Painted Toes

CHECK the operation report-it was posted prior to this post. For some reason that particular post didn’t show up on the list of recently updated posts. This is not the first time this happened to me (i.e. my dogs and recovery post did not show up either). Does it happen to you as well?

After visiting the surgeon, I went to PT. I did some plantarflexion exercises and my therapist did not even see me do them. He was like, you finished it? I was like yep and handed him the dark purple rubber thingy. He asked me to put 120lbs on my bad leg. I was nervous because my last PT it took me several tries to put 90 lbs on my leg. So we went to the medical scales and I pressed my foot on it. The needle did not move an INCH. Ugh. Tried again. No luck.

The PT suggested we try the digital scale. So I put weight on that, and only managed 40 measly lbs. So I tried again and again-the highest I got was to 93lbs. The PT asked me to walk with crutches and he would slide the scale under my foot at the appropriate time. I still managed at best 50lbs. I was still distributing my weight on my good foot and could not force my body to cooperate!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The PT and another PT put their heads together and suggested that I go to the parallel bars (unfortunately not to do gymnastics hah!) and that I remove one crutch. I froze and asked for walking instructions. Amazing you forget at only 8 weeks how to walk after walking for nearly 33 years! So I took my first step and it was definitely not a step of a walking professional!!!!!!! I practiced walking and then when I was ready, the scale was slid under me again. Still 50 lbs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The PTs were amazed how my body refused to put the weight on my bad foot, even on only one crutch. They removed my remaining crutch and gave me a cane. Still same result. Then THEY TOOK AWAY THE CANE! They instructed me to place three fingers on each hand on the bars on either side of me and walk. I walked on my toes and the PTs chatised me and said to walk normally with a normal stride. Easier said than DONE! I stood there for like 5 minutes trying to gather some courage and took my first step. No pain. Whew. After many awkward steps, they slid the scale under me and it was still like 80 lbs but an improvement. They then instructed me to walk with 2 fingers on either side, then reduce to 1 then to ZERO fingers and to place my hands on my waists! So after like 20 trips up and down the parallel bars, I was ready to walk without assistance. Man did it feel GREAT to walk!!!!!!! It was clumsy but its still walking! The scale was slid under me again, and it was still not 120 lbs but the PTs determined that the fact that I was walking without assistance trumped over a belligerent scale.

After PT was over, I reached for both of my crutches to walk out of the place, but the PT grabbed me and said ahahah! nice try! ONE crutch from now on! I was shocked. The PT said I did so well that they are skipping one week of the protocol and that I was to use just 1 crutch (not planned) and will be FWB and walking without assistance on August 15 as planned. I just thought I’d be using both crutches until then. WRONG! Such a nice surprise for me

Here’s a pic of my splint-I need to wear this for 6-7 more weeks before I can be 2-shoes. Paige is so good-always stays near me. Fifi is a bit more independent-she’s probably in the other room looking out of the windows

This is a pic of the hosiery support that I spoke of earlier. I love it! You can find it here: http://www.jobst-usa.com/UltraSheerKnee.html. I wear this under the sock. The splint goes over my sock-this helps prevent the splint from rubbing my skin raw on my foot.

here’s a pic of the incision-after the surgeon removed the scabs. See where my finger is-this is the beginning of the incision-already fading away! And there is an area near the heel where the dot is still oozing (just because the surgeon took the scabs off).