Medical question re: pain (or complete lack thereof) after surgery

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Ok, so. Back in august, I underrotated a double layout on floor and overshot the mat I was supposed to land on, landing right on the edge. One foot was forced up much further than it was supposed to go. Went to the emergency room, yadda yadda yadda, stayed off it for several months but eventually it seemed to stop healing.

Went in for an MRI, they found what looked like a minor bone spur on the front of the talus, so I went in for surgery to get that removed. My surgery was monday.

After coming off of anesthesia, I learned that there was some further damage to the joint (I want to say it was to the cartilage, but I could be wrong -- I was, afterall, just coming off of anesthetics, and I don't remember it terribly well). They'd done all the necessary repairs, but expected the recovery to be long and painful (they estimated six weeks before I could even walk on it again). They prescribed me some pretty powerful meds (like, the kind you get arrested for if you don't have a prescription) for the pain I would likely be feeling the next day.

I've hardly touched the pain meds. I've had zero pain in that ankle since the surgery. None. Hasn't bothered me in the slightest.

Come to think of it, it didn't really hurt at all when I injured it either -- I just couldn't walk on it. At the time, I attributed it to a massive adrenaline high, but I don't remember it hurting once that wore off either.

Any theories as to why this might be? I mean, logically, that ankle should be hurting like crazy right now, and the doctors obviously expected it to, or they wouldn't have given me a bottle of narcotics.

Obviously I'm not complaining, but my curiosity is piqued.

Also, can anybody think of another place I might be able to post this that might allow me to get thoughts from more medical professionals?

 

[Deleted member D3987]

glad to hear you're okay!

 

[bogwoppit]

My Dad was in agony for two yeras with hip pain. A month ago he had hip replacement, when he woke up the pain was gone. He has hardly suffered a twinge since them, not really any post surgical pain.

Just be grateful for every pain free moment.

You could post it on medhelp.org, my buddy says it's pretty good for real doctors advice.

 

[MdGymMom01]

When I had L4/L5 disc surgery back in 1993, I was in the most excrutiating pain for about 6 continuous weeks up until the surgery (the disc was bulging and pressing on my nerve). But immediately after the surgery, I was pretty much pain-free. The pressure on the nerve was relieved and the pain in the site of the incision wasn't even that bad. I guess maybe my pain tolerance was so high from the pinched nerve and all that the surgery pain was nothing.

Maybe you just have a very high pain tolerance as well. Glad to hear your surgery went well!!

 

[emandelsmom]

Glad you are better. I was going to say that maybe you have such a high pain tolerance that you have gotten used to the pain and it doesn't hurt you now. I have noticed that they prescribe painkillers very easily on the premise that it should hurt. After having my appendix removed a few years ago I was sent home with a bottle of stuff. I think I took one or 2 for the initial pain and quickly moved on to advil. Hope you continue to heal that easily.

 

[gym law mom]

Ok, the down and dirty of why narcotics are just about always prescribed after surgery---especially ortho surgery. Most people have some discomfort and EXPECT a strong pain med whether they need it or not. Docs don't want to get a call after hours because they sent you home telling you to just take Tylenol and well, that didn't do a thing and you're in agony. So, they err on the side of giving prescription analgesics. If you don't need them, then don't use them. Everyone handles pain and deals with it differently.

I assume the ankle is immobilized right now. You may have some pain once you start your rehab. Yes, be grateful for a pain free post op time and possibly a very good surgeon.

 

[bpatient]

Come to think of it, it didn't really hurt at all when I injured it either -- I just couldn't walk on it. At the time, I attributed it to a massive adrenaline high, but I don't remember it hurting once that wore off either.?

You might just be lucky: Pain tolerance is quite variable, both between individuals (e.g., redheads may require more anesthesia, boxer Mike Tyson not so much) and in one part of your body vs. another.

You might not be so lucky: It's possible that you sustained nerve damage. (Other ankle injuries of similar severity (grade III sprains) commonly include nerve damage.)

You should consider requesting a thorough neurological exam. The results of that exam could influence your physical therapy and help you to understand how to recover completely.

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

You might just be lucky: Pain tolerance is quite variable, both between individuals (e.g., redheads may require more anesthesia, boxer Mike Tyson not so much) and in one part of your body vs. another.

You might not be so lucky: It's possible that you sustained nerve damage. (Other ankle injuries of similar severity (grade III sprains) commonly include nerve damage.)

You should consider requesting a thorough neurological exam. The results of that exam could influence your physical therapy and help you to understand how to recover completely.

I don't think it's nerve damage; I can still move everything fine, and I can feel my toes and I can feel the inside of my cast.

 

[bpatient]

Hi,

You may simply be lucky, then, that you aren't experiencing pain. That could be excellent. (However, there can be a down side to that: FWIW, I can tell you that the surgeon that repaired my knee some years ago remarked that I was similarly lucky, in that I had experienced only moderate pain from an injury that many people think is quite painful; unfortunately, that good luck allowed me to exacerbate the problem by delaying surgery and therapy.)

Also FWIW, much of the nerve damage associated with ankle injuries doesn't affect movement or sensation of pressure or pain so much as proprioception, in this case the ability to know how your foot is positioned in space. This can be addressed through physical therapy; it's also one likely reason that taping an injured ankle can be helpful: the feeling of the tape on your skin helps you to understand the position of your foot. Your therapist will want you to emphasize this aspect of your recovery, since as soon as you recover you'll be doing things that most people never dream of doing, and you'll want to do everything you can to minimize the chance of another injury.

Because I've broken both ankles, I can understand something of what you're experiencing now. It takes time and hard work to recover, but you can recover. Good luck.