Second post-op this morning

[cjsmith]

New pics start here. They're getting boring.

Again she unbandaged my feet, pronounced them good, and rebandaged them. This time she put a lot less gauze on them and didn't use any iodine. Less gauze feels good; my feet are closer to their normal shape!

She also said I can "start to get them wet" this weekend. She gave me some of the stretchy stick-to-itself bandage to rewrap them.

I asked a few questions.

Q: When can I get out of these funky recovery shoes?
A: When I see you again (in two weeks).
Q: Really??
A: All right, you can try next week. Go easy on them.

Q: When will the phantom pain/sensations go away?
A: They will diminish gradually and should be gone in a few months.

Q: Does the severed end of the nerve heal over or something?
A: It shrinks down into the muscle.
Q: So it's harder to stimulate?
A: Right.

Q: What can be done about the other damage shown by the MRI?
A: Orthotics, possibly physical therapy.

Q: Is that inflammation?
A: No, it looks more like thickening than inflammation.

Q: What caused it?
A: Likely something mechanical, just as with the neuroma. Sometimes tissues change in response to what the joint is doing.

(I didn't get clarification on that last vague phrase. The impression I got was that we don't know what it's going to look like or feel like after everything settles down with the neuroma gone.)

Q: Can I wear arch supports in the funky shoes?
A: Yes.
Q: Thank God.

Q: Can I take a damp Q-tip and "wash" the exposed parts of my foot?
A: Yes.
Q: Thank God.

Q: Can I drive a car as soon as I'm out of the funky shoes?
A: Give it a couple of days.

So it all sounds pretty positive, if a little bit frustrating for me because it's slow. I am, obviously, going to try to get into normal shoes before two weeks are up! :-)

Comments

[rampling.livejournal.com]

YAY! for progress! Lovely to see you out and about making fine use of that walker -- I'm so, so happy it's helping you! Thanx for sharing those pix. Purple is a fabulously lovely color, but I don't think I'd want it on my toes either.

Great job with the detailed questions. You're getting there!

*hugs-of-empathy-about-impatience*

[datagoddess.livejournal.com]

Feet are looking better!

And I'm right there with you with impatience for medical things to get better :-)

Thumbs up for progress!

[irascignavojo.livejournal.com]

Good to see you with that walker... and the progress with the foot seems really quite good. And will get better and better... and never boring for us friends, as we like to see you as well as possible.

[perfect-autumn.livejournal.com]

lovely feets!!

Hrm, I would agree with the "dont know what they'll look like" assesment on the feet. Once the wounds close, a little gentle massaging (just your thumb over the area with moderate pressure) should help too much tissue build up - if you interested. (I apologize if I'm handing out useless medical info here).

But you're so healing, and its great to see. :)

[brian1789.livejournal.com]

Future clean feet and mobility... yay!

[pixiecrinkle.livejournal.com]

Glad to hear you're doing ok -- and I love the continuously decorated shoes.

You have so much patience -- I'm impressed. I would definitely not be handling this nearly as well as you. :-)

[quasigeostrophy.livejournal.com]

Woo-hoo for what sounds like healing to me!

*hugs*

[melanie.livejournal.com]

i'm glad things are going well so far, and i do hope that the phantom pains diminish over a few months as she says. i hope you can restrain yourself from overdoing it in the meantime!

[hitchhiker.livejournal.com]

looking good :)

[jupiter29.livejournal.com]

New pics start here. They're getting boring.

More shower pics! Er, I mean, no they're not. :)

Seriously, I'm glad things are going well. I'm sure it will be a huge relief to have them washed. :)