Returning to Normalcy - NO MORE BOOT!

I started walking without my boot last week - a little over 2 months post-op.

It was scary at first and painful. I guess most of my discomfort was from not knowing what the new feelings were and whether or not it was normal.

But after about a week being out of my boot, I can finally say... I think my foot just might heal and be pain-free!

I'm not there yet, but I'm finally hopeful and can say with confidence that my foot is feeling more like a normal foot every day.

Thank you, Lord!

Right now, I don't have pain when I walk, but my foot does get tired after a while and feels achy. Also, there is still a lot of numbness and I am unable to fully curl my toes.

My current limitations: no running or even speed walking, no yoga. My exercise must either be riding a bike or swimming, which isn't the end of the world.

I can't wear "normal" shoes... I have to make sure they have great support. No flip flops and no heels for an eternity.

My next checkup is in a little over a month which will put me at almost four months post-op.

Until then, I'm going to enjoy my progress, take it easy, and keep thinking positive thoughts! Things are looking up!

2 Months Post-Op - From Desperation to Belief

After about two weeks of fighting my incisional infection with Keflex and two antibiotic shots, the infection went away! My skin is still really tender in that spot and seems purple. I think it is just new skin trying to grow. 

I have had many ups and downs lately. My foot still feels very strange and unfamiliar, and some days it hurts worse than it did before surgery. My doctor said the pain is normal and should subside in a few months. 

There have been pretty bad days where I feel upset, hopeless, and confused - wishing I had never gone through with the surgery. But there are other days, like today, when I feel hopeful that healing is happening, albeit very slowly, and I just have to take it one "step" at a time. Pun intended. 

Activity updates: At my last appointment (just before 2 months post-op), I was told to slowly transition out of my boot while wearing supportive shoes, but no "mall-walking." So I guess that means no speed walking, which is pretty much my M.O. I am taking it slow, and today is my very first day to wear tennis shoes! ON BOTH FEET! 

The pain of slipping into a tennis shoe this morning was very intense. It hurt to bend my foot to get it in. But once I got the shoe laced up, it felt better and I think I can handle walking around like this, at least for part of the day today. I will get back in my boot when (or if?) the pain sets back in. 

For now, my exercise must either be riding a bike or swimming. I actually swam for the first time since my surgery last week and I think it helped a lot! It felt amazing to do some sort of physical activity and it also seemed to give my foot a little more mobility.

 After 2-3 more months I can begin speed walking and possibly jogging, depending on how my follow-up appointment goes. No yoga for a while - too much pressure on my toe. This is a major bummer! I LOVE YOGA.

Lately the pain has felt like a dull throbbing achey-ness. Around the surgical site, there is still a little bit of a burning sensation where the new skin is growing. I also have pain that wraps around the inside of my foot.

There is still numbness on the top of my foot down through my big toe. My doctor said they probably wrapped one of my boots too tightly at the beginning of this whole ordeal and it did a little bit of nerve damage. Hopefully this will go away (it seems to get a teeny bit better every day, but I HATE this feeling. When I put my finger on my big toe, I can't feel it and it freaks me out).

Here are pictures of my foot today - 2 months after surgery. 

As odd as it sounds, I kind of hope the scar stays there. This has been such an ordeal (and will be such an accomplishment in the long run) that I want to remember it and how it has changed me.

It is still pretty swollen compared to the other foot (and off-colored...kind of purple-ish red).

I can curl my toes a lot more, but as you can see, there is still a long way to go!

Top view of my feet:

In summary, this has been a heck of a ride so far. The doctor's reports are good and seem favorable for a total recovery. I am setting my sights on that and choosing to stay as positive as I can be every day. 

Thanks for reading. If you are on this journey with me, take care of yourself and try to stay positive! We can do this!

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. 

Incisional Infection!

I posted yesterday about some "blisters" that were around my incision site. I called the doctor to tell them and after sending a pic in to them, they said it looks like I have an incisional infection. 

So...

I'm on cephalexin (an antibiotic) that I take FOUR TIMES a day for a week, and in the meantime I'm back on my scooter. :( a disappointing day for sure. 

This all happened on Friday late afternoon so I couldn't make it in to their office. I'm supposed to go in first thing Monday morning to have it looked at. 

Here is a close up on the infection...

WARNING!

WARNING!

GROSS PICTURE AHEAD!

The yellowish/brown stuff is actually the glue they put over the incision site after removing my stitches. 

The infection is the reddish white circle with pink all around it. All of my skin is peeling around it and it HURTS!!

I just thought it was supposed to be painful around the incision site for a while. But yesterday I had the inclination that maybe the pain was more intense than it should be. 

Glad I called it in.

The sesamoid saga continues...

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...