I am not on any painkillers right now. That may not seem like a big deal since I am over 5 weeks post-op and I probably should be healed enough from the surgery to not be on painkillers.
However, I was on painkillers every single day for about 5 months before the surgery because my pain was that intense. It ached all the time. Walking sent stabbing pain through my body. The inner side of my right knee (where the injury was located) was extremely sensitive to touch. These things are different after the surgery. There is no aching. It does not hurt when the side of my knee is touched, or even massaged. It is particularly hot there, but Sandy, my physical therapist said that just means it is REALLY healing there. It's a technical term. ;)
I am not pain-free. Moving around can hurt. My knee tightens up quickly and then needs to be gently brought back to the range of motion that I know I can reach. Also, my knee sort of locks when it is straight for a while and does not want to start the bend. Sometimes it pops, and that hurts too. But none of this compares to how much I hurt before the surgery.
So, I am hopeful. We will see what happens when I start walking on it in 19 days.
Showing posts with label painkillers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label painkillers. Show all posts
Friday, April 30, 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
Stir-crazy!
As of Friday (Surgery + 23 days), I have been off the painkillers! Woohoo! I will still have to take some before physical therapy to get the most out of my sessions, but that's all. My first out-patient PT appointment is tomorrow. Up to now, someone has been coming to my home for PT.
This weekend, my focus was getting out of the house because I have been going absolutely stir-crazy in here! My husband and I went to a local wine bar on Saturday and shared some wine and munchies, since I can drink wine again. It was a little difficult to get comfortable, but I ended up using a case of wine (it was Educated Guess Cab Sauv) as a footrest. It was just right! My knee did stiffen up by the time we left though. I appreciated going during lunchtime since it is less crowded. My gimpy status is rather obvious and I don't like to be a spectacle.
I have been so enthusiastic about getting out of the bedroom, that I wanted to try using the CPM (leg-bending machine and warm place for recovery cat to sleep - cute picture, not gross) overnight instead of having to use it during the day and chaining myself to it in my bedroom. I attempted this last night, but it soon was proven to not be an option. Even though I reduced the speed at which it bent my leg and the angle to one I knew my knee could manage comfortably, my knee just could not take it anymore after 3 hours. It started to ache and throb. So, I guess I still need to use it during the day for multiple short sessions. Boo.
There is one other thing that I have been meaning to include here, but it doesn't really fit in with other topics. The side of my knee opposite to the injury side has an area a few inches across that is completely numb. If there is any sensation when touching it, it is more of a burning feeling. From talking to others and reading, this seems to be a common side effect of open knee surgery since nerves get severed when making the incision. It's pretty weird though.
This weekend, my focus was getting out of the house because I have been going absolutely stir-crazy in here! My husband and I went to a local wine bar on Saturday and shared some wine and munchies, since I can drink wine again. It was a little difficult to get comfortable, but I ended up using a case of wine (it was Educated Guess Cab Sauv) as a footrest. It was just right! My knee did stiffen up by the time we left though. I appreciated going during lunchtime since it is less crowded. My gimpy status is rather obvious and I don't like to be a spectacle.
I have been so enthusiastic about getting out of the bedroom, that I wanted to try using the CPM (leg-bending machine and warm place for recovery cat to sleep - cute picture, not gross) overnight instead of having to use it during the day and chaining myself to it in my bedroom. I attempted this last night, but it soon was proven to not be an option. Even though I reduced the speed at which it bent my leg and the angle to one I knew my knee could manage comfortably, my knee just could not take it anymore after 3 hours. It started to ache and throb. So, I guess I still need to use it during the day for multiple short sessions. Boo.
There is one other thing that I have been meaning to include here, but it doesn't really fit in with other topics. The side of my knee opposite to the injury side has an area a few inches across that is completely numb. If there is any sensation when touching it, it is more of a burning feeling. From talking to others and reading, this seems to be a common side effect of open knee surgery since nerves get severed when making the incision. It's pretty weird though.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Post-op Appointment #2
Yesterday I had my second post-op appointment with Dr. Trice. It was all good news.
I asked when I could switch to my DonJoy brace, since it is much more comfortable and it's custom fit is perfect for preventing any twisting or tweaking of the knee since it holds it so snugly. Not all ACI patients have such a fancy brace, but I have it because I needed it before the surgery. Dr. Trice said I could switch right away. Yay!
My second question was if I should take any joint supplements like glucosamine, but he said no.
My third question was just a general discussion of drugs, which I have been sharing here to provide others who might go through this surgery an idea of someone else's experience. I know it is different for everyone, but still it might help. I left off with reducing the Oxycontin to only a morning dose (successfully, by the way) and with taking one pill of Vicodin every 6 hours. I had been reducing the dosage of both drugs slowly and cautiously, operating on the principle of "staying ahead of the pain." Dr. Trice said it was time to change that principle to "as needed based on pain," except for before physical therapy.
Dr. Trice also told me that dependence on the Vicodin is not about how much you are taking, but whether you are taking it continuously or as needed. Even a low dose taken continuously can become a problem. Since I had gotten down to the minimum dose and since I was told to stop trying to stay ahead of the pain, I stopped taking it. My last dose was 9:00 AM yesterday, and so far so good as far as pain goes, but I sure did feel awful this morning. It must have been withdrawal, but strong coffee, an orange, and fresh air helped.
Since I have reduced the Oxycontin, I honestly feel that I could have cut back on it earlier. I would like to stop it completely, but stepping down is important to reduce withdrawal effects. Bleh. I'll stop it in a day or two.
I made a reservation for a nice French restaurant next weekend to celebrate being able to drink wine again. That should give me time to be completely clean. It also gives me something to look forward to! Last time I had to stop drinking wine I lost my palate for intense red wine, so I am expecting that to happen again. I will have to start with pinot noir and French blends to acquire it again. Oh darn.
@ Lynn - I can't wait to be back to traveling again!
@ Jess - At least this delay means you two might actually be unpacked by the time we visit. And no, I am a good girl so no selling of pills.
I asked when I could switch to my DonJoy brace, since it is much more comfortable and it's custom fit is perfect for preventing any twisting or tweaking of the knee since it holds it so snugly. Not all ACI patients have such a fancy brace, but I have it because I needed it before the surgery. Dr. Trice said I could switch right away. Yay!
My second question was if I should take any joint supplements like glucosamine, but he said no.
My third question was just a general discussion of drugs, which I have been sharing here to provide others who might go through this surgery an idea of someone else's experience. I know it is different for everyone, but still it might help. I left off with reducing the Oxycontin to only a morning dose (successfully, by the way) and with taking one pill of Vicodin every 6 hours. I had been reducing the dosage of both drugs slowly and cautiously, operating on the principle of "staying ahead of the pain." Dr. Trice said it was time to change that principle to "as needed based on pain," except for before physical therapy.
Dr. Trice also told me that dependence on the Vicodin is not about how much you are taking, but whether you are taking it continuously or as needed. Even a low dose taken continuously can become a problem. Since I had gotten down to the minimum dose and since I was told to stop trying to stay ahead of the pain, I stopped taking it. My last dose was 9:00 AM yesterday, and so far so good as far as pain goes, but I sure did feel awful this morning. It must have been withdrawal, but strong coffee, an orange, and fresh air helped.
Since I have reduced the Oxycontin, I honestly feel that I could have cut back on it earlier. I would like to stop it completely, but stepping down is important to reduce withdrawal effects. Bleh. I'll stop it in a day or two.
I made a reservation for a nice French restaurant next weekend to celebrate being able to drink wine again. That should give me time to be completely clean. It also gives me something to look forward to! Last time I had to stop drinking wine I lost my palate for intense red wine, so I am expecting that to happen again. I will have to start with pinot noir and French blends to acquire it again. Oh darn.
@ Lynn - I can't wait to be back to traveling again!
@ Jess - At least this delay means you two might actually be unpacked by the time we visit. And no, I am a good girl so no selling of pills.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Finally, some progress
This weekend my husband and I focused on my leaving the third floor of my home. Since the surgery, I had only left the third floor twice: once to go to the first post-op appointment with Dr. Trice and once to sit on the deck for an hour. Our bedroom is on the third floor and that has been the central location for my convalescence. It's very comfortable, but two weeks in one room is... well I am sure you can imagine. Going down the stairs on crutches is easy, but going back up is dangerously exhausting. I always have my husband spot me at least on the way up, and I would have fallen on Sunday if he hadn't.
Sometime on Monday, I seemed to turn an itty bitty corner. I began to notice that is was less painful to move my leg when getting up or sitting down. I became more willing to get up and crutch across the room to do or get something because the cost of that action was more reasonable.
My biggest triumph is that I discovered I could slightly bend and hold my own leg while on the crutches without the brace. It's hard to describe the position, but a healthy person playing with crutches would bend one leg to lift it slightly off the ground and then swing that leg forward whenever swinging the crutches forward. I can do that now, so it is comfortable and a significant improvement over leaving the leg locked and dragging it in a shuffle motion. When my in-home physical therapist came to see me Tuesday morning, I said "I can do something new!" and proceeded to crutch around to show him. :)
I have also further reduced my medication.
- Home +15 days (aka Surgery +18 days): Reduced Vicodin from one pill (7.5 mg Hydrocodone and 325 mg acetaminophen per pill) every 3 hours to one every 4 hours.
- +16 days: Reduced Vicodin to every 5 hours.
- +17 days: Reduced Vicodin to every 6 hours. Now at the lowest continuous dosage.
- +18 days (today): Plan to reduce Oxycontin from twice a day to once a day, which means no evening dose. Next step regarding Vicodin is to only take it before physical therapy, but I'm not going to try to stop continuous dosage until after reducing the Oxycontin.
Today marks three weeks since the surgery and I am very happy to finally feel just a little bit stronger. My next post-op appointment with Dr. Trice is tomorrow and I start outpatient physical therapy next Tuesday. Oh, we took off the steri-strips too so I have a new picture (GR 3).
Sometime on Monday, I seemed to turn an itty bitty corner. I began to notice that is was less painful to move my leg when getting up or sitting down. I became more willing to get up and crutch across the room to do or get something because the cost of that action was more reasonable.
My biggest triumph is that I discovered I could slightly bend and hold my own leg while on the crutches without the brace. It's hard to describe the position, but a healthy person playing with crutches would bend one leg to lift it slightly off the ground and then swing that leg forward whenever swinging the crutches forward. I can do that now, so it is comfortable and a significant improvement over leaving the leg locked and dragging it in a shuffle motion. When my in-home physical therapist came to see me Tuesday morning, I said "I can do something new!" and proceeded to crutch around to show him. :)
I have also further reduced my medication.
- Home +15 days (aka Surgery +18 days): Reduced Vicodin from one pill (7.5 mg Hydrocodone and 325 mg acetaminophen per pill) every 3 hours to one every 4 hours.
- +16 days: Reduced Vicodin to every 5 hours.
- +17 days: Reduced Vicodin to every 6 hours. Now at the lowest continuous dosage.
- +18 days (today): Plan to reduce Oxycontin from twice a day to once a day, which means no evening dose. Next step regarding Vicodin is to only take it before physical therapy, but I'm not going to try to stop continuous dosage until after reducing the Oxycontin.
Today marks three weeks since the surgery and I am very happy to finally feel just a little bit stronger. My next post-op appointment with Dr. Trice is tomorrow and I start outpatient physical therapy next Tuesday. Oh, we took off the steri-strips too so I have a new picture (GR 3).
Friday, April 9, 2010
Drugs
Thanks to everyone who left me notes. I needed them yesterday. :)
This surgery is really painful. I mean really really I used to be scared of the idea of childbirth and now couldn't be less worried about it painful. It takes a lot of drugs to get by, but I hate taking them. I hate the idea of dependence, I hate how the drugs confound my body, and I hate that I can't even have a glass of wine to look forward to in the evenings.
So, I keep trying to cut back on the drugs. Dr. Trice's office has helped by stepping me down with the drugs that they have prescribed, but a lot of it is up to me. Sometimes I have been successful and sometimes I have not, so I need to step it back up. I thought I would lay out how long it took me to take each step just as an example to others.
Home from hospital: 10 mg Oxycontin every 8 hours, 15 mg Oxycodone every 3 hours, 500 mg Tylenol every 4 hours
Home +3 days: Replaced Oxycodone and Tylenol with Vicodin (10 mg Hydrocodone and 325 mg acetaminophen per pill), taking 2 every 4 hours.
+6 days: I tried to take the Oxycontin every 12 hours, but had to go back to 8 hours.
+8 days: Successfully reduced Oxycontin to every 10 hours.
+9 days: I missed a pill of Oxycontin and things went all to heck. Decided I needed to fill the prescription for more.
+10 days: Changed the Vicodin to a weaker dose (7.5 mg Hydrocodone and 325 mg acetaminophen per pill), taking 2 every 4 hours.
+11 days: Got the prescription for more Oxycontin, but I believe it is a differently timed release since it can be taken only every 12 hours instead of 8-12 hours. It's still 10 mg.
+12 days: Changed Vicodin from 2 every 4 hours to 1 every 3 hours. This seems to be working so far.
Today is 13 days since I came home. My next two goals are to reduce the Vicodin to 1 every 4 hours and the Oxycontin to once a day.
So who wants to share a bottle of wine with me when I am free of this nonsense?
This surgery is really painful. I mean really really I used to be scared of the idea of childbirth and now couldn't be less worried about it painful. It takes a lot of drugs to get by, but I hate taking them. I hate the idea of dependence, I hate how the drugs confound my body, and I hate that I can't even have a glass of wine to look forward to in the evenings.
So, I keep trying to cut back on the drugs. Dr. Trice's office has helped by stepping me down with the drugs that they have prescribed, but a lot of it is up to me. Sometimes I have been successful and sometimes I have not, so I need to step it back up. I thought I would lay out how long it took me to take each step just as an example to others.
Home from hospital: 10 mg Oxycontin every 8 hours, 15 mg Oxycodone every 3 hours, 500 mg Tylenol every 4 hours
Home +3 days: Replaced Oxycodone and Tylenol with Vicodin (10 mg Hydrocodone and 325 mg acetaminophen per pill), taking 2 every 4 hours.
+6 days: I tried to take the Oxycontin every 12 hours, but had to go back to 8 hours.
+8 days: Successfully reduced Oxycontin to every 10 hours.
+9 days: I missed a pill of Oxycontin and things went all to heck. Decided I needed to fill the prescription for more.
+10 days: Changed the Vicodin to a weaker dose (7.5 mg Hydrocodone and 325 mg acetaminophen per pill), taking 2 every 4 hours.
+11 days: Got the prescription for more Oxycontin, but I believe it is a differently timed release since it can be taken only every 12 hours instead of 8-12 hours. It's still 10 mg.
+12 days: Changed Vicodin from 2 every 4 hours to 1 every 3 hours. This seems to be working so far.
Today is 13 days since I came home. My next two goals are to reduce the Vicodin to 1 every 4 hours and the Oxycontin to once a day.
So who wants to share a bottle of wine with me when I am free of this nonsense?
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