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.