Wrinkles are important for the closure of an incision. Without these wrinkles the incisions will pop open as soon as the swelling starts from the final surgery. Yuck. When I arrived that this hospital, my leg and ankle were swollen beyond belief. Today marks day 17 and I think elevation and staying put had helped a lot because I have wrinkles!!! The redness in my ankle that I had complained about earlier (that we thought could have been a blood clot or infection) appears to have also gotten much better over night. The UW's version of Dr. House was here this AM to talk about these things and he has confirmed that I am an odd case (no objections there) and I certainly did a number to agrivate my nerves and tendons during the break. Dr. House believes that there are several reasons why things are getting better.
- I am actually sleeping and my body is repairing itself at night (thanks to the Valium)
- I am trying not to stress out every minute of every day
- Elevation is much higher than before
- I am moving my leg as little as possible
- I am eating now (I had no appetite before)
- I am drinking tons of water
- More time has passed
This second doctor agrees with all the conclusions of my first doc. My pain is now being managed appropriately (thanks to being the squeaky wheel) . There are no negative side effects of having to rebreak the leg/ankle if I still have to wait another 3 weeks for surgery. Screwing in plates to a bone is going to hurt...and breaking that bone again when I am under shouldn't hurt any more.
Not all the words I wanted to hear.. but I feel better. I am confident with the surgical team and of course the nursing team I also feel that having my parents here this AM imperative for our peace of mind. We all had our questions answered at the same time. (The drugs have been really messing with my memory retention)
So I am still waiting for wrinkles on the sides of my ankle (where that bone should protrude on your foot).. no surgery until they show up. Who knew one day I would be requesting wrinkles!?!
I'm so glad you're getting the pain managed and that the sleep issue is under control. When you wrote before about the meds you were on, I recalled that both Oxycontin and Oxycodone give me insomnia, so that's great that they gave you something to address the lack of sleep.
ReplyDeleteAnd, I also had memory and comprehension issues when I was on a lot of meds several years ago. I found that I couldn't do simple math - like figure out how many bills to give a cashier - and when I'd go to the doctor's office to discuss my craziness, I'd leave with yet another Rx and not remember the conversation. It's really important to have your family or someone there for your pivotal doctor visits and you're very lucky to have your parents care.
Now that I'm relatively germ free, I'll get in to see you soon. *hugs*
Hey Iris! Good news! Funny how sleep, food, water and stress are all things that even with all the technology and medicine won't make a difference if you're not getting the most basic needs met. I'm glad you got some good answers and can focus on what you can do to improve matters. Plus you have them written down so you won't forget in the drug induced haze. This will give you some control in what seems like a helpless situation. Rest well, I'm trying to get some books on CD from the library for you:-)
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