Week 2 (Part 2): Doctor's Office

Daily Tip: Invest in a fanny pack or crossbody purse! If you're on crutches you can still wear it--and if you have a scooter like me, you can also put it in your basket! Women need their purses, lol! :)

So the second part of Week 2 about my doctor's office is a little late because it WIPED me out.  14 days out, I'm still at a place where trips outside of the house are very exhausting and take a toll.  The preparation of getting ready, riding in the car, waiting in the waiting room, etc. is demanding on your recovery, mostly for me because it interrupts my ability to elevate.  When I got home from the post-op, I slept a few hours. I also had some pain in the night and needed to take a pain pill.  I've been in out of sleep all day today, not moving much.

But back to the doctor's office visit--the 14 day visit went extremely well! I didn't have to take x-rays. The nurse unwrapped my foot, and again, the doctor was very pleased.  One awesome thing to report is that I have minimal to no swelling, really. Weeks 2-3 are really when most people see swelling, so we were all pleased at where I I was. We attribute the constant elevation to the lack of swelling. I have been elevating 20+ hours a day, only taking the foot down for trips to the bathroom.  It's annoying but it WORKS:

14 days post op! No swelling!!!

 The doctor said that the stitches look good enough to come out!  While this made me very happy, I wasn't excited about actually getting them OUT.  All in all, the process itself wasn't bad. 

Stitches out, yay!

The actual incision site (the long part in the middle) is still somewhat numb. However, the stitches that line each side of the incision do have feeling. So the part that was the most uncomfortable was pulling each individual stitch out from left to right. I can only describe it as a tender, burning feeling. When that was all said and done, I was still left with an overall tender, stinging feeling at the incision site. The nurse actually told me that the pain medicine that I had taken before doesn't actually do well for that, but that it is good practice to take some before each visit.

They then placed antibiotic cream on the site, wrapped it in a layer of gauze, then placed a sock on top, then wrapped in an ACE bandage. The sock helps with further compression.  It sounds like a lot, but it's actually less bandaging then before--halellujah!  I got a prescription for the cream, and I have to place that on the incision site once a day.  I was also told that I could stop icing unless I did experience some type of throbbing or swelling.

When I got home, I still had some discomfort, so I did apply an ice pack.  All night, I struggled to get comfortable, and then I realized that I may need to take a pain pill. That did work. I'm just extremely groggy and tired today.  

All in all, I'm still very pleased with my recovery so far.  I'm following the rules, and fingers crossed, I've hit the stage of recovery that will allow me to feel some relief from pain as long as I'm elevating and being still!

Oh--one other thing!  We also rented a wheelchair today. While I LOVE my scooter, it's becoming obvious that if I feel well enough to get out and do something like the mall or a restaurant or the park, that the scooter is not the best transportation.  It doesn't allow for elevation, and it's still a lot of work, scooting yourself around!  So we rented one from the local medical supply place and it's quite reasonable ($75/4 weeks).  It came with extendable legs, so I can put my leg out and elevate.  Looking forward to some freedom with that!