December 21st
I am now two weeks after surgery and went back to see my consultant. The cuts are all healing well and not much swelling so dressings now off, suture ends trimmed and back in the boot. I am to take my foot out of the boot to do passive exercises, and will start with my physiotherapist at the 4-week point, concentrating on hydrotherapy first.
I can also start to get my foot wet. I am sticking with the bath, which I prefer to showers anyway now that I’m not in a rush. I was able to get in safely from just a few days after surgery, and then lift my foot up over the side resting on a stool placed alongside the bath with a pillow covered by a towel to get to the right height. Luckily our bath taps are in the middle but depending on which foot is affected you might be battling with the taps. I then use the hand shower on our bath just to wash over my foot and soften the scabs without soaking the wounds, which are still pretty fresh, and then pat dry. I am using a moisturiser and some Bio-Oil to massage in around the scars.
Our shower was retro-fitted so there is a five inch hop up to get in and no grab rails. If we had a shower that was easier to get in to, then an old stool to sit on would work. I have read though that most of the early post-op accidents with people who have had foot surgery seem to be related to them slipping in a shower so I will stick to the bath for some time yet, and you don’t have to get a waterproof cover for your cast or boot, which you would need for a shower.
Its still very early days but I am feeling my progress is fine. I am not taking regular painkillers any more, usually just a couple of paracetamol last thing at night. I’ve got used to the nightly ritual of the heparin injections to reduce the risk of deep vein thrombosis but find it awkward to sleep with the boot on, no doubt I will get used to it as I guess its going to be my friend for at least a couple of months more. Trying to spend less time in bed where one of our cats has adopted me as his favourite place to be.
Muscle loss – It is frightening how much calf muscle wasting I have had. Before surgery the affected calf was about 1cm less in circumference as I had been limping for a while. Now just 2 weeks later the difference is a whopping 5cm, though the other one calf may be have got a bit bigger due to all the hopping I have been doing with my zimmer frame that I use in preference to crutches still for moving around the house.
Moving about. I have heard good things about the kneel-on scooters, which you can hire from StrideOn for about £19 per week (Other knee scooter are also available). They seem particularly good if you need a free hand to carry a drink or food, which is a major challenge using a zimmer or crutches. Luckily I have help at home and coming up to Christmas our children are around a lot more as they are now back from university. I can make a cup of tea then slide it along the worktop, hopping after it and then do a swing over to the kitchen table. Dry items I just carry in a bag slung round my neck. The knee walker is probably also invaluable if you need to get out early after surgery to the shops, but I am hoping to avoid doing this. I anticipate that I will be able to start progressive weight bearing after 4 weeks or so when I will need crutches so decided to forgo this gadget. If you think it could be right for you though details from their website below.
Whilst surfing I found a great blog by Paul Gee describing his recovery from similar surgery to my own nearly 4 years ago and he was an enthusiast for the knee scooter (see entry for ‘Day 1 – The Surgery’)
mybigflatfoot.blogspot.co.uk
I will write again after Christmas and the New Year to report on progress. I fear that I will be even more useless around the house than usual. Managed to get the outside Christmas lights up just before my operation but the rest of the decorating and planning for the wider family invasion on Christmas Eve will be down to the others. Anyway I should look on the bright side – no working, no driving so plenty of opportunity for some of those bottles of good claret I have in the back room.
My Flatfoot Surgery Recovery 