Anybody had metalwork removed after a fracture? Ankles in particular..

[mawbroon]

I broke my ankle in January and have got a 73mm plate up the outside with 6 screws, and two long screws on the inside.

The screws on the outside are visible under my skin and the first three stick out quite far. The ortho consultant agreed that it would be best if they came out, so I have a date for the surgery in a couple of weeks time.

Has anyone had this done? The consultant was very nonchelant about it, almost as if I was just getting my toenails trimmed or something, and told me there wouldn't be more than a couple of days of pain. I find this hard to believe, but hey, he's the consultant!!

Can anyone share their experience? Both good and bad please.

thanks Norbert . doing ok.

ohnelly - to answer your questions:

I got all the metalwork out. The consultant said he might as well take it all out to save me having to come back, should the long screws on the inside start bothering me.

I took a pair of elbow crutches from the physio, but only really used them outside and tbh, more as a visual so that others could see I wasn't entirely steady on my feet.

I had it done on thursday and drove a short distance on the saturday, and then not again until the following wednesday. Mainly just because I wasn't doing the school run, it would have been ok I'm sure.

I could weightbear straight away. I chose a spinal, so that didn't wear off for a good few hours, but could put weight on straight away once my legs were my own again!. I had no bone pain, just pain from the incisions. I only took 2 of the tramadol tabs they gave me and only needed paracetemol and ibuprofen for a couple of days. Absolutely nothing like the pain after the original surgery.

The sorest bit was the bruising from the thinggy that they use to hold the incision open. I have been wearing a croc on that foot because my shoe rubs the staples, but I am getting them out tomorrow, so perhaps will get shoes on tomorrow.

Hope you get another date for your op soon, it's a pain waiting I'm sure

Hi Mawbroon, thanks for reply. Still waiting for date but not in a rush to get it done before xmas anyway so wasnt too bothered about cancellation. I am being knocked out to have mine done - dont know why instead of spinal. I actually had spinal when I had it all put in as I was pregnant at the time & they didnt want to knock me out, more risky for baby. I have a pre-op at end of the month anyway so will know more then

They wanted to knock me out too ohnelly, but I just don't like the idea of GA tbh.

I was pg too when I had the original operation!! It was in Jan this year and I was 34 weeks with ds2 who was born whilst I was wearing an orthopaedic boot!

Because I was pg, they wouldn't give me a GA and the anaesthetist wasn't keen on sedating me either, so I was wide awake when they did it. It wasn't particularly pleasant, and I had my iPod to drown out the drilling noises etc. i did have to turn it up at one point [eek]

It all feels much better since I got my staples out this afternoon, although there is a bit of the wound still a bit weepy. HOpefully it will clear up soon.

Its been more than a year since did mine last sep, was only 10weeks pregnant & hadnt announced it yet! Was ok by the time DS2 was born. Did you have as many staples the second time? think I had about 25 the first time . At least I can have painkillers this time, you must have been in the same situation as me only allowed paracetemol which did bugger all for the pain!

Oh thats what I was going to ask - have they cut where the original scar is or have you now got even more of a scar? Hope you dont mind all these questions

He cut the original scar out. I noticed today that there is about 1cm of the original scar on the outside still, so the new incision wasn't quite as long as the original. The inside one does seem a bit longer though. I had 17 staples I think. 10 on the outside and 7 on the inside and by jings it nips when they take them out. I had 30 when I had a CS for ds1 though and 17 or so after the original ankle surgery, so I knew already that it's sore!!

OMG, yes, the lack of pain relief was awful at the time for the fracture and surgery. I was allowed paracetamol, iburprofen and the occasional dihydrocodeine if I wanted it, but hey don't take too many cos your baby might get addicted!! I did get a couple of shots of morphine when I was in hospital though. I would go as far as saying that the pain of childbirth was not as bad as the pain post surgery But I can assure you, it really wasn't bad this time.

Oh, and don't get your hopes up for too many answers at your pre op appointment! I came home none the wiser because most of the questions I had were answered with "that's up to the surgeon" or "you'll have to ask the anaesthetist" and of course I didn't get to speak to them until the day.

Obviously I don't know if you want a GA or would prefer another spinal, but when I had my chat with the anaesthetist, she was happy for me to have a spinal, even though she had already decided that I should have a GA. I was kind of glad when I was aware of everyone in the recovery ward coming round from their GAs moaning and wailing and being sick etc. Didn't fancy that much!!

I had pins and a wire taken out of my kneecap, it was a really simple and quick operation, in and out in a day, much different from the two ops and four month recovery when they went in! It felt fantastic afterwards, as the wire had been scratching my skin from the inside, eurrgh.

I know someone who had similar porcupine. She said she had been in real pain from the wire and got instant relief when it was removed.

I have been lucky that there's been no pain from the metalwork, except if I wore shoes or boots that the sticking out bit rubbed on. The thought of wire scratching from the inside does kind of give me the heebie geebies!!