I've gotta say...one of the worst parts about getting surgery is the paranoia that comes with recovery. In my case, the thing I'm most afraid of - now and after the first surgery - is a blood clot. Soooo one begins to Google.
This is obviously the worst possible thing to do. But here's the rub: with ankle surgery, especially if your foot/ankle/calf is immobilized afterward, you start to get muscle cramps like crazy because you can't contract and release your muscles, which is like their main purpose in life. So here you are with these calf cramps, and then you remember that something in all that post-op literature you got said that's a major symptom of blood clots. So you Google "blood clot symptoms", and start to get anxious when you see the calf cramps you're feeling. You feel the anxiety in your chest...and as you read on, you see that blood clot symptoms are not only cramps in your calf, but tightness in your chest!! And so on...
Anyway, it's scary. I don't have answers, but omg fuck Google for freaking me out ALL THE DAMN TIME. I'm so exhausted by it. I can't even advise you not to be scared because if it's really a blood clot you should be getting medical attention!! Ugh. So this time around I'm trying to stay away from Google, but it's hard, and I do have cramps in my calf and pains in my chest again...
I also freaked myself out about this pretty bad leading up to the surgery. Post surgery, I had to give myself an injection in the belly once a day for 14 days to prevent DVT.
ReplyDeleteIt was only at around day 10 when I bothered to read the box, which had this gem: "Made from Porcine Intestinal Mucosa".
So...I'd been injecting myself with pig intenstine mucous. As a vegetarian I was slightly queasy for a bit, but I didn't really mind. I probably would have been pissed if I was Jewish or Islamic, although I guess technically that isn't eating it.
Yes I hate google too. I am 6 weeks post ORIF and I swear I’m week 3 or week 4 I had calf pain for no flipping apparent reason. Was sure I had a blood clot in the back of my calf. Called the doctors office to find out if this is normal and they said I could go to ER for CT scan if I wanted. Gee thanks for that tid bit of advice. Anyways here I am 2 weeks later. Still alive. Thank you for mentioning this because nobody mentions this on the internet. Thanks for your blog. Your a hero! DeeDee
ReplyDeleteThanks DeeDee, and good luck healing! Stay off Google and have patience with yourself :)
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