Little change since yesterday. Still mostly in bed. When I do get up, still shuffling around on heels, which is slow and tiresome. After about 15-20 minutes of feet not being elevated, the pain and swelling increases.
Went out to dinner with family to get out of the house. Exhausted by the time we returned. My body is telling me that it needs rest, and for the most part I'm listening.
Beginning to see the advantages of operating on one foot at a time (I opted for bilateral surgery). If I had done only one foot, it would be much easier to get around, making the non-surgery foot bear the weight and do the work. I imagine that I would be driving already. Having done both feet, the recovery is going to be much slower. Maybe in a year, when I hope that this is all behind me, I will be glad that I did it all at once and don't have to go through it again. Right now, I wish I had at least one good foot.
The good thing is that you should be seeing the improvement almost every day know - each day a tiny little bit. I cannot imagine that I would have been driving on Day 4 after bilateral surgery, but my guess is that if all goes well, then you will start on day 10-14 (?).
ReplyDeleteBTW my sister had bilateral cheilectomy a few month after me, she was 40 at that time. Obviously much more challenging to function during the recovery period. However,she is completely OK now (and she can wear high heels - at least being males we do not need to worry about it).
Parsifal, How do you know that I don't wear heels? Seriously, I think it is a bizarre cultural practice that women torture their feet with narrow shoes and heels; I wince just walking past shoe displays. You're right; a little better each day.
ReplyDeleteI am guessing ... just based on the distribution of footware preferences, males wearing high heels do exist, however, not very many of them.
ReplyDeleteAs for the women practice wearing high heels, I think they look very pretty in high heels. I am not sure that I understand why they wear them on some occassions, and why they do not wear them on some other occassions .... but they do what they think is right, and so far things work out OK, so let's leave them alone.
As for this being a 'torture", males have their tortures too. Most of things we do are risky or unhealthy, and we do them anyway.
Day 4 Aug 23
ReplyDeleteToday has been a good day. I have been on my own most of the day. I am successfully heel walking - mostly with either my rolling walker or with my walking sticks (in lieu of crutches) but also short distances without any help. Very little pain. Nothing that a headache tablet couldn't manage. I have still been sleeping a lot (mid-morning nap, right after a long night's sleep - guess I still need it)- no surprise, it takes a lot out of a body to heal. Still keeping my feet above my heart whenever I am sitting or lying down, but can manage short times without my feet starting to hurt. I have been downstairs for much of the day but have gone upstairs twice. I bump up the stairs backward on my butt (gives my triceps exercise) but can walk down the stairs keeping the weight on my heels and my toes hanging off the edge of the step. I feel so much more normal today (other than taking my mid-morning nap). I have been doing projects on my computer.
It occurred to me why the outside of my feet hurts so much: the surgeon must have had to grasp my foot in some way (I imagine my foot clamped down) in order to perform the surgery. That must be why it hurts so much.
Although I was told not to remove the dressings I have done so, giving my feet a breather from the constrictions of the wrappings. It has allowed me to scratch parts of my feet and rub Arnica cream into the sore outside portions of my feet. I have not removed the padding directly over the incision however - just around the rest of my foot. Aaahhh.
I purchased the boots from my surgeon instead of just using the booties that I was given free by the hospital. The purchased boots are designed to shift your weight back onto your heels and have been a huge help in walking (the free boots do not shift your weight onto the heels they just protect the feet and bandages). I highly recommend spending the money on these boots (lable: DARCO) ($25 per boot). Your feet are worth it.
I leave the boots on at night so that I can go to the bathroom but take them off during the day when I am situated in one place for a while.