Tuesday, September 20, 2011

12 Hours Post-Surgery

Its now 10:30pm, 12 hours after my bunionectomy. Since my last update I have noticed some of the numbing wearing off on the right (outer) side of my foot. I can feel my last two toes and their joints, which feel swollen and difficult to move. My pain level is now at a 1, meaning I am beginning to feel discomfort and very little pain. (On a scale of 1-10, 1 would be very little pain and 10 would be extreme pain). I did unwrap the ACE bandage on the foot and re-wrap it loosely, which seemed to help relieve some of the pressure on the toes I can feel. And taking off the boot for just a few minutes to re-wrap the ACE bandage also helped me to feel a little bit more comfortable.

At 8pm, I took another Demerol (which would be 3 hours after my last dose). And then again at 9pm, I took another one. I have no nausea from the Demerol or from anything else, so I have not taken any of the Phenergan since I got the script filled. After I took the two doses of Demerol at 8pm and 9pm, I realized I hadn't ate anything and soon after noticed some indigestion. I took two Tums and they seemed to help right away. So now, I am eating some leftovers to help curb my appetite through the night and have something on my stomach. I seem to have a slight headache (maybe from caffeine withdrawal - I usually drink a couple cups of coffee or glasses of sweet tea a day and have missed having them today). I am a little surprised that the Demerol is not taking my headache away...hmm. So I decided to have someone fix me a small cup of coffee to see if that will alleviate my headache. I definitely don't want to drink too much caffeine with the medication I am taking. The last thing I need is to get nauseous at this point! I also have only iced my foot once today, which was shortly after I arrived home. I plan to try that next to help with the swelling. (The suggestion of putting an ice pack on the foot for 15 minutes out of an hour was optional, depending on the swelling and pain/discomfort level. This is not something they ask you to do EVERY hour, but it is a guide for the MAXIMUM amount of time to leave ice on your foot.)

The only other discomfort I am noticing is I can't seem to get comfortable sitting up.  My leg is also getting tired from being in the elevated position for so many hours. Laying down will be my best option to relieve that. I will still be able to elevate my foot, but just turning on my side to elevate it that way will help. I think I will be ready to sleep again soon. By staying awake most of the day (except for a short 30-minute nap I took) I am hoping that I can sleep through the night tonight. I am planning to get to sleep by 11pm and basically sleep until my next dose of Demerol, which will be at 1am. And hopefully, I will be able to sleep for another 4 hours after that.

During the next 24 hours from now, it will be imperative for me to take my pain medication as often as prescribed (a maximum of 2 Demerol at a minimum of every 4 hours). Once the numbing wears off, which is usually 12-24 hours after surgery, the only thing that will help the pain will be the Demerol, elevating the foot to keep swelling down and also icing it as the swelling becomes uncomfortable. If I miss a dose or am late taking the Demerol, the pain level will continue rising and will be very difficult to get back down to a tolerable level. I expect that tomorrow (Wednesday) will be more painful for me, so I am determined to keep it under control.

I'll check back in for an update later. Buenas noches! (Good night!)

~Laura

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