Disabling symptoms since distal bicep repair surgery. Any suggestions?

@stevetaylor721 Another suggestion I could make is to soak in an Epson salt bath. Most people are deficient in magnesium, and you will absorb that through your skin in the bath. Magnesium also helps you relax and it is needed for detoxification. If you are not able to sit in a bath, I have seen a lotion that contains epsom salts, and there are magnesium supplements. It takes about 20 minutes to absorb enough in the bath. This was a recommendation from my functional medicine doctor. I like doing this myself as I feel so much better afterward.

Hi CoachT, I thought I would jump in here for a minute too. You've been getting great support and coaching from @jenniferhunter so I don't have much to add. But you're used to being the coach, not needing coaching, right? I sure hope you can get answers soon so you can get back to golf and coaching your kids teams and the things that bring you joy.

Good for you for pursuing the recommendation of seeing a psychiatrist even though you were quite sure it wasn't an anxiety-related issue. It's good to have it ruled out for the record and for future physician consults to not dismiss the issue as a mental health issue. Mental health is just as important as physical health. Reading the complexity of the situation, I'm sorry to hear that you weren't able to get an appointment at Mayo Clinic. Currently we are experiencing high volumes of requests and seeing record numbers of patients. It may just be a situation of volume and capacity. You could try again at a different location. Or, as Jennifer suggested, consider another larger learning medical institution that treat patients with a multidisciplinary team.

My mom is also extremely sensitive to drugs. General anesthesia is really tough on her. She has relatively simple bilateral bunion surgery a few years ago and the recovery from the anesthesia was more challenging that the surgery itself.

Are you still averaging 23,000 steps a day now? That is a ton!

50mg of Trazadone helps my sleep tremendously. It a very low dose no where’s near it to be a sufficient antidepressant. A lot of doctor’s prefer Trazadone to sleeping pills. It’s non-narcotic, it supposedly not addictive and it’s a low dose so no hangover effect the next day. I am no means an expert and this is my perspective. You need to do you and decide what medication is a fit for you.
I will say I had surgery on June 29th and I am still not fully recovered. I am trying to think positively but I have had a rough ride and I am hoping I can past this hurdle.

@stevetaylor721 Steve, I was also thinking about melatonin. That is the substance your body makes that induces sleep. I was wondering if this could be an alternative to the antidepressant you are taking, and you may want to ask your doctor about this. It is an over the counter supplement. With all the serious side effects of the Trazodone, it might be a safer alternative if it works for you. It looks like melatonin helps with anxiety and blood pressure too. I pulled up this information about it. https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-940/melatonin

Also, light, and blue light from cell phones and computer screens interferes with our bodies making melatonin. I always try to turn off the computer at least 2 hours before I go to bed, otherwise, I lay awake for 2 hours. I did take an epsom salt bath last night after mentioning it to you, and it did make me sleepy. I am not tempted to look at a cell phone if I can't sleep. Actually my cell phone is a boring flip phone anyway, but I will put on my headphones and listen to relaxing music and hope that my cats will settle down. Speaking of cats, last night one of my kitties jumped into the tub with me to discover that the water was a bit deeper than he thought it was, so I helped him out and then there was a wet cat loose in my room and on the bed licking off the water.

Thank you, I appreciate the info. I am going to ask my primary about getting referred to iowa city as that is an easy drive for me. I am still walking over 20k steps a day and felt good enough this morning to even go for a run. It was a really good morning and early afternoon and I thought I may have turned the corner but then like a switch got flipped I started getting dizziness, nausea and vomiting this afternoon that has persisted through the evening. It is very frustrating and it makes it difficult to plan anything or go to work, much less enjoy life at the moment. Hopefully the good morning is a sign that things are improving though. I have to look at it with optimism. I do truly appreciate the feedback and input!

I am so sorry you are going through this. Some of your symptoms sound like maybe something happened to your autonomic nervous system while under anesthesia perhaps? Also, have you been checked for an infection? Not just at the surgical site but possibly somewhere else in your body? Hopefully you find answers and relief soon. I wish you well!

Hi Steve. Reading this account makes me think of when I was getting dizzy because of my spine issues. Do you have any cervical spine issues? I was wondering if you may be experiencing vertigo? I am a spine surgery patient and my C1 & C2 would independently rotate that would suddenly bring on the dizziness if I looked upward when my vertebrae were rotated. It sounds like you are ok for awhile while you are running. Are you getting neck pain or muscle spasms? That would be something you could ask your physical therapist about and if there is a specific back muscle that is spasming. Since my spine surgery, everything has stabilized so this doesn't happen anymore, but I actually fell over once when it hit hard. Your PT can feel your neck to see if it is aligned correctly.

Thanks Jennifer. I do have some cervical spinal issues due to a past sports injury that certainly contribute to the poor balance and dizziness. I’ve had that for many years but it has definitely gotten much worse since the surgery. It also feels a bit different since the surgery. A different kind of dizziness if that makes sense?

Thanks Jennifer, I did try melatonin and unfortunately it didn’t help my issues. I also was prescribed Hydroxine and Xanax, but neither did a thing but make me groggy. The symptoms were still all there and I would still wake shortly after falling asleep with the jolts. I agree on the sleep hygiene and I have been trying to do exactly that, along with getting to bed earlier. Thanks again for taking the time to offer suggestions and information. This has been a life-altering experience for me and I have been struggling to get a diagnosis, help, solutions etc. I really appreciate you taking the time to offer good ideas and paths forward.