8 Month Mark

          (34 weeks) 
Hello all. Autumn is here! Isn't it lovely?! ;o)


At this point I am pretty sure that the Sciatic nerve issue I've experienced is not usual. I really haven't heard anyone else who's had this surgery mention it. 

I also no longer think it was ONLY due to how I was sitting post-op. I think it's more than that. When you look at how this nerve runs all the way down your leg, and to your heel, I now believe that the heel surgery itself had something to do with this. I think it was aggravated somehow during surgery.

I had Brachy and Bunion surgery on my left, and only Bunion surgery on my right. The sciatic issues are only on my left. I really feel the "heel" surgery aggravated my nerve because if it were the sitting position I did months ago, it should really be gone now, and it's not.

I believe I will be well again and it will be gone at some point, but for now, after 8 and a half months it comes and goes.

I am now on the treadmill several days a week. I do a max on 4.0 speed and 7.0 incline. Only walking for an hour. Because the pain comes and goes so sporadically I still don't know if exercise helps or hurts it. I just started on the treadmill so time will tell. (update: I had to stop the gym, it got to be too painfull.)

It's still not freezing out so I'm mostly in flip-flops. And I work from home so the only closed shoes I am really wearing are sneakers. Because of my bunionectomies, wearing closed shoes will take a while. If it was only Brachy I'm sure I'd be wearing them already.

GOOD NEWS! Remember that trip I booked?! Well it's in 3 weeks!!!!! Wow it's been a long haul. Remember this? 

Well things do get better. I look back at my struggles and I'm very grateful to be past them. All I have now is the sciatic pain that comes and goes (it flows into my buttock and makes me limp), and my feet still swell a bit.

But now it's time to look forward to my trip! YAY! I'm planning to have my first ever professional pedicure on the Cruise, ON MY BIRTHDAY!

I will try to take snapshots of the event to post. lol. Next post will have foot pics for sure, I promise! ;o)

Tootles!

Some More Updates —22 weeks

Click to enlarge

Right Foot

This is how things are looking 3 weeks after Bunionectomy surgery. 

Just today I was in a rush and showered without a bag over my foot for the first time. It's ok but you can't go scrubbing in that area. Have to be real gentle still.

 If you look REEEEAL good you can see the knot from the desolvable stitches at the very top of the scar from my big toe.

• I could go up and down the stairs (boot on) one foot over the other starting the 2nd week. This was very different with the Brachy surgery. I couldn't do that till 15 weeks after surgery.

• Drove at 2wks also. With Brachy (cuz I drive a stick shift) driving had to wait till the 14th week!

• There were stitches at my pinkie toe that had to come out. IT WAS SO PAINFUL! But VERY short lived!

• Dr. West wanted me to wear the boot for 5 wks. Dr. Yes figured on 3 weeks instead. 

• I saw Dr. Yes at 2 weeks, and he wanted to see me again at 3 weeks, but I'm not going to go. He already told me that oin that appointment he'll be giving me a specific bandage (that I already have) and that he'd be putting my in my own sneakers if it wasn't too painful. So I'm just going to do that myself and save myself the $40 each visit.

• Dr. West wants 5wk xrays sent to him so I'll go to Dr. Yes at 5wks for that.

Left Foot

If I go the whole day without propping my foot up this is what it looks like. There is still some swelling that occurs. The top of my foot is pretty veiny, but you can't see my veins here.

At 22 wks I'm just now starting to try and sit for longer periods of time. I think I'm starting to be able to do this with just some manageable discomfort because of the physical therapy I'm doing for my sciatic never. I'll post those exercises next time.

Tootles.

Week 13 & 14 — First Steps!

Howdy! I thought I'd start off with something funny. Check out my toes! The toes on my left foot try real hard, but I can't spread 'um. ;o)

Last 2 weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind for me personally, but things are progressing. (videos below)

Let me get right down to it. Normally your doctor will give you instruction as to how to start walking. Each person is different, it also depends on the method of correction. My doctor kept me on crutches and my boot for week No.13— partial weight bearing. For week No.14 I could try ditching the crutches only in the house.

But I really ended up not following doctor's orders and overdid it. I wish I could tell you how week 13 would be for you, but mine was really not normal. I made personal decisions that kept me on my foot waaaaay too often and let's just say it was more than partial weight. But those were "my" personal decisions I made to spend time with some family.

I do not recommend planning outings or entertaining during this time! So I don't know what it would feel like to ease into walking.


PAIN
So I went from having trickled down on the pain between wk 9-12 and now I'm back up again. The pain is different. It is very difficult to explain. You feel pressure in areas where you feel weakened. You feel like there is a bruise under your heel. Your foot aches and your ankle swells a bit too. And walking is short lived because of the discomfort— you'll prefer to sit. 

But I have just kept going. Living alone all this time makes me grateful that I can finally get up, get something, and carry it back in one of my hands (been using only one crutch, yay). I would love to be pain free after 12 weeks of great discomfort and trial, but I tell myself I've only been putting weight on it for two weeks.


I still can not sit upright with my leg up and be ok. My leg starts to hurt after about 30min. So I have to sit 'reclined' with my leg up. (I sound like a broken record with this! I wish walking-pain was all I had to deal with.)

But this is all passing. Just like the hard times during the 12 weeks passed, this will too! ;oD

Anywhooo let's get to the good stuff!!! 

Week 13—
This is what an bird's-eye-view photograph can not show you! ;o)

Week 14—
First Steps... Crutch Free!

9th week — Post-Op Summary

XRAYS
Saw Dr. Yes at the top of this week. All is well. He says I don't have to see him until the 12 week mark.

He took xrays marking my 8th week, and we sent them to Dr. West. I'M DYING to hear what he has to say about them. Maybe I can start walking sooner?!

PURPLE-EE (CONGESTION)
I asked Dr. West about the purple color of my foot from last weeks post. His reply: "Swelling and congestion is common for 'months'. Could be up to 6-12 months, but most is about 4-6 months." This congestion is not just a visual thing. It's very uncomfortable.

PHYSICALITY
This week I had to vacuum and mop. I did this before, during the first few weeks, and I ended up paying for it. But this time it was ok. It took me forever of course, hopping around and sometimes on my knees— but at least it's clean around here and I got to burn some calories. I'm really flabby. Can't wait to able to work out a little.

SLEEPING
Had to break down and take a pill twice this week to be able to sleep a little without the aching. But I do feel that finding a comfortable position is getting better. (Reminder, I had 4 surgeries done on one foot.)

MISSY
Easter Sunday was warm and I was invited over a friends house. As I was getting ready Missy was sniffing the fresh air coming in from the windows. I just couldn't take it! I felt so bad for her. I prayed and then mustered up the energy and courage to gimpy down the stairs and around the block with her on my crutches. 

I won't lie, it took some serious energy. (Long distance on crutches can make your collar bones ache.) And it was hotter than I would have liked, but it got done. I don't think she enjoyed it though cuz she had to wait for me and all she wanted to do was go. She would hurry along, but then feel a tug because there was no more slack on the leash... this made her think the tug was coming from me intentionally— some sort of disapproval on my part. My poor baby.

This confused her a lot cuz she couldn't figure what she was doing wrong. ;o( So then that made me feel bad. I won't be doing this again. I can't wait until I can walk her normally. She's such a trooper for going through this with me. ;o

PAIN
Pain is different now. It's not the suck-air-through-your-teeth type of pain. It's an aching that doesn't go away. And maybe a shooting pain about 3 times a week. My foot does not feel normal. 

THERAPY
Neither doctor has told me to do, or what to do, in regards to therapy. I started my own last week. I really feel it makes a difference doing the massaging. I feel it gets stiff when I don't do it.

FLEXIBILITY

See, the flexibility is getting better. Compare it to two weeks ago!

7th Week — Post-Op Summary

Here's how things are looking. Still swollen and quite tender. But a miracle still. This is a process, and perhaps the 'wow-factor'  that I've finally had this done hasn't hit me yet. But I'm sure as pain subsides and agility returns I'll be able to enjoy the amazing thing this surgery means for me. I'd just like to walk already, ya  know. ;o/


FLEXIBILITY

I'm bending both right and left sets of toes with all my might here.


PAIN 
This week my heel and large tendon behind my ankle have been a pain—literally. You've ever heard the saying, "It has to hurt if it is to heal" ? Well I'm hoping that's why it ached so much this week! ;0) (I want to note that I'm starting to think that I'm feeling more discomfort than I should because I'm home all day without my boot on. (against doctors orders... what if I fall?) And because I do for myself, I think my foot is getting too much movement (giggling?). Is this causing me more pain at night?)

SLEEPING
The heel pain has caused small spurts of sleeping. I awaken many times during the night tossing, trying to find a pain-free position. I can't fall back to sleep and am awake 3 hours at a time. (In one of my past posts thought this was remedies after reducing my medication, but I guess it's back)  Thank God I'm on short term disability, this kind of sleep would negatively affect my work. (It's important to note that I am off all Meds right now. I'm sure if I were on Meds I'd be sleeping pain-free.)

DR. VISIT

Dr. Yes took no xrays as there would be no noticeable changes since the xrays taken 2 weeks earlier. (No news is good news.)

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

Dr. Yes told me to start maneuvering my 4th toe. (Put my index finger behind the base of the toe and softly press forward. For two minutes, 3 times a day.)

However, Dr. West, my surgeon, told me specifically not to touch my toe until the 10th week when he would provide the exercises I should do. If Dr. Yes is wrong in his recommendation, it is possible that my toe will pop-up like it use to. And if that happens, I would be up against an additional surgery to correct that! What would you do?

Well I decided to start Dr.Yes' recommendation because my Brachy isn't as distorted as some Brachyans. My fourth toe never touched the floor, but it didn't pop-up as severely as some other cases I'm familiar with.

I couldn't remember to do it during the day so I'd just do it once at night in front of the tube. But I noticed my foot would ache a lot more when I was trying to sleep. So I stopped. I will try again next week.

DRIVING

I had asked my surgeon if I could put weight at least on my heel and he said 'no'. But just 2 days ago I made my way downstairs to my car. I wanted to see if I could use the area under my 1st three toes to press down on the clutch. Maybe I could at least drive myself to my doctor's appointments, right?  

NOT. No way. Didn't happen. I can't believe how hard I had to press against the clutch to get it to move only a smidge! My foot doesn't have the strength yet. I'm amazed.


BANDAGE

Attending my scars twice a day got me real tired of wrapping and unwrapping the ace bandage. It also felt a little hot with them on. So I thought I'd go get a roll of gauze, but I found something better. Isn't it snazzy? ;o) It's a mesh tubular bandage.


Very light weight and comfy.;o)

I use this type of gauze pad directly on the incision sites. Non stick (or non-ouchie ;o) With Neosporin.

I found this type of gauze uncomfortable against my incisions, so I don't use it. The non-stick pads are the way to go.
 

NOTE (Hypertrophic Scars)
I wanted to say something about the bandages and scars. I got the large size (tube bandage) on purpose so it would be loose fitting. But I don't think it's wise to do this at the beginning of a scar. Incisions need some snug pressure against them to avoid the scars becoming Hypertrophic.

Hypertrophic Example.
© Prime Health Channel

It's been proven that while doctors can prescribe topical ointments (OTC and otherwise), and/or give injections directly into a hypertrophic scar to reduce its 3D characture, THE BEST THING TO REDUCE THE HEIGHT OF A HYPERTROPHIC SCAR IS PRESSURE. 

I know this because I had surgery some years ago and have a couple of 6" scars that became hypertrophic! Think about it, a person with a scar running vertically down their abdomen demonstrates this. The scar is very 3D-like above and below where their belt line is. But the part of the scar that gets the pressure from their belt is nice and flat.

Also, I'm not sure, but it is possible that not all skin on the body is created equal. Is the skin on your neck more susceptible to hypertrophic scaring than your knees, etc.? If so, what about feet? I don't know. (I do know that the world of medicine thinks some skin pigments lend themselves more to scaring like this than others.) But I'm not taking any chances.

That being said, I will be watching my scars and if more pressure-time is needed I'll be switching back to my snug ace bandages. ;o)

Ciao!

5th Week — Post-Op Summary

Clockwise from top left: Bunionette, Brachy,
Heel, and Bunion

This week has been an improvement! YAY! ;o)
 

BATHING

I'm now able to bathe every day— if I wanted to. I seem to have developed a system for doing it without causing pain. But still slow and I use the chair in the tub. Being confined as I am, I've decided to still bathe every other day because it takes huge amounts of energy.

PAIN

The discomfort and pain levels have lessened. The pain I get now comes in flashes of shooting pain. They are intense but short. My medication intake has diminished also. Less swelling, and I'm lasting longer standing on my crutches before pain sets in. Wooooohoooo!

SLEEPING

I was told to sleep with the boot, after all it's suppose to take the place of the cast. But it is so huge that I opted not to sleep with it because I am an extremely light sleeper— I could never hurt myself in my sleep. (shhhh, don't tell my Doc.) ;o) This provides me with a few different positions when sleeping, but I get up during the night an average of 3-4 times because the comfort does not last long.

This has been a process for sure. Small improvements from week to week mean a lot! Thanks for all the support!!


See you next week! Tootles!

Difficulties On My Own

Hi all!  

I'm struggling a bit with being 'transparent' because it may be discouraging, but I promised myself I would be transparent to paint the real picture of this surgery for those of you seeking information, so here goes.

Well here is where the reality hits the road. I live alone. During the first week I had my mom to get things for me, but now I'm on my own.

I'm a planner, but you can't anticipate everything. I have discovered that I have no hands! You can't carry a cup of tea from one room to another because both your hands are needed for the crutches.

To deal with this I carry a satchel across my body. In it I have things like a bottle of water, cell phone, pen and paper, kleenex, medication, etc. To carry tea I have to carry it in a thermos in my satchel.

I have also learned that I had 'foot' surgery done, but it might as well have been my whole leg because the discomfort I feel goes all the way up to my hip. This surgery (one stage) does not allow you to rest your foot on the floor, so all traveling on the crutches calls for you to elevate it above the floor. 

The rest of your body has to compensate for this. For me, it is causing aches and pains in other areas like my hips. I even hurt something in my right quad muscle. I had been using that muscle to lift myself from being seated. After a few days at home it gave way.

So now I shimmie myself to the edge of the sofa/bed and try my best to use my arms to lift my toosh up.

And most of all, I have found that it is much too uncomfortable to have my left leg perpendicular to the floor (leg is regular standing position). The blood flows down and your foot feels like it's going to pop. (Would this also happen to someone who just has the Brachy done and not the bunions with it like I did? Dunno.) (I can now tell you that after having just  the bunionectomies on my right foot, I did not experience this, so I would have to assume it's the Brachy on-stage that does this.)

So when I get up on my crutches, anything I do... I just want to do it in a hurry so I can get my leg back to an elevated position! I really didn't expect this. It's very frustrating. Even seated with my leg elevated becomes uncomfortable after 20min. It seems I have to be in more of a laying down position.

When I fix myself something to eat or clean the dishes I have to prop my whole leg up because I can't take the pain otherwise. (Thank goodness I'm flexible).

 

Let me also say that I am in decent shape. I can't imagine what it would be like if I had a lot of excess weight. Geez.

When I do elevate my foot like this, my right leg has to carry all the weight. It does get tired and soar.

And here is another surprise, my palms are soar too. This is from the crutches. And I'm not even going outside, it's just the small travels within my apartment tiny apartment. (345sq ft.)

I'm hoping that these issues will iron themselves out as time passes. Things have to get better right?

1st Post-Op Visit Back Home

This is actually my 3rd Post-Op visit, but my first one with my podiatrist, Dr. Yes, back home. ;o)

Not much change. It's still too swollen for the cast. We'll wait another week.

Oddly, he decided that because Dr. West took xrays 3 days earlier he would not take xrays now during my first visit with him. (I think he is being conscious of my costs and the amount of radiation I've been getting?) ;o)

Traveling Back Home... (Travel Tips)

God is awesome! (even when things don't go our way) But he was faithful and sent me help every time I was in need. I only brought a backpack so I could carry it on my back while on crutches. But I never had to carry my bag.

My aunt gave me some advice when I left. She said, "Don't wait until you fly back to do this... on your way out west get your boarding pass from a human being NOT a kiosk [even though you booked online and have an e-ticket]. Tell them when you return you will need a wheelchair for travel."

I did just that. And furthermore, I made sure that on my way back I got my boarding pass and repeated the request again because it's a different airport than the first one I spoke to.... so always cover yourself. It all worked out. And I mentioned the wheelchair again when I had a layover. Again, a different airport.

I found that they always knew because I had already requested it before heading to my destination.

FYI, usually when you need a wheelchair, you are boarded first, and let off last. (Don't be silent, make sure the person working the desk at the gate knows you need help boarding. They will most likely already know because you'll be in a wheelchair already— so be friendly. Smile. Be polite and give plenty of thank yous. Kindness goes a long way.)

(I had an amazing experience with several workers who went waaaaaay out of their way for me. It even made me cry. Their kindness made me emotional. Way to go DELTA!)

Oh and you should probably have some singles and 5 dollar bills easily in reach. While the workers at the gate itself don't need to be tipped, the person who wheels you up to the gate should get a little something. (and those wheeling you off the plane to where you need to go) ;o) It's just nice to do.

The other thing I did when booking my flight online, is choose an isle seat that would allow my left foot to be in the isle (for stretching). BUT each time I got my boarding pass from a human being I asked if I could be changed to sit by the BULKHEAD. The bulkhead is the first economy row after first class. It has the wall in front of you. I used the wall to prop my leg up during the flight. 

ALSO, I made sure my trip back home was NOT a nonstop flight. I knew I would need the layover rest, to be able to prop up my leg properly off the plane for a while. I also made sure that the layover was a few hours so I could do this at my own pace. It worked out well. I found that I was accommodated each time without a problem. PRAYER and thinking ahead WORKS! 

It was a long day though and I needed some serious rest. My foot was quite swollen.