god awful leg pain post op
i’m (24f) 1 year 7 months post right THR, and 7 months post left THR. after both surgeries, i have been left with the absolute worst shooting pain in my legs. on both legs, it started in about a 2-3 inch spot on my shin. over time, it’s moved and i now feel the pain in my shins, around my knees, and in my quads. where i feel like depends on the day (pic attached of where i feel it).
when i say god awful, i mean EXCRUCIATING pain. every step i take, it feels like my femur and tibia are a piece of firewood being split with an axe. the way the pain shoots down my legs with each step feels like the ice over a fjord cracking.
almost daily i breakdown in tears before i even stand up out of bed because i’m scared of how much pain i’ll be in that day. some days i want a wheelchair it’s so bad. some days it hurts really bad but i can manage it. some days it feels okay in the morning but is awful by night. or it might be awful in the morning and ease up by night. but in complete, utter honesty, i haven’t dipped below an 8 on the pain scale in years. i haven’t had an entirely free pain day in probably about 5 years. i always tell everyone i’m above and beyond the pain scale at this point, but i don’t think anyone believes me because when i’m in public, i walk relatively fine because i don’t like when people stare. same reason i hate using my cane. but when i’m alone i let myself walk in the way that causes the least amount of pain, which makes me look.. special.. for lack of a better word (why i hide it).
i’ve had an EMG, xrays, and MRIs, and my doctors see nothing wrong and all tests came back normal.
has anyone else experienced this and did it ever go away? i’ve dealt with suicidal ideation for a long time so it’s nothing new, but this pain has brought it back ten fold, as i do not live a quality life with this pain and see no point in continuing to live if i’m going to continue spending every day with this type of pain. yes. it is that bad. i am seriously considering suicide because of how bad the pain is.
please help!