Not much to add today and yesterday - I am functioning normally, attending a conference; the only limitations are that 1) I cannot wear my best shoes. It does not bother me too much; I expect to be completely fine in a few weeks, 2) I was unable to participate in a run in the morning - my foot is not yet good for running, and the extent of movement is very poor. I am treating the toe hard; I need to get it going.
I have read that many people use orthotics to prevent bending the toe. I think, in my case, it would be completely wrong - I want to get the toe bending, and the best exercise is just to use the foot as nature intended it to be used. I respect it may not be possible for everyone, though.
I am lucky I do not need any PT; I would not stand anyone fiddling with my foot, not to mention the waste of time and personal freedom!
30 May, 2012
22 comments :
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About Day 18/19
ReplyDeleteWell, Parsifal, what you say about each case being different is true because this is the day my DPM made my appointment to get stitches out.
I was thinking about this in the early hours of Day 6 when I decided to place a vision in this spot and move toward it with faith in the future.
Hence I vision that two weeks from when I sit at the computer in the present moment, I will have an excellent stitches out appointment, and I will be able to comfortably use my house shoes on the chelio foot. The arthro toe on that foot may be more of a challenge than the Grt Toe but that's OK. I vision that at that time I will have all the resources I need to handle any challenge that it brings me.
I vision that two weeks from when I sit at the computer in the present moment, the tumor excision site will have a strong healing scar and be no trouble at all to me. I will have a much stronger ankle by then, due to the extra load it has been carrying. This will be part of my healing from the avulsion fracture in 2006.
I vision that at my own pace and in my own time, I will also be able to say I am functioning somewhat normally.
I place this vision on the horizon of my future and I affirm that I am walking toward it, step by step, as I speak this in the NOW on Day 6.
Lady Toes
Today is day 19 post op for me. I had a bandage change on day 7 and stitches out on day 14. I was driving on day 6, but wasn't supposed to. I found dri9ving without the boot to be better as I could feel more with my right foot and I used my left to brake.
ReplyDeleteI an still supposed to be on crutches too, but I gave that up on day 15. They hurt my hands so much I could not take it anymore. I am using my hand to work the toe back and forth every day as the PA instructed. It is stiff, but I feel the range of motion is good considering and the stretching feels good. I also removed my bandage last night and replaced it with a light gauze pad and a little tape to hold it in place. I just could not stand the itching from the wrap anymore. I can't wait to get back to walking and running!
Days 18 & 19 for me: Yesterday, my toe and whole foot felt almost back to normal for mobility,and actually better than normal, as the painful bone spurs are gone. I happily went around the house, intent on having a close to normal day catching up on household chores like sweeping, putting away laundry, etc. I was up and downstairs quite a bit, but felt almost no discomfort. However, in the evening I felt some pain and peeked at my incision just to discover some weeping and bleeding had occurred at the one trouble spot where there is a space between steri-strips. So, I am back to keeping my foot up, and have made an appointment for tomorrow, primarily over concern about the incision, which seems to be a bigger problem than the joint itself! My stitches had been removed on Day 10, and steri-strips placed over the incision. Just wondering if maybe the stitches should have been kept in longer. I suppose each person's rate of healing will vary. I am however, delighted over the mobility of the joint and vast improvement over my pre-op ability to walk properly with a pain-free joint.
ReplyDeleteDays 18 and 19 were productive. Like Michele Hayes, I spend a great deal of time catching up on household chores, but I think I overdid it somewhat. My feet ached after all the standing and "doing". I am sleeping much better and more soundly. My foot can be under the covers without discomfort and I can change positions very easily without hurting my foot. Although my surgeon told my husband (after my surgery) that he would give me exercises to do at my post-op, he then said exercises were not necessary in my case and that the joint would gain flexibility naturally. Even so, I make it a point to try to point and flex the big toe several times a day, as well as the foot itself at the ankle joint.
ReplyDeleteDenise, many thanks for posting your history of recovery day-after-day. I hope it gives the readers the perspective of what they can expect, and perhaps alleviate both the fear we all have before the surgery, and also the temporary disability we have to endure after the procedure. I am glad to see that even though your course of recovery might be on the slower side, things are going in the right direction, and hopefully in a few months you will be functioning on a much better level than before the cheilectomy. I look forward to posting your further comments!
DeleteCR - Day 18
ReplyDeleteHave been doing all my regular fitness, circuit & yoga classes and using the machines at the gym. Only need slight modifications for some aspects. Walking with a slight limp only, getting faster on stairs. Have immersed my foot comforatably in the bath. Constant pre surgery pain is noticeably gone. Just tolerable pain on occasion. Taking time to massage and bend my toe - have seen a slight amount of upward movement!
Checked in with work about starting next week, will need to drive then. Have been enjoying researching and preparing healthy and tasty foods of all sorts. My foot is still sensitive and I am careful not to have contact of any sort with other people or objects. Have 2 pairs of loose shoes I have been wearing on occasion - somewhat painful getting off and on. My slippers are very comfy and easy to slide off and on. I don’t think I am close to running, jumping, cycling and playing any sports yet. It will be interesting to see if I get back into these things and how it will feel without the constant pain.
Day 18- My cast was removed today. My doctor left the surgical strips on (I have dissolving stitches) and told me to let them fall off naturally. I am now allowed to bathe and shower without the plastic protector-can't wait!
ReplyDeleteI had my first experience of pain the moment my un-casted foot hit the floor. There is practically no mobility to the toe joint, but I guess that is to be expected as it has been immobilized for over two weeks. She wrapped my foot in a stretchy wrapping called "Co-band" which is to help stabilize the foot. I am to continue with this dressing for a week. Going out tomorrow to find some shoes that fit during the recovery.
Day 18 for me. I'm in my own shoes, going about life as normal, with discomfort, not pain, right in the joint. I started PT yesterday and will do so for about 4 weeks, twice weekly. My right toe is bending as much as the one that was not operated on! I'm not babying it, but I'm not running either, though I did do a quick sprint on my way into a conference. On my feet all day, telling myself to work the joint. Very minimal swelling. Scabs over the incision. I forget I have had this done till I walk fast and feel the discomfort in the joint. But it feels like healing pain.....not like a running injury, which I have had in the past.
ReplyDeleteDay 19. I hopped on my stationary bike and did about 45 hard minutes. I'm very tempted to get on the treadmill. Would it injure the joint to do that? i got off the bike and noticed that the discomfort I had while walking was gone. I wonder if it's due to endorphins rushing through my system.
ReplyDeleteIt is really hard to say... I cannot remember when exactly I started running again, it is somewhere on this blog
DeleteToday was the first day that I could walk a little bit in my house in my socks and not have a lot of pain. I've been trying g to move my toe quite a bit and I'm wondering if that helped. Before today if I tried to walk without my boot, it just hurt too much and I'd walk on the side of my foot.
ReplyDeleteMorning still seems to be the time my foot hurts the most and its a little purple but then goes away. The middle of the day is much better and then later at night it starts to hurt again but I've been trying to move a lot more.
Things are looking up. In a week I have to fly to Florida for our sales meeting. I'm a little nervous as it's none stop morning into evening every day. The hotel we are at is really spread out. I'll still be wearing my boot.
Day 18 I returned to work teaching elementary school. I am required to wear RoboBoot all day the entire first week that I am back. That is both a definite positive and a definite negative. On the positive side, it protects my toe from accidental bumps. On the negative side, I can't move my ankle so my ankle is sore at the end of the day too.
ReplyDeleteI am up and moving so much at work, I am finding that at the end of the day there is more swelling than I have seen recently. That is easily fixed by coming home, sitting on the couch, elevating, and icing again.
I continue to work on bending the toe some each day.
Over these days, I transitioned from the pain not being too bad to the pain getting worse and redness starting to appear. I also started painting my kitchen. It's just standing, though I do occasionally catch myself standing on my foot to reach for a corner, flexing. The good news is that I can stand on one foot and flex. The bad news is that it seems to be a bit too much for my poor joint.
ReplyDeleteI am just joining the blog for the first time. I am at day 18 and I have found your comments very helpful and encouraging. I consider that I have had a good experience with my surgery but I don't think I am as mobile as most of you. My big toe is still very bruised and has very little movement - though there was very little prrevious also. My surgeon did tell me that when he had taken off the Spurs he had been able to get some more flexibility in my toe. No doubt that accounts for the bruising. There is minimal swelling though enough to mean the only shoes I can get on are some canvas Skechers. I am going back to work tomorrow. I do hope no one drops anything on my foot! It the moment I plan to just be patient to see how I go in respect to being able to put any pressure on my toe.
ReplyDeleteDay 18 - and day 4 of "back to normal." I think I'm right at the edge of overdoing it. I walked over a mile yesterday, didn't use the sandals last night or this morning, and have been taking stairs and walking whenever possible today.
ReplyDeleteMy feet are sore. They're also swollen. Right toe numbness persists, although the foot is getting better. Flexibility is better, and I can now wiggle toes upward with just some mild discomfort. My feet overall feel like I've been walking on them for 10 miles. They fatigue easily, but are functioning.
As another poster mentioned, I think this is the new normal for a little while, and I'll just be elevating and icing in the evening until it clears. In the meantime, I've scheduled PT 2x/week starting in 10 days (earliest appointment available).
Thank you for your amazing chronological journey.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteDay 18 - Stitches out today. Didn't realize that I had both sutures and dissolvable stitches. There were a couple of twinges but it wasn't horrible. The sutures were to keep the surface skin together; the dissolvable stitches were for the deeper tissue. They didn't but any additional bandage on, but gave me an Velcro ace wrap to use for support/compression. I am to do 50 toe flexes by hand twice a day as well as write the alphabet with my foot to flex my ankle. I will be able to get my foot wet tomorrow, but not tonight. I went in to work for the afternoon. Foot is really aggravated tonight, even with taking the anti-inflammatory at lunch. I will sit with it up the rest of the evening. Amazed at how much it has swollen in a half day. Sitting with it up seemed to help.
Day 19 - First full day back at work. First day doing my exercises. And I got to get my foot wet/clean. Seems to be swelling some so I am having to keep it elevated. Keep in mind I had cheilectomy/osteotomy combo surgery.
Day 17 ....Went out to a play, Les Miserables, wore my Birkenstocks (visually better than Hokas)! Figured nobody would really be looking at my feet anyway, Also walked for about 50 mins...picking up the pace a bit. However, I've noticed that I start slow and both pace and comfort level improve with time.
ReplyDeleteDay 18 Went to a "new" gym for the first time. Did a intro to pilates class which went well with just a couple of tweaks. Also did 15 mins on the eliptical. It felt really good to get my HR up and sweat!!! Just heading out to take the dog for a walk. She has suffered right along with me as I am the only one who takes her out for an extended time.
I am still having a hard time going down stairs with alternating feet...relies on too much toe bend/wt on said bent toes. So for now I just go down one leg at a time.
Today I had my stitches out, free at last! I also notice that my big toe is a little numb. I was given ok to shower and to get it wet, so I soaked my foot in my foot bathe and tons of junk came off. I have never not washed for that long for any body part. I now have bending exercises to do, 2 x a day for 20 minutes. I can do Pilates but no impact activities for 4-6 weeks. Doc says I can’t hurt anything but foot will be sore. I do have some discomfort at times, but able to walk barefoot. Not able to wear my regular shoes, so still use the shoe. Overall feeling much better.
ReplyDeleteDay 18
ReplyDeleteJoint pain gone, incision doesn’t like the contact with shoes though .
Still fairly swollen and itchy scar.
The pain on range of movement exercises and walking etc is on the ball of my foot , and what feels like the tendons along the underside of my foot.
Is this due to lack of motion for years, or where the surgeon relieved the fascia?? Anyone else get this?
I’m on day 19, and had stitches out on day 10. I’d say there is more pain now than there was a week ago, but nothing terrible. It feels mostly achy. There is still swelling, and I just realized the outermost joint doesn’t bend down (curl) like it does on the other foot. I’m hoping it’s because of the swelling.
ReplyDeleteI do the bending exercises and keep a bandaid over the surgical scar that I change daily. Now there’s one tiny wet spot left when I remove it.
I bought a foot tub and soak my feet in epsom salt, as my podiatrist recommended, every couple days. I feel like grandma, and she was right, because it feels so much better afterwards.
Day 20- I am a 48 year old female who has had a cheilectomy procedure done on the left foot. I have run my own dance school for 20 years and felt it was time to get this op done so I will be able to continue to dance for many more years.
ReplyDeleteYesterday I had my stitches removed. I have never had stitches before and felt quite nervous at having them removed. The nurse was brilliant and kept the conversation going the whole time. I can honestly say it was not as bad as I had imagined. There was no real pain just a slight sensation when being pulled out. It was over before I knew it and told to put my normal shoes on and walk out the hospital.
I had luckily bought some grition hiking sandals from Amazon and they were a life saver. My foot and toes were very swollen and the sandal just adjusted to my foot.
My foot was swollen and bruised, my toes double the size. I did a bit of walking but the big toe hurts to move at the moment. I have been told to walk as much as I can and to go back to see the surgeon in four weeks time.
It has been great to get the bandage off the foot and I am left with a plaster to protect the area for a few weeks.