WEEK 6

Two more weeks in my boot... yay! I had a setback at 4 weeks when my bandages were removed. A good portion of my lower incision was moist and not healing well. Dr. Dreeben was quick to get me on another round of antibiotics, to avoid any sort of infection. The oozing had me a bit worried, but at my last check in this past week - healing was great.

This surgery recovery has been tremendously different than my first awful experience. Firstly,  I have been able to put weight on my foot in a surgical boot from nearly day one. This has made a big improvement in my overall morale and activity level. Although I am still limited to floor exercises, stationary bike (boring), abs and arms - I feel generally more active just being able to walk. Dr. Dreeben has also been very different about incision healing. My bandages are still on. She changes them every week and cleans my foot, before re-wrapping and taping my foot.

I asked her when the bandages come off and she does not take them off until completely healed. I have to say, my incisions look much lighter and much better than my previous incisions. I think keeping them covered has been great for the healing process. Last surgery I had my bandages off much sooner and was getting my foot wet, even with part of the crust still intact (gross).

8 weeks is ideal time for bone healing. This is the magic number for bone surgery... sometimes longer, usually not less. Once my boot is off at 8 weeks, I will go directly into a normal shoe. This could be a running shoe or a wedge - depending on what my comfort level is. Much to my husband's dismay - this will probably mean a Birkenstock.

The Unveiling - graphic image

Hoorah! My bandages were changed yesterday and I was able to see my foot. I had to have my husband take a photo and show me after we left the office, so as not to faint.

If you see closely there are 3 incisions. One is directly on top of my previous incision, where my surgeon went in and correctly repaired the bunion and removed the hardware. The second is below the main incision - where she rotated the bone and properly aligned it before inserting ONE screw. The third incision is between my big toe and the toe next to it, this is where she cut the tendon that pulls constantly on my big toe. Because of the strength of that tendon, it should have been severed in my first surgery - but my less than competent surgeon Dr. Keenan Carreiro, never even mentioned it.

Overall there are more cuts this time, but the swelling is almost non-existent. I am almost 100% off my crutches, except for at night if I have been on my feet all day - I will use one crutch to take some pressure off. My recovery has been like night and day. It is so obvious to me now, that my first surgery was a complete and utter fail.

One more week and I will have another check up and another x-ray. So far, I could not be happier.

xo

how to mange parenting and a puppy on one leg and percocet...

I forgot how fun this was! My surgery was on Monday. My husband took me in at 12:30 and my surgery began at 3:15pm. One of the most difficult parts was not being able to drink or eat anything from midnight on. I am a habitual water drinker, even in them middle of the night - so this was torture. The rest went as expected. Anesthesia went seamlessly, and I was pretty coherent and back home by 5:30. The first evening is always a blur. My Mom was here to help us, and I had sent my boys to their Grandpa's house for one night so I could just rest and not worry about keeping them in line.

Tuesday morning was a whole different story. My Dad, who rarely has the kids alone - dropped off both boys at 10am. My husband was at work, girls were not out of bed yet and the boys come running through the house. My Dad sees my condition and hands me a bag with the two small pills that my Asperger's/ADHD 8 year old must take upon waking up each morning and says... "he didn't want to take them." Really?

For the next half an hour until his medicine begins to work, both boys are bouncing off the walls and it's a near panic situation. My foot was throbbing and I was in sweats from my percocet. Kindle to the rescue.

We have such issues with rules in regards to video games in our home. I am very strict about the amount of time they are allowed to play. Part of this is just making sure that they remain able to socialize with people and have manners and self-control. The other part is because of the detachment issues associated with my son's Asperger's. He has an extremely hard time with transition. This is normal Aspergers behavior and sometimes common with kids, period. Often when he is too involved in a game and we ask him to stop - it's meltdown mode. His reaction can fluctuate between calmly handing over the remote, or throwing it at your head.

On a morning like this one, I was willing to let him play until his eyes bled.

My surgeon removed all the hardware that was put in from my surgery last January. I had a large plate and 3 screws. One of the screws was already backing out and causing pressure and bruising. It was very close to coming through the skin. She cleaned up the mess made by  Dr. Carreiro and left me with a smaller incision area, one screw and hopefully a much cleaner and smaller scar (she mentioned that he had done a hack job to begin with.) I feel so thankful to have a good surgeon. I should have gone with her in the first place, but hindsight...

This time around I received an orthopedic shoe. My husband thinks it looks like a 4x4 Teva. I despise Teva shoes, but I do agree this is more sporty than the astro-boot I had to wear last time. I am using crutches sparingly to get around and I am already putting pressure on my heel... as opposed to having to wait 6 weeks to do so before. Everything about this surgery feels better. By my next surgery on the right foot, I will be a seasoned professional.

My dressing will come off on Monday, one week from my surgery date. I cannot change the dressing or get it wet at all. I have managed to take two showers on my own and have found that dry shampoo, as awesome as it is... will never take the place of a good hot shower - even with a bag on your foot.

until Monday, when I can reveal the goods...

b.