Recovery from Foot Surgery
To help me during recovery, I hired a health aid, Rosa, recommended to me by a Sutter Healthcare social worker that was providing services to my husband. She was quite a good find. I recommend to everyone to make sure that they have the necessary support at home to let go of all the responsibilities of managing a household and even taking care of themselves and delegate that responsibility to a well-trained person with a good disposition. Rosa is a take charge kind of person. She took over shopping for groceries, cooking my meals, helping with my personal care and just pamper me as best I needed.
The day before the surgery I did not sleep well as I was somewhat worried about a 3 hour operation. The narcotics the doctor prescribed to manage my pain after the surgery had an unpleasant side effect – insomnia. So, for 3 days I did not had a restful sleep. I discussed the insomnia with my doctor’s Medical Assistant and she said the doctor could prescribed something different, if I needed that. Instead, I decided to just stop taking the strong medication and manage the pain with over the counter meds. This worked much better.
The scooter loaned to me was indispensable in getting around the house. To get from my bed to the bathroom without putting weight on my foot would had been very hard with crutches. Using the scooter was not without its challenges in turning sharp corners like between my bedroom and the bathroom, between my bedroom door and the living room. The only thing to do was to pick up the scooter and turn it a little at a time – turn it, turn it, turn it so that I could move forward. After a few tries, my aid rearranged things in my bathroom so I could have a place to park the scooter and pivot to the toilet. I took a fall once, out of the blue, I went down like a coconut. Got myself up as best I could, since I was alone at that moment. I am sharing this with you because, expensive as it may be, it’s best to have an aid with you throughout your recovery period.
Two weeks after my surgery I got off the scooter. With the help of a boot that was strapped up to my mid-calf, I could take a step, but not stand on my feet more than 10 minutes for every hour. The boot protected my foot and ankle and strengthened my leg as I moved around. The stitches came off yesterday. That gives me a sense of progress. I am getting better.
Open toe strappy sandals are not going to be my first choice of dress in the near future. We’ll see what style of shoe will be comfortable enough and cover the scars that will develop once my foot is healed. So, if I ever thought that getting rid of the bunion and hammer toe would give me a more attractive looking foot, well, I know now that will not be so.
Throughout my process of having the surgery and recovery I am most grateful for an excellent surgeon, Dr. Smith and Rosa, my very competent and pleasant health care aide.