I feel for you Ginger. Definitely take it easy today. Take a nice hot shower and go to bed for the rest of the day. Surgery doesn't just traumatized your foot, it takes a toll on your entire body. It takes several days just for the anesthesia to totally get out of your system. Sit back and relax. Just remember everything in moderation when moving about. You're doing great!
I fell (sort of) again! Went to get on my scooter and my knee slipped off. Came down on my big toe mostly but now I notice that the incision on the outside of my ankle is throbbing. The inside one a little but not as much. (And I know it's all in my head but I swear it feels sticky in there too). There is a little more pain than usual, not a lot. Worry and be more mindful? Or worry and call the doctor. I know in my heart 99.9 percent that it's nothing...
I personally would give it a day of ice and elevation but definitely don't hesitate to calm if you're concerned. I waited a day to call when I fell as it was the weekend. Trust your gut instinct. Be careful and take it easy!
The Following User Says Thank You to LadyKanner For This Useful Post: ginger62 (10-01-2012)
Hope you all had a good weekend! I am off to the surgeon in the morning for another check on the bone growth in my fusion. Just an xray to see really. Hope for good news! Later taters!
~Kimberly
Thanks, Kimberly. I think I must have "squeezed" right around the top of the surgical area. It's still noticeable on the outside one but not as bad. I've got to call them anyway today so I'll mention it.
Good luck with your appt.! Go bone growth!
Thanks, Kimberly. I think I must have "squeezed" right around the top of the surgical area. It's still noticeable on the outside one but not as bad. I've got to call them anyway today so I'll mention it.
Good luck with your appt.! Go bone growth!
The nurse said if it hurts more tomorrow they will send me for x rays. I honestly think I just jarred the incision site and it swelled pretty quickly. It now mainly just throbs a lot when I first put my foot down.
I'm sorry they recasted you, but if it helps with the one growth you really don't have much choice, do you?
If you don't mind my asking, why do you have trouble with the bone growth in the first place?
It was fused at one point in time but while I physical therapy the girl working with me forced my foot in such a way that the fusion broke. So now I am starting all over again and using a stimulator to speed up the process.
Saw my local ortho yesterday, 2 weeks after surgery to get the splint removed and the stitches out. It took them 15-20 minutes just to cut the splint off. Had I known there was so much padding in there I wouldn't have worried so much with the falls I took. Although it does make me appreciate how sensitive the area is to hurt so much with all that bandaging on top of it.
After that it was rather anti climactic. The swelling isn't too bad. The stitches are dissolvable so nothing happened there. The scars are rather horrific (the 2 big ones anyway). They cleaned it up a bit, put me in the boot and sent me on my way. I can take it off to shower but that's it. The boot took a little getting used to. I couldn't quite get comfortable in it but it's much better today. I noticed that the overall pain and the numbness have both decreased so that's a big yay.
Anyone know when I can start using some kind of "scar reducing" cream? And do those really work? I used punctured vitamin E tablets when I had my TKR.
Thanks for all the support yesterday. Seeing the scars (and the outside world) kind of threw me. Plus I started thinking what do I do for the next 6 weeks? Now that pain isn't on my mind 24/7 I'm at a bit of a loss.
Ginger
P.S. the highlight of my day (and I'm sure my neighbors thought it was a riot)... It was raining at appt time so not wanting to fuss with scooter or crutches my chauffeur and helper for the day( 6'5" 275lb) piggybacked me in and out of the house!
Liz,
Yes I have a knee scooter, it is a godsend! I got it two days after I got home from the hospital, and I was lucky, my husbands insurance paid for it, so I didn't have to rent one. It does help with mobility, especially around the house. I think I am just get frustrated with the pace of my recovery. It is too slow for me. LOL Just talk to my surgeons office today and I am allowed to sleep with the boot off through the night. They said I could put an ace bandage around it for some support, so I will try that tonight and maybe I will sleep a little letter. I am so tired of wearing that boot to bed.
The therapist did move my foot around more today, what hurt the worst was when he took my big toe and moved it back and forth, the bone near where he shaved the bunion off was very sore when he touch it under the big toe area. Ouch! They did heat therapy first, then I did 25 ankle pumps (like I am trying to step on a gas pedal) and then he moved it around a little, then they but cold therapy on it. I am supposed to step on it using 25% of my body weight which I think I will just step on my scale until it says 25 pounds. It would be hard to judge 25%. I go back Thursday again. Two days a week.
My doctors office said I should be walking in my boot without help by November 17th.
Ginger,
My husband carries me piggy back from the couch, down the steps to the car too and then from the car, up the steps and sits me down on the couch. It is just easier that way. Thank Goodness he lifts weights and can carry me. I weigh around 135. I think my husband gets tired of fussing with my scooter too.
I need to try and be more patient! I will have to look up the thread from Ditsy and Sumatra, I was having trouble finding that thread, I am still getting used to navigating this site.
Ladykanner,
I think my therapist seems like he knows what he is doing. I just worry a lot and never want to take any steps backwards with this long recovery. You are one brave lady and seem to have great patience!
Jodi,
I really am not a patient person. I am anything but patient! i just have no choice in this situation. i am mostly frustrated because I have done what I was told from day one and the thing keeping me from walking was something that I did not cause myself. Had it been something self inflicted, I would be more willing to accept it.
I'm so excited for you girls who are getting to be weight bearing.. It is an exciting but scary time. Your bodys natural response is to protect you from pain so when it comes to weight bearing there is a lot of hesitation.
My personal experience when first starting weight bearing was a feeling like an electric jolt going through the bottom of my foot. It was always a split second thing. Your foot will probably wake you up a couple of times per night when you starting sleeping without your boot. I found myself moving a funny way I wasn't used to and it woke me out of a dead sleep.
Jodi, I am a week behind you. I just got my orders for pt and will call to scedule it today. I have mederma for the scarring but honestly I hate to rub the incision s it still hurts. Keep up the good work. Paula
hi I haven't read thru all the responses lately but did want to say when I had to start WB I bought one of those heal gel thingys from the drug store and put it in my boot (not sure if you have heel pain) and it helped a lot when trying to put weight on my foot. I also bought a full gel insert as well and stuck it in there too. any extra padding ya know? good luck Cathy
Cathy, thanks for that suggestion I have avery large screw inmy heel and for now since I just started weight bearing it does hurt with any pressure. I will pick that uptomorrow. Thats why I love this board. Great ideas! Paula
I truly love this board. I am going to get one of those heel gel pads and see if that helps. I still have real pain in my heel, on the outside just below the ankle bone while walking using the crutches.
I had my third PT session today -- I have full confidence in the PT, who does the stretching and massaging stuff and seems really great, but far less in one of his techs, who oversees the exercises and repetitions. She seems like she doesn't really know what she is doing and she doesn't really pay attention to how we do the exercises. She had me barefoot on the quad machine, pushing 40 pounds of resistance using only my (bare) surgery foot and I thought my heel was going to explode. It actually brought tears to my eyes. The PT told her, gently, to make sure I was in the boot for that -- it's a weight bearing exercise! This is at least the second time she was wrong for something she did. On Monday, I overheard one of the other techs telling her how correctly to do an exercise for someone else and all she said was, "oops." I think about Lady Kanner's experience and it makes me cringe.
As a result, I am now back to using two crutches while the pain subsides. I know -- one step forward, two steps back. But I don't want to have an artificial setback just when I was doing really well. And I don't want to get her in trouble but she is wreaking havoc with people's recovery. I am thinking of complaining to the PT, but I also don't want to be viewed as the cranky lady, particularly since I've got 13 more sessions to go.
Dits, you have to complain! Nothing is worth ruining your outcome and causing you to have more surgery to fix someone elses mistakes. Not everyone knows what they are doing but you need to be your own advocate. I know you feel bad doing it but it is vital for you! Please. You come first here. Paula
The Following User Says Thank You to prico54 For This Useful Post: Ditsy1 (10-10-2012)
