"Daddy, you're walking a little faster every day," my 5-year-old observed this morning.
Exactly seven days ago, I was under the scalpel. The gradual improvements are noticeable. The same day of the surgery, I was scooting around the floor on my butt. By the next day, I could take tiny paces on my heels. Now, I'm no longer just walking on my heels, but putting a little weight on the metatarsal heads. The change is pretty unconscious; I just walk as my feet allow me to without feeling pain.
Big difference between my two feet. My left foot was more adversely affected by the arthritis and bone spurring than my right, and required more surgical intervention (removing loose bone fragments, drilling into the bone). Now when I walk, I can already slightly bend the MTP joint on my right foot without pain. On the left foot, by contrast, I'm still mostly avoiding placing pressure on the metatarsal heads (balls of the foot), walking more on the outside of the foot.
The difference between my two feet tells me this: Every case is different. If somebody else's anecdotal story boasts of an easy surgery and quick recovery, her case was not as severe as yours.
The good thing about my right foot being in better shape is that I feel that I COULD NOW DRIVE if I had to! Still haven't tried, but I think it would be no problem. This is a good feeling, because for me, mobility = liberation. Although, once I'm driving, it also means the end of my reading "vacation."
Thanks for your blog Michael. I am considering having bilateral Cheilectomy possibly in the fall. It is interesting to read these blogs (following others as well) - helps me imagine what it will be like. Good luck with continued recovery.
ReplyDeleteHi Sonja, Yes, I found such stories very useful to prepare myself mentally for recovery, and to establish some expectations about what I might be able to do and when. Feel free to contact me with any questions you have. Good luck, Michael
ReplyDeleteDays 7-10
ReplyDeleteAug 26-29 Every day gets better. I went to work on day 8 - no driving yet - got a ride from my wife. It was a little bit much spending all day at my desk with my feet not elevated. I was glad to get home. Stayed home the rest of the week, putzing about the house.
I've realized that the problem with the outsides of my feet is that they had developed huge blisters just below the toes. I also have small blisters in between many of my toes. I am sure that what happened was that my bandages were so tight that they created blisters. Because I had the pain block I wasn't able to feel the developing blisters on the first day. By the time the pain block wore off, the blisters were already there and giving me exceptional pain.