Hi TK,

I just wanted to wish you luck really. The vitamin c is important, so good call there , but make sure you talk to your surgeon and be certain that he has given instructions to the nursing staff that they need to be ready with higher-end pain relief for you in case you need it. To help prevent spread, it's really important that your post-op pain is controlled so that you can start doing some movements and physio immediately.

My CRPS started with an arthroscopy, and my pain post-op was not well controlled - I had to wait ages while they went through all the normal post-op stuff, then through the head-scratching 'well you shouldn't have that much pain' stuff before getting the morphine that finally got on top of it all.

I'm not saying your pain will be awful, but just that the staff should be briefed that you are a CRPS patient already, and that they have to be extra careful. Make sure they know which areas they need to be extra careful of, which limbs are the best option for a BP cuff or for taking bloods, and which meds you are already on. IMHO it can take forever for a relative or you to convince a ward nurse of stuff like that in the initial post-op hours. They should also be prepared that you might have to stay slightly longer than an average person....just in case.

Anyway, take care and make sure that other leg is as strong as it can be. I hope your experience is a good one and all goes well.

Bram.