Triple Arthrodesis - Living out of my recliner trying to save my sanity.
Posted , 11 users are following.
Lots of blogs from 3 years ago. How are you people doing now?
I am on week 5 expecting to get my second cast and stitches out this week. My wife is an angel for taking care of me. I quickly found that hopping on one foot with a walker was taxing my other failing ankle as well as my wrists. I bought a knee scooter and am quickly learning the dos and don'ts of that. Better than the walker though. For some reason the hospital said that I was a poor candidate for crutches. I am not the kind of person that sits around. This ordeal gives you time to think about taking things for granted, like walking. I think that maintaining my personal hygiene is important. I have a daily ritual of washing up with a washcloth with soap and water, shaving, brushing my teeth and putting on deodorant. Kind of a hassle, but so worth it after you finish and change your clothes. During the day, I don't watch TV, but kind of sleep/meditate which sounds odd. But it is getting me through. Thank god for having this tablet to help me keep my sanity. I sure wish that I knew when I can walk again. Looking for any words of encouragement from people that are or have been in the same situation. Better days ahead. Hopefully soon. Thanks.
0 likes, 13 replies
joshua33604 marktech
Edited
I just had peroneal tendon reconstruction surgery on the 3rd. Pain has been surprisingly minimal (minor discomfort) and I can easily control it with Ibuprofin. I am in splint until 19th then transition to cast. Total of 8 weeks no weight bearing. Going crazy just sitting around. Went to grocery store today just to get out of house. Doc said I can return to work once cast is on so that may help pass the days until I transition to walking boot. Boredom is real!!!!!!!
jessica71699 marktech
Posted
I had a trimalleolar fracture 2/14/2019. This sidelined me for months. My husband was a tremendous help. Physical therapy is a must. I use a DryPro Waterproof Vacuum Leg Cover for showering. This is an excellent item. I resumed most activities this past January. My ankle healed but was still very stiff. I had plate and screws removed one week ago. Going to dr tomorrow. Will get staples out. Back to pt.
rose71920 marktech
Edited
Boredom is horrible! But sadly you get used to it. Or I did. The true hero's of this is not the surgeons but the people who take care of us!! My husband was a saint through it all.
Get yourself a leg sheild from Amazon! Greatest thing I invested in! Aside from a grabber! lol Especailly when your alone for the first time and something drops! lol Books and online games .... and compay ! I loved seeing people once I was up to it.
You'll blink and in no time you'll be back to life which will include PT.
Best of luck to you!
marktech
Edited
Thanks to all for your replies. Unfortunately when we built this house, we put the bedrooms as well as the bathtub/showers upstairs. You all talk about PT, but how did you get there without a driver? Wonder if it is possible to get PT appointments after my driver gets home from work. How long does PT typically go on ? weeks? months? One more stressor. Nobody can really say how long until I can walk again after an Arthrodesis .
sandra91776 marktech
Edited
Not sure how long you will not be able to walk with your type of surgery
I had trimalleur fracture July 2019 and it took close to 12 weeks before I was walking with sneakers
I also recommend PT once you can go Some PT will come to your house if you cant drive
I know my PT is open until 8 pm Also open on Saturday so check around
Im 8 months post op, had some hardware removed late January
Still get a little numbness in the ankle and my doctor said it could take a full year to get all the feeling back
I went into a depression after my surgery
I think the first 4-5 weeks were worst Every little thing was soooo difficult
i hated the crutches, had a walker but same as you can only hop around so long I used my rolling office chair to get around kitchen, bedroom and bathroom Worked great!!!
Good luck!!!
jessica71699 marktech
Posted
I live in a townhouse. First month I stayed on one floor. We rented a hospital bed. I went up and down steps on my butt with much effort. I would take walker into shower. Whatever works. It does get very depressing. But here I am one week past metal removal surgery. Going to doctor for post surgery visit. Feeling pretty good.
jessica71699
Posted
My husband took me at first to pt. I was really not capable going myself. It gets better. I was able to have pt for 3 months. I did therapy on my own at home. It really helped in my recovery. I will go again to help recover from metal removal surgery.
joshua33604 jessica71699
Edited
blogs like this help tremendously even if we all didnt have the same surgery. At times throughout the day I think about how much this recovery sucks and ways to breakup the countdown until I get my walking boot (small victory). The knee scooter has been amazing to get around with and Im already finding ways to make things easier on one foot....even grilled tonight. Still a long ways to go but Im trying to stay upbeat and positive
anne0606 marktech
Posted
Hi
buy a shower stool and a waterproof cast cover . the cover is shaped like a boot and has a complete seal so that you can completely cover the cast without being wet. I had to stick my leg out of the shower door and use plenty of towels on the floor but was brilliant to be able to shower.
hope you have a speedy recovery
Anne
Quillergrandma marktech
Posted
When in the hospital I hopped using a walker ..it did not make sense to me .as soon as I was home I used a wheel chair l till I could bear weight. Just wanted to pass the test so I could go home.
Quillergrandma marktech
Posted
When in the hospital I hopped using a walker ..it did not make sense to me .as soon as I was home I used a wheel chair l till I could bear weight. Just wanted to pass the test so I could go home.
erich88383 marktech
Posted
Hi marktech. Curious how your feeling / doing now? I am 16 days out from triple arthodesis with calf / achilles resection lengthening. Had a nerve block catheter for the first 5 days that effectively blocked almost all the pain, Pain after that was managable with a couple exceptions. At day 15, had the surgical splint removed and fiberglass cast put on. i've had that for two days now I can't seem to get pain / swelling under control. Hadn't taken a narcotic based pain pill until just now. Really want to get off / stay off those if at all possible. Going a little crazy with the non-linear recovery. Any suggestions / advice would be appreciated.
Erich
dglasertx marktech
Posted
Hi Mark tech
I am post triple fusion foot surgery 6.5 months ago. I am out of cast and boot and have PT for about a month. I can walk but have some pain going through full gait. Stairs are not possible. I have swelling and pain in small toe metatarsal muscle, or so I think. I am going back to my surgeon in three days just to make sure I haven't loosened the hardware or pulled apart the bone fusion. I sense that my surgeon can only tell me if the hardware hasn't moved and that fusion seems to be good. But beyond this I don't get much feedback, especially on what to expect. I was hoping to hear your thoughts since you had surgery about 22 months ago. I hope you are still following these postings.