Have a come home plan! Most people don't think about how they are going to get OUT of the CAR and IN the house. You're too looped to be on crutches or the scooter. Mine consisted of pulling as close to the front door and being placed in a computer chair and wheeled to the bed!
Start sneaking a fiber supplement (Benefiber, Metamucil, etc. into your water now--and drink LOTS of fluids! Also start taking something like Colace so there won't be any problems, lol!
The day that I had been planning for for months finally arrived! (For great tips on planning for a foot surgery, keep your eyes peeled for my posts on that).
I was careful to follow doctor's orders--the standard no eat/drink after midnight, but also to stop taking any NSAID's a week before surgery, because of their blood thinning properties. I also hated to take off my nail polish on my toes, so I made sure I had a great coat on my fingers. :)
I was the first surgery of the day (5:30am) so not much activity at the OR. I got checked in, dressed in hospital garb, and after that, prep went rather quickly. My IV was started with Tylenol and Clindamicin (antibiotic). We discussed my general anesthesia and local anesthesia (nerve block). The doctor came in and patiently listened to me second guess everything. :) He put me at ease again, and then proceeded to mark the foot that the procedure would be taking place on.
Shortly thereafter, the OR nurses came in to wheel me back to surgery. Side note: you have to remove all of your metal jewelry of course, but they did allow me to keep on a silicone wedding ring, which was nice. I don't remember much between the room and the OR, because the last memory I have is being wheeled to the door. BOOM. OUT.
When I woke up, I had spent an hour in recovery and found out that the procedure had taken just under three hours. The doctor was pleased with the fusion, was able to place the hardware--and get this--discovered a hidden EXTRA sesamoid that was also pressing against the joint. Anyone need an extra sesamoid? He was able to remove that as well.
Though groggy, I was in no pain. I knew that it was CRITICAL to get ahead of the pain. LET ME REPEAT--get AHEAD OF THE PAIN. Do not be fooled by the local anesthesia or nerve block--begin to take those pain pills as soon as you get them as directed. I learned this the hard way from a previous surgery.
Got home and in the bed, and immediately began to elevate and ice. Again, I'll have a separate post on stuff I bought, but I bought a leg elevator pillow that changed the game. It was amazing and extremely stable and allowed me to elevate (not me in the pic, lol!):
I also tested out a million DIY formulas for ice packs before I found the magic recipe--Dawn dish soap! Amazing and super reusable. Anyway, my first day/night was a blur of elevate, ice, sleep, wake up and take pain pill and repeat. I survived.
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