Almost Four Months Post-Op: Walking (somewhat) Normally

It's going on four months since my sesamoidectomy and life is slowly returning to normal. I am wearing supportive shoes or Dr. Scholl's inserts as much as possible and wearing house shoes around the house.

The ball of my foot is sore almost constantly and it is still difficult to roll through the middle of my foot when walking instead of the outside of my foot as I have trained myself to do over the years to cope with the pain. Now it's less of a pain-thing, though, and more of a habit that I need to break.

My foot still feels stiff and my movement is limited. I can walk more quickly than I could about a month ago, but it comes at a price. After a day on my feet I am eager to prop them up for a while and rest.

Although it feels sore and stiff, I do not sense the pain I used to have prior to surgery, which I am really happy about. But I still feel like I have a long way to go before I return to "normal."

It takes effort to stay positive as I wish I could just sprint every once and a while in this cooler weather, just to say that I can. One struggle has been not having as much energy, or the endorphins that are so great when you are consistently working out. I feel more lethargic and less motivated to stay on top of my health, but I know it is just a season.

My next appointment is in about 3 weeks. I am eager to hear the doctor's perspective on how my healing is progressing, and also to ask when I can start easing back into some of my favorite work-outs like YOGA!!

If you're walking this road with me, hang in there! I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

10 Days Post Infection and...More Antibiotics

Well, I was so excited to be off of antibiotics, but after my checkup they put me back on more. They said there is still some infection there and that it takes a long time for the foot to heal because of the poor circulation. So, they prescribed more meds and gave me another (painful!) shot in my booty.

I think it is getting better slowly, but I really want to see my actual doctor. I'm going to try to get them to let me move my appointment up just to make sure everything is healing correctly. 

At the last appointment, they told me I would be in my black walking boot for at least two more weeks (this will put me at 8 1/2 weeks post-op) and then we would talk about moving into an orthotic type of shoe that I will wear on both feet. They are beautiful, let me tell you.

Can't WAIT to wear those puppies (insert sarcasm HERE).

Hopefully I will have an update SOON because I am calling tomorrow to see if I can push up my next appointment. 

One Week after Onset of Incisional Infection - No more antibiotics!

About a week ago, I found out I had an incisional infection in my foot.

They prescribed Cephalexin (antibiotics) and told me to use a warm compress on my foot several times a day to get the blood flowing to that area. They said this would also help the antibiotics take better effect.

I finished my antibiotics yesterday, thank goodness. They made me feel crummy.

They also gave me a big ole' shot in my booty with more antibiotics. Apparently the infection was pretty bad. Most likely it was caused from sweat or other bacteria from my foot that made its' way into the incision site after they removed the stitches. But we aren't entirely sure what happened. The P.A. actually told me she probably should have taken a better look after they removed the stitches and taken the scabs off so she could get a better look at how my foot was healing. Oh well, I guess hindsight is 20/20.

I was told that the less I walk on it, the faster it will heal, which has been extremely difficult because I have been planning a huge surprise birthday party for my husband (which was yesterday and went GREAT)! But I know I have put too much stress on my foot as it is swollen and a little purple. I'm trying to be good now that all the hoopla is over. It was worth it.

I go in tomorrow for a checkup to make sure the infection is gone. It definitely looks better, but it's still a little pink.

I have no idea what to expect from here on out as far as my healing timeline. I don't know if I'll be in the boot for a while longer or not. Anxious to hear. 

More updates to come. Hopefully with good news. 

One Month Post - Op and BLISTERS! Ouch

My foot has been hurting a lot more the past few days. I even went back on the dreaded knee scooter yesterday because the pain was so bad. But it didn't feel internal. It felt like it was around the incision site.

I took my boot and sock off last night and examined the area that was hurting me. It turns out there were blisters forming where the stitches had been removed. I guess the tape they stretched across the cut after removing the stitches was rubbing the area and agitating it. It hurts so bad! It's a burning, stinging pain paired with the numbness that's still there, which just feels uncomfortable and weird.

I have put antibiotic ointment over the area and am letting my foot have some fresh air instead of keeping it wrapped in a sock all day. Hopefully this will help soon.

The ball of my foot is still pretty swollen and I can't bend my toes too much.

I can't tell if there's much internal pain right now because the pain from the blisters is all I can think about.

My next check-up is in a little less than a week. Not sure what to expect but eager to hear how everything is progressing.

One Month Post-Op Appointment - Scooter Be-Gone!

Warning: Graphic pictures ahead!

This check-up appointment included:

- Getting rid of my blue shoe

- Getting my stitches out

- Getting a new boot

Taking off my blue shoe was amazing. I haven't been allowed to remove it, so I welcomed the opportunity for my foot to feel fresh air. 

It is harder to tell in pictures, but my left foot is a lot more swollen than my right and my big toe is pretty enlarged. Also my left foot seems shapeless compared to the right. It's like one big puffy rectangle to me. (My toe is NOT black and blue - it's my crazy paint job. Please ignore...). Also, you can still see where I had to write "Yes" on the day of my operation to confirm that was the correct foot on which to operate. 

Here is another angle:

Getting my stitches out... well... this is how it started:

P.A.: "Are you on your pain meds?"

Me: "Um...no. I haven't been for a while. Should I be?"

P.A.: (Grimacing) "Do you have any with you?"

Me: (Again) "Um...no. Should I?

P.A.: "Well, this is going to hurt."

Me:    :-|

So, ya... that part was no fun. Here is my foot before the stitches were taken out. You can see white marks around my toes from not seeing the light of day. They are dry and itchy.

Here is my foot after the stitches are out:

The nurse put some stinky kind of glue over the incision site to hold everything together just in case it needed it, and then put the four pieces of tape across it as extra security. She said not to pick at them but just let them come off whenever they do.

Then the good news:

P.A.: "You can shower without anything on your foot tomorrow."

(Angels singing)

Also I can sleep barefoot now! Which will just feel heavenly.

These are the instructions I left this visit with:

Gradually increase the weight I put on my left foot using crutches or a walker. If I need to walk a long distance for some reason, I should use my scooter. 

Their suggestion was to use 25% of my weight for 2 days, then if there was no pain increase to 50% for two days, then 75% for two days, then finally 100% (all while in my new boot). If at any point I experience pain, I am to decrease the weight for another day before adding more. The big goal at this point is to be walking without crutches in a week. 

This is my new boot:

I was a little discouraged after leaving, because for some reason I had pictured magically standing up on both feet and walking out of the office while my husband tried to do tricks on my scooter behind me. 

When I got home I experimented with putting weight on my foot and was surprised that it was easier than I thought. 

The next day, I walked around the house without crutches and put most of the weight in the heel of my left foot. It was awesome!!! I cannot tell you how liberating it is to be free from my scooter. No more 5-point turns when trying to leave a room, no more wheeling over squeaky baby toys, and no more handlebars sliding down on me unexpectedly. 

Currently my foot still feels slightly numb in some areas, but for the most part feeling has returned. I can lift my big toe up higher than a few days ago, but scrunching my toes is still quite a challenge. Also, it seems like if I were to poke my foot with a needle, it would pop. I know that sounds gross, but it feels swollen like there's no room to spare. 

My foot felt tired after trudging around in my boot today, and a pack of ice really helped it feel better. 

But as far as pain goes, there really isn't any unless I put too much weight on the ball of my foot.

My next appointment is in two weeks.

Things are looking up!

Now for that shower...

3 Weeks Post-Op and I can curl my toes!

I am finally getting a lot more feeling back in my toes. I can curl my toes slightly and can raise my big toe. These are two big accomplishments for me!

There are still a few numb spots around my toes, but I am now hopeful that it is temporary and will go away soon!

I have also put the smallest amount of weight on my heel for balancing purposes around the house and it doesn't hurt at all, it just makes my foot tired.

5 more days until I'm off my scooter! It can't come soon enough.

First Post-Op Appointment

My first post-op appointment after my sesamoidectomy went well. 

Me and all of my scooter buddies in the waiting room. 

I was so excited to go in to see how my foot was doing, but I was especially excited to take off all of the bandages and let my foot breathe for a little while!

This is my foot after it was first unwrapped ~ 2 weeks after surgery.

You can still see the faint purple marker lines from where I wrote "yes" before the surgery - as in, "yes, this is the right foot to slice open." Also, as you have probably noticed, the nurse said "It looks like you have skittles on your toes!" It was my attempt to get my notoriously dry doctor to chuckle before surgery, but instead he said - "What happened?"

My foot still looked pretty swollen - especially my toes and ankle, but it felt really small to me. I can't explain it. I guess since it had been smashed under all of those bandages my foot looked a little slimmer than usual. 

WARNING. Gross pictures ahead.

Here is the incision site:

Yuck! That's a lot of stitches!

After the nurse unwrapped my foot, they took me back for x-rays. I was definitely nervous about this part because I was afraid they would ask me to put weight on my foot. They didn't, which I was so grateful for, but they did ask me to point my foot up towards the sky, and that hurt a lot. It was like an electric shock.

Here are my x-rays. Compare them to the diagram beneath it to see if you can tell that my lateral sesamoid is gone. Can you see the bright white spot in the red circle? That is my medial sesamoid. If you look close enough, you can see a dark spot to the left of it where the lateral sesamoid used to be. 

When the P.A. walked in, she looked at my x-rays and said "YOUR SESAMOID IS MISSING!" Then we both freaked out about where it could have gone. That was fun.

She walked over to my foot and started touching it. This made me very nervous, but I didn't really feel any pain. Then she started gently rubbing my toes, and this felt like HEAVEN. I was still a nervous wreck, but for the most part nothing hurt. I can't tell you how wonderful and weird this felt. On one hand, the pressure felt amazing, but on the other, there was still numbness on several parts of my foot. The combination of these two sensations was crazy and very hard to explain. 

She grazed the incision site once, and there was a shock of pain, but then it went away.

She said the numbness and tingling was normal, but that I should start touching my toes and wiggling them to remind my body that they were there. 

And then, like music to my ears, she said, "let's see you back in 10 days and hopefully get you off of that scooter and into a boot!" Woo hoo!!! I can't wait. That's also when they will take the stitches out. If it goes as planned, this means that the time on my scooter will only be a total of 3 1/2 weeks instead of 4, which doesn't sound like much until you're actually in my situation! It's as sweet as an early Christmas present. 

This is my new setup. The bandages are gone with the exception of one layer over the incision site. Then they put this silky sock over my foot to keep any debris from getting close to the stitches. I can finally move my ankle! 

My foot gains a little more feeling every day. I am continually challenging myself to find positive things to focus on rather than the "what ifs" and the frustrations that come with getting around on a clunky scooter in a small apartment. Here are some of my positives: I am on my way to healing! I have great doctors taking care of me who know what they are doing! And I am gaining an appreciation for the smaller things in life like taking a shower whenever you want and being able to clean a sink full of dishes (thank you hubby for doing so many of these small things for me!). 

More to come after post-op appointment #2. 

Thanks for reading!

Day 12 Post-Op

Recovery seems to be going well. I am finally getting the hang of my knee scooter and have been off pain meds for about 5 days now.

I added a little carrying pouch to my scooter so I could transport things more easily around my apartment. If I'm ever out in public, little kids seem to think my ride is pretty sweet.

I can't WAIT to get to my post op appointment this Friday (in 3 days) to see how everything looks, and especially to get all of the bandages off for the first time. My foot is yearning for freedom!

I noticed that the bandaging is keeping my foot turned inward, and it has been bothering me a lot. My uncle is a physical therapist and thinks it is probably purposeful and is keeping the distance that my tendons have to stretch smaller so they can heal faster. That sounds good to me. But still, it's annoying.

I set my foot down very gently on the ground to check things out. I put the tiniest amount of pressure on my foot and was amazed at how different it feels. I thought I would only feel changes around the ball of my foot and toes, but I could feel change all the way up to my ankle. I wasn't expecting that.

The way I described the feeling to my husband was that it felt like my size 8 foot had size 4 muscles. It was a very tight, uncomfortable, and painful feeling.

I can't yet tell if any of my previous pain is gone, because I really only felt it when I was putting pressure on that foot. Two and a half more weeks (fingers crossed) until I can put weight on my foot!