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Day 27: cheilectomy recovery

I’ve pretty much resumed normal life. I can live life normally, so to speak, on the immobilizer boot. It makes walking supremely comfortable on my right foot. It also makes life supremely cumbersome in that I have to remove it to drove, put it back in at each destination, etc... so a three errand trip involves removing or putting the boot on a lovely 6 times. It slows things down. My life is already slow and cumbersome with two kids in tow, so at least I’m sort of used to the patience aspect. What I’m impatient about is that I cannot live life normally without the boot. Wearing regular shoes is not comfortable for walking any distance. I’m starting to try and imagine what sort of footwear I will wear once the doctor says to be done with the boot (another week or two, not sure?)... and I’m perplexed on that. I wear comfy moccasin slippers around my house in the evening once the kids are in bed and I’m no longer on full time cook/chauffeur/maid/referee/laundress duties... those work ...
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Day 21: cheilectomy recovery

This screenshot, from my surgery date to yesterday, kind of says it all. My foot hurts today. It’s not easy when you look healthy, but your body isn’t back in action.
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Day 20: cheilectomy recovery

I’m definitely up and about on my feet a lot more in the last couple days. So far this week I have done school drop off and pick up for my son, run some errands, and gone on an outing to see Christmas lights by foot. Just in the last two days I have felt much more comfortable walking. Walking barefoot is by far the least comfortable thing I can do (it hurts)…  walking in sturdy flip-flop sandals is the most comfortable normal footwear I have worn… The surgical boot is by far still the most comfortable yet  by far the least convenient, as I have to remove it if I want to drive. For the Christmas light outing tonight, I even squeezed my feet into Ugg boots… Partially motivated by the fact that it has turned very cold here, and I wanted my feet to be warm. I walked fairly comfortably (albeit slowly and with a bit of a limp) in them, with the only hiccup being unrelated to the mechanics of my foot, but rather chafing and irritation on my scar. A sock probably would’ve solved tha...
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Day 18: cheilectomy recovery

I’m really starting to round the bend in terms of feeling normal again. Don’t get me wrong, I am a long way off from walking normally in shoes, but with the boot I can move through life and do almost anything I need to do… Well, anything one can do in a giant ski boot type thing. This weekend I spent a lot of time on my feet - playing with my children, potty training one of said children (oy), doing laundry, in the kitchen. I drove on the interstate, and in some busy traffic, and felt fairly confident. It’s not normal driving conditions for me but I know how to work within my parameters and it’s going ok. I noticed this evening that I was walking more comfortably around my house in flip-flops. Whereas the last few days I’ve tried flip-flops, but have had to walk by kind of rolling each step on the right side of my foot (to protect the left side of my foot where the surgery occurred), today I find that I can kind of bear weight evenly on my foot and even push off on it a little bit. T...
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Day 14 and 15: cheilectomy recovery, 2nd post-op appointment

Yesterday and today I decided to stop taking the perscription pain medication. Now I’m taking a normal dose of ibuprofen once each day - about 30 minutes before I wake up (my foot still consistently hurts when I wake in the morning) or maybe twice if I’m up and about a lot. I still have some sharp and deep pain during the day but I can deal with it by resting my foot. I had my second  post operative appointment with my doctor. She removed my bandage and my stitches. The wound is completely closed, which is amazing considering how big it is and that it is only been two weeks since it was cut open. I received a thin compression sock (it looks and feels like super control strength nude pantyhose), which provides a nice barrier between my foot and the world, but is much more sleek than the bandage. I can now take a shower without any kind covering over my foot. She gave me permission to drive and exercise so long as I feel comfortable and confident doing so. Basically, I cannot easil...
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Day 11: cheilectomy recovery

So I skipped a day since my last post… Mainly because it would’ve been the exact same thing that I wrote for Day 10 as I did for Day 9. However, here I am on Day 11, and I do feel like I am even better than I was three days ago. I have gotten through today without any of the prescription my pain medication… Yay! I find that spending a maximum of 30 minutes on my feet is doable… As long as I am able to rest and elevate them for a while afterward. I still find that the most uncomfortable position is when I am sitting or a chair or as a passenger in a car, with my foot on the ground and my leg bent at a 90° angle at the knee. This sort of position makes my foot feel even pressure that is very uncomfortable. I have started to do small bits of household chores such  as laundry and kitchen work. I really do feel like I am coming back to myself again. Not being able to drive is a huge bummer… I am not used to being stuck around the house, and not being able to run errands, go get a ...
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Day 9: cheilectomy recovery

Not much to say today - more of the same. I did try to hold off on the pain medication today but that does result in intermittent deep pain after 6 hours or so... and that’s while resting with my leg elevated (not while on my feet). The worst my foot hurts each day is right when I wake up (when I haven’t taken pain medication for 8 hours or so). Definitely not gonna say bye to the pain meds just yet. Also remembered that at my next doctor’s appointment I want to speak specifically about my ability to return to the gym (Pilates reformer, cycling, swimming, seated/recumbent stair climber), as well as the Cartiva cartilage implant… Which I am very curious about for way off in the future. Since there isn’t much to say, why not look at some pictures of my son’s feet when he was a cute, easy baby? Take care of your feet, son. 
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Day 8: cheilectomy recovery

My surgery occurred one week ago today and I’m pretty impressed with the speed of my recovery. The second day of this blog I felt like I wanted to chop off my foot - the pain was terrible. The difference in just 5 or 6 days is staggering. I can walk without too much difficulty (doesn’t mean I should, but I can)  and I’m taking pain meds but in modest dosages. I painted my toes and feel a hundred times more civilized! I celebrated Thanksgiving at my sister in law’s house - the hardest part was being a passenger for the  hour long car ride (having my foot on the ground - ie. the position I have to sit in as a car passenger - is more painful than walking). I took it fairly easy with the family but can’t deny it was the most ‘active’ day I’ve had since surgery. It caught up with me by 6pm when my foot grew quite sore. Tomorrow will be a day of rest and nothing else.
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Day 7: cheilectomy recovery

Not a lot to say today. Still taking pain medication minimally but regularly. Still sleeping well, still walking well in the boot. Still trying to stay off my feet. I went to a movie today with my mom and daughter and it was a perfect outing - I got some time out of the house and the theatre has reclining seats with full footrests so it was very well suited to my foot elevation needs! Thankful tonight for my feet and their ability to walk all around this beautiful world in which we’re lucky to live! Feet. We’re lucky to have them! (Someday mine will look like this again...)
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Day 6: cheilectomy recovery and post-operative doctor appointment

Night 5 into day 6 I slept well. However, I woke up with some pretty sharp and uncomfortable pain. Chalking this up to trying to ease off pain medicine yesterday as well as returning to my kids/house/being up on my feet more than I should have. Thankfully a dose of medicine dulled the pain.  My goal for my pain medication is to stretch out the time between when I take it, in hopes of gradually not taking any more by week 2 or 3.  This afternoon I went to see the doctor. I saw my incision, of which - you’re welcome - I’m not going to include a photo. It is larger than I thought... 3 inches long and 6 stitches. I got a new bandage in a classic red color that is going to inspire my next pedicure. Next week I will have this red bandage removed and then no more bandages! I will still wear the boot for a few more weeks thereafter, however. The doctor showed me several great photos on her phone of my foot in the middle of surgery... mixed in with photos of her son playing basketb...
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