Foot operation - week 2

So one week after having my operation I have to visit the practice nurse at the doctors surgery. It's so they can have a look at it and redress it. I have been looking forward to seeing what my foot looks like and as the weather has been so hot it'll be nice to get a bit of fresh air to it too.

The nurse started by taking off the original dressing.



I was quite nervous about this because I remember when I had broken my finger a few years ago and had to visit the nurse for redressing. I always ended up in tears, it was so painful.
Luckily the dressing had not stuck so they came off easily.



The bruising round the ankle is from where the consultant put in one of the local anaesthetic injections! The yellow is the iodine!



Traces of the black pen used to remind the consultant which foot he was supposed to be operating on!
I wasn't surprised to see how bruised and swollen my toes were though. I was surprised at how long the cut in my toe was.



My toe had obviously been bleeding judging by the amount of dried blood which had gathered around my big toe. The nurse seemed quite pleased with it apart from a small area near the very top steri strip which looks a bit red and raw. So she has redressed the foot but I have had to make another appointment to go back on Friday to make sure it has not become infected.
Until then I have to rest it as much as possible which is easier said than done!

Foot operation - week 1

As a foot health practitioner you would think that I would have perfect feet.....wrong. I've always had odd shaped feet, inherited from my mother and grandmother. Neither of my big toes are straight.

Before - my strange shaped feet!

They've never caused me much hassle thankfully and I've always worn sensible shoes. I don't wear heels very often, just on special occasions.

Over the past year I have noticed that the toe on my left foot had moved so that it rested underneath the next toe slightly. The joint was also a bit uncomfortable at times too. 

Last summer I  wrote a post about my feet and what had  happened when I'd slipped down the stairs and landed heavily on my left foot.
This had resulted in a small piece of bone, being chipped from the joint and floating around so that when I walked my toe would randomly lock in position, leaving me cursing about the pain and hobbling until I could click the joint again into a comfortable position.
I was eventually referred to see a consultant and after more X-rays ( revealing the loose bone) it was agreed that I would have an operation on it to straighten the toe and remove the offending piece of bone.
Last Wednesday I drove to one of our local hospitals with hubby to have it done as a day surgery case under local anaesthetic.
The consultant came along and gave me the anaesthetic which hurt for a start! Slowly though my foot started to go numb, a bit like when you have a job done at the dentist.
Eventually the nurses came to wheel me into theatre and get me ready for my operation.
I watched as they applied an ankle tourniquet and then covered my foot in iodine.

The ankle tourniquet

After that they reclined me slightly and put up a small screen so that i couldn't see what was going on. The consultant came in and had another chat with me and then got on with the surgery whilst I wisely put my earplugs in, selected some cheerful music on my ipad and turned up the volume.
From time to time I could feel my leg moving and my foot being tugged but having no idea what was happening i just closed my eyes again and listened to my music.
After about 25 minutes I sensed that things were reaching a conclusion so turned off my technology and came back to the real world.
Right enough, after just 30 minutes I  was being wheeled back to the little room, where I was offered a drink. I had a cup of coffee, had a surgical stocking applied to my left leg and then was given a few boxes of painkillers to take home with me.
Next was a few sheets of paperwork, explaining what had been done, what exercises I should do, plus dressing for the doctors nurse next week. I could then get dressed again, before being given a quick lesson in how to use crutches. My hubby appeared and I was wheeled off to x-ray before being deposited safely in the car to go home.
My first night and the next day were not nice. The local anaesthetic wore off at about 0230 in the morning. I was in a lot of pain and although I took some painkillers, my foot was still hurting. I got up to go to the toilet and found I couldnt even put my foot to the floor without pain shooting right through me. I was trying to be as quiet as I could as I didnt want to wake hubby. He had a long day ahead of him, as he had to go to a meeting down on the south coast and i knew he had to get up at 0530 so didnt want to wake him beforehand. I was up again at 0445 and in the toilet again trying to cry quietly! Have you ever tried this? Its almost impossible!
Anyway I managed to sleep a bit more once he had left and then he called my mum and she came over to stay with me for the day. That was really nice and although I felt awful and in a lot of pain it was nice to have the company.
6 days on and today I went out for a little walk today which afterwards seems to perhpas have been a little too long! My foot has ached for the rest of the day. I have reduced the amount of tablets Im on however and tomorrow I go to the nurse to get my dressing  changed.
I hope to be able to see for the first time what my new look foot is like and take a photo! In the meantime I'm learning to sit down more and put my feet up and rest. Its not easy!!