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Jenny injures her ankle at Mammoth

Jilly

Moderator
Staff member
Wahoo.....so all is good so far.....I bet you're relieved. Don't forget your meds!!
 

newboots

Angel Diva
Thinking of you, Jenny! Rest and let the pain meds flow. You’ll have enough pain with PT. Don’t forget the prunes. Or Miralax - mix with water and you almost can’t tell it’s there!
 

Jenny

Angel Diva
Thinking of you, Jenny! Rest and let the pain meds flow. You’ll have enough pain with PT. Don’t forget the prunes. Or Miralax - mix with water and you almost can’t tell it’s there!
Ha! PT pain is so far in the future as to not be on the radar yet! He told DH it would be the full 8 weeks non weight-bearing.

We'll go out tomorrow and get more supplies.

So, pain meds. They say 1-2 pills every 4-6 hours. Since I still have the nerve block I figured I’d start with 1 every 6 hours and adjust as necessary once I can actually feel something. So far, it doesn't seem that they make me loopy, although I can feel some head pressure, mostly in my ears. At least they don't make me vomit, like they do DH. Whenever the block wears off and the real pain comes through I’ll be able to re-assess the princess/martyr pain scale response again!
 

vickie

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
A doctor told me years ago to Stay Ahead of the Pain! He warned me to not wait for the pain to get bad and then take the prescription meds. I have No Idea why he felt the need to warn me. :rolleyes:

He said that every pain med has its threshold. If the pain gets above that threshold, the med will do no good. He told me to not wait, but to just take the pills. Sheesh ... ok, Doc!

So you took 1 pill. Great! Now, after 4 hours, take TWO. That should be close to bedtime. If you wake up 4 to 6 hours later, maybe take 2 more. If you decide to back off to 1 pill tomorrow, take it every 4 hours. And tomorrow night, consider taking 2 at bedtime. You need sleep and you do not want to wake up in pain. I understand testing your pain, but do it during normal waking hours.
 

Jenny

Angel Diva
Oh, I set the alarm to go off at 1:00 am so I wouldn’t miss it. But you're right, maybe for sleep's sake. Should take two then and set the alarm for 6 hours. And it's not about testing the pain limits, but observing what happens. I'm not a hero - will totally take the pills, but would like to take the minimum necessary.

I got such different ranges for the nerve block duration that I don't even know what to expect. It's certainly a weird thing to have this dead appendage. I can watch DH pinch my toes to make sure I have circulation, and feel nothing.

By staying awake now I can also religiously follow the 20 minute on/20 minutes off icing protocol. He's getting awfullly tired of hopping up and down whenever the timer goes off.
 

newboots

Angel Diva
Way to keep DH working! Every 20 minutes!
 

Tvan

Angel Diva
@Jenny thanks for the update. I’ve been thinking about you and wondering how you were doing. It sounds like you absolutely made the right decision!

You are getting useful advice on pain management ... and prunes!!
 

Jenny

Angel Diva
Payback for that shoulder surgery
He had a cryo cuff for that - a lot less work for me than this is for him! I asked about it but the nurse said they don't work for this because the dressing is so gigantic that the cold wouldn't make it through. I have to ice the back of my knee, to,cool the blood down before it gets to the ankle.

Here's a picture:

image.jpg
 

nopoleskier

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Holy moly!! Wow- they weren't kidding when they said your Dr. likes to bandage! I hope the pain is lessening and the healing process goes well. thinking of you!
 

Jenny

Angel Diva
Holy moly!! Wow- they weren't kidding when they said your Dr. likes to bandage! I hope the pain is lessening and the healing process goes well. thinking of you!
No pain yet, nerve block still in effect. I know it will hurt when it wears off, but it's really weird not feeling anything. I can’t exactly describe it but there is some sort of sensation sometimes. Like when you feel your toes are crumpled up in the ski boot, so you have to take it off and reseat your foot, even though you KNOW your toes aren’t all folded up in there.
 

2ski2moro

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I agree with the "Stay Ahead of the Pain" advice. The news is bombarding us with the opium crisis, but this is not your problem now. Take the pills as ordered and get relief.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery.
 

Jenny

Angel Diva
Yes, I’m not worrying about the opioid crisis at this point!

Got the full benefit of the nerve block, that's for sure. I’d say the full effect pretty much lasted 36 hours, which was the high end of the range I was given. It's still partially in effect, as my foot and toes are not back to normal. They kind of tingle still, but I can definitely feel the pain now. Like everything else so far, it's not as bad as I expected it to be, but that could also be because I am religious about the pills, icing, elevating, etc. Or I'm a total pessimist. Whichever, I can live with this, for now.
 

Jenny

Angel Diva
Day three of my captivity. Pain level is great - but is it because I’ve been taking two pills every five hours instead of only one? Enquiring minds want to know . . . and may find out soon.

Got some more info on the nerve block, which would have been nice to know ahead of time. Apparently this half asleep, tingling feeling can last for a couple of weeks! But as long as I can wiggle my toes and they are a normal color, then it's ok.

And maybe it's still dulling the pain, too. Whatever - it's better than it was yesterday, pain-wise, so if that's the worst of it then I'm doing great.

Now I just feel silly sitting here. But elevating and icing are my job right now, so that's what I’m doing. I'm the best elevator/icer that I can be.
 

newboots

Angel Diva
But elevating and icing are my job right now, so that's what I’m doing. I'm the best elevator/icer that I can be.

You forgot reading novels and listening to podcasts!
 

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