Foot Surgery & One Week Out
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 my system. I took 1 pill instead of 2 and was planning on taking another at 2am. At 2am the nerve block wore off and the pain was pretty bad. I took 2 pills at that time but the pain continued and when I took the next dose at 6am it was starting to subside. I remember it being bad enough to cry but it was not sharp pain but just a major feeling of discomfort. I was pretty groggy and can’t remember much for details. That 4 hours was the only pain I can complain about. Once I began the pain meds every 4 hours I was fine.
Pain Meds - I took the full dosage of pain meds for two days post surgery. On day 3 I cut the dosage and on day 4 I did not take any pain meds during the day. When I say pain meds I am referring to the oxycodone. I continued to take Tylenol every 4 hours for 4 days and began to lower that on day 5. I take the aspirin for blood clots in morning, Tylenol in afternoon and bedtime. One week out I take an oxycodone at bedtime.
Getting Around the house - My most used items were the commode which I used day one and then tapered off to just middle of the night. One week out I haven’t used the commode. I use the walker most of the time for stability and was glad they suggested that on surgery day. My age is showing (59) and with my RA my left foot isn’t the greatest and I don’t plan on using the crutches much at all. I don’t go far with the walker because I get lightheaded when I get up to move after elevating foot for hours. I am working on moving slowly and breathing better. I actually fainted the day after surgery when walking with the walker but Lance was close and put a chair under me. Pain meds lower your blood pressure so keep that in mind. My Apple Watch shows how my bpm fluctuates when I get up and move. I transfer to 4 wheeled walker with a seat and scoot around to kitchen and bathroom. Not the greatest but until I am released to use the knee scooter it will have to do. One week out and I am getting around the house and feeding and dressing myself. The first shower was tough but I can do that all by myself now. I get up to the bedroom now on the stairlift by myself to get my clothes. I am still sleeping in the recliner. Lance purchased a recliner that lifts your leg up higher than others and the back goes way back so it has been perfect. He purchased it before his second knee surgery and has worked well for both of us. Not cheap but it has been worth it and glad we spent the money. I also purchased a thick wedge for when I want to sit up and keep my leg above my heart.
Comfort - I find that after 1 hour the blood flows to the foot and I can feel the swelling press against the splint and it becomes uncomfortable. That has gotten a little bit better one week out but still an issue to get anything done. We are having a very cool spring which stinks but is working good for me. We had a warm Memorial Day weekend and I found myself getting uncomfortable so I put a small fan across from my leg to blow cool air on just my leg and that worked great. Hot flashes don’t help at all.
One Week Checkup - My one week checkup was uneventful. No concerns and the bandages were changed. The new splint was more comfortable on my skin because they put nice soft cotton material on my leg first. My skin is blotchy but it is a rash I get from my RA medications. It could be stress triggered it or the cleaning solution from the surgery. I am using cortisone cream on my knee and it is better.
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 my system. I took 1 pill instead of 2 and was planning on taking another at 2am. At 2am the nerve block wore off and the pain was pretty bad. I took 2 pills at that time but the pain continued and when I took the next dose at 6am it was starting to subside. I remember it being bad enough to cry but it was not sharp pain but just a major feeling of discomfort. I was pretty groggy and can’t remember much for details. That 4 hours was the only pain I can complain about. Once I began the pain meds every 4 hours I was fine.
Pain Meds - I took the full dosage of pain meds for two days post surgery. On day 3 I cut the dosage and on day 4 I did not take any pain meds during the day. When I say pain meds I am referring to the oxycodone. I continued to take Tylenol every 4 hours for 4 days and began to lower that on day 5. I take the aspirin for blood clots in morning, Tylenol in afternoon and bedtime. One week out I take an oxycodone at bedtime.
Getting Around the house - My most used items were the commode which I used day one and then tapered off to just middle of the night. One week out I haven’t used the commode. I use the walker most of the time for stability and was glad they suggested that on surgery day. My age is showing (59) and with my RA my left foot isn’t the greatest and I don’t plan on using the crutches much at all. I don’t go far with the walker because I get lightheaded when I get up to move after elevating foot for hours. I am working on moving slowly and breathing better. I actually fainted the day after surgery when walking with the walker but Lance was close and put a chair under me. Pain meds lower your blood pressure so keep that in mind. My Apple Watch shows how my bpm fluctuates when I get up and move. I transfer to 4 wheeled walker with a seat and scoot around to kitchen and bathroom. Not the greatest but until I am released to use the knee scooter it will have to do. One week out and I am getting around the house and feeding and dressing myself. The first shower was tough but I can do that all by myself now. I get up to the bedroom now on the stairlift by myself to get my clothes. I am still sleeping in the recliner. Lance purchased a recliner that lifts your leg up higher than others and the back goes way back so it has been perfect. He purchased it before his second knee surgery and has worked well for both of us. Not cheap but it has been worth it and glad we spent the money. I also purchased a thick wedge for when I want to sit up and keep my leg above my heart.
Comfort - I find that after 1 hour the blood flows to the foot and I can feel the swelling press against the splint and it becomes uncomfortable. That has gotten a little bit better one week out but still an issue to get anything done. We are having a very cool spring which stinks but is working good for me. We had a warm Memorial Day weekend and I found myself getting uncomfortable so I put a small fan across from my leg to blow cool air on just my leg and that worked great. Hot flashes don’t help at all.
One Week Checkup - My one week checkup was uneventful. No concerns and the bandages were changed. The new splint was more comfortable on my skin because they put nice soft cotton material on my leg first. My skin is blotchy but it is a rash I get from my RA medications. It could be stress triggered it or the cleaning solution from the surgery. I am using cortisone cream on my knee and it is better.
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