Tuesday 24 May 2011

No bad news..... No other news..... But that's good apparently

Sooo disappointed I didn't get a chance to see the x-ray again ! But I've managed to get my consultant to agree to send them to me. As soon as I get them of course I'll post them.
My cast was removed again, dressings off & the wounds were cleaned. This time my foot resembled a manky Cornish pasty, swollen, flaky skin, scabby wounds- yuk! So I didn't photograph it, sharing it with people just wouldn't have been polite ;)

The verdict was that it was positive that there were no negative signs on the x- rays, all metatarsals & the Lisfranc joint were still aligned. I was told that at this stage (5 wks post op) that was all I could expect. The consultant is still being none committal about the long term prognosis, it's very individual & each case is different, with different outcomes apparently. I did manage to get an indication of the plan for the next 8 wks or so though.

So in two weeks time I will return to hospital for another x-ray, provided all is OK I will have the K wire removed. I will also meet with a physio, who will fit me with an air walker boot. I should then be able to start putting a little weight on my heel whilst walking with crutches- yippee !
At around 12 weeks post op (1st week in July) I'll have another op to have some of the screws & one of the plates removed. Roughly a fortnight after this, I will be able to start walking with my weight on all of my foot (assisted by crutches). The next stage after this will be shoes ;) Still no idea on when I'll be able to drive or will start to walk without crutches though.....

I'm immensely relieved that the results were ok this time, no damage done by the couple of parties I've sneaked out to, or the few too many glasses of wine I've drunk! I try to be good, no smoking(stops bone growth apparently),minimal caffeine (robs bones apparently), taking vitamin supplements, drinking orange juice (vitamin C is good!) & doing 1/2 hr of none weight bearing exercise per day to try to retain some muscle in my upper leg & bum..... But I have to have some time off the recovery treadmill from time to time. I would advise anyone that's going through something similar to this, to do the same. For your sanity really, or you may find the days & weeks drag relentlessly..... & there's a lot of them!

Thank god for my IPad, Lovefilm, naff daytime tv & my family. The pain is getting better, mainly caused by the swelling these days, so it's more of an incentive to keep it elevated & rested. I'm also fortunate that I don't have to work at the moment, I do have good sick pay benefits with my employer, which has been a god send.