Also don't be mad, but I finally ventured out of the house today! I went to my friend's purse party and treated myself to a new shoulder bag and wallet so that was fun. I did put on the ski boot when I got there. I almost just went in with the surgery shoe since it's a little more petite, but I decided to go on the safe route. My foot didn't bother me at all. Figure I was only gone 2 hours and then I came right back and iced my foot and elevated it. I even took an Ibuprofen just for the heck of it and I'll probably take some tonight before bed since it was the first time I was up and about and out of the house!!
Remembering to do the toe exercises again - pain in the neck. I still have one more set to get in and I hope if I do these exercises over the next few weeks then I'm done. It's so simple yet just hard to remember to do! I do want to get my full range of motion back so I am trying to just get in the habit of doing them. I still haven't done any x-mas shopping. I'll do it all on online, but still I probably should get on that. See I really do hate buying presents for the sake of buying presents. The kids don't need a darn thing, so I really struggle with what to get them. I've never been one to go crazy with toys in general, but I hate wasting money on toys.
So my next adventure is this weekend. We have a little place on the lake that's 2 hours from our home. And I think we will be going there tomorrow. In my mind I'm just trying to figure out how to sit in the car with my foot up. Either I will sit in the back seat and extend my foot over the seat or I figure I can sit in the middle seat and rest it between the front seat and the window with a pillow. A change of scenery will be nice though - I think (smile). I'm just not looking forward to the car ride, yet it always goes by quickly
Last night I got rid of all my pillows and comforter so I had no elevation in bed. But for some reason I then slept with my surgery shoe on! I guess I'm not ready to bare all yet (smile). Part of it is I pee a lot during the night and it's pain to find my shoe and then put it on, etc.. But also my foot just felt a little to exposed. Maybe tonight though I'll keep the shoe but lose the sock! I know I'm really living on the edge!!
I put in more than a 1/2 days worth of work today as well, so I've been a busy little camper with a broken toe! I just got assigned a new assignment again today, so I will have enough work to do between tomorrow and early next week. Which again I think is a good thing and I'm not being pressured. I actually told my manager that it was fine to assign me something new.
So there you have it! I lead a pretty exciting life, hey! And we remembered to hide the little elf guy last night and the kids were so excited!!
So tell me what would be some good presents to get my boys! Age 6 and 8!
Don't worry I won't keep bugging you with this, but if you haven't gone out to this facebook page yet... do so and post something to share! https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bunion-Surgery-Recovery-Chats-QAs-and-Connection/266239080090146
p.s. to the London guy (see aren't I nice not using your name) that posted a like to FB- thanks! Too bad you weren't my doctor - I'm so funny!! Only I can see the people behind the likes on FB and it's so fun for me to put some faces to people versus just seeing how many hits I'm getting to this site. And London guy just so you know your not alone... I have 51 hits/visits from the UK. Hopefully you came back today and you know I'm talking to you! It amazes me each day to see how many visitors might be reading this little blog. Thanks to all of you that went to the site and for those of you that wrote something and shared websites, photos, etc..
As of right now on this bunion blog I've had 1, 082 traffic hits, yet who knows how many of those hits are just scammers versus real people. I don't know if that's a good number or not but it's be interesting watching the different countries that have stop by. Most of the hits are from the US. Now I'd love it if I heard from more of you! Either on this site or on the facebook site. You know me I can only talk about so much! Soon I'll just have to start talking about whatever comes to my mind... Sex, Love, Relationships, Marriage you name it! And let me tell you if you think I can talk about bunions... don't even get me started on one of the other topics : ) Believe it or not... Bunions are not my true passion. Gosh, I hope your smiling along with me.
Any who! Have a super night or day depending on where your located! Do something completely unexpected today! Make yourself laugh! And just be kind to those around you! Hugs!
Who is going to get mad at you??? Glad things are going so great for you. Keep up the good work at healing.
ReplyDeleteFeels goog to get out and get a little fresh air, doesn't it? Your foot is really healing well. Hope you had a great weekend get-a-way!
ReplyDeletePart 2
ReplyDeleteI never walked on my foot the first 6 weeks. Even to go to the bathroom, I used the knee walker to move from the bed to the toilet and back to the bed. I spent the first 4 weeks in bed in PJs with my foot elevated above my heart. I came home from the hospital wearing a soft cast over the surgical bandages. The Ice Man brought me ices every hour or two for the first week. I put one ice bag under my knee, which cooled the blood on the way to the foot (most effective), and I draped one ice bag over the cast in the vicinity of my metatarsal joints (least effective—but following Dr.’s orders). Since I didn’t have access to a tub and since I was concerned that I could not keep the cast dry in the shower in plastic bags, I did not shower for two weeks. My unwashed hair bothered me more than my body, so around Day 12, I had my husband drive me to a beauty saloon, and they washed and dried my hair for $6. That was my first time out of the house.
During my recovery, the Ice Man ran the house (two kids ages 10 & 11). He made meals, school lunches, school drop off/pick up, grocery shopping, etc., and kept me in food and drink downstairs in my sanctuary. One day, when no one was home, I started craving my Chobani yogurt. So, I took my knee scooter to the base of the cellar stairs, crawled up the stairs, and hopped over to the refrigerator. On the way to the kitchen, I couldn’t help noticing that the house was in utter chaos—pots and pans on the stove, dishes on the table and piled in the sink, clothing trails everywhere, and let’s not even talk about the bathrooms! I grabbed my yogurt and a spoon, and quickly did the crab crawl down the stairs to my peaceful (clean) sanctuary. I put the vision of upstairs out of my mind immediately (or else ladies you know what would have happened, right?).
My stiches were removed at 2 weeks, and my skin was just awful under the bandages—dry and scaly and peeling in big sheets. But unlike your pictures (and Deb’s pictures), my toes and feet were not black and blue, although they were still very orange from the surgical prep. I had complete range of motion down, and I could curl my toes tightly. I had less range up, and I was given the same exercises as you. My doctor said that he was less concerned about up range, because that direction will get exercised when I start walking. I showered that afternoon, with just a little weight on my foot. Surprisingly, I didn’t have pain in my toe, instead the bottom of my heel hurt like heck, like it was being hit with a hammer. My Dr. said that he has heard this complaint before, and it is caused by disuse. Strange. After the shower, my foot was discolored (reddish) and appeared more swollen, as others have noted whenever it is down too long. I jumped back into bed quickly and elevated it.
At two weeks post op, I was given a black, high top, orthopedic walking cast, the kind with 5 Velcro straps and large metal shanks on each side. I was told not to walk in it, and I had to wear it 24/7 for the next 4 weeks—a strange sleeping companion indeed. I wore my husband’s heavy white Hanes work socks. Also, I used full insole-type arch supports inside the boot, because I have extremely flat feet. I highly recommend arches for people with flat feet, as these walking casts are perfectly flat inside.
Part 3
ReplyDeleteAt four weeks post op, I returned to work with my trusty knee walker (so cute with its little basket and all). I zoomed around the office and used the knee walker to elevate my foot at my desk or in meetings. My co-workers enjoyed riding on the knee walker down the hallways too!
At six weeks post op, I had my first x-ray (non-weight bearing). Everything looked great, healing fast, etc., and I was given permission to start walking in the walking cast, although I was advised to limit stairs, so I continued to live in the rumpus room. I had to continue to wear the walking cast for 3 more weeks (only while awake, no longer needed in bed), then to switch to a surgical shoe for one week before returning for another x-ray.
At ten weeks post op, I had my second x-ray (weight bearing). Everything looked great, healing fast, etc., and I was given permission to start walking in my regular shoes (no high heels). I was told to keep distances short, only a mile or two, and no jogging, etc. Also, I was given permission to drive. FREEDOM!! At that point, my doctor discharged me. He said it would not be unusual to have swelling for 3 to 6 more months.
The next day, we started our family vacation, which included planes, trains, and automobiles on Day 1. Needless to say, for the first time in 9 weeks, I needed ice and Alleve. I was swollen and sore and needed to elevate. I was mad at myself for not packing the surgical shoe. But, by the third day of vacation, I had my rhythm and I knew my limitations (and I found the bar!!). I did fine on the rest of the trip.
At 6 months, I went shopping for shoes and bought 3 pairs like I have never owned in my life. They are flats, but they are pretty. Best of all, they are NOT triple-W wide!
Now, at 8 months, I have absolutely no pain in my toe, but I do have a little pain in my foot that is caused by the two sesamoid bones under the first metatarsal bone at its connection with the big toe. For years, these pesky critters were not under the bone—they can be seen floating in the space between my toes in my pre-op x-rays. Now, they are realigned with the first metatarsal, and they are trying to burrow themselves back into their original position. It is like walking on pebbles. Would love to hear if other people had this experience and how it resolved.
Well that’s it for me.
Love your blog. Best, Donna
Donna - thank you so much for taking the time to write out your story! I find it so crazy how everyone's experience is so different, yet we all are having different things done as well! Your comments made my night! Thanks!!
ReplyDeleteDeb - yes, it felt wonderful to get away. I'm off to watch Crazy Stupid Love so hopefully I will spend time writing a new post tomorrow or tonight if I didn't download the movie correctly. Hope you had a great weekend.
Again - thanks for your comments! It's so nice to hear from folks.
Hi, Donna - thanks for sharing your story. Did the boots you got look like mine or Julie's? I can't imagine wearing them 24/7 from weeks 2-6! I will be in tennis shoes before week 6 and am walking around the house in socks a lot now already. Do you know what procedure they did on you? Just curious if it was different than mine?
ReplyDeleteDeb, my story was so long that I had to post it in 3 parts to stay under the character limit. I am having trouble posting Part 1, which has all the details of my surgery. I will try again. It will be out if sequence. Maybe you can fix it once I get it to show up in your blog. Donna
ReplyDeleteSuccess at last! I was able to post Parts 1A and 1B of my story on Day 13 (Nov 30) -- Set up Bunion Surgery Recovery Q&A.
ReplyDeleteDonna