Severe Muscle Spasms -- post op

[Juno]

I have experienced Hell and never want to go back.

Quick background -- 48 yo female, active, 120 pounds, 5'4". Right HR this past Wednesday by dr. Gross. Good initial recovery. At home, no issues. Doing prescribed exercise, transitioning to one crutch in the house 5 days post op, but spending most of my time with toes to nose elevation and ice. Off all pain meds post op day 3. Walked my driveway and to one mailbox 2x.

About 10:00 last night I started experiencing muscle tightness in my right glute (I thought of the mentioned monkey fist I've heard described on this site). Yow! I hurt. But I switched positions, moved a little and it seemed better. By 10:30 that pain was becoming intolerable and spasms started. I took a Nucyenta. Unable to find a comfortable position I tried rolling onto my un operated side -- that didn't help. I tried ice -- no good either. By 11:30 I was experiencing muscle spasms down the inside thigh, quads, hamstring and outer calf. Hubby gave me another Nucyenta. No relief.

Now I've delivered 2 babies and passed a kidney stone. I have NEVER had pain like this in my life. I was scared I has popped my femoral neck (although couldn't imagine how)....finally at 1:30 am, somehow my husband got me in the car -- I was seriously delirious --- and he got me to our local ER. Thankfully he did bring a bag of all my post op hippy meds and Dr. Gross information.

The ER staff was great. They were gentle with my hip and didn't break any guidelines. They got an IV in me, drew some blood and check my hip/leg. It was clearly spasms as you could see the muscle clench and release as if they were keeping time. I was give Ativan and Dilaudid. I finally got some relief. The did do an ultrasound to rule out DVT -- this was negative thank god.

They tried to release me at 4:00 this morning, but the spasms started up again and this time a particularly bad one hit while I was in the wheelchair being wheeled to discharge -- I passed out. I woke back on the gurney, with another IV and received more Dilaudid, Tramadol, Zofran and Ativan in addition to 2L more of IV fluids. Finally at 7:30 am I was discharged home. I have hardly any recollection of how my hubby got me home, in bed or anything. All I know is he is one dedicated man and loves me very much!!!

I spoke with Nancy at Dr. Gross ' office when I woke up this afternoon. She was wonderful. Lee said that while muscle spasms are rare, they can occasionally occurs 3-5 days post op. we determined that I was not dehydrated, I was having a normal recovery, I had not attempted to over-do my exercise or be super-woman --- I was just one of the unlucky ones. She did say I had small, already tight musculature due to my years of exercise --- this may have caused the muscles to contract. Lee put me on Flexeril for the next 5 days to help.

So, while I am exhausted and I do feel like my recovery is now 3 days behind, I am feeling better and am grateful to my local hospital, to Nancy and Lee and all of Dr. Gross' staff and most of all to my husband--- I hope he and I never have to experience pain like that again. As difficult it was for me, I know he having to watch me and feel helpless was just as difficult.

Please know muscle spasms are real and can happen post op. I pray none of you have to experience it!
Juno 

[bestbob]

Juno, very glad you are ok and back at home. Nobody should have to go thru what you went thru, it was scary just reading it. Sounds like you are back on course for recovery. I am still on Vicoden (5/500) every 6 to 7 hrs, due to either a small muscle spasm or IT Band, it is getting better though. I can only imagine what you dealt with.

Again, very glad to hear you are back at home, and being 3 days behind is nothing in the grand scheme of things in my opinion.

Bob

[Lauren Lee]

Awwww Juno, I am so sorry to hear about your spasms. They sound awful. If I was a betting woman, I would bet that you will recoup those three days before too long. Please just rest and take care of yourself.
My trip to the ER was for that tortuous contact dermatitis and swelling. I thought for sure that would set me back and I was so discouraged. Here I was the rock star in the hospital and three days after getting home I am a mess. My home care nurse, OT and PT kept talking about my "setback". No it was a bump in the road. It was temporary. No permanent harm done. Keep the faith.
While I haven't had muscle spasms that severe I have had them. I keep a tennis ball, a medicine ball and a rolling pin nearby. Four weeks in and I hardly have them anymore. You'll be fine...just fine....really....fine. :)
But I am so, so sorry. And that was your first day home alone too....:(

[Marco Polo]

Juno:  Wow - What a crazy time for you.  I am glad you received great support from both your husband and the medical profession.  It's expensive but we do have access to great health care.

I am sure this is only a temporary setback and you will be back on track in no time!

[packman]

Thanks Juno for documenting and sharing this - I had no idea that this was a potential unlucky outcome. Perhaps Dr. Gross and staff thought that it could never happen to me being of large non-taut hard to find musculature!
I was aware there more more risks with petite / trim females but not to the extent you described. Fortunate that everything will continue to progress better and that you had excellent surrounding support.

[Juno]

Thanks all....this has been so hard --- harder than the surgery itself.

Update from yesterday and last night---I was exhausted all day and spent much of the that resting, sleeping, in the recliner and no ice. Lee said to hold off icing for 24 hours. My thigh was so very swollen, painfully swollen, even though I stayed elevated.

I stared the Flexeril (which made me more groggy). So at 8:30 I decided to try to sleep. Hubby helped me get settled in bed. I decided to take an Ativan to help me rest. I slept until 10:30 when I woke up to a lower leg spasm. It wasn't painful, it was just something I couldn't control. I believe I have a huge knot of muscle in my glute and it is hitting a never just the right way therefore causing the spasm. My butt cheek was rock hard and swollen. I was so uncomfortable. Hubby gave me 2 Vicodin ....and hour later no relief. I got out of the bed and walked (really dragged my leg) down the hallway to try to stretch. On the way back to bed I decided to see if I could slid head first into bed so I could lay on the stomach--- yeah!!! sweet success!!

So, I use a flat pillow for my head and a small pillow to support my ankles and I slept from 2:00 to 9:00 on my stomach. No glute knot, no spasms and sweet sleep.

Of course this morning I am groggy as heck. I have a high pain threshold as you can see by all the meds that I took that should have knocked me out. I am hoping to only take Flexeril and Tylenol today danger my head cleared.  It is one week since surgery and I feel like I'm definitely back at day knee.

I kno we all have our trials and our success. My success is that I fould a comfortable sleep position. I'm trying to appreciate the little things! 

[Dannywayoflife]

I experienced horrific post op spasms and eventually it was put down to a mineral deficiency (magnesium I think!) they used gabapentin to help release mine.