Broken elbow please advise

[Saladcreamsandwich]

2 weeks ago I broke my elbow in a bad fall. I had an operation and 2 plates inserted. All went well and now I am at home recovering. During the op the surgeon had to move the ulnar nerve about and I now have what they describe as a “grumpy nerve” which is causing pins and needles and pain in my wrist and hand. They say it will take a while to settle down. It’s just protesting.
i just dont feel I am getting better. I am in constant pain. I cant cut down the painkillers. I only sleep for an hour or two at a time. I have totally lost my appetite and feel sick.
i am getting really anxious now. Has anyone got any experience of anything like this? Should I still be in this state after 2 weeks?

Are you elevating your arm? Any swelling will cause tingling. Try sitting on the couch with your arm on the arm of the chair, as ideally you want your elbow above your heart. Also move your fingers and wrist to encourage any swelling to go away.
Are you having any physio?

I would contact the fracture clinic department at the hospital you had the surgery at. I would have thought they would expect some improvement by 2 weeks.

What painkillers are you taking?

Hello nursemumma92 I went to the fracture clinic for my first post op appointment. They checked my records and said the surgeon had noted he had had to move the ulnar nerve. They say the nerve irritation will get better but it will take a while maybe months. They were pleased with the wound healing and the range of movement.

I think I didn’t appreciate how painful it’s going to be. It wakes me up at night. They gave me a hand splint to wear at night but it makes the pain and pins and needles 100 per cent worse so I am not using it any more. I just prop my arm up on pillows.
i have my first physio session tomorrow. Until now I’ve been doing some exercises they gave me after the op. The exercises make the nerve pain worse.
i was just hoping to be reassured that this nerve pain will get better eventually and a long recovery is normal. I am taking codeine, paracetemol, ibuprofen and oral morphine. I feel generally really poorly, tired, sick and very low.

Two weeks is nothing in an injury like this. You probably had some soft tissue damage as well, these sort of injuries can take 2-3 months to recover.

Hi @Saladcreamsandwich I broke my elbow almost 10 years ago, & had an op to pin and plate the joint. I damaged my radial nerve (it was pierced by the fractured bone) & had no wrist or finger extension for about 7 months. The good news is all healed well & I have full function of my arm, hand & fingers. It was very painful though, & yes absolutely miserable trying to sleep & just be comfortable for a while.

Two weeks is not a long time in terms of recovery & I would suggest too early to start trying to reduce pain meds. I would advise taking the pain meds at regular intervals (safe intervals as specified by your Dr or the patient information leaflet that came with the meds) so that you are topping up pain relief before each dose wears off.

I slept on the sofa for the first couple of weeks because I found it more comfortable. I couldn’t turn over in bed, but on the sofa I could support my broken arm more easily & use the sofa back to lever my self up if that makes sense.

Physio was great for me , it really helped get movement & strength back in my arm. You will probably need to wait a few weeks before you can start physio. I doubt you could do I exercises with a cast or dressings, but once those are gone it REALLY helps. I ended up making a private appointment to see a physio as there was a long wait for a NHS appointment & I didn’t want to wait. I’m really glad I did, I think the physio was really essential for getting a good range of movement back.

I hope that helps & wish you all the best for your recovery. Hang on in there, I’m sure you will be feeling better soon.

Just seen on your update you are already doing physio! Very impressive, well done I’m sure it will help!

@Swipeymcmean thank you so much for your message. It really helps to hear you went through similar and are now ok. I think all the pain and sleeplessness is really messing with my head. I fell asleep last night at 10 and I was awake again at 1.30 in pain and then again at 4 and I was thinking I can’t face it if this is not going to get better!
I don’t have a cast at all. I only had one pre-op and the surgeon said no cast and I have to move the arm as much as poss except for weight bearing. The ulnar nerve controls your little finger and half of ring finger so I have a lot of weakness there and pain in my wrist.
i think I have probably not been taking enough meds. I am increasing them again today.
once again thanks so much it is really helpful to hear a success story. Can I just ask - did you have physio sessions daily or weekly at first?

if all the pain is 'nervy' rather than from the wound/metalwork it might be worth reviewing the pain meds with your GP (or asking the orthopods if you're seeing them again soon). Opioids aren't great for nerve pain and do cause nausea. There are better drugs for nerve pain (and most of them are a bit sedative too so might help a bit with sleep).

@Saladcreamsandwich I’m pretty sure I started with a couple of physio sessions each week, and then moved to weekly sessions as things started to improve. I had a cast for about 6 weeks so my arm was stuck bent at the elbow, which was scarey but the movement came back quite quickly once I started doing physio. I was really lucky to find a great physio who was very caring & really knew his stuff, if you decide to make a private appointment it’s a good idea to ask around friends and family to see if they have any physio recommendations.

I think feeling low & anxious is completely normal & completely rational too 😁You’ve had a shock, are dealing with a lot of pain & are worried. My lovely mum was a Sister in an operating theatre for many years & she told me that lots of people feel pretty down after surgery - a combination of pain / feeling unwell & side effects from the anaesthetics etc you have had during surgery.

I’m sure you will start feeling better soon, c lots of treats & taking it easy!

Morphine will make you tired and sick