11-14: Cast me baby

The days of bed rest are over. The past few days I have returned to 'normalish' life. Of course, I still mostly stay at my home, but I do venture out every once in  awhile to be part of society. I can mostly take care of myself now, except for doing major things like laundry and taking out the trash. My foot does not really hurt anymore unless I bump it against something. I went on Tuesday to get my splint off and get a cast on my foot. After they took off the splint, they left my lower leg and foot exposed for about 15 mins as the surgeon talked to me and the nurse prepped for the cast. My foot was still considerable swollen. Could have just been from the poor circulation with the splint. Either way it looked like they swapped out my foot for Frodo Baggins's during surgery. I wanted so bad to stretch and bend it, but I couldn't. If I tilted my foot the slightest deviation from ninety degrees, it didn't feel so hot.
     The surgeon said the wound was healing up well. He also talked to me about the surgery, and told me the injury I have is called a proximal variant lisfranc. Presumably, this is an injury that is just now becoming recognized. Since it presents with subtle deformities in ligamentous and bone anatomy of the foot and symptoms are similar but not the exactly same as a common lisfranc injuries, many orthopedics aren't aware of it. Lucky for me my surgeon is one of the up and coming doctors recognizing and completing surgery to fix this injury. Anyway, the surgeon said he is very happy with the turnout and expects a good recovery. After I talked with the surgeon, I got my stitches removed and got a nice short leg cast. The nurse put it on well, so it is not too tight...which is clutch. I like the cast better than the splint. It is more protective (i.e. if I bump into anything) and doesn't go as far up my leg. Also, it lets my toes and a good portion of my leg below the knee breath. Past experiences with a cast have shown me that breath-ability is imperative...not only for itches but also for minimizing post-cast nastiness.

Luna being weird on top of my cabinet 

Day 8-10: The sun

The last three days have gone by in a blur. I literally did not leave my room except to go to the bathroom for 48 hrs at one point. After stepping outside into the sun, I felt like one of those Indian children from 'Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom'. Today was my first day of feeling like a real person in a week and a half. I went out this morning, with the help of my gf, and got a handicap parking pass...I'm totally legit now.

Even better, I went and read in a park by a river this evening. I know it doesn't seem like a big deal, but going from laying in my dark room with only my computer or TV for company to the fresh air and sun is a big deal for me. It definitely puts me in a better mood and lets me appreciate the simpler things that I would sometimes let go unnoticed. There was one point when I was at the park that I stared at the moon for 10 mins. I was mesmerized. I couldn't get past the thought that I was staring at a big hunk of rock orbiting around the Earth... and people had stood on it! I have been reading 'The Martian', so planets and space travel have been on my mind. The book is about an astronaut that gets left behind on Mars after a botched mission. The thought that people can be sent up to the moon in a small metal vessel with on-board computing power equal to or less than my flip cell phone is amazing to me. Of course, some people think the Apollo Lunar missions were all a hoax....just a giant conspiracy to cause the Soviet Union to go bankrupt (from interstellar...even doped up I still remember a few things). I was ranting about all this to my gf in the car on the way to Chipotle. She wanted me to shut-up, but I think she really enjoyed it. Two more days to my cast.

Of course I had to include some pictures of my cat. Definitely keeps me entertained.

Day 5-7: Last day of hookie

It has been one week since my surgery. Day by day I can feel the swelling decrease in my foot and the soreness increase. The intense pains of day 1-3 have passed. Sunday was my last 'official' day of hookie. I told myself I would really get back to working by Monday... let's see how that's is going to pan out. My mom left Monday morning along with my dog Eddy. I was bummed they left because I enjoyed their company, but I at least got to see my mom for a few days. The pain medicine has gotten me in a real funk. I swear one minute I was having hot flashes and the next I was about in tears after realizing I had watched every episode of 'Trailer Park Boys' on Netflix. I am starting to decrease my dosage even more. I think I could be off of it and just use Advil as needed by the end of the week. Focusing on work is difficult, and I am overwhelmed with the things I have needed to do that have piled up. Next week I go back to the doctor so they can take off my splint and bandages and put a hard cast on me... it will be like old times. In the mean time, I am trying to take advantage of having to stay sedentary and get work done.

Day 4: Cats vs. Dogs

It was the stereotypical fall day. A cool crisp morning gave way to a sunny and warm afternoon with clear skies. Pretty much perfect weather. Unfortunately, I couldn't get out an take advantage of it. I told myself that if I took care of myself now I would be able to enjoy these type of days in the future. I felt better today. My nausea was less and the pain in my foot is a little more subdued. Overall, the day was good because I accomplished two major goals. First, I took a shower and second I was able to go to bathroom. The second accomplishment may be TMI, but it was a big deal since the medication I have been taking is like the Hoover damn when it comes to staying regular.

By mid-morning I didn't feel so crappy, so I got ambitious and decided to take a shower (I hadn't in 4 days). The shower bench and shower handle saved me. If I didn't have these pieces of equipment, I would have definitely not been able to take a shower safely. I felt great after washing away 4 days worth of grime and food particles stuck in various places. That morning before my shower was another watershed moment. My mom got me Miralax. I won't go into detail, but this is what led to my second accomplishment later that day. A tip for anyone who has to ever take pain meds... start taking something to keep you regular at the very beginning. For lunch, me and my mom ate out in my backyard. It was great to get outside for awhile and have the sun shining on me... really boosts morale. Finished watching another season of 'Great American food truck race'. The show cracks me up. There is a certain recipe (no pun intended) to these reality food shows, and I almost got the formula down. Eddy and Luna were going at it again. They fought under my bed for 30 seconds, and Luna came out as the victor. Eddy wouldn't even come out from under the bed for 10 minutes because he was scared. Luna was pissed and went up to her perch. She looked like a gargoyle/the Grinch.

On a different note, the swelling of my foot has decreased and I have more feeling in my toes. Still keeping my foot propped. I did bang my foot up against a wall when I was scootering to the bathroom. That hurt a lot. My mom has been kind enough to take care of me, and of course she insists on cleaning my entire house. Fortunately, she couldn't find too much to clean because I cleaned my house before my surgery. For dinner, my girlfriend came over and we all had thai. I find that the biggest things I look forward to during the day are meals. After I am done eating one meal, I immediately start thinking of what I want for my next. Hopefully, I don't end up like White Goodman at the end of the movie Dodgeball...

Day 3: Mama's boy

So far each night after my surgery I have been sleeping better. However, I have started get nauseous from the pain medication. I started cutting back on my dosage, hoping that will help. Most of the day went on as usual. I have finished 3 series on Netflix now...luckily there is an endless supply of top notch movies and television to watch. I probably should be sleeping more, but I am terrible at taking naps. My foot still kills but is slowly hurting less. The biggest problem is actually having to move my leg around a bit to get the blood flowing to my foot. Otherwise, it starts to tingle and then burn and then hurt really bad. To alleviate that pain, I dangle my foot off the bed for 10 mins at a time to let the blood circulate. Then I go back to propping it up on the pillows. My appetite is peculiar. I am hungry but not hungry at the same time. Actually, I just want to eat salty and fatty food for some reason. Almost like I have a hangover. Could be because of all the food shows I have been watching. Luna has been keeping me company, and making me laugh by doing weird stuff. Today my mom came. She brought up my dog Eddy too. Luna an Eddy do not get along... at first Eddy couldn't find Luna but then stumbled upon her and got a wack in the face. Luna then proceed by jumping up on the kitchen cabinets and staying up there the rest of the night. Since my mom is here it gives my gf a brake from taking care of me (probably a good thing if I still want to have a gf at the end of this). We had our favorite Indian food for dinner, and chilled. I was pretty tired so falling asleep shouldn't be too hard...except for my foot 'falling asleep' every 30 mins. Hopefully my foot will be even better in the morning.

Day 2: Interstellar

I slept better than the first night, but still had to wake up every 4 hours to take my medication. My scooter has been working well. It definitely is difficult to navigate around my small house and bathroom. Luckily it has brakes, or I would have killed myself multiple times. Interstellar was the movie choice of the day...probably not the best movie to watch on pain killers. I was definitely trippin. After Interstellar, I decided I needed something a bit lighter and less complex to watch...so I went back to my roots and decided to watch Food Network shows. Specifically, 'Great food truck race' and 'Worst cooks in America'. They fit my easy watching criteria and made me hungry. Since I upped my medication intake the pain has been less, but the swelling of my foot makes it very tender. If anything touches my toes, or even if there are vibrations it hurts. Luna has been acting unusually friendly. She was once a stray, so she gets scared easily. I have left the window open in my room all day, which she seems to love.

Day 1: Lead foot

Didn't sleep well. Had to wake up every 4 hours to take my pain medication. I was hungry for breakfast, so that was a good sign. I took a look at my x-rays from the surgery. Figure on the left shows the doctor trying to pop my first ray and cuneiform to the right... you can tell by the light coloration that he succeeded. In other words, this area of my foot was unstable (not really being held together). He put in a dorsal plate and horizontal screw to stabilize the joint complex. Throughout the morning I could feel my nerve block wearing off fast. A deep crushing and burning feeling flooded over my foot and ankle. To subdue the swelling, I had been icing my foot with a new ice pack every 20 mins. However, this was not sufficient and as my foot swelled inside the splint and bindings the pain worsened. I figured out after awhile how to re-position my foot to make the pain less, and that I could take additional pain medicine. Most of the day I just watched Netflix or worked on my computer. I had good company from my gf and my cat Luna.

The day has come

The day of my surgery I was anxious. I woke up and did any last minute chores to prepare my house for the impending doom. The weather was beautiful, so I took that as a good omen. In order to take full advantage of my last few hours of freedom, my girlfriend picked me up and we went to pick apples at a nearby orchard. Unfortunately, I couldn't eat any of the apples we picked because of my upcoming surgery. We had great time apple picking and then headed to the hospital. The first two and a half hours at the hospital were comprised of getting registered and being prepped for surgery. I got to change into a very fashionable gown, which even had ports built in to hook up for hot or cold air circulation.

After getting an iv, a team of anesthesiologists came to give me my nerve block in my leg. No more than 15 minutes later, my left leg was completely numb. Another 30 minutes and I was wheeled into the OR. About 8 doctors and nurses were scrambling around me in the surgery room. The last thing I remember were two nurses hovering above me. They were trying to pronounce my last name and giggling about it. Then one said she was giving me the sleepy medicine.

I woke up in the same room they prepped me for surgery in. I was very groggy at first, but woke up fairly quickly. There was two nurses in the room who were talking to me. I don't remember the conversation. My girlfriend then came in the room, and then shortly after was followed by my surgeon. My surgeon told us the surgery went well, and then proceeded with showing us x-rays of my foot throughout the surgery. The last few x-rays showed my foot with four screws and a plate over my mid-foot. The thought of metal screws in my foot was a bit disgruntling, but also kind of cool. After changing back into my street clothes, I got in a wheel chair and the nurses wheeled me out to my girlfriends car. I was fairly coherent at this point. When we got to my house, I crutched inside and to my bed. I had planned ahead and had already laid out pillows to prop my leg up. My girlfriend has been nice enough to stay and take care of me the first week or so of my recovery... without help I really don't know how I would get by. I started taking my pain meds right when I got home. The doctor told me I better start taking them as early as possible. Once the nerve block goes away in my leg, he told me I would be in immense pain. I don't like taking pain medication, but I think it is necessary in this situation. The thing I needed most when I got home was food. I hadn't eaten anything all day and I was pumped full of drugs. Had some spaghetti and donuts for dinner (thanks to my gf). Went to bed with my leg completely numb.

Preparation

I had been organizing and cleaning my house all week in preparation of my recovery from surgery. Having had a cast and crutches once before, I learned how to organize my furniture so that I would have the safest and most efficient pathways to travel around my house. I also prepared by buying a shower bench and shower handle. These were two items I wished I had last time on was in a cast. Taking a shower in a tiny stall with a slippery bathroom floor is no fun on one leg. In essence, I organized and outfitted my house as if I were remodeling to accommodate an 85 year old man. So my house was cleared and approved for geriatric use... but I wasn't quite keen on going another 6 weeks on crutches again. Instead of going full crutches after my surgery, I decided to get a better mode of one legged transportation. I ended up buying a steerable knee scooter with brakes off Amazon (not so surprising that a knee scooter was significantly cheaper online than going through my insurance). I ordered this piece of equipment about a week ahead of my surgery. This gave me some time to test the scooter around my house. Last but not least, I did a mega grocery run. I bought food to last me a least a week and a half. I also made sure to get my girlfriend some food for when she stayed over to help me out. Leading up to the day of my surgery I was nervous and anxious. I almost couldn't believe I was actually going to finally have surgery. It has been such a long struggle.