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When were all your surgeries and how are you all getting on?

Posted , 12 users are following.

dee21870
dee21870

Hi everyone,

Hope you're all healing and doing really well x

I thought it would be interesting to get to know others at similar points in their recovery and hear of their experience so far...also to hear from people who are further along the recovery line and how they feel as each week progresses.

It will give us that are in the early stages some light at the end of the tunnel and hopefully give some support and reassurance to those that need it.

I'll start...I'm 5 days post op today...I had a double bunionectomy with permanent screws inserted. So far the pain has been bearable but when I walk with the gorgeous Jimmy Choo like boots and crutches...I'm barely coping. Keeping the walking to a minimum to say the least!

My next appointment is in 2 wks time and so I'll just be riding the wave until then. I'm dreading having my stitches out already but that's a worry for a different day lol.

How is everyone else?

Much love

Dee

0 likes, 37 replies

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  • dee21870
    dee21870

    Posted

    P.s. I'm getting pretty constipated from the pain medication and not moving around much! No one told me having this surgery would be so much fun 😣...I'm doing everything I can to combat this but for me it's just another thing they didn't warn me about. Eat well and stay hydrated folks!

    Xxx

    • tracey71472
      tracey71472 dee21870

      Posted

      Hi Dee

      I suffered this about 2 days in. Oh my word. Always being very regular. This was a horrible experience. Extremely painful I drank 3 tins of price juice. Took dulcolax and suppositories. Which happy to say ... cleared it. (What a conversation 🙈wink.

      But I think it's important to warn people as I was never told to expect this.

  • kim43039
    kim43039 dee21870

    Posted

    Hi Dee

    I'm six weeks in to complex foot surgery, just on one foot. I wasn't allowed to put my foot down for the first six week. Healing going well so yesterday I was given a new pot and a walking boot. Foots great, back absolutely killing because of the height difference my back is twisted all the time I'm on my feet. But I've managed to bake today!

    The constipation can be an issue, I take lactulose. It's not a laxative it just makes stool bulkier and softer.

    Please take it easy. Bones take a while to heal. Swelling is the villain of the peace.

    • dee21870
      dee21870 kim43039

      Posted

      Hi Kim

      I totally can relate to the swelling issues...and the constipation! I might have to get something to help things along...my ice packs came in the post today which is literally the highlight of my day.

      Well done for managing to bake...I'm looking forward to doing simple things again.

      I know this might be a little naive but what's a pot?

      I've heard that you can get a thicker soled shoe or some kind of insert to help with your back! I know the height difference between feet when having one foot done can give people back and knee problems so I think the inserts/sole amendments on the good foot help with this.

      I hope your back eases up real soon.

      Xxx

    • kim43039
      kim43039 dee21870

      Posted

      Hi Dee

      Not naive it could be a language issue. A pot is the same as a cast. They use to be made out of plaster of Paris which when hard was like pot! Now I think it's a type of plastic but I'm an old lady( I feel about 90 tonight) and we always said "pot"

    • dee21870
      dee21870 kim43039

      Posted

      Ahhh I see! You learn something new every day!

      It is very debilitating and I feel like I've aged plenty since having this surgery too...but hoping all these ailments soon disappear when we're back on our feet properly

      Xxx

  • louise16408
    louise16408 dee21870

    Posted

    Hi Dee.

    I had my surgery on the 15th March, so it will be 5 weeks ago this Thursday. (Bunion removal and big toe repositioning.)

    The first 2weeks were very painful - I practically lived in my bedroom as getting up and down the stairs was a nightmare!  I was told I could walk using the heel bearing shoe and crutches but I couldn’t even put my foot on the ground until day 12 as the pain was too bad.   I had the bandages taken off after 3 weeks but still have to use the shoe until 6 weeks after the op as the surgeon said the bone won’t have healed until then.

    I expected the pain but wasn’t quite prepared for how bored and fed up I would become while waiting for it to heal.

    Louise

    • dee21870
      dee21870 louise16408

      Posted

      Hi Louise

      I feel your pain...I'm really struggling to walk too. It's clearly totally normal to have these issues so I'm just taking it easy...I too am staying on the same floor as the bathroom. Stairs aren't on my agenda for now.

      I think the boredom is a big factor too and contributes to the isolation you feel in the early days. It can only get better!

      Xxx

  • tracey71472
    tracey71472 dee21870

    Posted

    Hi Dee

    im week 5 P.O. and can truely say I’m just starting to feel more normal. Still very sore. I had scarf/atkien procedure with 2nd metatarsal osstectomy. I have one external pun in and am in a cast for 6 weeks.  Another two weeks to go ..... not that I’m counting!   I just got my left foot done. They wouldn’t do two at the same time. I applauded anyone who got both done as one foot was bad. enough.  I would say at week four once the stitches are out: you feel more comfortable to walk around. I haven’t ventured outside yet as only pottering round the house and needing to rest. Tips for the early days is to make sure you elevate continuously and ice ice ice. Ice back of knee. Xx

    • dee21870
      dee21870 tracey71472

      Posted

      Hi Tracey

      That's reassuring to hear that you're starting to feel a little bit more normal. You've had alot done and I can imagine being in a cast that you're counting down the days!

      You give good advice about the back of the knee...I was in pain with it the first couple of days because my feet were raised and I didn't have enough support along the back of my leg...so now I stuff lots of pillows behind to take the pressure off.

      Xxx

  • rosemary2134c
    rosemary2134c dee21870

    Posted

    Stitches out is a piece of cake, so don’t worry about that. Your feet may look a bit odd with bruising etc and peeling skin but again nothing to worry about, it will all pass in time. The worst thing for me was the sheer crashing boredom of six weeks in those torture boots doing very little. I am now almost seven months post op and although there have been hiccups along the way I am pretty much back to normal levels of activity. Feet still feel weird though, big toes are quite numb and my gait has changed quite significantly. I used to be flat footed, now I have high arches! Best of luck to you, just don’t let it get in top of you!
    • dee21870
      dee21870 rosemary2134c

      Posted

      Hi Rosemary,

      It's great to hear that you're doing ok now.

      I know I'm being a baby worrying about stitches🙈...I've been through much worse things already! Thank you for the reality check on that one x.

      The boredom is killer and I'm less than a week in...I'm currently setting up more things to do over the coming weeks. My mum is coming over this week and I'm going to ask her to set me up with some crochet. She showed me many years ago and I've forgotten what to do so I'm going to get back on it and finish the 5 year old blanket I started!

      Xxx

    • kim43039
      kim43039 dee21870

      Posted

      Hi

      I've done a cross stitch sampler for my new , 5 days old now, granddaughter. It has little pictures of lots of things relevant to her family.

      I've also been improving my knitting skills, again doing baby things. And of course reading for hours.

      Fortunately we have a loo downstairs so I came down on my bottom in a morning and crawled back up at night.

    • dee21870
      dee21870 kim43039

      Posted

      Awww...many congratulations on your precious new grand daughter Kim. It's lovely that you have someone to make things for. It passes the time which we have plenty of.

      I don't know why but I'm struggling to read much...my attention span is short and I feel like I have to read the same page over and over...so I've given up on my book for a while.

      I may try to go downstairs later in the wk...I'm going to wait until I feel a bit better on my feet because I will need to go up and down for the bathroom. I may try your bum technique on the way down ?

      Xxx

  • christine16546
    christine16546 dee21870

    Posted

    Hi Dee,

    Tomorrow will be 10 weeks post op for me. As I type that Its hard to contemplate its been that long.Single bunionectomy for me with a permanent screw. I can't imagine having both done at the same time..

    Things were going fairly smooth for me up until I started to put weight on my foot at 8 weeks. Also started therapy and was walking in a post op shoe, ugly thing, Velcro top and hard sole bottom. After 6 days of walking, and I was so enjoying my freedom back, my plantar fasciitis came back with a vengeance!!   Worst case I can remember!   My doctor says a small setback, I say a painful and debilitating setback!  So if you are prone to getting PF  BE AWARE of the post op shoes! 

    So Good luck with your recovery, stay positive and there is light at the end of the tunnel. Some of us just take a little longer to see it !!

    • dee21870
      dee21870 christine16546

      Posted

      Hi Christine

      Sorry to hear about your recent set back...I can imagine that was so painful and mentally difficult to get through.

      Hearing everyone's experiences really highlights that all of our journeys are individual.

      On the bright side it's great that you're almost 10 wks post op and have come so far!

      Thanks for sharing your experience...I really appreciate everyone's comments and I hope you continue to feel better each day and get back on track to "normal" really soon.

      Xxx

    • shirley_50245
      shirley_50245 dee21870

      Posted

      It takes awhile but things do get better,I told my dr that I have ordered the strap

      They advertise on Facebook he said that’s ok 👍 I’m trying to prolong getting other foot done so will let all know how it works🙏🙏🙏🙏

    • christine16546
      christine16546 tracey71472

      Posted

      Plantar Faciitias is an inflammation of the heel, extremely painful when you put  weight on your foot, walking is difficult to say the least.  I am prone to getting this and the post op shoe has no support or cushion. It takes a little while for this to get better too.
    • christine16546
      christine16546 dee21870

      Posted

      You are so right Dee, every experience is unique and individual, and things are improving for me so I am very lucky !!  I do need the other foot done I just think it might be 2 years until I am ready !
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