surgery on two limbs in a short period of time

[marylou]

My ankle surgeon is retiring in a few weeks. I need to have him do a certain procedure before he retires. My broken hand/wrist from last year is due to have screws removed any time now. I'm thinking of doing the surgeries back-to-back in order to minimize time lost. Anyone ever tried something like this? My thinking is it's going to hurt either way so why not do them as close together as possible to make it all hurt at once.

 

Any words for the foolhardy?

 

Thanks!

[chelle]

Never had it done personally. It depends on which two limbs and whether you can arrange for help with stuff at home and with life (like driving to rehab appointments) while you are recovering. Especially if you end up wheelchair bound for a time since using crutches will be hard if it is one arm/wrist and one leg/ankle. Will having them both repaired at the same time makes rehab of either difficult? If you've got the support and the surgeon doesn't object, I would go for it if this is the person you believe is best to do the work.

[Adam13]

I agree with Chelle. If you trust this person so much you want the surgeries done by them before they retire, then you should probably just go with whatever your surgeon says.

[marylou]

Different surgeons. Right hand, right ankle. Fortunately I am left-handed. As far as my personal mobility is concerned, I'm not worried too much having survived having casts on both feet at one point. I still don't think it's going to be a lot of fun though.

[i_like_sun]

I had screws removed from my ankle a few years ago and found the recovery from that surgery pretty easy. Which wrist bones are the screws in? And what kind or surgery is happening on your ankle?

 

Depending on that, I think you are right to think about having them done at the same time. Might as well get all your recovery over with all at once too!

[layton]

Double that shit up! Yes, it will suck but so much less time total sucking doing both together. I'm saving all my surgery for one big day.

[sk]

i gotta say i agree here. i want my misery all at one time and in as short an amount of time as possible. it's gunna suck though. call me if you want to chat.

[crackers]

Contrarian view. Get the ankle done now, and wait four weeks to get the wrist done. You know about my wife's ankle. There's so little blood down there that you want to give the ankle a headstart in recovery.

[billcoe]

Saw all that crap right off. Right off.

[marylou]

I had screws removed from my ankle a few years ago and found the recovery from that surgery pretty easy. Which wrist bones are the screws in? And what kind or surgery is happening on your ankle?

 

Depending on that, I think you are right to think about having them done at the same time. Might as well get all your recovery over with all at once too!

 

The wrist is getting four screws removed, quite a bit of metal in a pretty small bone/area. I actually had to wait at least a year after the original surgery so the bone would not be as vulnerable to breakage given the voids the screw removal will leave.

 

The ankle thing is also fairly minor yet a bit delicate. I have bone spurs on a couple different faces of my talus, will need multiple incisions including going under/around the Achilles to access the talus/heel joint. Hurts just thinking about that business.

 

I'm trying to put the surgeries as close together as possible also because the wrist is L and I, and I don't get PTO at my job. I can shorten overall recovery and recover the ankle on the wrist's L/I. I wish I'd thought of getting the ankle worked on last year when the wrist kept me home from work for five months. D'oh!

[billcoe]

Well good luck with it. I worked in the VA hospital after the Vietnam war.

 

More than 1 dude gave up on it and said "Saw the fucker off". That cronic pain thing is not fun at all.

 

At all.

 

Don't envy you. How did you get hurt?

[marylou]

More than 1 dude gave up on it and said "Saw the fucker off". That cronic pain thing is not fun at all.

 

At all.

 

Don't envy you. How did you get hurt?

 

One of the guys I work with fell off of a stage about 10 years ago. He is in so much pain still now that he now has a dotted line with pair of scissors tatooed all the way around his lower leg. I feel for the guy but boy howdy that tat creeps me OUT!

 

The ankle was from a fall at Skaha, the wrist from a very heavy piece of electrical cable being pulled away me very abruptly. The break's a clockwise spiral, just like the lay of the offending cable.

[Jim]

Had a shoulder operation and hernia done together. If they are both relative minor surgeries, ask the doctor, and if they agree go for it. ---Less time under anthesia and shorter healing time. Likely you have some work considerations as well. Best of luck.

[marylou]

Couple of problems with that. One is that the wrist is L/I, and I'd imagine splitting the bill between my private insurance and L/I might present problems. The other is that they don't have sugery priviliges at the same hospitals. I don't think it can work. I am leaning toward putting them 4 days-week apart to mitigate the mobility challenges. I got a feeling I'm not going to be able to drive for a while for one thing.

 

Should be scheduling the ankle work tomorrow AM after seeing the ankle guy. I'm a little scared since scheduling the surgeries makes it more "real" and I don't want to do it because really who likes having sugery?

[marylou]

Good news. I had the wrist done today, no problems, all four screws out in 22 mins in the OR. Just a local and a little IV of something that made me feel slighly groovy.

 

Next week, the biggie 2 hour ankle surgery.

 

 

[lizard_brain]

That's almost as good as at once...

[marylou]

Made it through #2 today. Dr. removed a couple of pretty good sized bone spurs that I think I'll be much happier without.

 

Time to settle in with the Percocet Pony for a few days....

[marylou]

Already not needing the crutches to walk. I can bear weight "as tolerated" and can walk in a kinda funny crabwalk type of way. Most of the time I am sitting or lying down with the ankle elevated to keep the swelling under control, but I have this weird thing going.

 

My legs are super duper ultra sore from walking funny. Ditto on my lower back. I'd love to soak in a hot bath, but can't get the ankle wet, and besides, warm would not do it any good. Not sure what to do except maybe get a massage. I'm sure I'm throwing everything out of alignment big time.

 

Cash is tight though, and insurance will not cover massage.

 

Any ideas? Any massage students needing a warm and slightly broken body? Yow!

[crackers]

You might consider accupuncture...it's done a ton of good for my wife.

[Stefan]

Already not needing the crutches to walk. I can bear weight "as tolerated" and can walk in a kinda funny crabwalk type of way. Most of the time I am sitting or lying down with the ankle elevated to keep the swelling under control, but I have this weird thing going.

 

My legs are super duper ultra sore from walking funny. Ditto on my lower back. I'd love to soak in a hot bath, but can't get the ankle wet, and besides, warm would not do it any good. Not sure what to do except maybe get a massage. I'm sure I'm throwing everything out of alignment big time.

 

Cash is tight though, and insurance will not cover massage.

 

Any ideas? Any massage students needing a warm and slightly broken body? Yow!

 

good to hear you doing some good.

 

surgery sux all the time.

[marylou]

Bah, it'll be healed up in no time. Now I gotta find a super low-impact way to get rid of the extra 20 I picked up babying this thing for way too long.

 

Anyone got ideas on that? Sounds corny, but I'm thinking maybe water aerobics.

[Stefan]

weightlifting.

 

just get some one gallon jugs. fill em with pebbles and find all sorts of ways to pick em up with your body.

 

the old way of gaining muscles in out. the new way is that "total mobility" moving while lifting.

 

milk jugs and rocks are cheap too, no monthly fees.

[sk]

Bah, it'll be healed up in no time. Now I gotta find a super low-impact way to get rid of the extra 20 I picked up babying this thing for way too long.

 

Anyone got ideas on that? Sounds corny, but I'm thinking maybe water aerobics.

 

 

thats actually a really great idea. i have been considering water aerobics as well.

[marylou]

It's now been 1.5 weeks since the ankle surgery, and I'm still bandaged up. This is the longest I've ever gone without being able to wear my orthotics since I got them, and boy are my feet getting sick of waiting.

 

Stitches finally come out end of the week though, yay.

[ClimbingPanther]

I am leaning toward putting them 4 days-week apart to mitigate the mobility challenges. I got a feeling I'm not going to be able to drive for a while for one thing.

 

and I got a feeling you've never met this guy:

 

 

"He once had a valid license, but it has been suspended several times since 1985, according to his attorney. He starts the car with his toes, shifts with his knee and steers with the stump of his left arm. He turns on the lights with his teeth."

 

lienki