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.
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