging but it just gets better from there. Good luck.
I think for the first six to seven days I took two of my pills every four hours and I needed it. It managed the pain until the last hour of every cycle, although I was still uncomfortable most of the time. It DID get better in week two (as everone on the site said it would). Stay off it this week, and stay in bed/on couch.
Its end of week two for me and I have annoying/uncomfortable tingling, but not too much pain unless I’m too active. My first post op is Monday and I’m ready to at least get stiches out to let the leg breathe.
I’m having dreams about taking off my shoes….and I just can’t take off the shoe on my L foot. In my dreams I’m very frustrated with not being able to take off my shoe (on the leg that my cast is on.)
Hang in there.
I had nerve block then was prescribed Oxycodone also. The day after surgery I took 2 pain pills AND 4 ibuprofen every 4 hours. I had the alarms set on my cell phone so i’d have a reminder with me, whether I was on the couch or in bed. I did that routine for 2 days then went to pill(s) just at night so I could sleep on my back with leg elevated. I did continue with the ibuprofen for at least a week, helped with residual pain and with the swelling. I constantly elevated. At home and at work. Its actually hard for me to lay on the couch without my leg up now! haha
Hang in there!
damacar
Hi vicino813,
Like you, I had surgery on Tuesday, July 8th. My procedure was scheduled for 6:30am. Per the doctor’s request, I was at the outpatient center at 5:45am. Amazingly, I was back at home 9:45am.
My nerve block wore off at roughly 8:30pm. I had been taking Oxycodone throughout the day to “stay ahead of the pain.”
I’m not sure how well the medicine is working. To be honest, I don’t have a ton of pain, so I guess it is working. However, I feel like I am high as a kite. It’s like I can’t concentrate on anything. I feel like I should be drinking a Red Stripe and listening to Bob Marley right now.
Sleeping was tough for me as well. It seemed that no matter how I positioned my leg, I couldn’t get comfortable. I tossed and turned in the bed until I finally fell asleep at 6:00am. I woke again at 8:30am and have basically been awake ever since. As the day has gone on, I’ve managed to find a comfortable position for my leg. I’m resting my leg on the outside of my leg. Not sure if that will help you out or not, but it feels good to me.
Hope that all is going well for you.
Good luck with the recovery.
Bryan