May 19 2008
6 Days Post Op
Well the toughest part is over; however the surgery was not all that bad. The worst part was the pain medication because it made me sick. After many days of sleep and drugs I am now almost back to normal and only taking a pain pill if I feel like I need it.
Last night in my sleep i flexed my foot and woke up in sheer panic and pain. It made me so dizzy and sick that I thought I was going to pass out. The pain was unimaginable and I thought I had done damage. The reality is I think that it is fine, but has this happened to anyone else? The other thing I have noticed is that my big toe is in a lot of pain. It feels a lot better when it is out of the boot, but inside the boot it is painful. Interesting thing is that my doctor put me directly into a boot. This is really nice because I can loosen it and it helps with the aching. Has anyone else had pain in their big toe?
All in all I am feeling good and ready to get the stitches out and into PT. I know it is only one step at a time, but luckily time is moving along quite rapidly. No complaints, but I cant wait until the Doc tells me that I can play ball and go wakeboarding again.
I am in Day 12 Post Op, so I am only a week ahead of you. I would get those pains in the middle of the night every so often too and those would scare me too, but my surgeon said that everything was fine when he checked my achilles tendon today and I too thought that I did damage. I just had 15 staples removed today but I was put in a cast until June 2nd and before that I had a splint. That is the first time that I heard that someone went directly into a boot. Very Interesting! As for pain in my big toe, I have never experienced any of that. Good Luck in your recovery!
Yup…first week is the worst. All downhill from here, my friend.
I can answer your questions from my experience. The spasms are normal. My doctor said they were caused by the calf muscle being re-attached and being activated again. Also, I think the meds might be a contributing factor (I was taking Percocet). He also said once I start PT, then there shouldn’t be any further spasms.
My spasms were tied directly into vivid dreams. And also included the bonus of waking up in searing pain accompanied by a helping of fear that I re-injured it. No worries. Apparently this is normal.
My big toe was killing me last night. I’m in a boot as well. After loosening and re-adjusting, I tried not elevating my foot (shh…don’t tell anyone). And the pain went away. Just my two cents. Oh…I’m at two weeks post-op and have been elevating for three weeks so I figured I deserved a break.
Wish you a speedy recovery and see you on the court!
Used to wake up with the top of my foot in pain. Loosening the strap near the ankle usually did the trick. I’m sure it’s just a swelling/blood-flow thing. Normal.
And the worst IS over. Whew.
Sister, I feel your pain! I’m on day 6 as well and its been hard. I havent had your physical symptoms but what struck me about your story was the idea that physical activity defines who you are. That;s what few people get about this injury - there is a real loss to your life not being able to do the things you love so much. I’m already getting symptoms of depression linked to lack of exercise.
Good luck - I’ll keep tracking your progress. Drop in at my blog sometime - Withnail
Hey there! Do you have that pilates link? I’ve been looking around the site for it but can’t locate it when I need it. Hope you had a relaxing Memorial Day!