Is this pain normal?

[ollerobmat]

2 1/2 months ago I fell from a ladder and fractured my right calcaneus and my left patella. I had fixation surgery to both. I am non-weight bearing on my right with an Airboot for at least another 4 weeks.. On my left I had a J brace that I was told to wean myself from. I was told to bear weight on left as tolerated. This is the leg with a fractured knee cap. In normal circumstances, a fracture to on lower extremity would be tolerable due to being able to "hobble' around on a " good" leg. But having a shattered knee cap on the side that I am to "bear weight" is not only difficult but extremely painful. My pain level to my right foot is down to a dull throb and is tolerable. My knee pain however is constant. It is always aching and through the day the intensity of the pain ,sharp, stinging, increases. My surgeon has me on lowest dose of time released pain medication but it really does nothing for the pain. I attend PT, do ice, massage etc. None work. How long does this pain typically last? Most days I do not want to even attempt to get out of bed and the pain is all consuming. I can't even concentrate to even read a book.  My doctor is very conservative with medication pain management and tends to react as if I am a "drug seeker" Any suggestions

[fntn]

Forgot to mention that I broke my leg in two places. I used the pain meds at night to help me sleep, and just "took" the pain during the day. I worked sometimes ...

[fntn]

Unfortunately this is the new era we live in. And the pain relief will be harder and harder to obtain. The latest CDC recommendations limit the dosages that anyone with fractures like yourself, as well as those of us that live with the pain for many years.

You will not likely get anything stronger than what you currently have. So you will need to do whatever else you can to improve your pain levels ... soaking in warm water, ice baths, etc. And you are not alone in dealing with the mental distractions that come with the pain - this is normal - and not because you are weak, or a drug seeker. We simply want to get better. But our doctors are no longer going to be able to help us as they once did.