Weeks 8-10 Got that gangsta lean

Transferred from the walking boot to just wearing tennis shoes. Can't walk barefoot. I've got that Ratso Rizzo limp going on.

 

Midnight cowboy has the best soundtrack...

Weeks 6-8: Yes I CAM (walking boot)

For 2 weeks I wore a Cam walker boot. Link to Amazon: Cam Walker Fracture Boot, Medium and was able to carefully walk around. I was able to walk around for a good amount of time. After a long walk my knee and hip would hurt due to the rocker bottom of the boot which made my right foot higher. I found that the Nike Air Max shoe made my other foot even.

Also, my shoe size went from 6.5 to 7 on both feet.

Recovery Week 6: Almost human

My first night sleeping without a cast was so restful...Woke up like this:

Ankle tends to swell after wearing the Cam Walking Boot

I was afraid to exfoliate since the area was so tender.

For some reason my ankle was bruised.

My left foot wants my right foot to start pulling her own weight.

Make sure to wear a compression sock to control the swelling and do range of motion exercises.

Keep moving those toes like Ariel!

Recovery Week 6: Getting the Boot

Today I had the cast removed and it felt great! I now have a hairy little twig for a leg. The day was a bit disappointing b/c I was unable to get an X-ray done. So here is where you can learn from my mistake. The x-ray tech asked me if I was pregnant, to which I replied...you know..i'm not sure...come to think of it. Usually they will give you a special coat to wear but the process was halted and he ordered me to go back to the 2nd floor to get a pregnancy test which takes 2 days to receive. Anyway moral of the story...Make sure to ask your Doc and take note of when your x-ray dates and take a home pregnancy test before.

Sani-Cast pad that I was unable to retrieve.

Recovery Week 5: Casting Away All Cares

Some things I will miss about wearing a cast...
When going out to eat, you will most likely get a booth to prop your foot. People are so nice, they will open doors for you and ask you about your injury. I wish I could tell them of some great adventure or of my athletic prowess and my bravery, but I give then the unexciting answer "I had bunion surgery", "eh?", "Paul Bunion?", most people give me a blank look, then I go on to explain that I underwent surgery to correct a foot deformity. I am finally replacing my hoof with a real foot. I have fully given up life as a minotaur.

One more hoof to go...

Also on a side note, when going out to eat or any other sit down establishment, use crutches instead of the iWalk. You will get more sympathy. People give you weird looks when you are removing the iWalk in order to sit. The iWalk has a strap that is kinda close to your crotch. I made the mistake of going to Wahoos wearing a skirt. I dunno, maybe I'm being paranoid.

Nothing to see here boys just getting some tacos.

I will miss having food brought to me. Reading for as long as my attention span can handle and endlessly playing time-wasting games on Facebook. I will mostly miss my little doggie cuddling my foot.

Good pup

 I will not miss...

Toe jam is in session.

 The inability to properly wash...

Bathing with a cast is an acrobatic effort. There should be a Cirque Du Soleil about it. I made the mistake of experimenting with hair treatments. I globbed on a ton of coconut oil on my hair is if it were the answer to all life's problems. After several washes I still have coconut oil. I look like Squiggy from Laverne and Shirley.

After a couple of more washes I had a Jheri Curl effect going on...

I googled some remedies for removal, but google got me into this mess in the first place. I now have information as pointless content trust issues.

Sitting out from a yoga class. I miss yoga. The lovely instructor had me do restorative poses which really helped. It was nice of her to teach her class and to give me those separate poses. But I was jealous of all the cool stuff the rest of the class was doing.

Recovery Week 4: Exercise after Bunion Surgery

Really feeling the bones settling and the muscles melting to atrophy this point. This week I will try to ween off the the pain meds and I must say week 4 has had an uncomfortable start. I think it might be because I've been trying to do some of the housecleaning and laundry. What causes the most discomfort is the swelling within the cast and the surgical site (stitches) rubbing up against the cast.  Been adding a cold compress to foot in 30 minute intervals. All I can do safely is sit here and blog and do some light exercise. I can't complain!

Here is a list of youtube videos that are injury friendly:

1. This is a good start for your day. 

I also enjoyed her 20 tips and observations on How to Survive a Broken Foot . I thought it was genius to place a picnic cooler in the tub to facilitate bathing. This blog also has a nice section that lists resources where one can learn to code. Another thing I can do with all this downtime!

2. Kick it up a notch with some cardio.

I felt accomplished after following the video above.

3. End it with a yoga sequence for broken leg/ankle/foot.

This first part is a good stretch. The last part of the yoga sequence is pretty advanced. I can't put my leg behind my head to do the arm balance but it is something to aspire to.

Bunion Surgery Recovery Week 3

Looks like my big toe got into a bar fight.

The cast is uncomfortable and heavy and I feel more discomfort. I'm still experiencing swelling in my ankle. I am now envious of those that walk with two feet. Cabin fever is kicking in.

Saturday Panhandling.

Cost of Bunion Surgery

$15,563.92 so far, hopefully I just need to pay my deductible and co-payments.

In case you are wondering about the cost of Bunion Surgery, here is the itemized bill I received today. This was only for the hospital services. I will probably receive another bill from the doctor. I have Kaiser Permanente as my Insurance Provider. I'm hoping that my $1,500 deductible will cover most of this.

Medical/Surgical Supplies & Devices, Other Implants    $954.72

Radiology, Diagnostic    $314.00

Operating Room Services General    $11,440.00

Anesthesia, General    $276.00

Pharmacy, Drugs Requiring Detailed Coding    $40.10

Pharmacy, Self Administering Drugs    $22.10

Recovery Room, General    $1,508.00

I also paid $1,009.00 on the day of surgery for the total of $15,563.92 so far...

Bunion Surgery Recovery Week 2

My appointment for week 2 consisted of removing the stitches and getting a cast which will be worn for 4 weeks.

Foot with stitches

Stitches were removed and replaced with sticky tape.

Waiting for the cast to dry.

Cast with room to wiggle my toes.

Started Using an iWalk, Thank you Tressa!!

My lovely friend Tressa gave me her iWalk. This has been a great alternative to crutches. Now I don't need to stuff my phone and food down my pants to walk around. Here is a helpful video that shows how it works. 

Bunion Surgery Recovery Week 1

Here's the before and after X-Ray

Days 1-3

The first 3 days after the surgery was a breeze. I felt no pain since the local anesthetic and Norco pain medication kept me on a happy cloud of numbness. Used a cold compress on my foot during the day. I stayed in bed or in the living room couch, & got up only to use the restroom. I kept an ottoman in the restroom to keep my leg elevated while I peed. I ate lots of ice cream to make sure I had my calcium. Listened to Audio Books on my phone. Audible has a 30 day free trial. If you click on this link for the 30 day trial, you will be supporting this site.

Days 4-6

So this is when is starts getting uncomfortable. The constipation and the realization that you haven't bathed kicks in. Also since my leg and foot are in a splint, it started causing an uncomfortable sensation around the ankle and heel. I was a more mobile during these days so the crutches started hurting my armpits and created small callouses on my hands. I took Milk of Magnesia and a Teaspoon of Coconut oil 4 hours later I was not longer constipated. Then,  I took a nice bath. I used the ottoman to help me get in the tub by placing my right knee (leg with surgery)  on the ottoman then, placed my left foot in the and slowly lowered myself down by placing my hands on each side on the tub and kicking my right foot up and out of the tub to not get it wet. It was risky and bathing takes some upper arm and core strength so i was glad to have taken yoga. Just have to be careful not to slip. Getting out of the tub was a similar process. Just be mindful.

Day 7 Post Op Check up

Nurse removed the bandage from the splint and doctor checked my foot. She encouraged me to move my toes and to rotate my ankle which was painful. I should have taken pain meds before going. She added ointment to the stitches and changed the bandage. I will get a cast next week. She gave me the option to keep the splint for the next 40 days but the cast will keep the foot more secure.

Warning graphic zombie foot below:

Changed out the bandages was able to wiggle the toes and roll the ankle.

Day of Surgery

Surgery was at 11 am. Made sure not to eat anything after midnight the day before. Was able to drink sips of water after 9 am. Surgery took about an hour and a half. Was put to sleep, woke up happy and pain free. Was out of the hospital by 3 pm. Felt no pain on the drive back, the local anesthetic did not wear off until the next day. Even after that it was not so painful. There was some discomfort with swelling and a bit of throbbing here and there.

Preparing for Bunion Surgery

You will be an invalid for 7 weeks. Make sure to get some exercise, enjoy a leisurely jog with friends or do some yoga to help with balance. Make sure your designated caretaker is happy and ready. This person is going to be  chauffeur, chef, laundry person, bless their heart. Disinfect your domicile, clean your bedding and wash your pets.

Do some research about your procedure and come up with questions for your doctor and don't panic. My procedure was "Closing Base Wedge Osteotomy" the Google results was this video and upon finishing it I immediately wanted to cancel the surgery. I had to press through and talk myself out of canceling.  Closing Base Wedge Osteotomy is for moderate to severe bunion deformity. It requires cutting and realigning the first metatarsal bone with pins. Here's a less graphic presentation. This might not be the case for you dear reader. The video did help me give more respect to my recovery period. Knowing that I have a bone in my foot that has been cut in two and pinned back together will discourage me from bearing any weight on it early on. It can be pretty deceiving since the pain meds make you feel like nothing is wrong with your foot. It is also good to have knowledge

The week before surgery I stopped taking any blood thinning supplements like cod liver oil or vitamin e pills. Purchased some cute maxi skirts and pajamas. Also picked up the pain meds and crutches. Our friend lent us his wheelchair.Pants will be hard to wear. I'm going to miss pants and walking.

Here's a shopping list of items that you will need post surgery:

From the Pharmacy

• Cold Compress
• Calcium Supplements (make sure to get your doctor's approval)
• Baby Shampoo
• Pillow
• Shower Bench
• Stability Ball
• Aleve
• Baby Wipes

Fashion: Say goodbye to leggings, jeggings or anything tight. You will need clothes that will easily slip on and preferably with pockets since your hands will be occupied with crutches.

• Palazzo Pants
• Maxi Skirt
• Loose Pajamas

Here are some product recommendations. If you purchase via the links that go to amazon.com you will be supporting this website.


Reusable Cold Compress Once you are out of your surgery you will need to use a cold compress to help with inflammation. The cold compress will also help with pain. Make sure to wrap the cold compress so that you will not get your stitches wet.


My Pillow Pets Wiggly Pig 18 Inches You will need to keep you leg elevated while you're in bed this little Piggy will help keep all of your little piggies comfy and free from inflammation. Finally a great excuse for buying one of these.



Caltrate Gummy Bites Make sure to get enough calcium so that your bones will mend successfully. In addition to your prescribed pain medication calcium supplements can cause constipation so you will need Phillips' Original Milk of Magnesia Liquid.

Ez2care Adjustable Lightweight Shower Bench, White Be very careful to not get your stitches wet when you bathe since the surgery will most likely cut to the bone, and it can cause a nasty bone infection. The shower bench can serve as a handy footrest as well.


Black Mountain Products Anti Burst Exercise Stability Ball with Pump, Black, 2000-Pound/65cm This makes for a great traveling footrest.

Burt's Bees Baby Bee Shampoo and Wash, Calming, 12 Fluid Ounces if you choose to take baths you don't want to irritate your eyes.

Viva Labs Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, 16 Ounce half a teaspoon helped with constipation.

Clothes:

Superbaby Women Junior Drawing Pockets Cotton Pleated Long Skirt M

Houndstooth Palazzos with Pockets Black and White Soft Spandex

PattyBoutik Cotton Blend Hoodie Kangaroo Pocket Blouson Maxi Dress (Burgundy S)


Summer Sexy Women Cartoon Cotton Night Skirt Pajamas Sleeping Dress (Green)