Foot and ankle surgery recovery problems

Hi,

Some feedback appreciated please

I'm 44 yr old male 9 weeks post op, ORIF ankle & 2 other bones in foot.

My query is this, I was on Oxycodone (shortec) 10mg then 5 mg until recently were my GP reduced me down to CoCodomol 30/500, this is not recovering my pain which feel is on pain scale 3 to 5, at night it now drives me crazy with niggling pain when leg is lowered to roughly chest height. Please advise

Tnx Uel

I would call the doc and tell him that its not working on your pain!!! The night time is my worse time also. I think its terrible that doctors are affaid to prescribe opiods because so many abuse them. Good luck 2 you and I hope you get some relief.

Thanks for that,

Incredible how doctors first thought is driven by abuse as opposed to help. Sad i have to justify my need, it's definitely had a negative effect of my ability to function through the day, I really only get out of bed now for eating as pain in foot when down is so annoying i just want to elevate again.

Tnx.

I was on Toradol and now only take regular strength Advil and Tylenol. 4 weeks post op. The reason opiods are so adictive is because when you start taking them regularly, You quickly become addicted and then when the amount is lowered you body increases the pain to make you think that you need more. I always refuse pain meds because of this.  Try taking regular Tylenol or advil instead.

This makes me SO ANGRY! My 1st surgeon gave me a two week supply of Percocet when I fractured my ankle, had to wait two weeks for surgery, then he would not prescribe anything more. I was in tears, and because of it, I had to ration my meds. I did however get lucky and found a new surgeon who prescribed meds immediately. He validated my pain, and understood. I ended up eventually only needing one per day because of the nighttime intensity, but some of these doctors are crazy. We are not pill poppers, the pain can be intense. I'm 15 weeks out, and I haven't had a pill in about 3 weeks, so it does get better and manageable. I have just been released to walk in my boot, it's slow going, and my ankle is aching like crazy.  I'm trying my best not to return to the strong stuff and stick to ibuprofen, but if the need arises I don't feel I should be shamed for just trying to get through this. I wish you luck, I hope you can get the pain under control! If it were me, I would call the doc and tell him you need something stronger for evening only.

I tried those, they did not touch my pain, this does not work for all. I took the strong pills for 8 weeks at least, my body does not desire them now whatsoever, and I in fact have at least 45 pills left. Not everyone abuses pills or becomes addicted when they are used properly, I am an example of such.

Uel, I really would tell your doctor that the pain is effecting your quality of life. My 3rd surgery was an ankle fusion but the bones never fused so for 6 months before my 4th surgery my surgeon kept me on pain meds for the whole 6 months. I did self detox every now and then and I didnt become a druggie. I didn't realize when I joined this group that most of the people live in Europe. I live in USA 20 min outside of Chicago. Good luck

And I'm just throwing this out, my experience. My pain was so intense at times, I felt desperate. I'm not a marijuana smoker, never have been, but I was willing to try anything. I'm unsure of the law where you live, but it is legal here. The greatest calming effect I had was a very low thc and high cbd product. Very low psychoactive effect, but it took the anxiety away from focusing on the pain. I also ordered CBD drops, very expensive, zero THC, and they really helped me as well. Anyone can order those on line, but you have to research the product because purity is important. I'm so broke from all this care, but I would definitely buy more drops. 

I'm in Vegas, my first surgeon has so many on line complaints for this issue, not properly managing pain. Wish I would have read those reviews first lol. 

Guys thanks for all your different situations, I guess our general experiences all revolve around managing pain in different ways post op, my own recovery is going as planned according to Surgeon, problem here in UK is its the GP who then deals with medications, I hadn't seen mine directly in years.

Good luck to all sufferers !

Sum are just jerks. When I talked to my surgeon about the pain he said I just hammered and put nails thru your bone and it hurts!!! Oxyxone 10 and Norco 10 combo. I was still in pain with that combo in the beginning. My CVS made me feel like a junkie and I had to talk to them and explain. They stopped giving me a hard time. I'm just insulted that the pharmacy gives us a hard time. My first surgeon sent me home with 2 days worth of Norco 5. I called my primary Dr. And she hooked me up and never asked that jerk for a refill. He also said I was a crybaby when I was in the hospital. I got hit by a bus and shattered my ankle and broke my hand and had the biggest bruise on my chest and neck from the seatbelt and airbag.

Wow, a cry baby! Don't you just kind of wish the doc could feel the pain too. The nurses in the hospital accused me of using pills regularly because immediately after the surgery vile after vile of morphine wasn't cutting the pain along with a Percocet - ridiculous and wrong.  I have two kids, have had two cancer surgeries, thyroid, gallbladder and tonsils gone, this is by far the worst pain I've ever felt. Pain meds NECESSARY! I'm glad your other doc listened, some sanity! :-)

Yea.... Ive have surgeries and this was by far the worse pain ever!!!! I'm just praying for a semi pain free life!

OMG, you got hit by a bus and he called you a cry baby!   I’m so angry for you.  I also am in the US and had to go to the ER the weekend after my double ankle break surgery because the  surgeon only gave me 3 days of pain pills.  

The next week surgeon  was on vacation and I had to ( in wheelchair and casts, with pictures of my xrays) go crying to my GP.  He was great, and said that the new laws were scaring doctors and punishing ppl like me who needed pain meds.  I went from hydrocodone 10 mg the first 3 weeks down to 75mg Tramadol now at 5 Weeks. Still burns/hurts especially when it swells.  

Smart ass doctors should not be doctors.  If your dr has online reviews I would write one.  I fully intend on writing a harsh review on my facilities pain management as soon as I am finished with them.

Some ppl can handle more pain then others.  I have to have 2 different kinds of novacain when I go to the dentist because I am hyper sensitive to pain.  And NO, I’m not an addict, I truly just want the pain managed so that it does not consume my every thought.  It is impossible to sleep, eat, move, talk, bath, dress, watch tv, read or do anything when pain from 2 broken ankles is burning up your legs.  We who feel this pain understand that we will hurt, we just want to minimize it as much as possible in order to function better.

Thank you for that!!! This jerk also took the cast off and told me ... Just dont walk on it for a month. No boot or anything!!!! My foot never felt good and always was swollen. One time he told me it might be the weather. Finally after a year and a half later I saw a specialist and after a cat scan saw that I had bone fragments in my joint and a malunion of the bone. The funniest part is that a woman I work with broke her hip and had him for a doctor and he told her and her husband that most people die in the first year after hip surgery!!! I hope you get some pain relief!!!!!

I was making a general statement. I was not calling you or anyone else an addict. I was stating in general why I don’t accept them and why a person might be experiencing extra pain. I do know everyone experiences pain differently. I was offering an opinion. I’m sorry if I offended anyone.

That's funny, my dentist had to shoot me up 9x with Novocain to numb me. Horrible experience. There's some interesting articles about redheads and pain receptors, I am a natural redhead. My anesthesiologist told me that the nerve block he gave me in my leg would prevent pain when I woke up from the ankle surgery, lol, I was in excruciating pain, they admitted me.  I do read some people on this forum who dump the meds faster, lucky them! 

I understand, but it's just not as simple as Tylenol for many of us, and we have had to fight really hard to justify to our physicians why we need medication.  My surgeon literally prescribed me 2 Percocet a day for 2 weeks, although I had surgery weeks later. Nothing after surgery, zero, I was expected to make that initial prescription last, which I sure did until I found a new doc.  It's really cruel when in that much sustained pain to deny something necessary for some. For the other surgeries I've had, I didn't need pain meds more than a few days. I think if you can't rest at all because of such pain, it's definitely time to talk to a doc who will listen. 

Hi 

I know the feeling 

Have you tried the ice strap on your ankle you can buy them on line and  they reduce swelling hence reduce pain  I  used them 8 weeks in  a little bit in comfy but slept longer 

Good luck Lee