Freakish Planning Person

[cjsmith]

Freakish Planning Person is making more lists! Lists containing lists!
[LJ-CUT TEXT="Notes for myself"]

1. Scheduling person at surgeon's office called to say she can tell me for sure tomorrow.

• Boss notified of delay in schedule resolution
• Boss's boss notified of delay in schedule resolution
• ...

WAIT, strike all that. New voice mail message. I'm on for the 4th!!

• Boss notified of the date
• Boss's boss notified of the date
• rfrench will be notified when I see him or when he reads his e-mail or when he reads this
• joedecker, backup driver (thank you! I may still need you!), will be notified when he sees his IM screen or when he reads this notified
• Parents will be notified as soon as they hear their voice mail
• (new 8:30pm) All square dance commitments notified, as soon as group leaders see their e-mail anyway

2. Fears about the outcome: present. Contingency plans for if this doesn't do much for me: made.

3. PREP: Questions to ask at pre-op appointment

• Does the surgery center provide crutches? Funny shoes?
• If I'll have prescription painkillers, can I get the prescription now so I can fill it while I can still drive and walk?
• Food/water restrictions? Starting when?
• Medication restrictions before surgery? After?
• Anything I shouldn't be wearing when I come in? (No more surprises with metal jewelry!)
• When should my ride be prepared to pick me up from surgery?
• Will I wear the funny shoes 24/7? If so, what are they like? If not, what are the dressings like?
• Is there anything I should buy now to prepare for aftercare (eg bandages)?
• When can I stand up? shower? ride a bicycle? drive a car?
• When's the first post-op follow-up appointment?
• Can I get a videotape of the surgery? Still photos?

4. PREP: Chores

• Set up guest bedroom as recovery room, including water, books, pen-and-paper puzzles, Ethernet cable, read-in-bed back pillow, pillow-desk, and lots of pillows to go under feet DONE (hey, why not pamper myself?)
• Also have lined trash can handy in case anaesthesia doesn't agree with me. DONE
• Also put backpack in room. DONE
• Set up couch as first-afternoon crash spot, including water, books, pen-and-paper puzzles, laptop connected to Ethernet and power, pillows for under feet, land line, cell phone, snacks, painkillers.
• Make a bunch of quick-reheat food for the first few days DONE (purchased frozen food)
• Make chocolate chip cookies as promised to schedule-person DONE
• Get bike functional, in case I can ride it before I am allowed to drive
• Take apart an office chair so I have an under-desk-capable stool at work to elevate my feet a bit
• Make foot MRI icon already
• Create waist-pack of Important Stuff: water bottle, painkillers, cell phone, anything else that should always be on me

5. PREP: Errands

• Buy wedge-shaped pillow for laptop use in bed DONE
• Borrow pillow-desk from wonderful friend DONE
• Borrow table from aelfie
• Buy lots of flavored fizzy water DONE
• Buy beverage container with non-leaking lid (eg thermos) for the time on crutches DONE
• Go to medical supply place and check out real shower seat DONE, sort of (plastic stool will do fine in that big shower)
• Find extra-big shoes to wear while swollen NAH, do this as needed later

6. Last minute:

• Wednesday night: laundry
• Wednesday night: buy bag of ice
• Wednesday night: put laptop downstairs, by couch, connected to net
• Bring backpack to surgery
• Wear WIDE-legged shorts and a skirt to surgery

Anyone reading this: if you've had foot surgery, especially both feet at once, what should I be ready for?

Comments

[tryslora]

No foot surgery, but broke one of them last year. Got funny shoe and crutches from ER, and the orthopoedics provided replacements when needed.

Get three bags of frozen peas (per foot). These are the PERFECT ice packs. Mark them DO NOT EAT. Having three per foot lets you rotate them in and out of the freezer, and they are maleable, far more than regular ice packs. The not eating them part is important, tho. *grins*

Echo the have somebody around for the first day at minimum. Working on crutches is WORK. Real work. Exhausting work. I was at a hotel after breaking my foot and just getting from elevator to the breakfast tired me out.

My friend Janice (after her foot surgery) had new shoes. After the time for the special shoe was gone, she still couldn't fit into her old shoes for a few months, so she went out and bought sneakers one size too large. Gave them to Goodwill afterwards.

An upside down trash barrel under the desk works well too.

Have frozen peas ready at work as well for when you get the aches after you go back.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I tried the frozen peas thing once with frozen berries. Guess what: when a bag full of frozen berries springs a leak you don't want to be anywhere near it! PEAS, CJ, get *peas*. I also have about eight million ice packs, some of which really do stay flexible when frozen. That's a legacy of having had foot pain for more than a year and a half now.

I've never been on crutches. I am probably more agile in a wheelchair (I have one of those, and that was a learning curve!) than on crutches. I bet my antics will be very funny the first few days. :-)

Ooooo, big (or resizable) shoes, excellent tip, thanks.

[oddhack.livejournal.com]

You will probably get sore armpits/sides on crutches. Don't overdo it at first and maybe look for something padded on top, not just the rubberized handles.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I've already been warned to get rid of the little molding-marks on the sides of the squishy rubber things that go in the armpit, as they chafe.

[kateyule.livejournal.com]

Bags of frozen popcorn kernels are more forgiving of repeated freeze/thaw cycles -- don't get mushy.

[tryslora]

I've never thought of that. Do the kernels hold the cold well? How long does the pack remain icy when used?

[datagoddess.livejournal.com]

Rice or buckwheat is good, too.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Can you pop 'em after? Mmmm, POPCORN.