I woke up at about 0600. The sky was still dark and surprisingly, there was still no pain in my feet even though the local anaesthetic must have already worn off. Breakfast came rather late at almost 0900. I was starving but the fried beehoon didn’t taste good at all.
Since it was time to get discharged, I wasted no time in getting out of the awful hospital gown that slips and slides everywhere no matter how you tie it. Anyway, once I got into my decent clothes, I tried a bit of walking without any hand-holding. There was some pain while walking, but at rest, I didn’t feel much.
Dr Sean then turned up to discharge me. When we realised that my sandals were oversized, he went out of his way (on a Sunday) to get a fitting pair for me. My son arrived to help me with the bags and I hobbled my way to the taxi stand.
Back home, I asked my son to cook some pasta. He insisted on not using some of the ingredients I suggested and his brother refused to eat it. Now for a few tips on home care. Of course, take all the medicines that you’ve been instructed to take. Next, let’s take a closer look at the mechanics of things.
This is what my bandaged foot looks like. It’s like a ball under the toes. It’s going to stay this way until I see Dr Sean to get the dressing changed on Friday. I hope it won’t be too hard on the nose by then.
The sandal is like a pair of heels. With the front part of the foot elevated by the thick bandage, you are practically walking on your heels when you’re wearing the sandal.
Of course, the feet must be kept dry when you shower. For that, I’ve been given these stockings. They’re very simple to use and work very well, but I would advise you to keep your sandals on when you wear them. Walking into the shower without the sandals can be quite painful.
As walking with the sandals is very different from the normal way we walk, it takes a bit of practice before you can shuffle steadily along. I think it would be a good idea to train up your tibialis anterior muscle before going for the surgery. Having a strong tibialis may help you to walk sooner after surgery.
Below is a radiograph taken in the OT. You can see where the bone was sectioned and screws placed to hold the pieces in place. The bump or bunion is gone but the other toes are still bent. A lot more alignment work is required post-operatively.
As bone is involved here, recovery is going to take time. I experienced considerable swelling on the first night I spent at home. My feet felt like balloons when I tried to sleep, but by the next morning, the swelling had subsided a bit and the pain while walking had greatly diminished.
Continue Day 7