Bunion Surgery: One Week Post Op

I find myself torn with the idea that it has only been a week and amazed at the idea it has only been one week. Last Wednesday, December 11, I had an osteotomy on my fifth metacarpal to repair my bunionette on the right foot. This is my second go around; my first surgery was this past spring on the other foot.

Seven months since the other foot and I remember that journey being long and difficult. My husband returned back to work too early, and I collapsed in exhaustion. I still feel the plates and healing bone in that foot. People ask how it is, and it is. It bothers me, but in a different sort of way.

The repair on the right foot should be more noticeable. The tension in my foot from an incorrect gait to baby my foot and prevent pain radiates through my body. My knee aches and my physiotherapist suggests the tensions in my leg is off with imbalanced muscles. This jumper knee of mine has been debilitating in the past week. Next month, I’ll return to physiotherapy and learn to walk, to strengthen my muscles and hold my feet, knees and hips so my body hurts a little less.

You think that being able to walk is something we all know how to do. I do it daily, but it’s complex and when you do it wrong, it causes pain.

It’s a funny thing to talk about walking when you can’t walk.

The right foot is wrapped up in a half plaster cast with tensor bandage.

Unlike my last surgery, the person who put the cast on did a fabulous job and it is comfortable.

I have been proactive this surgery in combatting pain and  swelling. I keep my leg raised, I take medicine on a strict schedule, and use ice when the burning throb begins to start.

For four days, I set times every 2-3 hours rotating between anti inflammatory (advil) and pain medication (tramadol). After that, I took as needed. I needed it less in the night, and more during the day now. I can wait for the pain to kick in now and treat it, but on day one, if the pain kicked in, it was too late. The half hour wait for the medication to do it’s job was agony and created more problems then it made.

 

If you’re reading this because you’re about to have bunion surgery, I urge you not to proceed with caution but be agressive in your post-op pain management.

Last time I complained about my cast, but this time my foot hurts more. I woke in Day Surgery because of the immense pain in my foot, and that pain has never really gone away. It needs to be treated.

Last time I complained about how much my cast hurt, this time I complain about how much my foot hurts. It still hurts.

Bedrest is exhausting.

I can hobble around, and have crawled up the stairs a few times, but it’s beginning to feel debilitating to be unable to do anything yourself.

Last time I used my scooter, this time I hop. Our new house has me stuck on the third floor where my office, bathroom, and bedroom are. It’s five steps up to the kitchen floor, but there is no bathroom there. The stairs are hard. It’s crawling and praying you don’t fall trying to stand up.

I have fallen on my foot twice this round. Nothing serious, but a fall is painful, terrifying, and makes you hide back in the recliner of your office.

• I have written 100 pages of a cloth diaper how-to book I hope to publish in 2020 with the Cloth Diaper Podcast.
• I have finished a hedgehog cross stitch patter.
• I’m four seasons down of Grey’s Anatomy on Netflix.
• I’m kicking it at Farmville.
• I miss my kids. I love my mom-cation, but I can still hear the fights and laughter. They come and visit, but they just get into everything in my office and try to sit on my foot. Sometimes I can get my 4 year old to bring me things like water, food, and another pillow.

My husband is the all star

This surgery recovery without him would not be possible. He does all the things I’m supposed to be doing from daycare to meal prep to putting the kids to bed.

Friends have been by with meals and coffee. Which is more than just a meal but a ray of love and light. I wish they could stay and visit, but they are busy and I am tired.

But if I did this again, I would stash even more snacks because I’m often abandoned while people do fun things. I ate chocolate for dinner one night!  And I would find the stool softeners. Oh, how I could forget stool softener!

Tomorrow, I go back to the hospital.

It’s normally a two-week follow up, but my two-week follow up is Christmas Day. I will be curious about the next course of action. Last surgery, I was two weeks non-weight bearing. My foot still screams anytime it gets lowered to the ground (whether I’m hobbling on crutches to the bathroom, or trying to sit at a computer desk).

The transition to partial weight bearing is a journey in itself. Catch up later.

For more on my bunion surgery check out this page.