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| Clomping around in my Air Walkers |
Shoes have always hurt my feet. I could never figure out why my feet never looked good in cute ballet flats. I knew I had wide feet but I didn't realize until much later that not only did I have bunions but I also had bunionettes! Those bony protrusions on both sides of my feet made wearing even wide shoes uncomfortable. And unattractive.
Enter COVID19 and 9 months of home schooling a Kindergartener, running after a 2-year-old, working out, and working from home. All that activity on hardwood floors really aggravated the bunionette on my right foot. One day I developed a huge bruise around the bunionette and after that I could no longer stand on floors barefoot. Taking a shower was really painful. Friends recommended getting Vionic house slippers and I chose the Vionic Sadie Mule Slipper since it has arch support and it helped cushion my inflamed bunionette.
A few weeks later I had a consultation with a podiatrist in my area. I asked a ton of questions and by the end of the appointment I decided to get surgery on both feet. The official procedures were: Modified McBride bunionectomies and excision of the 5th metatarsal heads on both feet. Outpatient surgery would take about 3 hours during which the bunions near my big toes would be shaved down and part of the bone near my pinky toes would be removed.
On surgery day I made sure to wear pants with the widest legs. It was a wise decision because I had to put my pants on over my bandaged feet and leave wearing super chunky boots.
My recovery nurse complimented me on my smart pant choice. He said he once tended to a patient who had foot surgery in San Francisco. The nurse asked me what I thought the patient wore to surgery and I answered, "Skinny jeans!" The nurse laughed and said, "Yep! He couldn't put his pants on so I sent him home in paper shorts." So, put vanity aside and wear your widest leg pants to make things easier.
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| Week 1 - sent home in bandaged feet |
Week 1
I won't lie. The first week was really hard. I usually try not to take any pain medication because it just doesn't agree with me. My doctor told me that the second night would be the most painful so I used night 1 as an indicator. I took Tylenol only but I felt excruciating pain when standing in boots. The pain would wake me up and it was hard to sleep with my feet elevated on cushions.
If the second night would be worse I didn't want to suffer needlessly so I decided to take the prescribed pain medication Tramadol. I ended up having a terrible reaction to it - shortened breath, nausea, slow heart rate, weakness - and it didn't even help with pain! I stopped taking everything and just toughed it out.
I had to keep my bandages on for 10 days so I laid in bed and kept my feet elevated even when sleeping for the entire week. I didn't sleep under the covers, just used a lightweight blanket because I couldn't stand any pressure on my feet. Every morning after I woke up I would do little circles with my ankles otherwise they would ache. I got up only to use the bathroom. Any time I needed to walk around I had to put on my DonJoy MaxTrax Air Ankle Walkers. It was a whole ordeal. I would slowly lower my feet - if I swung them down to the ground too quickly it felt like they would explode. I would strap each foot into a boot and slowly stand up. The boots have a rounded bottom so I supported myself with a hiking stick or by learning against walls. My feet would throb and feel like they were on fire. My bones felt like they were crunching and grinding as I clomped around in the boots.
I couldn't stand for too long so I sat in a chair in the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth. I ate all my meals in bed. I took my first shower after 5 days. We had a whole procedure to get in and out of shower. I would:
- Walk to the shower in my boots
- My husband would place a bamboo shower bench in the shower
- Sit on the bench to remove my boots and my clothes
- Put on foot and ankle waterproof foot cast covers to keep my bandages dry while I showered sitting down. I needed my husband's assistance to stretch the opening of the cast cover over each bandaged foot.
Getting out was the reverse order but a bit more complicated because we would have to wipe the cast covers dry before I could take them off. We agreed that this was a 2-person job! I couldn't have gotten through recovery without my husband.
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| Week 2 - 10 days postop |
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| Week 2 - 10 days postop |
Week 2
I finally got my bandages off at my 10 day postop checkup. My doctor showed me my before and after x-rays, snipped off the ends of my dissolving sutures, and peeled off the tape holding together my incisions. I couldn't believe how narrow my feet looked!
He advised me to do passive range of motion exercises every 3-4 hours while awake. Bend my big toe up to the point it was uncomfortable, hold it for 30 seconds, bend my big toe down, and hold it for 30 seconds. I was able to walk out of my appointment in my regular shoes.
After I got home, I washed my feet for the first time in over a week. The surgeon's pen marks couldn't be scrubbed off until the 4th or 5th time. The incision sites were sore and swollen and a few days later formed scabs. Weirdly my feet experienced more swelling after the bandages came off. The areas around my big toes were numb so it was a strange feeling of hypersensitivity and numbness. I very gingerly did my passive range of motion exercises so I didn't walk normally. I would pick up my entire foot instead of rolling it. I also couldn't wear any of my regular shoes - my Birkenstock sandals were the only shoes that would fit!
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| Week 3 |
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| Week 3 |
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| Week 3 |
Week 3
My feet were still swollen so I kept them elevated as I worked from home. Every day I felt better and walking got a little easier. The areas around my big toes were still numb. Occasionally I would feel a jolt or a zing (maybe a sign my nerves were regenerating or healing?). I continued my range of motion exercises and I massaged my feet which seemed to help.
Whenever I walked it felt like the outsides of my feet where I had the bunionettes were more inflamed and tender than before. I would feel them as I walked. I talked to my doctor about some of the pain I was experiencing and he said everything sounded normal and expected. What was also normal (and weird) was my left foot was more swollen than my right. I continued to wear my Vionics at home and since I still couldn't wear regular shoes to go out, I just stuck with my Birkenstocks.
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| Week 4 - 1 month postop visit |
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| Week 4 - 1 month postop visit |
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| Week 4 - 1 month postop visit |
Week 4
I'm now 1 month postop. The swelling has continued to decrease but I still can't wear regular shoes. I had my 4 week postop appointment with my doctor and during the visit he bent my big toe up and I winced. I guess I was too gentle with my exercises at home. He advised me to continue passive range of motion exercises every 3-4 hours while awake - bend the big toe up until it's uncomfortable and hold for 30 seconds, bend it down and hold for 30 seconds. He also encouraged me to walk normally (roll the foot) instead of lifting my foot (clomping) to minimize stress on the tendons at the top of the foot, the ones that help you flex and point your feet. For regular shoes he recommended Allbirds for their wide toebox and Altra footwear. I have a pair of Allbirds tree runners at home so I was excited to see if I could put them on but still no luck. I will try again next week.
The scabs around my incisions have started to flake off. I still have numbness around the big toe on both feet and when I shower my feet turn a deep shade of purple. My left foot is still more swollen than my right. My big toes point inwards a little (it's normal to bend up to 10º). I was again relieved to hear that everything I was experiencing was normal and I was progressing as he expected. The doctor said all the swelling should be gone and I should have full range of motion back 4-6 months after surgery. I don't mind because I'll be working from home and my daughter will be doing distance learning for at least the next 6 months.
Will post more photos and observations over the next few weeks!
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