Very little to add. I am living a relatively normal life, the only bad thing is the night episodes of pain - I have not yet worked out what may be causing these; why lying on my back is OK, and any other position triggers the pain. If anyone has any idea, please let me know via comments.
The new thing is that on Friday I went to play badminton again - and I was really rubbish at it, as I was not able to move quickly on the court (and this is what is needed in this game). Hopefully, I will get better with time. I will be seeing my surgeon in a few weeks. If the pain does not go away by the end of October, I will probably consider a fusion. I will rather have a stiff toe without any pain. Anyone had it?
17 July, 2012
5 comments :
All comments will be reviewed before appearing on the blog. Usually I am able to review and approve the comments within 1-2 hours of submitting. I will not approve any comments that are offensive, irrelevant, include links to malicious sites, mention names of hospitals or service providers, include direct or indirect advertising of brand products (such advertising can be offered for a fee), or which I deem inappropriate for any other reason. For the avoidance of doubt, I am not allowing any links to any online retailers.
Due to huge amount of spam that I have been receiving since the beginning of June, I decided to request word verification for all comments submissions. Apologies for the inconvenience.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments
(
Atom
)
Week 9. Pain for the last week or so too. I felt a bit let down until I read your posts. The pain has shifted from the side of the big toe to the metatarsal bones. Swelling and discomfort so still not able to wear proper shoes. Flip flops and running shoes. Been trying to find sensible lace ups or t-bar or marry janes but none are comfortable. Now think I will be going straight from flip flops to winter boots. Not tried running yet, but regular walking, yoga etc and living a relatively normal life
ReplyDeleteI am now 9 weeks post-surgery. I am on summer break so I haven't needed to wear my boot for the past week. (I was wearing it only to protect it from accidental injuries while working with children.) I have been getting strange "waves" of pain at night that seem to come out of nowhere. They don't last long, but they were disconcerting. It's nice to read that others have also experienced pain at this point. I still don't fit into my regular shoes due to swelling, but it's summer so that is not too much of a concern right now. I am ready (I hope) to resume a more regular exercise routine. Most of the time, things are relatively normal for me now.
ReplyDeleteHere are my tracking statistics = week 9
ReplyDeleteGeneral joint movement for walking (qualitative measure ):
pre op 25%
week 2 40%
week 4(end) 60%
week 7 (end) 85%
week 9 (end) 90 % but on occasional days a bit of stiffness
target 90%
Pain
pre op 1-4/10 but after exercise 4-7/10
week 2 5/10
week 4(end) 2-3/10
week 7 (end) 1-2/10
week 9 (end) 0-2/10- mild pain only when I walk fast with full stride and on occassional days - some days pain free
target zero
flexibility upwards (pull)
pre op 0-5 degrees - awful
week 2 40 degrees
week 4 (end) 40 - 45 degrees - good
week 5 ( end 45 degrees - excellent
week 9 (end) 45 degrees - excellent achievable 90 % with tendon as well as pull
target >40 degrees
in surgery surgeon said he had this to 90 degrees but i cant see how he ever did that - my good left foot has 45 degrees movt and thats all i need
flexibility downwards (using tendon)
pre op 40 degrees - very good
week 5 20 degrees - very poor
week 7 end - good but not as good as pre op
week 9 (end) 30 degrees not as good as pre op
target 40 degrees as pre op
No major improvement from week 7 in fact at times over the last 14 days i felt i went backwards other days forward - this recovery is not linear
i have no night pains as reported and still have'nt run yet but still have swelling as per my photos although scar gradually healing
im v pleased so far but I'm not declaring victory - its obvious that although I'm living a normal life now there is room for a lot more improvement - i now understand what parsifal meant when he talked about a 6 months recovery time
Week 9 now closed ! - ive emailed Parsifal some more photos of the improvement - they should be on the last page "pre and post op photos ". some minor swelling in the last two weeks that comes and goes but today walking it was just excellent - hardly any pain walking well over 13000 steps - 7 days ago it was v sore when walking and i was a bit worried ....so its a bit of a rollercoaster. Week 7 (24th dec) was still my breakthrough week - since then slow improvement and the scar was still red but it is loosening up with e45 massages
DeleteTomorrow im back with the physio after xmas break
This blog has been of great use to me - i must once again thank Parsifal for his initiative - i recommend following it and running a calendar of events and findings / photos - psychologically it keeps you on track with exercises and helped me through the highs and lows of recovery
My learnings so far are
1. for first two weeks keep foot elevated at all times
2. healing takes a very long time so pace the exercises and do not go over 4/10 pain threshold - v difficult because you instinctively want to push it to speed recovery but unfortunately you have to just let the slow healing process run its course. keeping the joint moving definitely helps but im not convinced that you have to do as much as i did to date - avoiding heavy exercise is the best option - i am sticking to my surgeon and physio recommendation not to run till week 12
3. i was told by my surgeon that after 4 months exercises do not help improve range of motion further so by week 16 you have done all you can
4. keep a calendar and expect a non linear improvement - read the experiences of others on this blog - it gives you reassurance that progress happens slowly and its ok to have good and bad days - that helps psychologically
5. this procedure is definitely worth it - i should have done it years ago - today i am significantly better off that before - I had years of misery with it - and i now now that this is likely over - hopefully for a few years !
6.- its v important to seek out a well respected surgeon with a good track record and a professional physio
best wishes to all