Foot surgery - lots of crutch-time

[bmccasland]

Good luck with your surgery and recovery GLC!

[emily_in_nc]

Good luck with surgery, GLC. Am thinking of you!

On the "nurturing gene", my DH is the same. He took very little time whipping up a tray for my walker when I came home from my orthopedic surgery in 2005 so I could do more for myself and he wouldn't have to "do it all". He's a very practical, hard-working person, but not the "mommying" type at all.

We didn't have kids (due to infertility on his part), and that was probably a good thing. Perhaps nature really does know best in some cases, at least.

I love my DH. He's smart, hard-working, and we have many shared interests and values, but a nurturing soul he is not.

[OakLeaf]

Sending good thoughts for quick healing and a minimum of pain.

[SheFly]

GLC - hope the surgery went well. Have been thinking about you, and sharing your story with DH (who is VERY much like yours!). Take care of yourself.

SheFly

[GLC1968]

Surgery went well, I guess. I don't remember it!

Actually, what I do remember (apart from the nausea) was outstanding. Everyone at the hospital was wonderful. Truly. It made it all a little easier to take.

Recovery, on the other hand, is a b1tch. I took one Vicodin at the hospital and it was awful. When I got home, I took the anti nausea meds and they helped but then I decided that I'd wait to take any more pain meds until I couldn't bear it anymore. I would much rather deal with the pain than I would feeling dizzy, sick to my stomach and generally awful. There were a couple of super intense pain spells last night and this morning it feels like there is a red hot poker jammed into my foot, but I'm dealing. I'm also still a little dizzy and groggy from the anesthesia.

I'm still not eating much, either. AND I have to keep my foot elevated above my heart, so I'm not very comfortable either. Honestly, this sucks a lot and I cannot wait for it to be over with.

But I'll survive.

Oh, and the doc told my husband that I completely tore my ligament off the bone in that joint. It was apparently worse than he'd thought. He gave me a couple of xray films they took after the procedure and they show three huge screws in my foot! Owie! One of the worst parts is also knowing that I'll go through all of this again after my ligaments heal because those screws will have to be surgically removed, before I can walk on that joint. Oh joy.

[indysteel]

What a huge, huge drag. I really feel for you. I hope your pain lessens to dull roar soon.

[ny biker]

Glad it went well.

As I recall, the follow-up surgery to remove the giant screw from my heel was much easier to deal with than the initial ankle surgery that put it there. And while I was under, they broke through some scar tissue that had developed. It was actually a good thing -- an important step toward recovery.

After my first surgery, I had one of those morphine drip machines. The anesthesiologist told me never to press the button unless I was actually in pain. Then he made me press the button to show I knew how to use it, even though I was not in any pain at the time. I threw up a few minutes later. Thanks, doc.

The morphine also made me itch all over, and I continued to feel nauseated. So they gave me companzine for my stomach and benadryl for the itch. I remember being awake, but physically unable to open my eyes.

Anyway, it's all in the past now. And this whole experience will be all in your past. Just take it one day at a time.

[Crankin]

Glad it went well.
As one who can't even take a Tylenol with codeine, I admire your decision to take pain over nausea and dizziness. Give in to being on your back with your foot up for a few days and by then you'll be ready to start scooting around and working on your upper body. I think it helps to look at recovery from surgery as you would training for an event. But right now, you need to let your body heal, just from the shock of surgery.