1 week post surgery - Showers and office
Managed to make it into the office for a couple of days this week (one week after surgery). Was worried I might be going back a bit soon but my leg hasn’t been hurting and I’m lucky that I have a desk job so was able to sit in moderate comfort with my leg more or less elevated.
Some unexpected difficulties though such as the gents toilet being on a mezzanine floor with several steps to descend - not practical in my state so I had to negotiate with the ladies in the office for temporary access to their toilet!
Other big win this week was working out a shower routine, the critical success factors were: a shower seat sourced from a local charity shop, disposable gloves and an elastic band (to keep my cut finger from getting wet) plus a surgipack half leg shower protector which we got from the chemist.
This combination worked a treat, a bit fiddly but well worth it for the sheer joy of being able to have a shower every morning.
Next milestone is hopefully getting the cast off next Wednesday, fingers crossed.
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Yeh, the shower seat is a necessary evil for sure. The daily shower is a godsend for the mental state, or at least was for me.. the leg protector was a must as well and did its job. i don’t envy you for being in the office that quick. My pain was still raging a week post-op, so good on you for doing well. Continued good healing.
There are about 2.5 ways of going down stairs NWB, not counting on the behind. The easiest by far only works if youve got a good strong bannister on the same side as your injury: Hold both crutches in your other hand and use them like a single crutch. Lean hard on the bannister, and move your sound foot down a step. Repeat all the way down.
The other two (1.5?) ways involve real crutch walking on stairs, and they both take some getting used to. The revolutionary way is explained on RyanB’s blog, complete with videos. It looks good, but I’ve never tried it.
The standard way is a lot like crutch walking on the flat, but on stairs:
Stand on the top step, put both crutches down one step, stoop down to lower your center of gravity to the level it’ll be on after you step down, and step down. For max safety and confidence, I find that “stoop down” very helpful. And standing tall pre-step when going UPstairs likewise. This separates the “leap of faith” step from the (miss-able) change in altitude.
It’s a new skill, but one that can be learned.
Good tips - thanks. The stoop down seems to work for me, gives you that extra bit of stability and confidence which makes a big difference!