#2 ~ Preparing for Surgery

February 2017

Pre-op exams

I had an office visit with both my foot doctor and regular physician a few weeks before the scheduled surgery date to make sure I was healthy enough for surgery. I have always been a healthy person with nothing out of the ordinary, and the only experience that was new for me during my pre-op exams was that I had an EKG at my doctor's office.

My foot doctor gave me three prescriptions to fill: Norco (pain killer for after the surgery), crutches, and a knee roller. I asked him if there were any exercises I could do beforehand that would assist with the healing process, and he said no. He said that since I am quite active (yoga, walking/hiking, biking, etc.), I would already be ahead of many patients. Even so, my projected recovery time was 6 to 8 weeks non-weight bearing with 3 to 4 months total recovery time. Yikes! I guess there are two types of bunion surgery, and mine was the more severe kind, needing two physicians to perform the operation.

Filling the prescriptions

The crutches and knee cart prescriptions are filled in Michigan at a Home Medical Equipment store. My insurance company paid for the crutches as a purchase, and the knee cart as an item on loan (minus deductibles and co-pays, of course). The Norco I received is generic: 5-325 mg, 25 tablets. Since this prescription is narcotic, it is non-refillable, and if another prescription is needed, this has to be filled in person. Michigan state law prohibits refilling the prescription by telephone or mail, or by an on-call physician; it has to be filled by the physician who performed the surgery. This was not a problem for me, as I did not need a refill or even use the 25 tablets I received (more on this later).

Preparing at home

Even though my doctor had said there were no specific exercises to prepare for surgery or speed the healing process, I added some extra toe exercises to my daily yoga routine the last few weeks before surgery. I walked on my tip toes frequently to strengthen my toe muscles, and I exercised my toes by bending them back and forth. I also practiced balancing exercises on one leg at a time to strengthen my ankles.

Partial view of stocked freezer

Since I had heard I would not be moving around much the first two weeks after surgery, I stocked our freezer with foods my husband could easily heat in the oven or on the stove: turkey chilis, lean stews, spaghetti sauce, meatloaf, BBQ, sloppy joes, chicken casseroles, etc. Some of the foods I prepared can be found in my Healthy Eating blog. I also made sure I had items I was going to need after surgery readily available: a bag of ice in the freezer, pillows, lap desk, books, laptop, etc.

I practiced going up and down our basement stairs with one leg twice a day for two weeks before surgery. My husband had a fit about this; however, I was not going to stay out of our finished basement for 3 to 4 months. I was glad I tried this beforehand, because it was a bit tricky figuring out exactly how I would do this: where to park my cart at the top of the stairs for the easiest access when I got back up, how to get my crutches down there with me, and the best positions for getting onto the crutches and the cart.

The night before surgery

Since I needed two physicians to perform my surgery, my appointment was first thing in the morning. We are early risers, and I was glad to be the first patient of the day. One set of instructions I received said not to consume anything for 12 hours before the surgery, and one said I could not consume anything after midnight; not even water. I opted to consume nothing except water from the 12-hour period until midnight. If you are on any medications, prescription or over-the-counter, check your physician instructions concerning this. My instructions said no aspirin or anti-inflammatory medication for 14 days prior to surgery.

Next up: Surgery day!

Please let me know if you have any questions!