Acetaminophen or Ibuprofen???
Posted , 8 users are following.
Greetings all. I am soon entering my 8th week post op from ankle break. There have been improvements for sure yet, the swelling, redness, angry looking wounds concern me. I will see my Doc this coming week with the hopes of ditching the boot.
I do elevate, ice, foot soaks, have been using acetaminophen at night.
Would switching to anti-inflammatory, ibuprofen work better?
Other ideas, tips?
Thank you in advance.
0 likes, 17 replies
ann30953 diane86522
Posted
I used both for a short while. They work in different ways. Now I use acetaminophen tablets with a topical anti-inflammatory gel on my ankle. Check with your doctor about using both.
diane86522 ann30953
Posted
Hi Ann, will do. Thank you.
Llamalah diane86522
Posted
Hi Diane,
I would say try the ibuprofen. I am at week 13 post op/break and still use it on occasion.
In your example, if your only using it at night, this should be ok. The main concern with ibuprofen is that extended use can cause stomach ulcers. The hospital had me taking it for the first two weeks post break every six hours, combined with acetaminophen with endone for the first week then just the ibuprofen/acetaminophen combo for the second.
Then I didn't really need any pain meds, so I was taking ibuprofen maybe every few days when the swelling was bad.
See if you can get some physio/massage cream with arnica in it. This will help with pain and swelling.
Use cream with vitamin E in it on the scar. this helps reduce the scarring. also just good for moisturising your whole foot after so long without proper care and being stuck in the boot.
diane86522 Llamalah
Posted
Hello "L"
Very good, thank you my dear.
winnie4801 diane86522
Posted
Ask your doctor first, my ortho specialist told me to stay away from ibuprofen for the first 8-10 weeks because it has been shown to interfere with bone healing. I also cant take the amount needed because it causes terrible stomach irritation. Always rely on your doctors advice and google everything.
From Google
"Is ibuprofen bad for bone healing?
The reason for concern. All non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory medications, including ibuprofen, block the production of prostaglandins, which are chemicals made by the body to help the healing of broken bones. When these chemicals are blocked, theoretically, bone healing can be delayed."
kathleen62887 diane86522
Posted
Hello Diane, I am now 17 weeks out from my ORIF surgery on my ankle (both sides). Plate and 8 screws on the outside and two on the inside of my right ankle. I started physical therapy at 5 weeks after surgery, in my opinion way too early. Anyway, I only used acetaminophen from doctors orders. No Ibuprofen at all until doctor says its okay. I am still on crutches just to let you know. Don't overdue it in physical therapy. When they say to put weight on it to see how much weight you can bear, please, please, please only do it until you feel the slightest of pain. I now have bone bruises and am still out of work getting into more weight bearing without pain. Good LUCK for you and your recovery.
diane86522 kathleen62887
Posted
Oh my Heavens, thank you all for the very good info. I sincerely appreciate every bit of it!!!!!!
Anklesurgery kathleen62887
Posted
I think I am in the same boat as you. I started physical therapy 4 weeks post op and my therapist told me a week later I should be full weight bearing. I noticed I have bruising as well
kathleen62887 Anklesurgery
Posted
Hi there, sorry to hear. I had surgery on 03/04/19
I am still in therapy. Just got dry needling done for the pain in my foot/leg now.
My ankle has healed well. I have GREAT range of motion with my ankle. It is my foot that I screwed up by pressing and pushing all my weight onto it WAY TOO EARLY. I am still not working. I just want the pain to go away. It has eased up today because of the needling. Please don't put weight on it if it hurts.
Roberta265 kathleen62887
Posted
Your advice regarding weight bearing was encouraging to me. I'm almost 7 weeks post op from a calcaneal osteotomy, gastro recession and tge removal of toe hardware from last year's surgery. I am in a boot and been weight bearing
for 3 weeks. While at my therapy, my therapist has me wear my shoe. One of the exercises she keeps having
me do is to balance on my hurt foot without holding on. This is excruciating for me and i can't even bear one
second. I can manage holding on, but I can't letting go She keeps pushing that. I'm almost at the point of refusing to
do that exercise
Anklesurgery kathleen62887
Posted
Hi. I am so sorry to hear that. That is what I'm afraid of, my therapist one day will say my range is decent then the next she will say im not where I should be, and my doctor is a great doctor surgically wise but bedside wise he has been arrogant, non information, & just keeps asking me when I want to return to work. It seems as if that is the main goal, how fast I can return to work rather than how my body is healing. I had my 8 week post op. yesterday and he didn't even go over my xrays with me. When I asked for them he huffed and puffed and said I could take a picture with my phone but did not even mention how the healing is going.
I mentioned that I feel the large screw after high activity/therapy and he stated its not the screw its my bone but my therapist told me it is the screw. Its just so frustrating. my therapist also reduced my therapy down to 2 days a week after just 5 sessions of therapy which I didnt understand as I just begun and the doctor wrote a new prescription again of 3x a week.
I hope you feel better soon, thank you for your reassurance
kathleen62887 Roberta265
Posted
I'm glad I was able to help encourage you. This is such torture to me still. Now that I can bear weight and am using one crutch, the pain is still all in the same places as when I first pushed my weight so darn hard back in April/May. Fighting with Dr.s office to send the correct info to insurance companies and dealing with pain is the pits. Still out of work and suffering through, but I will get there. So will you. Good luck to us all.!!!!
melissa91009 diane86522
Posted
Both are perfectly fine and work well together. I was on two weeks of anti-inflammatory medications after all my ankle surgeries and they helped alot. Angry red wound is ok as long you don't have temperatures and oozing from the wound that's green or yellow pus. Some yellow sticky discharge ok . Take Care. Melissa x
melissa91009 diane86522
Posted
Just check with your surgeon before any medication changes though. ☺ x
melissa91009 diane86522
Posted
sorry, by yellow sticky discharge, I mean clear discharge. x
diane86522 melissa91009
Posted
Melissa, no worries. Frankly, I hate any oozy stuff from a wound. Could have never made it in the nursing field.
Many thanks.- D