At the 5 &1/2 week mark, I went back to working in the office. Living in New York, I ride the subway to work and I was very nervous about commuting. It's hard enough when you're able bodied, much less when your balance is somewhat comprised. My boss, who has been extremely flexible throughout was fine if I came in later and worked late in order to avoid the rush hour commuter traffic. Equipped with my cane, I found the commute to be better than I expected. I earned a few sympathy seats from my fellow passengers and noticed how people really get out of your way when they see you have a cane. On the other hand, plenty of people do NOT look where they walk which can be problematic for everyone. Reading while you walk is an accident waiting to happen!
So, from week 6 to week 9 (where I am currently) I've started walking more and more. The longest I've walked is a mile and a half. I have to say, the walking has been going pretty well and pain-free. My feet will feel fatigued, my legs hurt and afterwards my foot feels more swollen, but overall, it hasn't been problematic. I started PT at week 7 and we focus on bending and stretching the big toe. I do seated and standing relevees, seated toe flexes, dooming of the toes, among other exercises. Because that foot had been dormant for so many weeks, I have to stretch other parts to get my total foot mobility back. The therapist measures the toe flexion each visit and it started at 30 degrees and as of the last visit it measured around 75! I still have a ways to go and other milestones to meet. For example, out of curiosity I attempted to do a plank position and soon realized that wasn't in the cards for a while. I'm not sure when I'll be able to wear footwear other than sneakers, again. I kept my gym membership on freeze so I can focus on PT and doing the exercises at home. There are days when the foot will bother more than others. It tends to be the day after I've done a lot of walking. My PT tells me to keep icing it, which I admit I haven't been diligent about.
By the way, make sure your PT knows feet! I'm lucky enough to have found a place where 50% of the clientele are dancers, whose feet are their livelihood. The physical therapists are very attentive and in tune with the intricacies of the feet and their impact on the rest of the body. Shout out to Westside Dance Physical Therapy!
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Recap and the 6 week follow-up visit
Obviously, I've been seriously slacking in the blog post arena, so I will attempt to cover the past 7 weeks of recovery!
Let's start with a brief re-cap; after my first check-up at the 15 day mark, I started wearing the DARCO surgical sandal which gave me more mobility.
They said it takes about 25% of the pressure off of the foot. It's super comfortable so you feel confident walking in it. However, I didn't feel comfortable rolling through when I pushed off on that foot so I still did the pirate walk for a few weeks. At this point, I was still working from home, so my walking was limited to getting around my apartment and an evening stroll to the supermarket or local deli. I purchased a cane online. if you live in an urban area, definitely get a cane. It does provide support but it also signals to the people around you that you're a slow walker for a good reason. On the flip side, it also signals that you are somewhat vulnerable, so take extra precaution when walking around and know who is around at all times. Preferably, don't walk alone. Living in NYC for 15 years, this is the most vulnerable that I ever felt.
These photos are at the 3 weeks mark. I was able to take the wrap/bandage off and shower without plastic on for the first time!
I went back for another follow-up at the 6 week mark. This time I saw the surgeon, who at the 2 week mark was on vacation. He assured me that the surgery was textbook, he only took out the affected, lateral sesamoid. He started flexing my big toe back and forth, breaking up the scar tissue and I thought I was going to cry from the pain. Seriously, this was by far the worst pain I've ever felt, period. He said I needed to start physical therapy to get my flexibility back in the big toe and recommended that I go 2-3x a week for 10-12 weeks. Yowza! He said that it will be up to six months before the area is totally settled and that I should continue to wear pads under my foot(Hapads). Also, he said get out of the surgical sandal and start wearing sneakers to get my toe mobility back. When I asked about going to the gym he said I could start doing some light cardio (riding a stationary bike) in a few weeks if I wanted to.
They said it takes about 25% of the pressure off of the foot. It's super comfortable so you feel confident walking in it. However, I didn't feel comfortable rolling through when I pushed off on that foot so I still did the pirate walk for a few weeks. At this point, I was still working from home, so my walking was limited to getting around my apartment and an evening stroll to the supermarket or local deli. I purchased a cane online. if you live in an urban area, definitely get a cane. It does provide support but it also signals to the people around you that you're a slow walker for a good reason. On the flip side, it also signals that you are somewhat vulnerable, so take extra precaution when walking around and know who is around at all times. Preferably, don't walk alone. Living in NYC for 15 years, this is the most vulnerable that I ever felt.
These photos are at the 3 weeks mark. I was able to take the wrap/bandage off and shower without plastic on for the first time!
I went back for another follow-up at the 6 week mark. This time I saw the surgeon, who at the 2 week mark was on vacation. He assured me that the surgery was textbook, he only took out the affected, lateral sesamoid. He started flexing my big toe back and forth, breaking up the scar tissue and I thought I was going to cry from the pain. Seriously, this was by far the worst pain I've ever felt, period. He said I needed to start physical therapy to get my flexibility back in the big toe and recommended that I go 2-3x a week for 10-12 weeks. Yowza! He said that it will be up to six months before the area is totally settled and that I should continue to wear pads under my foot(Hapads). Also, he said get out of the surgical sandal and start wearing sneakers to get my toe mobility back. When I asked about going to the gym he said I could start doing some light cardio (riding a stationary bike) in a few weeks if I wanted to.
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