Omg, I'm living a nightmare that never ends.
Posted , 4 users are following.
So as some of you may recall, I had lateral ligament reconstruction and peroneal tendon graft done in August.
My surgeon repeatedly blew off my concerns while recovering, after 2 accidents in October and November. He insisted there was nothing wrong, and got snarky when I told him I wanted a 2nd opinion.
I went for that in December, my new surgeon deciding I had valid concerns. He wanted to rule out rheumatoid arthritis and nerve damage.
I wound up having an MRI last month. My rheumatologist said it didn't show RA, which was good. She only said that there was some ligament issues. She never elaborated.
I saw my surgeon this morning and got news I never expected. After receiving a tentative diagnosis of complex regional pain syndrome by the rheumatologist, I was floored by what my surgeon was telling me.
He read the report, but wished he had the scans to review himself. He told me that the ligament had stretched out again. He then examined my ankle, asking lots of questions about the pain.
He told me that it was possible that he'd have to do surgery. He then did a freezing procedure to test if surgery would help.
He'd printed out the report and gave me a copy. When he came back into the room to test my pain level, I asked him what the split tendon finding was all about.
He explained to me what it was, and that he would possibly have to surgically repair that. We confirmed the result of his pain test. It meant that surgery was now urgent.
He now has to repair the ligament stretching. That will mean a new scar. He said that if he opened my ankle and found it was rat sh!t, he was going to have to open the ankle up further. If he has to repair the tendon, he will have to do a new incision, he will not use the original. He says that it will turn into a major procedure.
Now it will be another 6 weeks off my feet, stuck upstairs where no one wants me.
Surgery is in 3 weeks.
0 likes, 30 replies
kristina73093
Posted
jenni_24876 kristina73093
Posted
kristina73093
Posted
It is now Saturday evening, I've been home for about 5 hours. I nearly died several times, it's been one thing after another.
Upon waking up after surgery, I had pain management issues from the start. I had to be put on a pain pump and on a catheter as I couldn't pee either.
They moved me up to a room, and things got worse. They put me on pain killers that surpressed my breathing.
I slept so little that night because every time I dozed off, I would wake up not breathing.
They moved me to a monitored bed Thursday afternoon where it was found that my oxygen levels were dangerously low. I statted as low as 68%.
Thursday evening, I wound up choking on bread, turned blue and my sats never returned to normal.
I was on a catheter Wednesday and Thursday night as I went more than 12 hours without peeing during the day.
I saw my surgeon yesterday and asked him how the surgery went. One thing that stood out is that the previous surgeon did not perform the tendon graft.
He told me that there was so much scar tissue surrounding the tendon that he would have done more harm than good in trying to repair it.
So there were less odds off success right from the get go. I will be in permanent pain.
kristina73093
Posted
So it's Sunday evening, I just got back home from a harrowing visit to the emergency room.
The nursing staff at the other hospital was so incompetent that they missed my lungs filling with fluid.
The symptoms I had were a swollen left leg, shortness of breath, chest tightness, low oxygen levels and crackles in my lungs. No pain or anything else.
A blood clot was ruled out by CT scan, that's where the fluid was found. They gave me Lasix and I peed 10 times, so fluid is definitely a problem.
Hopefully with a few days on Lasix pills, things will get better.
RichardKen kristina73093
Posted
How horrible for you. I do hope things will improve soon.
Cheers Richard
jenni_24876 kristina73093
Posted
So pleased they're sorting you out. The scariest is the not knowing. Education is the key to good recovery
kristina73093
Posted
It is now 3 weeks post op. Unfortunately my mental health was so unstable, I was admitted to the mental health ward for 2 weeks and just got home yesterday.
I'm a little more stable now, but seeing my psychiatrist is the next step in recovery.
I have lost about 15lbs since surgery, I haven't been eating properly since then. Just have had little to no appetite, and it hurts my stomach to eat.
Yesterday while getting into the accessible taxi to go home, I unfortunately jammed my bad foot into something, and an afraid that I've done some damage to the surgical site.
I'm waiting to hear back from my surgeons secretary, hopefully we can figure out if I need to see my surgeon now, or if I can wait 3 more weeks until my cast comes off.
I'll update when I can.
kristina73093
Posted
As for jamming my ankle, the surgeon said the cast should have protected my ankle from injury, and said to wait until my next appointment to see him.
kristina73093
Posted
Today I got out of the cast and into the walking boot. It feels different, but I'm glad to be out of it and able to shower.
Now I'm in the boot for up to 6 weeks and start physio Monday. Surgeon is happy with the work he was able to do.
RichardKen kristina73093
Posted
Thanks for the update glad it is going well for you. Yes it is a liberating feeling being able to have a shower!
Cheers Richard
kristina73093 RichardKen
Posted
It's going ok that way. Unfortunately though, the tendon will be a problem for the rest of my life. On Wednesday I start ketamine infusions, hopefully they will help with the chronic pain.