Hello, blog world. I've been absent a while, huh? Well, last month, I learned that my feet aren't just arthritic, they're pretty messed up. Dislocated bones and bone spurs have been adding to my pain all along. Who knew? I decided to skip the conservative route in regards to treatment because I'm tired of the pain interfering with my life. Phase One of The Right Foot Fix happened September 13. I had my big toenail and the sneaky bone spur that lived underneath it removed.
Painful? Yep. Gross? Indeed. Worth it? So far, yes. It'll be nice to (hopefully) be free from ingrown toenails and all the pain they bring and it'll be nice to not have pain from the spur when I walk. Recovery is going well and I only cried (we're talking ugly cried) twice.
The first time was when I couldn't put any weight on it and had to use crutches for the very first time to get down steps and a sidewalk to our car. This girl has no upper-body strength and no skills with crutches so by the time I got to the car, I was tired and just done. Since then, I've been getting better and readjusted the crutches to actually fit me so I could use them.
The second time was when I had to remove the gauze on my own and it was stuck to my wound. It sucked. It hurt. I was tired and fed up with not being able to do simple things like walk to the bathroom or take a real shower. I ended up soaking the foot for a good twenty minutes and it finally came off. The next day I was still very upset but the gauze only stuck a little this time and soaking ten minutes took it right off. Since then, the wound has dried nicely and the gauze comes off like a dream.
It has been almost two weeks and I've been walking pretty much unassisted so recovery is going really well. Today I even ditched the tubular gauze "sock" for a cute Hello Kitty sock because, well, I wanted to. I'll be getting back into a regular shoe soon, but that means buying a new pair of either black clogs or something that won't rile up the incision too much. Hooray for shopping!
Phase Two of The Right Foot Fix will happen in December. I will have a stent put into my ankle to (hopefully) cure the dislocations. This in turn should help correct the remaining issues with that foot. I believe I am having a heel spur removed as well. I'm pretty sure this will be a harder recovery but I'm glad I'm going through this now so I have an idea what to expect. By the time surgery comes, our upstairs bathroom will hopefully be completed.
That's right, I didn't tell you the biggest complication has been no real bathroom to use. We had gutted the bathroom down to the studs, removed the ancient toilet and trashed the sink. We bought a new toilet (thank goodness!!!) and the tub is still intact at least. Talk about making do with what you have! Washing hands and brushing teeth happens in the kitchen because I can't really do stairs safely yet and the shower and sink are in the basement. Showers are me sitting on a shower chair in the tub and using a handheld shower head to bathe. My balance and coordination has improved significantly.
After I recover from Phase Two, I will be planning out the left foot.
So there you have it, my exciting September that wasn't.
Painful? Yep. Gross? Indeed. Worth it? So far, yes. It'll be nice to (hopefully) be free from ingrown toenails and all the pain they bring and it'll be nice to not have pain from the spur when I walk. Recovery is going well and I only cried (we're talking ugly cried) twice.
The first time was when I couldn't put any weight on it and had to use crutches for the very first time to get down steps and a sidewalk to our car. This girl has no upper-body strength and no skills with crutches so by the time I got to the car, I was tired and just done. Since then, I've been getting better and readjusted the crutches to actually fit me so I could use them.
The second time was when I had to remove the gauze on my own and it was stuck to my wound. It sucked. It hurt. I was tired and fed up with not being able to do simple things like walk to the bathroom or take a real shower. I ended up soaking the foot for a good twenty minutes and it finally came off. The next day I was still very upset but the gauze only stuck a little this time and soaking ten minutes took it right off. Since then, the wound has dried nicely and the gauze comes off like a dream.
It has been almost two weeks and I've been walking pretty much unassisted so recovery is going really well. Today I even ditched the tubular gauze "sock" for a cute Hello Kitty sock because, well, I wanted to. I'll be getting back into a regular shoe soon, but that means buying a new pair of either black clogs or something that won't rile up the incision too much. Hooray for shopping!
Phase Two of The Right Foot Fix will happen in December. I will have a stent put into my ankle to (hopefully) cure the dislocations. This in turn should help correct the remaining issues with that foot. I believe I am having a heel spur removed as well. I'm pretty sure this will be a harder recovery but I'm glad I'm going through this now so I have an idea what to expect. By the time surgery comes, our upstairs bathroom will hopefully be completed.
That's right, I didn't tell you the biggest complication has been no real bathroom to use. We had gutted the bathroom down to the studs, removed the ancient toilet and trashed the sink. We bought a new toilet (thank goodness!!!) and the tub is still intact at least. Talk about making do with what you have! Washing hands and brushing teeth happens in the kitchen because I can't really do stairs safely yet and the shower and sink are in the basement. Showers are me sitting on a shower chair in the tub and using a handheld shower head to bathe. My balance and coordination has improved significantly.
After I recover from Phase Two, I will be planning out the left foot.
So there you have it, my exciting September that wasn't.
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