Post Op: Days 4 & 5. Hooray for Tuesday!

Tuesday, was to all intents and purposes, blissful. I managed my pain well, hobbled around on the boot and crutches and decided my new best friend was Tylenol 3. I ate my first real food in four days and coped with the weird, tingling sensations in my foot as the bandage loosened.

The swelling was going down somewhat, although I was seeing nice, funky bruising move up my leg. My big toe didn’t look so much like a huge sausage anymore and didn’t feel like a huge rubber ball when I prodded it. The sensation that my foot was being split in two was slowly diminishing.

I also indulged in my first real “wash” – a sponge bath. How delicious. I actually didn’t smell like a dying, rancid animal anymore. I wanted to look (and smell) my best for Wednesday’s appointment with Dr. Nutig, where he planned on changing the dressing.

I was still eating very little. I think my stomach shrunk over the last several days and I was terrified of throwing up again. I was eating enough soup, juice, plain crackers etc. to line my stomach so as not to get sick from the pain meds. Also, my blessed synagogue community had been showing up with enough food to feed an army (it’s what Jews do – feed you!) even though I couldn’t eat. Still, I nibbled on some great home made veggie chili (I’m vegetarian), some pasta (yes, with pesto!), and  some banana.

I was so excited Wednesday morning to get out of the house and go to the doctor. I felt like I had been trapped in prison. A trip to the ER on Sunday didn’t count! I wanted fresh air and to see streets – rather than the four walls of my bedroom!

Randall drove me to the doctor and I had planned on taking photos of my foot when the bandages were removed but Randall stepped out to make a phone call and took my handbag with my iPhone with it, so he wasn’t around for the great reveal, and neither was my camera. Rats. Oh well, next time.

First the nurse cut off the ten tonnes of bandages, which revealed gauze with lots of dried blood from the surgery. Then she removed that to show a fat, pudgy foot with three superb scars and lots of fun bruising. My foot felt so light that I thought it would float away!

The truth is that reveal was incredibly emotional. I started to cry. Not because the foot was ugly – I was surprised at how unintimidating the scars were, and certainly not because I missed my bunion (good riddance to bad rubbish I say), but looking down at my STRAIGHT foot, I didn’t recognise it. It didn’t look like me! I’ve had these bunions since I was a kid and there was a huge disconnect. I felt like I was looking at someone else’s body. A strange sensation indeed and it made my cry.

I got over it though and admired Dr.Nutig’s handiwork. Then it was off to x-ray the foot. The nurse was wonderful at guiding my naked, purple foot as I sat in the wheelchair through the corridors, terrified she’d hit a doorjamb – but it never happened. She’s a pro.

Back in the room, Dr. Nutig came in, looked at my foot and asked how my “Frankenstein” foot felt! He was right, the stitches were a bit gruesome, but I was fine with it. He showed me the x-rays and my beautiful new foot along with the screw inside it that is permanent. He said it’s buried deep in the bone so apparently I won’t beep when I go through x-rays at the airport. Hope he’s right!

He was very pleased with his handiwork and said it should be beautiful when done. He also assured me when we do the right foot (I can’t even THINK about that right now), he’ll make sure to adjust meds accordingly so I don’t have such a horrible reaction and spend three days throwing up.

He then rebandaged my foot with a much smaller dressing after asking the nurse for some “four by fours.” Apparently, these are bandages, not planks of wood. Phew. He told me to start walking with the boot using the crutches after assuring me that my stitches would not rip and my foot would not split (my fears that I articulated out loud to him).

I’m on this smaller dressing for another 10 days, then it’s back to Dr. Nutig to remove the stitches. In the meantime I’m still not allowed to get my foot or the bandages wet so it’s off to get a shower chair so I can still take a shower and keep my foot safe.  Apparently my insurance will cover this chair and I’m also going to get a handicap parking permit for the six weeks I’ll be off this foot so people can drive me places in my car.

I headed home with a much lighter foot and a resolve to walk on the shoe with the crutches, even though the shoe feels weird (it’s designed to make you walk on your heel only), and it still hurts to put pressure on it. Still, one day at a time. I’ll keep you posted.

The best news is that it was so much easier to sleep last night with all that weight off. Hooray!

Here’s my newly-bandaged foot with less dressing. I promise to take pics next Friday when the stitches come out.

My foot feels so much lighter - but nowhere near ready to do pirouettes.