#4 ~ The First Week and First Checkup

February 2017

I had read about many different experiences that people had with this type of surgery, so I was not sure exactly what to expect. Some people said they had no pain, and others said they were practically bed-ridden in severe pain the first two weeks, or longer. Possibly, the different experiences may have to do with the doctors and procedure type, the severity of the person's situation, and/or the person's health. 

A brief reminder/summary of my situation: the bunion itself was not painful, although it caused other problems as my big toe pressed against my other toes; my surgery took less than 1½ hours, my bunion bone had been shaved/cut, and I had two screws in my foot; I am in my mid-50s, and I was healthy and active before surgery. Additionally, I had twisted my ankle falling on the ice a few weeks before surgery. My ankle had healed in terms of walking on it; however, it was still a bit swollen at times. My primary physician had told me this is normal, especially since I have a bit of arthritis in my joints.

Pain and swelling

The places where I felt pain from the surgery were the top of my foot closer to the ankle, and around my big toe. My greatest discomfort, however, was around my entire foot, just below the ankle and heel, where the foot connects to the leg. This area around my entire foot (not just the top part) became especially painful and throbbed when I exercised my leg. When I went for my first checkup, I found out this is because my ankle was so swollen. There is more about this under the checkup heading father down in this post.

I continually iced my ankle and foot the entire week. The wrapping on my foot occasionally felt tight, so I assumed my foot was swollen. The pain was tolerable with the Norco, and also after I quit taking it 3½ days after the surgery (the last pill I took was at 1 a.m. the morning of the 4th day). I took a pill every 4 to 6 hours, and I had 9 of 25 pills left when I stopped. I stopped taking the Norco because I do not like to take medications. I prefer to be able to feel what is happening in my body, and I did not like the [minor] side affects.

Crutches, and knee walker with small bag on handle

Getting around the house

I alternated between using the knee walker and the crutches, depending what I was going to do while up. After a day or two, I realized that neither aid fit me properly. The crutches had been set at the correct height; however, we had to move the hand grips up because I was getting sore armpits. I got a sore back from the knee walker because it is too high for me. I am 5' 2½" tall - to be precise! The walker was already set on the lowest setting, so there was not anything we could do about that. After I realized I was not standing up straight when my knee was on the walker, I stood on my tip-toes when using the walker. I kept a small bag on the handle of the walker to carry things back and forth. One item I carried frequently was a bottle of water. I found the easiest way to get water to my seat in the living room was to refill a bottle of water and carry it back in the bag.

I did minimal housework the first week: some loading and unloading of the dishwasher, wiping countertops, cleaning the kitchen and dining floor with a wet Swiffer, and partial bed making. Surprisingly, my husband let me go down the stairs to our basement the first week while he did some laundry! This was after my first checkup, but still within the first seven days. I parked the walker at the top of the stairs, and he carried my crutches down and then up while I schooched down and then back up the steps. I was able to get on the crutches and the knee walker without assistance, so I am sure I will be doing this by myself in the near future.

The dressing needs to stay dry, so you will need to figure out the best way to clean your body and hair for your home situation. My activity was minimal, which in turn made my cleaning needs less than usual. Although I did not remain in bed, I did sleep more than usual. I imagine this had to do with the surgery, the medication, and the fact that I was not excited about getting up to go sit on the couch for the day. 

Yoga and exercises

I continued with my leg exercises every hour or so, and I did 30 to 40 minutes of yoga once a day. My favorite yogi is Wai Lana, and I adapted her beginner sessions to meet my needs. For the standing positions, I either kneeled on the floor or stood with my knee on the walker (locked in place). I just had to be super careful that I did not put myself in a position where I had the chance of losing my balance. For the poses when I was laying face down, I put a pillow under my leg below the knee, because I did not want to take any chances with my foot or toes hitting the floor.

First checkup

My first visit to the doctor was three days after surgery. They took three X-rays and unwrapped my leg. I was glad my husband was there to help me onto the X-ray machine, because the assistant who took the X-rays was no help at all. I had never seen her in the office before, and I hope I do not see her again. She is also the one who unwrapped my leg before the doctor came in. She was not careful during this process, and when the doctor came in, he had wanted to re-use the support backing from behind my leg that she had thrown out.

First checkup with dressing removed 3 days after surgery

I was surprised when I saw how swollen my ankle was - hideous! The first thing the assistant said was to ask me if I had been applying ice to it. I said yes, and she did not say anything further before leaving the room. I was concerned about the swelling; however, the doctor said it was normal. He also suggested I put the ice behind my knee, as this cools the blood flow. I started icing in this location as soon as I got home, and it did help. Before this, I had been applying the ice packs under my leg and on my foot. Since the dressing was so thick, it was difficult to get the coolness through. I think my recent twisted ankle further aggravated the swelling of my ankle.

My doctor bent my toes back and forth - ouch, did that hurt! I had not been bending my toes much, as I was not sure how much I should be using them. He sounded like it was fine to bend them, and to continue with all the exercises I had been doing. He said everything looked great. I had bumped my heel rather hard in the morning before this visit. Since there is such extreme non-weight bearing instructions given for after this surgery, I was concerned I had damaged something. Apparently, that bump did not affect anything.

A few things changed over the next week: more activity, less tired, and a bit stir crazy! 😅

Up next: Week two, second checkup, and stitches removed.