upcoming foot surgery on 3/28

So sorry to hear about your upcoming surgery - ugh.  I had an osteotomy and ligament repair on my right foot in December 2016.  I was non-weight -bearing for 6 weeks with a bandage I could not get wet.  I purchased camping bath wipes from REI and used those instead of showering.  It was winter and I was pretty much home bound so they worked just fine.  I rented a knee scooter and it got me from bed to the bathroom and in to the kitchen.  Fortunately I had no stairs inside to navigate.  To wash my hair, I would just ride my knee scooter into the kitchen and wash it in the kitchen sink.  

I wore flannel pajama bottoms while I had my bandage on - but again I stayed home pretty much except for my follow-up doctor visits.  

I do recommend a foam leg elevator and an ice machine.  Keeping your foot elevated and iced will help with swelling thereby both helping you recover faster and making your foot feel better.  

Best of luck to you!

Phoebekins

Hi Karen,

Thanks for sharing.  I am 6wks post op Bunionectomy (Austin, 2 titanium screws, and bone spur shaved off top of foot) and can understand your concerns and wanting to prepare for your recovery journey.  Not sure where you're located at geographically, but have you tried w your local church for possible volunteers to build your ramp?  A lady in my small group Bible study over the past season had injured herself requiring her to be in a wheelchair and then a walker for a couple months, and a few gentlemen within our small group offered to not only build a ramp for her, but others offered to loan their retired wheelchair and walker while she recovers.  I thought that was kind and generous of them.  So, just a thought/idea if you're not able to find a paid vendor/company to build yours.  From my experience, most church volunteers if aware of ones needs, and have those particular abilities and gifts, are more than willing to help a neighbor.  And maybe you can offer to pay for materials and/or buy them pizza and cold water for that day.

As for bathing, the first few weeks into my recovery, before my stitches were removed @ 2wks post op appointment, I took baths in the tub and wrapped my surgery foot in a strong garbage bag, using strong packing tape securely in two places of my leg - at the lower thigh just above knee and at the top of my calf (you can do your ankle too for extra security), and elevated/laid my leg on the edge of the bath tub.  This is when I realized upper body strength was important.  Likewise for other leg which bears much when on crutches throughout recovery.  Anyways, I found that filling up the tub (before getting in) half way w water at an ideal temperature helped, then carefully getting in and relaxing in the water, while leg remained on ledge, and scooting self down to immerse my head worked best.  Having a big plastic cup to scoop up and pour the water over my head came in handy for when I needed to rinse off shampoo and conditioner.  And would drain that water then soap body etc then use cup to rinse off with.  I read somewhere that some folks used bath chairs to sit on.  In my case, I didn't want to spend the extra money for that.  Plus, I found that elevating my surgery foot on the tub ledge while I laid in the tub helped my foot from swelling as it usually did whenever it was down during this early time in recovery.  I would also suggest, having extra towels nearby handy - one on the floor so you don't slip, one on the tub edge, and more for your body and hair to dry off with.  You'll need that towel on the tub edge to sit and turn around on when getting out of the tub, as well as for when you remove the bag.  Your clean change of clothes should be nearby within reach too.  Oh, and last but not least, have scissors on a nearby counter to reach for to cut off the bag from your leg.  I totally forgot about this on my first try as I struggled to pull off the tape and bag to no avail.  So I had to hop on crutches butt-naked (lol) to the kitchen for the scissors.  Thankfully no one was home to witness my dismay.  Then again, it would be best to have your spouse or a trusted friend/relative nearby to call out to in case you need or forget something.  My husband didn't want me to bath without him being home for that reason.  However, during this recovery journey you'll find that the urge/need to do something usually happens when others aren't around and oftentimes it's earlier in a day when you have the most energy.  So definitely plan ahead and think things through before doing them so you're not having to hop butt-naked to the other side of the house for something like I did.  Lol.  It's funny now, but it wasn't then. ;D

As for getting clothes on, yoga pants (the ones w a slight bell bottom) and cotton or breathable stretchy material clothes are king during this recovery!  Hubby helped a lot in the first few weeks when it came to putting on clothes.  Recovery is quite humbling so I pushed myself back to independence by having clothes nearby and sitting on edge of bed while slowly putting on clothes myself and allowing my non-surgical foot to bear the weight majority of the time.  I was given a pair of crutches to hobble around with and an aircast after surgery.  So the yoga pants were easy to slip into after surgery and it covered the leg portion of my aircast.  I'm at 6wks post op tomorrow and had my surgery on 1/22 and it was cold and rainy that day, so the yoga pants kept my leg warm and covered over the aircast.  I used my stretchy jeans to my 2wk post op appt, and plan to use my breathable and stretchy straight-leg hiking pants for my upcoming 6wks post op appt this Wednesday.  Hope those give you an idea of ideal clothing to prepare for.

Remember, RICE (rest, ice, compress, and elevate)!  Be sure to rest your other foot too.  And don't push yourself beyond what your doctor allows.  From what you shared, it seems your surgery will be quite intense, and will likely  involve pins for each toe.  So take it easy.  And don't hesitate to ask your Dr all the questions until you're at ease so you're aware of what to expect for your particular procedure and recovery.  This recovery journey can also get lonely and depressing at times, but stay encouraged with prayer, reading, eating balanced meals, staying in touch w friends and loved ones, and allowing yourself to receive any help they may offer (cooked meals, periodic visits, house chores spouse isn't good at, drive to appts, assistance in general, etc.).  We're here in this forum too at least to unload and share tips, experiences, and encouragement w one another.  ;D  May also want to check out the "Hallux Valgus (Bunions)" group community on this website aside from this general "Foot and Toe Problems" group. 

All the best to you in your recovery journey!