Hi, my question is in reference to my mother, and I thank you in advance for taking the time to offer any opinions you may have!
About 2 months ago, my mother was accidentally tripped at school by one of her students. When she fell, she fell into a bookcase and spiral fractured her distal humerus bone. A local orthopedic surgeon performed emergency surgery, inserting a rod, screw etc. to fix the fracture.
It has now been 8 weeks since the surgery, and my mother continues to be such intense pain that she can’t sleep, and often fights back the tears that have never easily come to her.
She has been in physical therapy for 4 weeks now, and her pain has not improved. When asking her doc about the pain, he has almost blown her off saying it was a bad break and that it takes time.
Now for the pain management side of the issue. She has tried Darvocet, Tramadol, and Hydrocodone. She has to be fairly careful in this area, as she has a very touchy stomach, and hiatal hernia that have been big problems for her in the past. Her GI docs have strongly warned against anything that could possibly irritate her stomach lining (ibuprofen etc…).
So in summary, we have a very active 59 year old woman with a high pain tolerance who (8 weeks out of surgery) continues to have pain so intense in her arm that she every day insists that it has to be broken in other places. The two big questions are: 1.) Is this pain abnormal, or is it simply just this painful to recover? and 2.) What alternatives could she try to get her pain under control?
Thank you to any of you kind people who can offer some help, my mother and entire family are thankful!
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Just looking for some real-life experience! Broke both my radius and ulna…have two plates and screws holding each of the bones together. Anyone out there have experience with similar situation? How long in a hard cast? Physical therapy? And does the pain EVER get better???
I haven’t worked since August 2002. I’m on disability. I was approved the first time. I’ve been working very hard in rehab to improve, and I finished 17 months of physical therapy in March, (I’m still doing PT, but on my own now). The doctors still have not cleared me to work yet – they aren’t going to clear me until pain is under control and I’m off narcotics, and I’m still on narcotics and I still don’t have pain under control. But I”m trying. I want to work very bad- especially since my wife died and I”m here all day. But how do you deal with the gap, everyone I spoke with requires recent experience. That won’t be the case for me. Most likely I will have to find something else to do and start over. I just don’t know what that might be. Should I just let the DVR handle dealing with the employers? I don’t know.
And by that I mean longer than a year, and you’ve tried a lot of different therapies?
I’ll admit, I never went for acupuncture, but I’ve been through a chiropractor, several pain specialists, physical therapy, tens units, meds, you name it…been there, done that. I’ve had surgery on my neck twice, and now they’re talking about my lumbar spine.
When I deal with the docs, I sometimes want to scream. I have one to two good ones,but along the way, I’ve run into some serious jerks. I’ve been disturbed reading this section of Answers, when people ask about using pain drugs to get high. I know people go to doctors seeking drugs for a buzz, and it makes me nuts because it makes it all the harder when you actually need them.
So tell me your story?
And spare me please, if you believe you can just think “happy thoughts” and get past pain.
I guess it would be nice to know I am not in this alone…so?
I had both knees replaced 2 months ago physical therapy has become alot more painful on one leg,it is to the point that my doctor has had me stop therapy and I go back and see him next week.What esle can be done for my pain?
I had surgery on my foot 3 months ago and apparently the Dr. sewed up a nerve during the surgery and I’m having pain.
I tried anti-inflammatories, pain meds, physical therapy and now 2 weeks ago he gave me a cortisone shot. It felt great the first week and now it feels the same as it did before the shot.
I thought cortisone is supposed to work for months? Is it possible it only helped me for a week?
I was in a car wreck 7 months ago. i was the passenger in the front seat and someone pulled out in front of us. We tried to stop but ended up hitting the side of there car. ive been to an orthopedic who put me through physical therapy 3 months and now ive started continuing chiropractic care for 4 months now. They have done an MRI and x-rays but everything comes back normal. in my mind i can pinpoint the exact location of where my neck hurts but its hard to explain it to the specialists. ive gone to 2 diff. doctors. 2 diff. chiropractors and 1 therapy doctor. Im running out of options and still in pain. Is there really something wrong with me or what?! i just need someone elses view of what i should do and why the doctors arent finding somethin. am i doing something wrong?
thanks
I am working as a physical therapy teche. I have only been there for about a month. I am interested in PTA. What type of schooling is required?
I fell on feb 2 I hurt my back and shoulder. I stopped being in so much pain then I started physical therapy and now i am back in pain. They say its a muscle sprain. How long will this pain last. I’m ready to go back to being my old self again.
I had ACL/Meniscus surgery about 2 months ago. I’ve been religiously going to physical therapy at first twice a week and the last 4 weeks, once a week. How much longer will I need to go? My knee feels pretty strong now. I still can’t go up stairs more than 3 steps and I have trouble swatting down. I have a 126 degree bend.