Month: June 2016

During my operation Mr Goldberg found that there were some problems with the dynamics of my foot that would adversely affect my new ankle if left untreated. So we decided to proceed with further surgery which was to take place three weeks after the original op.  This gave me exactly three days before I was back in plaster again.

As luck would have it the sun came out and I was able to enjoy taking off the walker boot and sitting in the sun. I had a bath, treated my foot and ankle to a bit of pampering, including moisturiser and a first application of bio oil.  I didn’t have to wear the boot in bed.  I even had a meal out and went shopping.  Bliss.

So once again I was driven around the M25 early on a Monday morning for a 7am start at RNOH. This time I was first on the list.  So I was hurried through all the pre-op checks, into a gown and down to theatre.  The procedures this time were to be a dorsiflexion osteotomy to my fist (big toe) metatarsal and a calcaneal osteotomy to my heel bone.  This involves cutting though the bones, re-positioning and re-joining.

On waking this time I felt much more alert and in significantly less pain. I was soon back on the ward, eating and embarking on my usual post op drinking as much as I could regime!  This was going to be so much easier than the previous op.

Then when I needed to answer nature’s call, sat upon the commode, blood started dripping from my cast. This was a complication.  I wasn’t forming the necessary clots required to stop the blood flowing (probably due to the blood thinning injections).  I wasn’t going to be going home that day, instead I was bed bound, under instruction to stay put until the following morning.  This led to the trial of me wanting to drink copious quantities of water but not wanting to use the bedpan every 5 minutes!  Tricky….

Having got through that night somehow and with very little sleep in a noisy ward, (Why do the snorers always fall asleep first?) I was grateful for the start of the next day.  I was allowed out of bed and told I would get a new cast fitted before being sent home.  This gave me the opportunity to get some (slightly bloody)  photos of my new scars before they were neatly covered up again.

 

 

 

 

 

It is important to follow your surgeon’s advice regarding weight bearing. In my case I was non weight bearing when sent home.

I was advised that I should be prepared to spend 55 minutes of every hour with my foot elevated above the level of my heart for at least the first two weeks. This is to help reduce swelling and aid in the healing process.  This might seem like quite a long time to you but you will actually find that following this operation you will notice very quickly that when you put your foot down it does indeed swell up and become quite uncomfortable.  Initially I found it very uncomfortable to sit at the dinner table for any time at all and was all too ready to put my foot back up as soon as possible.

Organise a place where you can sit/lay with your leg up. For me it was on the settee in front of the TV.  I have a downstairs toilet.  I think that if I had to go upstairs to answer the call of nature I might have stayed in bed rather than negotiate the stairs multiple times a day.  I also come out of a general anaesthetic with an insatiable thirst, resulting in drinking literally litres of water and numerous toilet breaks.  You have been warned!  Again prepare to be sitting around doing nothing, books, phone, TV remote etc. all needs to be close to hand, along with drinks, medication and snacks as required.  You’ll need someone to fetch and carry for you.  Crutches require both hands.  Pockets are useful but you really are limited on what you can move about.  I bought a travel mug with a lid and handle and found that I could just about manage to make myself a coffee and carefully carry this through to the living room but that was about the limit of my independence at this point.

Another thing worth mentioning is that I was sent home with injectable blood thinning medication. I was shown how to administer this in hospital and found the process easy and pretty much painless.  Honest….

I invested in a rubber cast protector and a stool for in the shower which gave me the luxury of being able to shower in comfort and safety.

For me I reckon that two weeks was about the mark before I started to feel like I could put my foot down for any length of time without it quickly swelling up and the toes turning purple!

At around two weeks I returned to the hospital to have my cast removed and the stitches taken out. My scar, down the front of my ankle, top of my foot was about 6-7 inches long with 14 stitches.  I was pleasantly surprised to note that it didn’t look too swollen or bruised.  I also had some steri tape to a couple of points at the back of my heel which I found out later was because the surgeon had lengthened my Achilles tendon. (Quite common to have this done with this procedure.)  I was placed in a walker boot and able to take the first few tentative steps on the new ankle (with the help of crutches).  I confess that for me this was one of the scariest parts of the whole process.  Surprisingly the pain I felt wasn’t from the ankle it was from the Achilles.  It was at this point when I realised that the arthritis pain was no more.

You’re likely to be in hospital for at least one or two nights. This is going to be dependent on you, how you recover from surgery and what levels of pain relief you will require.  So it’s a good idea to clear the decks as it were before you go in.  Although it’s a fairly short stay, when you come home you will need to rest.  You will have had major surgery and will be on some fairly substantial pain relief.  Try to plan it so that you can spend the next two weeks doing nothing of any importance.

You will be given advice regarding preparing for your hospital stay, when to eat and drink before surgery, what to bring with you. Here’s my little extras list:

Phone, charger and headphones. Most hospitals have Wi-Fi now.  I used my phone to keep in touch, read the news, listen to the radio etc.

Something to read. A Kindle or IPad, book or magazine.  I also bought in a colouring book and pencils, a completely new idea to me but there are some really good grown up colouring books out there which are excellent for giving you something to occupy your time whilst ensuring that you are resting.

Wet wipes and tissues.

And finally, you’ll be going home in a cast. Those skinny jeans won’t go over it!  A pair of comfy shorts for the journey home and a sturdy, flat shoe or trainer will see you home in comfort.  Also ask whoever is collecting you to bring a couple of pillows along.  I found the journey home on the back seat of the car, with a pillow behind me and one on the seat to put my new ankle on the most comfortable way, in fact I slept all the way home!