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Note: On Ocober 21, 2005 Scarfoot had bilateral forefoot surgery. The recovery time is 3 months and it can take up to a year to get to 100%. The following is his diary of the surgery and its aftermath.  Scarfoot says: "Before the surgery I was probably at 60%. I will become a short term invalid in the hopes that at some point in the future I will be able to run and walk faster, longer but without pain.After the surgery I am in a tunnel. I have a theory of what’s at the end but there is an element of uncertainty. I write this diary in the hopes that future foot surgery patients will find it useful.."

It's unreal that it has been this long from surgery. It's also unreal that I'm am not really back to normal and that I am stil concerned about my feet. For the past six months I have backed off tennis and impact sports. A lot of skiing (36 days this season)  and swimming.

In the last few weeks, a new, "collateral" problem has developed. I am now experiencing substantial pain in the mid metatarsal area, adjacent to the surgery on the right foot. I'm talking severe pain when I just simply walk around the house.

The areas from the surgery have healed nicley on both feet. Yes, they still hurt after tennis, but the pain and swelling seems to respond well to icing. But weakness in the right 2d toe apparently has caused more weighting in the mid foot area.

Quite honestly, I am very frustrated by this whole situation. It's not as if I have been running marathons or playing 2 hours singles matches. This is no doubt the result of playing, maybe, 5-6 hours of doubles tennis a week, since last April (when I started tennis again, six months after the surgery). I consider this a very moderate level activity.

The upshot is that I have now started a new round of therapy with a chiropractor who is trained in Active Release Technique, a deep tissue massage and manipulation. Click on the hot link for more information- my unprofessional understanding of this is it is a 15-30 minute torture session in which the goal is to inflame the tissue in order to break-up the scar tissue and stimulate thr growth of new tissue. Combined with exercises and icing, it is supposed to fix this problem.

20/20 hindsight. I should have not jumped into tennis as I did six months after the surgery AND I should have continued with the physical therapy longer.

Now, the new plan is do the ART routine and back off tennis for a while.

Total success- NOT. Success- MAYBE. As I approach the one year anniversary of the surgery, the results are mixed. I still experience foot pain while playing tennis. But the pain seems to go away with icing.

The recovery time after impact exercise appears to be much better than before the surgery. At the same time, there has been a reoccurrence of mid-metarsal pain that was present at the begining of this episode back in 2003. These pains are sharp but shortlived.

The really good news:  the feet do respond to icing. That is, after a 2-3 hour tennis session or long walking, a good icing seems to reduce the pain and swelling. This is most noticable the next day when I don't need shoes to walk on hardwood floors.

Am I better off after the surgery? I think the answer is a qualifed yes.There is more flexibility in the toes than before the surgery. The recovery time after impact exercise is shorter.

However, I still experience foot pain associated with any kind of prolonged impact exercise, e.g. tennis, jogging, etc. The pain seems to come and go. Sometimes for no apparent reason. The final f/u appointment  with the surgeon is next week. Maybe I'll have a better idea of the prognosis after that.

Did I play too much tennis in the past six weeks? From April  18 to June 2, I played tennis 28 times with each session lasting anywhere fron 1 to 3 hours. This took its toll.  By the end of last week the hooves were really hurting. So I have decided to cut back and focus on low impact exercise for the time being.

Strangely or perhaps not so strange, at the beginning of the six week period I was playing better than I was at the end. If the feet aren't moving, as they say in Brooklyn, foggedaboutit -:)

Greetings from Chicago. I just took my first plane trip after the surgery. This is significant because of all the walking done in an airport. I was up to the task, no significant pain. Even more importantly. I got throgh security without setting off the alarm- there is still a titanium screw in my right metatarsal 2, and a small steel plate with four titanium screws in my left metatarsal 2.

I am beginning to feel good about this surgery. The feet are feeling better all the time, although after running or tennis, I still have to ice in order to control the pain the next day. And, of course, there is occasional, annoying (but not acute) pain when just walking around the house in slippers. My level of ibuprofen use could also be lower..

I hung up my skis on April 14th for the season. The following week I played tennis 5 out of 7 days- probably a bit much. It's probably a good thing I'm taking a little respite on this trip. The strategy of focusing on one sport has paid off- I have not had to visit the accupuncturist since last December. IN contrast, during last year's ski season, I was in her office every 2 weeks. I think I will keep this in mind next year.

It's still too early to tell whether the surgery has helped my tennis game. I think I might have better balance but I'm not certain at this point. I'm still flunking the push-up test, though.

Things are definitely on the mend. I just got back from my fourth consecutive weekly ski trip. After a couple days of skiing some slushy steep bumps I did have some minor foot irritation yesterday. Nothing some ibuprofen and ice couldn’t help. I woke up this AM with minimal pain. The recovery time from impact sports has decreased significantly in the past month.

Last year during the winter season, I was actively skiing and playing tennis. I had thought it would be the same this year. Not the case. I have delayed the start of my tennis league season until May- normally starts at end of March. There was just too much pain in attempting both at the same time. I would say my skiing is now better than what it was before the surgery. I am skiing stuff that I wouldn’t do last year such as steep tree runs. Hopefully, this trend will continue when I decide to focus on tennis.

I have devised a self-test that if passed indicates a full recovery from forefoot surgery. It’s called the push-up test. More on this the next time. Hint: I’m flunking…

Four months and one day since the operation. "The reports of my recovery have been greatly exagerated." It's been a month since the last entry-- I'm losing interest in documenting my progress because it has become so incremental. No longer do I see the big breakthroughs of the earlier months.

I still continue to have foot pain- all the time after strenuous activities, and sometimes for no apparent reason. The pain is diminishing, however. This week I'm skiing. I notice less pain in the evenings after a day on the slopes.

Last week I played some tennis (doubles) for the first time- post-surgery. Although, the strokes were good after a few months of dormancy, the footwork needs a lot of work. It will take a substantial amount of court time to get back up to the pre-surgery level of playing.

The bottom line: I'm way behind where I thought I would be at this time- i.e. playing tennis five times a week and bombing down diamond runs. I can do this stuff but not with the proficiency prior to surgery.

Advice to future foot surgery patients: double the amount of recovery time....

Of course, the unanswered question that still haunts me: was this all worth it? Stay tuned.....

It's a little past the 3 month mark for this surgery recovery. I had thought by this time that I would be back pretty close to normal. Not the case. Last week I went skiing. Although I had minimal pain while skiing in deep powder, there was a lot of pain in the evening just simply walking around.

Today, 4 days after the trip I still have some pain, although it is getting better. The past few weeks have been characterized by bursts of activity, e.g. jogging, skiing, etc, followed by pain, then backing off. Repeat.

Before the surgery I had been told that I could play tennis about 3 months after the surgery, i.e January. There is no way that I could play competitive tennis right now, unless someone is willing to hit the ball right to me all the time. My physical therapist says it will be another 3 months before I can play a match.

I hurt my foot (s) skiing last Thurs and Friday. Actually, it wasn't so much the skiing as the getting in and out of the boots which was pure torture.

Last Thursday was my first day on skis in almost nine months-  my last lift ticket from Mammoth Mountain dated April 20, 2005 was still on my jacket.  On my first run, as I was skiing very slow, and both feet were hurting, I felt awkward, and I was thinking 'oh s__t,  I need to get new boots and maybe I won't be able to ski this season.' An aside: what kind of a sport is skiing- you can only do it 3 months or so out of the year if you're lucky. Answer: it's addictive, that's why we keep coming back to conquer the mountain.

The second run,  I felt a little better. The third more comfortable and so on, etc., etc. etc.

By the end of the second day, there weren't too many people passing me going down the slopes. I was feeling little pain except for the momentary torture sessions at the beginning and end of each ski day. The next day, Saturday, it was painful to walk so I lay low all weekend except for a little swimming on Sunday.

Today, I had a PT appt. This was the worst torture session to date. He really worked the foot hard. I did feel better afterwards. My therapist told me that it would be at least three more months to play competitive tennis, that's six months after surgery. The original plan was three months after surgery. The real problem is that I cannot radically flex the toes without a great deal of pain. This precludes a sport such as tennis where you sometimes need explosive acceleration to get to the ball.

Moral of the story, mulitply the recovery timelines that your surgeon tells you BEFORE the surgery by a factor of at least two.

Dr. Appt., light jogging, tennis.
(Due to internet and power failure because of storm this is posted on 1/1/05 at 8PM)

On Thursday (day 70), I had the two month check-up. This was a typical appointment. You know the kind where you show up on time. You're then ushered into the Drs exam office where you sit for a half hour. Then the intern shows up and you spill your guts to him with no real resolution of the issues.

Finally, after 45 minutes the real doctor shows up in the exam room, wiggles your toes and pronounces that you're healing normally, and waits for any questions. I didn't feel like regurgitating everything that I had told the intern (who was standing there) so the session with the surgeon came to an end after less than five minutes- " See you in six weeks." I did get permission to do some light jogging on the tread mill for 10-15 minutes every other day.

The good news is that yesterday (day 71) I did some light jogging on the treadmill.  5 mph for 15 minutes. I actually felt better than when I last tried this before the surgery. So I guess the theory is slowly but surely turning into reality.

Today I played tennis for the first time with a friend of mine. Two separate half hour hitting sessions due to lack of indoor courts. (We just had a big storm in North California- so outside is available) It was OK. I had difficulty running to tough balls that I used to be able to retrieve. But in general it was pretty good; my stokes are somewhat rusty. I am not as mobile on the court as before surgery but certainly more mobile than I was a few weeks ago when I tried to hit on the ball machine.

My left foot improves. No pain killers for the last 6 days- longest stretch since the surgery. After 7 physical therapy treatments over the past two weeks, I can finally see that I will be better than before the surgery. Right now, I believe my right foot is BETTER than it was prior to surgery. I can now even walk close to normal on the left foot. The combination of PT and exercise has made a big difference. For the past week, foot pain has not been a big issue, although I have been suffering from ski schadenfreude. What??! I mean, since I have been unable to hit the slopes, I have to admit some pleasure in knowing that it wouldn’t have made much of a difference since the conditions in Tahoe have been so crummy- yesterday for example it was raining at 8500 feet. Alas, we will kick off the ski and tennis season in the New Year.

After a painful start this morning (alnost tempted to put the boot back on), the left foot seemed to get better as the day progressed, especially after biking, precor, weights, and a light swim.

I think the physical therapy is making a big difference.Today I used zoomers for the first time since the surgery. I did a test 100 yard swim- minimal pain. Later in the week I will attempt a full swim workout. Getting a good workout by swimming has been difficult since the surgery due to the pain caused by kicking which puts a lot of pressure on the metatarsals. I have been restricted to light breast strokes and using a swim buoy.

There are good days and bad days. Today is a so so day- I cancelled hitting on the ball machine. I can stand in a stationary position and hit ground strokes and volleys with no pain for at least an hour BUT I dread the thought of all the walking to pick up the balls as wells as trudging to the court.

When the feet feel good, don't think it's a permanent condition. Just when I thought I was over the hump... On Friday AM (Day 50), I had to put the boot back on for a few hours because I could not walk without pain.  Physical therapy at 3PM on friday lasted almost 2 hours. Took it easy on Saturday (Day 51)- Stayed around the house, 45 minutes stationary cycle. The result was Sunday (Day 52) the feet felt great. I was able to walk around most of yesterday with minimal pain. I also did a test swim and I can now do some light kicking with minimal pain.

Here is the sports recap as of today

Tennis: stationary hitting on hitaway machine only.
Cycling: stationary only- no restriction on time or resistance level
Precor: no restriction on time or resistance level
Walking: minimize
Running: Nyet
Skiing: Not yet but close
Swimming: full breast and side strokes, light crawl, light kicking

Yesterday I had my first physical therapy treatment. It was great. Ultrasound followed by deep tissue acu-pressure/massage on both feet (ouch! torture). For the last course: ice/electrical oscillation therapy for 20 minutes. I thought the therapist was very good. He alleviated my concerns about the left foot by pointing out that there is a big build-up of scar tissue. He promised me that he would "break up" all the scar tissue after a few treatments. The feet felt much better afterwards.

The therapist also said I need to start walking normally. Due to the continued pain in left foot I have been favoring the right foot to ameliorate the pain. I have been working on this for the past 24 hours.

I felt so much better today that I hit some balls using the hitaway machine in my back yard.  I had tried this a couple weeks ago with the boots on but it didn't really work out. Today, however, I was wearing tennis shoes and there was minimal discomfort. Of course, I was minimizing the use of the feet by not stepping into any strokes. I used the open stance forehand where most of the power comes from trunk rotation; for the backhand hits I started from the sideways position as opposed to the frontal ready position. Tomorrow I will go to the club and use the ball machine for the first time.

False starts: The last few days the left foot has been "hurtin a  bunch."  The pain is especially bad in the mornings but seems to go away after I stationary cycle. It then returns later in the day. It hurt so much that I stayed around the house all weekend despite the fact that I had several extra house activities planned. The boot, which had been optimistically stored in the garage for a fewdays, has now been retrieved and placed back in my car for my various "out and abouts." No slopes or courts this week.

Both feet were liberated on Wednesday (day 41) when the doctor said I could remove the left boot. Actually, I saw the "doctor in training" since the surgeon was in Germany- I presume at a professional conference. The intern suggested I wait to complete 4 weeks of physical therapy before attempting any skiing. I, of course, challenged this noting that the surgeon said I could ski after six weeks. He said to call the other guy next week when he returns for clarification. I did get permission to hit tennis balls against a board without moving. After the appointment I proceeded to "run" many errands and walked more in a day than any of the preceding 40 days since the surgery.

Guess what? I woke up yesterday with terrible pain in my left foot. It was so bad I had to wear the damn boot for most of the day. I'm pleased to report that after icing, rest and accupuncture, the pain subsided and is feeling quite good (relatively) today. Also, I think the one too many glasses of red wine I consumed last night with some of my tennis buddies (recovery party) may have also played a role in the rapid improvement since yesterday morning.

I am now bootless and determined to stay that way. However,  I think I will wait a little wihile longer to call the surgeon about skiing. My next appointment is December 29. I hope to be on the slopes before then....)

I'm still gimping around. The right foot seems to be working well in the tennis shoe. The left (the booted one) is lagging. I worry that there might be something wrong with the left foot. I hope we don't need to see surgery the sequel. Will find out at next Dr. appt, in two days.

Good/Bad/Good/Bad news from Friday's Dr Appt.
The Good: the boot comes off the right foot and I can now wear a tennis shoe.
The Bad: The boot stays on the left foot for at least another two weeks.
Good: I can now drive without having to change  in and out of the boots.
Bad: X-Rays showed that the metal plate in the left foot has split in two.

The procedure on the left foot was more intrusive. They needed to put
in a plate with four screws to hold the second metatarsal together.
Hopefully the bone will continue to heal normally despite the plate
break. I'll know in another two weeks when it is x-rayed again. Of
course, this delays the recovery for at least two weeks. I won't be
seeing ski slopes until January.

On a more sanguine note, I was able to use the Precor machine today
for the first time since the surgery. The stationary bike was getting
a little boring.

Swam a mile (1800 yds)  today. The longest distance since the surgery.  About 1500 yds with a swim buoy,  275 yd breast stroke. I attempted 25 yd on kick board but it was very painful. It will be a while for crawl, back stroke and zoomers...

Light at the end of the tunnel at four week mark. Although, I'm not up for running a couple of miles or playing a tennis match, there have been some good improvements over the past few days. I can now walk at close to a normal pace (maybe 3/4 pace) in the boots with minimal pain. I still need to walk gingerly without boots as I am not sure how far to push the pain level- will find out tomorrow at doctor appointment. Evening and morning pain has decreased. And, I can now put my full weight on one foot- no pain as long as I don't jump. This skill is particularly usefully in dressing. I'm hoping to shed the boots tomorrow after x rays show that I'm ready for the next step.

Ski weekend. That’s right, although the entire weekend was spent in my “therapeutic” boots. A buddy of mine picked me up on Friday and we went to the San Jose Snow and Ski Show. The feet held up pretty well during the two-hour ordeal- aided by a few rest stops along the way and some Tylenol. I passed on skiing the carpeted hill. Though the boots did come in handy at the show- they let us cut in front of a 1 hour plus wait for a free lift ticket. According to the pre-operative plan I should be trading the “therapeutic” boots for ski boots around December 10, give or take. We’ll see….

<==== NOT A SKI BOOT

On the pain front: I continue to have more pain in the left foot than right. This is especially true in the AM. I wonder if the left foot will ever heal correctly. Walking on sandals is getting better but still slow.  I was able to go without Tylenol for almost 48 hours but I had a relapse on Day 22. I think this was due to the high activity level the previous day. However, I now take only one pill at a time instead of two. This cuts down on total amount taken in a 24-hour period. I continue with the daily 45 minute cycle routine followed by weights, stretches and sit-ups. It’s a challenge to stay in shape and not gain any weight when you have mobility issues.

36 hours without pain medication. The longest stretch in the last 3
weeks. There was a slight pain in my left foot in late afternoon
after the day's activities. Right foot is good- again as long as I
don't walk too fast. Today I drove by myself for the first time in a
week. Went to the gym, cycled, a few weights and a 1000 yard swim,
mainly with a swim buoy- no flip turns. A few laps of slow breast
strokes. Sauna. Shower. And then stopped at a restaurant on the way
home. It was good to get out of the house. And now a word from our
sponsor: "barriers to mobility":

A trip to the gym becomes a big project and requires planning. It
took me 30 minutes to get out of the house this AM. Here's the run
down.

Take off boots, change into work out clothes.
Organize stuff in back pack.
Go to car. Sit in back and change into sandals.
Arrive at club change into boots in parking lot.
Finish gym workout. Change boots to sandals for swim ( I cheated, I'm
supposed to wear boots to pools edge but this is too much!)
Swim. Shower. (trudging in sandals with half-steps)
Change into boots.
Trudge to car. Change to sandals.
Arrive at restaurant. Change to boots.
Leave restaurant. Change to sandals.
Arrive home. Change to boots at car.

As you can see from the above, a chauffeur is the way to go.

Tried to get through last night without Tylenol- woke up at 4AM with severe pain in left foot. Popped a couple T’s. Woke up not feeling well. I had a pain in my side- I think it’s from the Tylenol. Thought briefly about driving to the gym but then after thinking through the booting, un-booting, re-booting, un-booting, etc. procedure, opted for a hot tub and short swim in my 40 ft pond. A little bit more propulsion today- still far from a normal pace.

Election day- I voted before the surgery with an absentee ballot. Fairly uneventful the last two days. Still house bound and have not driven since the prison escape last Thurs. I was chauffeured to a restaurant last night for my first "extra-house" dining experience. The other "big" news: I have now showered two days in a row without the aid of a wooden bench. Slowly, I am gaining back strength and balance. Pain management continues to be an issue- I have now been on Tylenol for 19 days. Right foot is healing fine- minimal pain. However, left foot has palpitating, engorging type pain that is more than annoying every morning and evening. Icing doesn't seem to be enought to relieve it- hence the Tylenol.

It's now over 48 hours since the doctor read me the riot act about the boots. I drove straight home, got in my boots, and I have been home since. Except for intra-room trudges, I have faithfully worn these boots. (I was really bummed out on Friday after the Dr appt, but in retrospect, I have to admit that his advice was sound and I was way off for shedding the boots without asking first).

The word today is water. I took my first post-surgery swim. I had planned to go the club but I got lazy and decided to do a trial run in  my 40 ft. backyard pond.  As it turns out, that was the right approach. I could barely do breast stroke. Crawl was painful. Fuhgeddabout side or back strokes. So I did maybe 20 laps (40 foot laps) of breast strokes and even then I had to be careful not to exert too much force on da feet. I guess it's going to be a while before I get back to my 3000 yard swim routine.

12:09PM Busted. Or should I say booted? Doctor visit this AM. Stitches removed. However, the doctor was none too pleased that I showed up at his office in sandals. Despite the fact that there is about equal pain between the boots and sandals, he wants me in the boot for another two weeks to allow the osteotomy to heal. However, I can now swim  (no flip turns, use a swim buoy). As to driving, it’s OK BUT I need to change into the boots after I arrive at the destination. What a pain but it’s only two more weeks.

11PM Let’s get the clichés out of the way. “When it rains it pours.” There’s nothing better than a good night’s sleep.”  After sleeping for 8 plus hours (OK. I woke up in middle of the night and popped a couple of Tylenol), I woke up to a slight pain in left foot. On the morning trudge to the bathroom sans boots I noticed much less pain in both beet. So, I decided to put some Teva sandals on- they just barely fit over the bandages. It felt great to walk in the sandals so I proceeded downstairs to breakfast.

The big difference from the boots (besides less support) is that the toes can now bend as I walk. This bending action actually felt very good. However, the walking pace in the sandals is slower. Later I tried walking in the boots, and found, that the pain level was about the same as the sandals. The sandals were also more comfortable for my cycling routine (50 minutes).

Now that the 5” by 12” rubber rectangles were divorced from the bottom of my feet the next step was obvious: DRIVING. I made an uneventful trip to the bank and REI where I bought another pair of Tevas. Real nice to have a handicapped parking permit.  Of course, I was limping around at about 30% of the walking pace of everyone else in the store-  incoming stares every direction.

The other good news is that the scars on both feet have completely healed or sealed as the case may be. There is just a little patch on the left foot that can be easily handled with a little dose of hydrogen peroxide.

Tomorrow the stitches will come out. I hope the doctor doesn’t get too mad about me getting rid of the boots without asking him first……

(Day 13)  November 2
9:00 AM PST :Woke up with a lot of pain at 6AM, especially in the left foot- a throbbing constant pain. Payback for the gym visit? I popped a couple of Tylenols and tried to go back to sleep. No cigar on the sleep but the pain did subside in about an hour and a half.
7:50 PM PST: Moderate workout at lunchtime today. 50 minutes of cycling followed by light stretches. About 35 minutes into the cycling, the left foot started to throb so I had to stop and elevate the feet while doing some stomach crunches and lower back exercises. Then, for the first time since the surgery, took the bandages off in the shower. (it’s good to clean your feet every 13 days or so…)) The right foot is “sealed”, there is still some rawness on the left foot incisions. Hopefully, I’ll be ready to shed the boots in the next couple of days.

(Day 12)  November 1 
11:50 AM PST
After waking up I was actually able to take some baby steps (sans boot) on the carpet with little or no pain. Good sign. Decided to forgo the usual popping of two 8 hour Tylenols. For the next two hours, I proceeded to do various chores around the house (none of which involved sitting or elevating the feet. By then left foot had a deep red color and a throbbing pain.  The right foot wasn’t feeling much better.
Good news/bad news. A week ago I could not stand on the feet for more than a few minutes without needing to elevate. Now I can get by for a couple of hours. Anyway, I iced the foot for about 35 minutes and it feels much better. I also broke down and popped a couple of Tylenol- I was hoping to get through the day without pain medication but it was not to be.
And now a word from our sponsor: ICING TECHNIQUE.

In the first 5-6 days after the surgery, I needed to keep the boot on at all times to stabilize the foot.   You’re locked into the technique of icing behind the knees or on the shin or calf. Once you can take the boot off and walk short distances around a room, you can now ice the foot directly. I purchased a rectangular gel-type ice pad that was large enough to cover the bottom of my feet. I elevate the feet laying down on bed or couch (you can do this sitting but it’s not as comfortable). Bend the knees and place bottoms of the feet on to the ice pack. This gives immediate relief to the throbbing foot pain. There is a little cold shock but it’s worth it for the relief. After 5-10 minutes I move the ice pack and place gently on the injury area and hold for a few minutes. Then I place on ankles on top of foot and let it stay there for maybe, 10-15 minutes more. By then the pack is not that cold. 

9:45 PM PST
Well, I made my first visit to the gym afternoon. The hardest part was trying to ignore all the stares at my boots. Also, the boots do stimulate some conversation. I had to regale my surgery saga several times during the one hour visit. A full body workout starting with a rigorous fifteen minute cycle, 30-40 rep sets on about 10 machines, followed by stretches and stomach crunches. Passed on the shower and went home for lunch. Minimal foot pain until 9PM when I popped a couple more Tylenol.. Had two “two feedings” of Tylenol today.

(Day 11) October 31  10:50 PM PST
No headaches today. But woke up at 6:30 with moderate pain in left foot. Took a couple of Tylenol (1300 mg) and it got better in an hour or so. In fact the feet were feeling reasonably well all day. As of this writing I have not taken any pain medication since 6:30am. OK…  I did have a glass of wine around 7:00 that seem to take the edge off the throbbing sensation in the left foot. The feet get tired and start hurting toward the early evening hours.
Did not make it to gym, again. Schedule issues with car use, mainly. I did manage 50 minutes on stationary bike (about 25 minutes at 50% resistance and 80 rpm) followed by the usual 200 stomach crunches and modified exercise routine. Other than continued “house arrest” and having to wear the damn boots it was a pretty good day.

THE FOLLOWING IS A DIARY OF THE FIRST 8 DAYS OF RECOVERY IN CONSECUTIVE, CHRONOLOLOGICAL ORDER

Day 1: October  21 11:30AM

Arrive at Surgery Center. This will be an in-patient procedure. In by 12 out by 3:30. My first surgery- I’m very nervous. Blood pressure is 154/75.
In consultation with anesthesiologist, I ask for a general-  after all, what am I going to do for 2 hours? I won’t be able to read a novel..  Wheeled into the operating room. Banter with the anesthesiologist. He asks me if I had my morning coffee ( a trick question). I say no but I need some. He then shows me a vial of caffeine. He then asks me where a good place to start a business is. As I’m pontificating about technology in silicon valley.. zzzzz

Day 1: October  21 2:45 PM
I wake up in the recovery room to a cheerful nurse asking what flavor juice I want. Fruit punch. Very thirsty since I have had nothing to drink for over 15hours. I’m slightly delirious but otherwise feeling good. My feet are now wearing two large  black boots whose bottoms are a rectangle measuring approx. 6 by 13 inches.

The nurse goes through various post-op stuff such as 1) icing behind knees (since the foot is wrapped and encased in a boot you can’t ice it directly), 2) Keeping it elevated 3) Watch a lot of TV 4) Pain Meds vicodin, take every four hours as needed and Ketorolac, an anti-inflammatory, take one every six hours. I’m then whisked in a wheel chair out to my wife and then stuffed in the back seat of our car. I’m told to keep my leg elevated all the way home which means I can’t wear a seat belt since I’m flat on my back on the seat. The 30 minute ride home is uneventful.


Day 1: October  21 4:00 PM
Arrive at home. We live on top of a hill and you need to go up about 20 steps to get into the house from the driveway. With difficulty, I get out of the car, and hobble one step at a time up to the house. I now realize I am crippled. I go into our entertainment room where I will be camping for the next few days. Conveniently, there is a guest room right next to the TV/entertainment room. I settle in to watch some TIVO and eat lunch. I’m starving- last food was the previous evening.  I’m feeling a little pain in the right foot so I decide to take the Vicodin and anti-inflam.


Day 1: October  21 8:30 PM
My doctor calls to see how I am. He’s very conscientious. I’m lying on couch with both feet elevated and ice behind the knees. I tell him I feel great (in retrospect I was experiencing some euphoria that evening due to the anesthetic cocktail I had earlier in the afternoon). The right foot has no pain but left foot hurts a little. He says that sounds normal since the procedure on the left foot was more intrusive.


Day 2: October  22 2AM
I am not tired but I decide to go to bed anyway. (note: I took the full dose of Vicodin and anti-inflam at midnight) I hobble in to the spare bedroom- I will not be seeing master bedroom on the second floor for a few days..  Read for an hour then try to fall asleep. The foot is really hurting and I can’t sleep. For most of the night I get maybe 2 hours of sleep. I can’t find a comfortable position to sleep and the leg hurts.


Day 2: October  22 10AM
I feel terrible. Not much sleep and the feet hurt a lot- both of them now. I call the doctor- he says its normal and maybe discontinue the Vicodin if it is making you feel bad. He says just rest, leave the boot on and don’t do any kind of activity until I see you on Tues for the post-op visit. I say OK. However, I hurt so much that I continue to take the Vicodin and anti inflam throughout the day. Need crutches to walk around. It hurts to stand for more than a few seconds which makes using the bathroom a painful experience unless I sit down. Speaking of which, I am experiencing difficulty in urination and some slight nausea. Although I still have an appetite but not a big one.


Day 3: October  23
Slept better but still not restful. I generally feel awful having been confined to two rooms for the last 48 hours. I decide to stop taking the vicodin and take just the anti-inflam. Feel drowsy and slightly nauseous through the day. I attempt to do some stomach pumps and limited stretching. The hardest part is getting down to the floor and back up afterward.


Day 4: October  24
I feel much better today. Decide to stop taking all the meds and instead take ibuprofen ( a no-no I find out later). Although there is some pain, I’m more mobile today and make my first excursion upstairs. I cheat and go on stationary bike for just 10 minutes- it wasn’t too comfortable. Take my first shower- a major project since I cannot get boot wet and I forget to put a plastic bag around it. I manage to keep boot dry but it was an exercise in contortion.


Day 5: October  25
10 AM at the doctor’s office for post-op visit. First time I’ve left the house since the surgery.  It’s a little bit of a hike to his office at the clinic but the temporary handicap permit comes in handy. They take X rays and remove surgical wrap and clean feet. Doctor says everything looks good. Says to come back in 10 days to remove stitches. Now OK to do stationary bike and I can sleep without the boot on. If the foot gets wet just rewrap. He tells me to use Tylenol, because ibuprofen reduces inflammation which promotes healing.

When I get home I do 25 minutes on stationary bike, then some light calisthenics and stomach crunches. Then shower. The feet are feeling good. I decide I will increase stationary bike exercise by 5 minutes a day.

I stop using crutches except in bedroom to get to bathroom in middle of night. I am now sleeping in the upstairs master bedroom again. My span of mobility now extends through the house and the back patio where I eat lunch on a beautiful fall California day.


Day 6: October  26
Very bad last night - lots of pain throughout night. I think it was due to all the walking at the clinic. Take some Tylenol about 1000 mg and things start to feel a little better. Increased stationary bike to 30 minutes at 40% resistance and then about 30 minutes of crunches, calisthenics and light free weight lifting from sitting or floor positions.


Day 7: October  27
Again another bad night with pain in the night. Increased stationary bike exercise to 35 minutes and then the exercise/weight routine. I accidentally get my left foot wet. Despite tight tape at  the calf the water leaks in. Get close up look at scars- major cuts going on top of foot from big and second toe back about two inches.


Day 8: October 28th
Ditto on the night pain. I decide that for tonight I will take 2 vicodin before going to sleep. It seems the most painful time is in between 11PM to 8AM.

Today I make my second excursion outside the house-  to the library to get some audio books and then to Long’s Drugs.  I  can walk slowly but feet get fatigued and painful if I stand for more than five minutes. I switched to Tylenol 8 hour which has a higher dosage and is time released. This seems to work well as pain level decreased today.  40 minutes on stationary bike at 40% resistance plus 45 minutes of exercise/stretch on floor and seated.