Actually, I did go to the gym today. I managed to put on my squash shoes. And I was perfectly OK. Obviously, no running, but I spent 30 mins on the training bike (no problems whatsoever), stretched, and did weights. In the afternoon, I went with my daughter to the beach and had a nice swim in the waves (the ocean was quite unrest).
27 May, 2012
16 comments :
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I continue to hobble, perhaps with slightly less discomfort than yesterday? I'm not sure. I do know that I am walking in such an unbalanced way (tilted really) that my knee is starting to bother me. My cheilectomy heel is sore too, probably from the uneven distribution of weight on my foot. I still cannot "push off" on my toes, and expect that I will not be able to do so for some time. I am trying to be patient. Can't believe I have to go through this whole thing a second time!
ReplyDeleteDay 16. The scar is a little tingly and needs a day or two of anti septic cream before just massaging with moisturiser. The toe exercises are quite challenging as it is still quite stiff, but I am working on it.
ReplyDeleteStill wearing the shoe as running shoes feel a bit tight. Taking short regular walks in my neighbourhood with the crutch. Walking around house normally and doing housework, cooking etc in between foot up rests. Also working on my laptop easily.
Been using exercise ball for upper body workouts, press ups etc. seated yoga too. Enjoying daily shower without bagging my foot - feels luxurious!
Still limping, pain under the ball of the foot when pressure is applied. The good news is swelling is now greatly reduced after outings. I still keep the foot elevated when relaxing and continue to feel some discomfort after long periods sitting in a normal position with feet on the floor.
ReplyDeleteI went back to get my stitches removed today and to see the surgeon for the first time since the operation.
ReplyDeleteThe wound is healing well. There's some scabbing and a lot of bruising on the ball of my foot and down. But considering everything, it looks good. And the remarkable thing is, there is no bump on the top of my joint! (My ankle looked sadly skinny, however. It's surprising that in just two weeks the muscles have visibly shrunk.)
I was looking forward to taking a real shower tomorrow, but the surgeon said I need to keep it clean and dry for another 7-10 days. He also said I should skip my planned beach trip next week, I was planning a beach trip next week, since it would be bad if any dirt got into the wound.
The good news is, he said he's optimistic the surgery will be beneficial for me. Beforehand, he had cited some discouraging statistics: 70% of patients see their pain reduced at least in half; 10% see minimal improvement; 10% see no improvement; and 10% get worse.
He said that once he was inside my joint, he found more problems than had been evident on the x-ray: bone shards and scar tissue and inflammation, in addition to the spurs he'd seen. He said they were able to clean all that out, and he's confident that the surgery will help me. He said it would only have gotten worse if I had waited.
He said I should keep wearing the Aircast when I'm walking for another 2-4 weeks. (I can take it off when I'm resting, and also to do some ankle flexing so that it doesn't get stiff.) He said it would be very easy to reinjure the joint with even a minor bump, so I need to wear the walking cast to protect it.
I'm starting physical therapy next week. In the meantime, I'm supposed to flex it up and down (using just the foot muscles, not assisting) 20 times, 3 times a day. That hurts, and there's very little movement, but it's nice to see at least the beginnings of movement.
I asked about the residual numbness in my toe. He says that sometimes happens with the nerve block. (The first nerve block they gave me -- near my knee and inner thigh numbed my lower leg, but only partially numbed my foot. They had to give me a second set of injections in my ankle. Maybe that affected it?) He says it usually goes away with time.
I had my post-op appointment today, and the stitches came out. Everyone commented that my foot looks really good. There is hardly any redness, and they commented that many people have a good bit of redness around the incision and the joint.
ReplyDeleteI asked about activities. The surgeon said I could do whatever I wanted except wear high heels. Because of drilling in the joint, he wants to give the new cartilage time to form. He suggested I should wait 3 months, which means 3 months without dancing. When I gave him a sad face, he said we could revisit the conversation at my 6-week post op appointment.
I'm day 15 post op. Stitches came out yesterday. Other than some soreness on the left half of my toe knuckle it's not too bad. Doc said my toe at 2 weeks looks like most others at 4. Still slightly swollen and shoes are a little tight and uncomfortable but I expect to be getting back to normal pretty soon. I was on a stationary bike at day 5 and doing upper body excersices since then as well. It hasn't been nearly as bad as I thought it would. I want to do my other big toe in 4 weeks. I'm walking with a slight limp and think I'll be walking fine in a few days as it seems it's improving well. Should have done this a year ago.
ReplyDeleteI had my post op appointment this morning. I'd been a bit nervous about having the stitches out but it turns out they are dissolvable ones (yay!). The dressing came off and it actually doesn't look as bad as I thought it would. The surgeon seemed happy with it and said I can now do pretty much anything I like as long as I don't overdo it. I was also pleased to see that the big lump which had developed on the side of my foot over the last few years (I suppose because of swelling in the joint) was also more-or-less gone and apparently should go completely in time. Very happy!
ReplyDeleteI had my post op appointment, and suture removal. All went well, and it seems to be healing nicely according to my Dr. When steri strips fall off, I can start putting Vitamin E, Scaraway, vaseline etc to help prevent scarring. He wants me to work into regular shoes this week, and gently bend the toe with my hands several times a day, working up to weight bearing and bending as PT. Not cleared for swimming for another week to prevent infection, but cleared for elliptical and stationary bike (with care not to over do). Best news is that he has me coming back in 3 weeks, instead of 4, and will possibly clear me for running in 5 weeks, instead of the normal 6-8. I will continue to be a careful and patient patient!
ReplyDeleteRunner from VA
It's my second full day at work, and for the morning drive (commute) I was blessed to be stuck in stop and go traffic for an hour! Yay! Also, I drive a stick, which makes the bilateral surgery thing fun. I'm happy to report that everything was great - feet gave me no trouble at all.
ReplyDeleteLast night after getting home, I relaxed with my feet elevated, and that helped with the swelling pressure. I also exercised my joints a good bit and bathed my feet in much needed moisturizer, which helped with the itching and ugliness. I slept without any real difficulty - without any dressings - although I popped awake a couple times for a moment when I had little toe spasms.
My right big toe has a recurring burning sensation and also occasional sharp ache as sensation slowly returns. My left big toe feels almost normal, although it's a little sore. I can now wiggle both big toes upward with some discomfort. Good progress!
During the toe flexing exercises, I've noticed that my left big toe grinds a bit, still. I'm not sure there's much I can do about that. It's not painful, but present, and I'll mention it at my next visit. The right toe (and foot, generally) is still fairly swollen, so mobility is pretty limited. Both are more limber than they were pre-op, but still not anywhere near what I think they'll be when I've recovered.
I started walking around a bit more without the shoe and trying to flex the toes gently with more natural walking motion, and tolerated it when the toes were bent just a little. I'm going to continue that very gently to try restoring some of the muscle tone in my feet and legs. The guarded gait feels pretty unnatural, and I'm wary of keeping the bad habit of walking funny. Anyway, continued progress!
With work, I have been a little remise at keeping up with this. Still having some odd pains in my foot. Took an ibuprofen at lunch and it helped. Getting around some, but wondering if I should be progressing faster or if I should be pushing harder. Have an appointment in 2 days to get my stiches out and will talk to the doctor about it then. Cannot emphasize enough how much difference deep stretch yoga seems to make in decreasing the pain.
ReplyDeleteHi all, my first time posting here. I am on Day 16 post surgery. I don't think I was in as bad a situation pre-surgery as many posters. I had daily, but tolerable pain since last Dec when wearing closed-in shoes or boots. Much less discomfort since May when I switched to sandals. I decided to have the surgery as I knew the situation wasn't going to improve and didn't want to wait until it got worse. At day 16, I can walk well in the hard soled sandal and can bend my toe in either direction (but not nearly to the same degree in my "good" foot). The pain and discomfort from the surgery is tolerable now. I am due to get my stitches out in two days (wound wasn't healed enough last week).
ReplyDeleteI have found this blog to be incredibly helpful and want to thank Parsifal and all the commenters for their input.
I have two queries (if anyone has any input):
1. I have complete numbness along the right side of my big toe (the surgery was on my left foot) - did this happen to anyone else and if so did it resolve itself over time (and how long did that take)?
2. Today and a week ago, I tried on various different shoes I have at home. I could only wear a pair of sandals which has soft leather and is cut so that the leather doesn't come close to the incision site. I can't get into any of my sneakers and certainly not into any leather shoes or boots. I'm wondering (especially from any of the women out there), how long into your recovery could you comfortably wear "regular" leather shoes/ankle boots. I don't wear pointy shoes with spike heels - I'm taking about square toed leather ankle boots with a 1.5 heel.
Thanks so much for this blog!
SpringerGirl
Hi SpringerGirl,
DeleteYou seem a few weeks ahead of me (I'm day 14 on Oct 30) and I am wondering if you've answered your question #2 about wearing "reasonable" female shoes. I'm also nowhere near regular shoes, even though I have no problem walking barefoot or in boot. Thanks - LunaTek
Hi all...thanks so much for this blog. I have been checking it often to see how my progress relates. I am on day 16 now and my experience lately has been both optimistic and frustrating. I am still in the shoe as I could not get into my runners on the 2 week check up. The toe just won't bend enough to get in. I went to the gym on day 9 and have been 4 times since. I lift weights with no problem (upper body only) and do about 30-40 minutes on the elliptical. I also walk our dog 2x a day for about 1.5 each so my step count is around 20,000 a day. However, yesterday I think I overdid it at the gym. Last night I had significant pain and swelling in my achilles on my left side (the side of the surgery). I also have a bit of discomfort elsewhere due to the uneven walking. Doc recommend PT 2-3 times a week for 8 weeks. So...somewhat happy about where i am but also getting a bit restless. I hate not being able to go full throttle at the gym. We are in the holiday season and I don't want to pack on the pounds!
ReplyDeleteCan anyone relate to the above? Thanks again for the shared journey.
Wait and be patient. two weeks after surgery is nothing - it takes a good few months to heal completely. Which is better: running now and suffering even bigger problems later? Or gaining a few pounds now, but then being able to lose them quickly, and enjoying problem-free running?
DeleteWhen I was at about this level of healing, I would be on my feet all day on Tuesday, walking about 5 miles. Then the next day I was completely wasted: couldn't do much more than sleep it off. Starting week 8 now, and a lot of my fitness is starting to return; I didn't gain any weight because I ate less than my typical exercise-induced calorie needs.
DeleteDay 16 ... 40 min walk in Hokas, slow start but felt easier throughout the walk....side note I was able to wear a pair of "real" shoes ie, booties out last night! Granted I was sitting much of the time, but my they were not too tight! They were a bit harder to drive in though vs Birkenstocks and post op sandals.
ReplyDelete