I'm having one in September. I put it off because of a summer job but I fear the amount of damage I am doing to my other leg and hip as a result.
I've been asking questions of my doctor's assistant regarding how long to take off work etc. and she can't really give me a straight answer. She said for sure 2 weeks but I could go back to work if I can elevate my leg to waist level after 2-3 weeks. She asked me if I'd be able to do that at work and I said I think that would be pretty difficult as my office is small and crowded and trying to elevate and work on my computer would be a bit like being a contortionist. Seems like it would be very aggravating (I tried it).
Am feeling a little frustrated with her because I think she is a little annoyed with my questions. She is nice but she deals with this everyday (no big deal) and this is (hopefully) a once in a lifetime thing for me. Anyone else had this experience?
You are not alone in being nervous. The recovery is tough but doable. The surgery is painful at first but good pain management (DRUGS) can keep you comfortable. Cookie...I am 60 yrs old and seem to be healing just fine. We older gals have more patience but we may need a little more physical help.
Frankly I thought I would be running around on my knee walker, driving etc after the first 2 weeks. I have had a number of other surgeries (not orthopedic) and was up and running pretty quickly. Nope...not this time...I rarely left the house for the first 2 months. I believe you could go back to work at around 6 weeks to 2 months without your foot up all day....just part time. I had little swelling after that (until I started walking with a boot...now I have swelling!) Your foot will throb and your toes will look purple if down the first month or so.
I too got very little information from the nurses and the surgeon was always rushed.
The trick is to relax and just plan on a lot of down time. You will need more help than you think in the beginning. I got restless the last month in a cast and hubby tired to drive me somewhere at least 2x a week to get out. I said the serenity prayer a lot and got netflix, books, and played bridge on the internet.
Good luck with your upcoming surgeries. You will be fine (reassurance)!
Hugs, Shelly
Last edited by Administrator; 07-11-2009 at 08:28 PM.
pearlcat, i would say 2 months to go back to work. 2-4 weeks you still feel pretty crappy. when i would go to my appointments to change casts i would almost pass out...i think the meds were part of it. i went back 3 months...and was still only half weight bearing on crutches in boot and would get very tired and have to put foot up and rest (but i don't have a desk job either).
cookiek, i do not have RA but my navicular bone was avascular...Kohler's disease. so the doc wasn't sure how the talonavicular fusion would heal because of that....but i healed awesome and that joint was the first to heal!
shelly, i had so much pain in the boot at first. there are a few things that happen....first your nerves freak out because they are so sensitive from being non-weight bearing. second you have brand new bone and brand new bone shape that your soft tissue has to get used to. i would get this pain where when i would put weight on my foot i was good, but then when i would lift the weight off i would have this extreme pain. you will also have arch pain, achilles pain, any pain but the before surgery pain. it gets better, but it takes a while.
I have Kaiser HMO (as close to socialized medicine as it comes) The bill was $28,000 for the surgery and 3 nitghts in the hospital. I paid our yearly total deductable of $3000 and will not pay for any covered services for the rest of the year. I am very glad for my coverage (for which we pay a fortune every month)
