Flat Foot Surgery - the days after

 At this point, the days following my surgery are a blur. Eventually I did make it up the stairs the morning after by scooting on my butt, and using the handrail to help lift me from stair to stair. That was much easier than putting both of my hands on the stair and trying to push myself up. I have reasonably good upper arm strength, but it was too exhausting to do it that way. I wound up using a walker (zimmer frame) a lot the first few days, because until the nerve blocks wore off (around noon the day after surgery) I felt too unsteady on the scooter. 

Going to the bathroom was an adventure at first. My kids both have bathroom step stools for brushing teeth and handwashing, and those came in handy for propping up my foot when I was using the walker. Handwashing was very difficult with the walker, however. I couldn't balance on one foot and use both hands. I remember reading that everything would take twice as long as it did before, and handwashing safely was a great example. 

I bought a stellar elevation pillow from Amazon after reading recommendations in other blogs. (I don't get anything from sharing the link, but it really was a saving grace.) I loved the handles on the pillow because they made it so easy to adjust it myself. Keeping my foot elevated was so important, and not having to mess around with a pile of pillows made it so much easier. 

My daughter also enjoyed propping her feet up on the elevation pillow. : )

Cast #1: Purple (wrapped with an ace bandage on top - this was a couple weeks after surgery and my muscle had already wasted so much/swelling gone down, and I was trying to keep things from going into the gap in my cast)

I have been sleeping on our recliner in the living room pretty much ever since the surgery. I tried sleeping in our bed one night a few days post-surgery, and it just wasn't very comfortable. I didn't feel secure. The recliner keeps me from moving around, and it was easy to set the elevation pillow up and keep my foot where it needed to be. 

I had a follow up appointment with my doctor two days after my surgery (surgery on Wednesday, follow up on Friday). My husband had to use a wheelchair from the office to get me in, since I was still uncomfortable with the scooter and it was too much with the walker. Between getting down the stairs and in and out of the car, by the time we got to the office I was already sweaty and exhausted. Having to hang my leg down for X-rays was extremely painful. The nurses at the foot doctor's office have been extraordinary from the start, and they were so compassionate in trying to get my X-rays done as quickly and comfortably as possible. Then it was time to remove the initial wrappings from the hospital and put on a cast. I've never had a cast before, so the process was interesting, but I was honestly so tired and in pain that I just wanted to cry. With strict instructions to keep ahead of my pain using my meds, I was sent home. Luckily the doctor was happy with the X-rays and incisions. 

My parents were kind enough to take our kids the day before the surgery and keep them for about a week and a half after for a stay at their house. They kept them very busy and happy, which was a relief for me and my husband because the days after surgery got a bit more complicated than we had expected or hoped they would.