Exactly 6 weeks post-op, today is the big day I’ve been looking forward to. The bandages are finally going to come off. My feet were going to get unbound and released. Earlier on, I had ordered a pair of sports sandals online. I bought size 39 – my original size before the bunions started wreaking havoc.
I turned up at Dr Sean’s clinic at appointment time. Off came the bandage and I couldn’t wait to slip into my new shoes at the old size.
And they fit very well. It was much easier to walk with these than the therapeutic sandals which had stiff soles and I managed to walk quite a bit with a new spring in my step. There is no pain at all and my gait has become a lot more normal than when I was using those prescribed sandals.
Another thing to welcome is cleaning. After 6 weeks, I can finally give my feet a good scrub. Earlier on, I had already scrubbed my feet and bandaged them myself when the old dressing in place for more than 2 weeks was beginning to slip and bunch up.
I managed to scrub off a 1mm layer of dead skin and got rid of the odour before bandaging it myself for another week or so. With the bandage gone now, I can wash my feet whenever I want to. I had a good scrub this afternoon and went to the library on the MRT.
But we’re not completely out of the woods yet. The swelling business is still ongoing. It is usually at its lowest when I wake up in the morning and it becomes noticeable after some walking. The part of the foot that was bandaged seemed to have bounced back after the pressure was relieved.
So take note that when the bandage comes off and you exercise the feet, some swelling will appear. The big toe is also somewhat raised from the floor, again due to swelling. It’s going to take a while more before the swelling is gone completely.
Dr Sean doesn’t recommend running until 3 months post-op. I will gradually increase my walking distance. The last medicine in the bag I brought home from hospital is an anti-scarring cream. I’d need to apply them on the surgical “openings” so that my feet would look presentable in future.
You can check out my before pictures and note the stark difference.