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THREE WEEKS FREE FROM CAST

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Words cannot describe the feeling to have nothing on my foot and leg. My final appointment was great and I was allowed to go cast free. I have been to 3 therapy appointments and the foot is tight so I am doing lots of stretching. I wear sneakers mostly and I have one pair of Naot sandals that will fit when the ankle is swollen. I was told I can expect swelling for a long time. I cannot stand on my right foot and balance myself without holding onto something. It feels so weird not to be able to do that. Before the surgery I could do that even though it was painful. The tightness comes and goes and it hard to judge why it worse than other times. I can definitely feel my abilities progress steadily. I have been out weeding my flower beds, cleaning the house and doing all my regular activities. It is fall fair season so that will be a good test for my walking stamina. Good shoes are critical. Spots that get tired and sore are also getting better. My only complaint at this point is shoe opt
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FOOT FUSION FULL WEIGHT BEARING WITH AIRCAST

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Finally at full weight bearing with aircast and no crutches. This final step in healing has been a very natural progression. I have finally been to my Chiropractor to get my neck and back in alignment and feel good. I have found myself to be somewhat clumsy so I did not get the foot upper for the non-cast foot to bring it up to same height as cast foot. I didn’t need another thing that may cause me to trip. I am 10 days out to my appointment to be x-rayed and given the okay to progress to a shoe. It is so great to get around almost normally. Doing housework, cooking and food shopping. I don’t have to have everything at arms length to function. Therapy has been pretty easy with stretching mostly. My foot swells a little bit during the day and I still have one small spot on one scar that has not let go. I have been swimming in the lake because I have a great access from a dock so I just float in my life jacket and kick my legs and feet for great non-weight bearing exercise. I did put my
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FOOT FUSION 3 MONTHS OUT

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I am 3 months and 4 days out from surgery. I am walking easily with the boot (3 weeks) and had my third therapy session yesterday. I am going just once per week. I am doing my exercises faithfully, massaging my scar and very happy at this point with the progression. I have just one tiny spot on one scar that is taking its time healing. My heel is still tender but not bad. If I don’t rest midday my foot is slightly swollen but I would not consider it bad. I am at 80lbs weight bearing. My new goal is to make sure my surgery foot stays straight when walking. I was told it is natural for your foot to turn outward so I have to focus on keeping it straight. I did get on the stationary bike at therapy without the boot to see how my foot moved on peddle. I did 4 minutes which felt weird. I do find if I don’t rest during the day and move my foot without the boot on my foot is very stiff. All is going well and I just try hard to not do anything stupid by rushing my progress. Walk slowly and keep
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2 MONTHS OUT FOOT FUSION

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I have been remiss in writing sooner but I have been very busy. I managed to do very well for the month I had my cast on. Once I got it refitted the time went quickly. I started back working and learned to get around as best as I could. The weather remained on the cool side until the last week of my cast. The real aggravating part was not being able to go full in shower and wash that leg. It has been hard to not do everything I want, but managing it. I went for my checkup to go into the boot/aircast and that went well. My healing was on target. My swelling was minimal and my skin wasn’t horrible. I did what I was told and the doctor could tell because the healing was on target. I have to say that the boot was a major letdown. I never expected it to feel so big and be so heavy. It is heavier, more confining and hotter than the cast. The saving grace is that it can be removed when relaxing, showering and sleeping. I never worried about getting out of bed and walking on my foot. I leave i
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ONE MONTH FOOT FUSION

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So it has been close to one month. My last blog said my cast was uncomfortable and I ended up going back and had it removed and a new one put on the next day. It just wasn’t right and was uncomfortable even when my foot was elevated above my heart. I think my lack of swelling worked against me when it was first put on. Luckily we had a very easy drive to Boston and the cast was removed quickly and replaced. What a difference! Still a cast and not fun but feels more like the splint did. I lost a few days of productivity but was able to go back to work the next day after the new cast. I am writing this on a Friday and I have worked full time all week. I am exhausted but not from work but from hobbling around. My arms are so tired and my hands do hurt from the pressure on the walker. I have no pain and hoping the healing is going great. Sometimes I think I can just walk because I have no pain and forget I can’t stand on my foot. The biggest obstacles are not being able to drive. I haven
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Foot Fusion 2 Weeks Out

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I am at the 2 week, 2 day point of recovery. I returned to the doctor yesterday and had a great checkup. I was able to see the X-ray of the screws in the 3 joints. My stitches were removed and the cast put on. My foot looked great and the doctor was pleased and felt my long term outcome would be very good. I will say that the cast feels very much different than the splint. It feels tight but I am going to see how I feel in 24 hrs before I call. It could be that it is so much harder than the splint that I feel this way and I just have to acclimate to it. I spent the last week getting stronger and adapting to get things done. I have done very little “work” yet because sitting normally isn’t comfortable but I am getting itchy and tired of the tv. I am managing to take care of myself without any problems. I can cook simple things and wash dishes. I tried the knee scooter right away yesterday and it doesn’t turn as well as the wheeled walker and the cast is so hard that it is uncomfortabl
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Foot Surgery & One Week Out

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Surgery day was Monday, May 20th. Lance and I stayed at a hotel next to Waltham Mass General to reduce the stress of an early morning 2 hr drive in rush hour traffic. We took Sunday afternoon to visit Minuteman Park in Lexington/Concord and we had a beautiful day. As much as we both love historical sites we have never been there which is crazy because it is so close to home. Everything at Mass General went well and I woke up from the surgery and didn’t feel nauseous till I started moving around to get ready to leave. A few saltine packages worked great. The one thing different was that Lance wasn’t allowed to sit with me through the process of pre-surgery anesthesia. I sat with him the whole time before his knee surgery in Concord. Luckily it went very quickly. Don’t remember anything after nerve block which did not hurt at all. Left Waltham and was home around 5pm. I was told to take pain medication before bedtime so that when the nerve block wore off I would have some medication in
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