I've reached my one month (post-op) today, and now only 5 more months to go! I believe these next 5 months should go by quicker since I'll be back to work in a couple more weeks. Time goes by faster when one is keeping busy. :-)
My feet are still feeling much the same as last week. There is still a little soreness when doing my toe exercises and it is getting much easier to walk. Sometimes too easy and your body forgets to take each step slow. As not much has else has changed with my feet, I will talk about the little things that have made a big difference in this recovery.
As I am able to use a wheelchair when I am traveling outside, inside the house, I've been able to switch between my crutches and my "indoor wheelchair", which is just an office chair I use to roll around the place. This office chair has saved me time to get from one side of the house to the other (using my heels to move/steer), but it also importantly saves me from walking too many steps. Very helpful, especially during the first few months. Luckily I also have an office chair I can use when I return back to the US.
I don't think I've shown a close up picture of the boots that Dr. Wu provides, so here is a picture of them. They are very comfortable, easy to use, and protects the feet enough when you walk. The material is porous so it allows air to circulate well. During the warm weather days here in HK, the boots can make my feet warm, but it is not too bad. When I head back to the US, the weather is much colder, so I'm sure I'll be needing to wear socks with these boots. Luckily, the boots stretch well enough to allow for a "bulkier" foot (ex. with a cast and socks). These boots are not rain proof though, so I'll have to be careful when I'm going out in the rain.
Here is also a picture of the "shower shoes" that were provided by the hospital. They have a rubber part on top, where you insert your foot and the rubber part is supposed to keep the water out. When you first use these shower shoes, these shoes are VERY good and no water comes in when you're showering. Now, after about a month, the rubber has stretched a little more so I'm just starting to see a little bit of water come into the shoe. But so far they are only drops of water, so the shoe still works well. Hopefully, after a few weeks, Dr. Wu will give me the green light to wet my feet, since by now, all the stitches on my feet would have healed my now. I will keep you all posted.
That is all I have for now and I leave you with more pictures of some yummy food I've had here. I have my last appointment with Dr. Wu coming up in about a week and a half and I hope the prognosis will still be good.
Today I'm at 3-weeks post-op but it definitely feels like I'm more than a month into my surgery. Time is passing by more quickly and I've gotten adjusted to walking in these casts. My feet seem to look the same as last week so no major change. The casts are still on pretty tight so I confirmed with Rachel that I shouldn't take off my casts (or change my bandages) unless the casts slip off on their own.
There is now less pain when I do the toe exercises, which is a good thing. I've now been able to go out a little more so it has been fun, enjoying time with family and friends, eating more yummy food, and sightseeing. The only issue when I go out is that I don't have the opportunity to do my toe exercises in between since I don't want to do this in public, especially at a restaurant (gross!). I can see Dr. Wu's disapproving face (:-P) so I need to find ways to still do my toe exercises even while I'm out. Maybe put my jacket or towel over my feet while I'm doing the exercises?
This past weekend, my family took me to Sai Kung and Ocean Terminal to people watch and see the sights. One might worry about lots of people being around, but it is interesting that I actually walked less when I was out, than when I just stayed at home. This is my normal way of transport when I'm out. We're fortunate enough to have access to a wheelchair and my family take turns wheeling me about.
Being transported in a wheelchair gives me a different perspective on life. I always took simple things for granted - like being able to walk to/from the parking lots, being able to walk the stairs or take the escalator, going to the restroom, or catching a taxi on the streets. All of this has now been more difficult because of the recovery process. Wherever we go in HK, we have to make sure that the car we take can fit the chair in the trunk and there is handicap access available wherever we go (ex. Handicap elevator, handicap drop off point, etc).
Not all of HK has this capability so going out needs some logistical planning. Back in the US, there is a requirement for handicap access to be available so I probably will not have to worry as much back home. Even being wheeled to a table inside a restaurant has it challenges and luckily most people have been accommodating. You might ask why not just walk to the table? Well its because it takes an eternity to walk even a short distance because of how slow you're supposed to walk. On the other note, some people are very oblivious to you being in a wheelchair and walk right into you or use the handicap bathroom/elevator. For the person in the wheelchair, it is annoying when people accidentally bump into your feet or use the handicap facilities. Because some people don't pay attention, you have to watch out for your feet and make sure they're protected. When I'm fully healed, I'll be sure to be more aware of my surroundings and not use handicap facilities. It makes such a difference to the person in the wheelchair and I'm fortunate my situation is only temporary.
Of course being in a wheelchair too long is not always a good thing either because I'm not keeping my feet elevated, so there may be some minimal swelling and discomfort in my feet. The solution to that would be to find opportunities to keep your feet elevated when you can. At restaurants, coffee shops, etc, find ways to keep your feet propped up. Even better if you can keep your feet hidden underneath the table, but here were some ways I accomplished my goal.
For my recovery, I had also purchased a basic FitBit pedometer to use to track my steps. The funny thing is that I walk so slowly and gently that the pedometer does not even register my steps. Lol! It's pretty much useless now, but I could try to use my iphone as well, which also tracks steps using GPS. Unfortunately, I don't always carry my iphone so I'm also not accurately tracking my steps using my phone. I have an idea of how much I walk when I'm at home because I counted my steps. Dr. Wu never gave me an exact number of how many steps I should/should not walk, but I'll try to keep it at a minimum for probably the first month or so.
I'll finish this blog with more pictures from my trip to Sai Kung and the wonderful food we ate. Sai Kung has piers where you can buy fresh seafood from people in their boats. You call down to them and let you know what you want. Then the transactions all take place using a basket or net that is brought up/down. Pretty cool! We also got to try one of the famous pineapple buns at the bakery in Sai Kung. It came out fresh from the oven and was delicious. On the other days we were able to enjoy Thai food at Ocean Terminal and then Indian food in Kowloon City. I'm halfway through my stay here in Hong Kong so let's see what other adventures I can have before heading back home.
Sai Kung:
Thai Food and Indian food:
It's Tuesday and I can't believe I'm already 2-weeks post-op! I'm happy that time is going by faster than I'd expected. After my visit with Dr. Wu, I felt a little more comfortable getting outside the house. I went to lunch on Saturday at this delicious restaurant close by. They served Lamb curry and Lamb wraps that were so yummy. And of course, this place had my favorite - HK style milk tea which really does taste better in HK. Oh boy will I be gaining weight during this recovery period! :-)
We chose to go to this restaurant early so there was less people for me to walk around. We also sat in a booth so I could keep my feet up while eating. A great atmosphere and ideally, a great place to allow a slow (very slow) walker like me, to get around.
Okay, now back to my recovery. Not much has changed since I last posted. I am getting better at my toe exercises, but still not yet at the 90 degree bend I'm supposed to be at. You can see here, I'm almost there. I just have to keep reminding myself to do these exercises frequently. Feet are still being elevated as much as possible, even when I'm sleeping. Elevating my feet higher than my sitting position (ex. lay them on top of a pillow) allows the blood to flow away from my feet, which helps with the swelling and comfort.
In regards to pain, a majority of the time there is no pain when I'm resting my feet. Periodically, I do get some spasms of pain but so far it is mainly affecting my right foot. I am assuming this is part of the healing process and I have noticed that my right foot seems to bother me more than my left. This makes sense in that the pain I had before my surgery was primarily in my right foot, so I am thinking my right foot will take more time to heal?? Hopefully, the pain will eventually completely go away, but even now when the pain comes, it is very tolerable and I've had no need for medication. I have noticed that the brief moments of pain come after I've been walking on them a little more than usual, so this tells me to still take it easy and stay at home as much as possible during this first month. Walking with these casts can also lead to me shifting my weight oddly, which also adds to any discomfort I feel. The casts are a good reminder to not walk too much!
The only other minor complication I currently have is a little numbness on top of my right big toe. It is not very numb and it may be due to some swelling that may still be present. Otherwise, I don't notice it unless I run my fingers over my toe. Functionality of the toe is not affected so far.
I realized that I haven't yet described the recommended recovery process for this SP surgery so I will list it now. This is what's recommended by Dr. Wu and his team, but as every patient heals differently, I am considering this to be the minimum guidelines.
1-3 weeks - Use healing shoes and home rest as much as possible to keep feet elevated
1 month after surgery - stationary cycling is allowed, driving is possible
up to 3 months - Use healing shoes with cast-brace, limited outdoor walking
4-6 months - Can wear regular, comfortable walking shoes with special in-soles provided
6 months onwards - No more shoe and activity limitation
Before I take any major leaps, I will always check with Dr. Wu first to make sure it's okay. Since I've invested so much of my time and money into this surgery, I want to be sure it's successful. Dr. Wu has done his part with the surgery, now it is my turn to do mine.
One last note before I sign off - I have been finding different ways to exercise as I believe this is important also for the healing process. Exercise allows the blood (with the vital cellular components) to circulate more throughout one's body and can help prevent atrophy in the muscles. I have found exercises that don't involve using your feet, through the web, specifically You Tube. Just search "exercises without using your feet" or something similar. These exercises are good for the legs, back, and core!
Until next time then...
Note: I am not a fitness professional so always do these exercises carefully after consulting with your doctor.
