Day 14: 2nd post-op appointment

Things are going really well! The assistant doctor removed the blood-stained gauze from my incision site, which took awhile since it was stuck to my skin. He was careful though, and I didn't feel any pain--just a slight pulling feeling, almost like getting my eyebrows waxed but without the sting. The assistant doctor then removed my stitches, which stung a TINY bit but was more of a pulling feeling, and didn't bother me at all.

The doctor examined the pins and said everything looks really good and there's no sign of infection. He mentioned that my foot isn't as swollen as he thought it'd be, but that's funny because I think it looks super puffy! I also got x-rays taken today to check the progress, and the doctor said he is pleased with the growth and glad that my bone didn't fuse together. He said that in two days on Wednesday, I can start getting it wet in the shower!!! I'm nervous to get it wet but he said it should be fine, and to just make sure that I dry it off all the way when I'm out of the shower.

All in all, my second post-op appointment was nothing but good news! I am still elevating my foot and icing it every chance I get because the swollen feeling feels very uncomfortable. I am also taking my pain pills but only once when I wake up, once midday, and once right around bedtime. Like I've said before, the pain is NOTHING like I thought it'd be. I feel really bad for those who have said the pain is horrible and that they can't sleep through the night without pain pills. I'm the complete opposite. I just take the pain pills as a proactive step, not as a reactive step.

P.S. If people are actually reading this and have any questions, feel free to comment!! I feel like this is just my little journal right now :p

This is a 'before' picture-all that bloody gauze and the stitches are off my foot now!

Day 10

This post is just an update on how I've been feeling since Monday's appointment. I've been turning two clicks a day, for a total of 2 mm now. Turning the device doesn't hurt, but I do feel just a slight pressure feeling. The thought of turning the device freaks me out more than actually turning it.

I have been trying to put weight on my foot little at a time, but it hurts too much to put all my weight on it like I normally would. I think it hurts so much partially because it feels like the underside of my foot is bruised from the surgery. I have visible bruising on the side of my foot near my ankle, so I think I may be internally bruised on the bottom. No big deal though, I was expecting that before the surgery.

Yesterday I think I overdid the whole bearing weight thing, because by evening time I was in PAIN. My whole foot was swollen and was radiating heat. My incision site felt really hot and itchy, like it was burning. I had to elevate it the entire evening, and in the rare moment that I got up to crutch somewhere (bathroom, kitchen, wherever) the pain hit me pretty bad. It felt like all my blood went rushing to my foot...ugh, so uncomfortable. Today has been much much better. I limited my weight bearing and have been elevating my foot for almost the entire day.

My two online classes have been keeping me REALLY busy, surprising as that seems. I've been in the process of writing a one-page forum for one of the classes, but I am having a hard time motivating myself to get it done. It keeps my mind busy though, so no complaints!

 My bruising on my foot

 My super stylish shoe...not

My little toe peeking out! Hopefully we'll see noticeable progress soon

Day 7: First post-op appointment

This appointment was on Monday, but I didn't get around to writing a post on it. Oops! My sister drove me to the doctor's office for my appointment, since I am still uncomfortable driving on my pain pills (which I am still taking a few times throughout the day). It's not that the pain is really bad, I am just a baby when it comes to pain and I'd rather take the pills than tough it out all day.

When I was called in, the nurse slowly cut my cast and tore the cotton underneath, exposing my foot and leg (she waited for the doctor to take it all off). Immediately after the nurse left, my foot surgeon came in and greeted me and my sister. He took off the cast completely and removed all the blood-stained gauze around my ex fix. It was all stuck on so he took his time to carefully remove the gauze, and I didn't have any pain from it thank goodness. He then added new, clean gauze around the ex fix and a few times around my foot, and then gave me a removable shoe to wear. No more huge cast!

He also showed me how to turn the external fixator; I did NOT think he would have me start turning until next Monday, which would be two weeks after surgery. My ex fix device is different from pictures I've seen in other blogs; I don't need that little wrench (or whatever it's called) to turn my device. Mine is SUPER easy to turn! There's a knob on the end of the device closest to me, and I just turn it counterclockwise until it "clicks." The doctor turned it three clicks in the office, but instructed me to do two turns on it everyday. Each click is .23 mm, so everyday I turn it close to half a millimeter. Since I'm writing this four days after the appointment, I already have over 2 mm of progress. Doesn't seem like much, but I'm being patient.

My doctor also told me that I could start bearing weight on my foot. I was excited to hear this until I tried it; I cannot believe it, but within the short week that I was completely off my foot, my calf seemed to have atrophied! I feel like I lost all strength in my calf, but I also think my mind is doing it on purpose so I don't overdo it. All day Monday I just worked on flexing my foot and moving my ankle to get some sort of movement.

Day 4

Hello! This experience so far has not been what I expected. I thought that I would be in a lot of pain and would need to rely on pain killers 24/7; however, this isn't the case! The only time I feel pain is when I move my foot a certain way and strain the area around my 4th metatarsal. I take about 3-4 painkillers in an entire 24-hour period and I'm completely fine.

I have my foot propped up for the majority of the day and night, and I ice it every 1-2 hours for 20-30 minutes each time. I think this has significantly helped the pain and swelling. When I'm on crutches I notice the swollen, uncomfortable feeling start to descend on my foot so I try to stay away from walking and standing as much as I can.

The numbness in my toes has also gone away for the most part as well! The first two days I was really nervous that this might be a long-term numbness that I would have to learn to deal with, but by today all my toes have most, if not all, their feeling back! Yay :)

I'd say the worst part of this experience is being confined to the bed or couch ALL DAY LONG. It gets so boring. Fortunately, I'm taking two online classes for school this summer and they start in a few days, so that should keep me occupied for awhile.

Day 2

Today is my first day after surgery and I'm feeling a little better. As soon as I woke up I took a pain pill, and then my sister helped me to the bathroom and down the stairs. Stairs by the way are hard; I have to carefully sit down and scoot up and down the stairs on my bottom while my sister walks behind me with my crutches. I had some breakfast and juice which made my stomach feel better. The pain pills kicked in, and they make me REALLY dizzy. So as soon as I was done eating, my sister helped me get back upstairs (which is twice as hard when I'm dizzy). I took a nausea pill and have been resting in bed with my leg propped up on three pillows. My instructions for resting my foot is "toes above the nose!"

I'm not sure what to think about this, but all my toes are completely numb still. When I wiggle my big toe it feels all tingly. I really hope this numbness wears off soon!

All day has been laying in bed and watching TV. Some of my friends came over to visit which was nice. I can already determine that this summer is going to be quite boring :/

Day 1: Surgery

Yesterday, June 10th, was my surgery! Let me tell you, it was a LONG day. I had to arrive at the surgery center at noon to sign in. My mom came with me, since you're supposed to have a responsible adult come with you to drive you home and take care of you. The RN took me back to prep soon after I arrived, and had me change into the awful hospital gown. He had me lay down on the hospital bed, and then another nurse came and took my blood pressure and vitals. My heart was beating super fast! (I hate getting surgery). She also put the IV in my arm which wasn't bad. After the male RN asked me all the mandatory questions (do you have any allergies? heart conditions? etc.) my mom was allowed to come back. We waited for an hour before my surgeon and anesthesiologist came over and answered our questions.

My surgeon went over the details, some which I was happily surprised about: I can bear weight on my foot after surgery! I don't have to wait until the external fixator is removed (Of course, I'm staying on crutches with no weight on my foot for the first week just to be safe). I only need about 10 mm of lengthening, which is less than I had expected. After I reach my desired length and stop turning, the external fixator only needs to stay on for less than a month, because he feels that leaving it on for 4-6 weeks like other people do is "overkill." The surgeon and I both agreed that this could all change based on my individual healing, but I'm staying positive!

After questions were answered, I was rolled into the OR at 2 pm. The anesthesiologist gave me some kind of relaxant since my heart rate was over 100 bpm. Then he put an oxygen mask on me and told me to take deep breaths, and that's the last thing I remember. The surgery took three hours, longer than they had anticipated, I guess because they kept taking x-rays to make sure the pins were correctly placed. When I woke up I was super drowsy and nauseous. The nurse told me not to hold it in if I was feeling nauseous, and I listened to her ;) I had some crackers and a little juice, and after making sure I was stable for about half an hour, I was wheeled out to the car! I threw up again in the car with the little bag the nurse gave me.

When I got home around 6:30 pm, my family had me lay in bed and they gave me ice for my foot and more crackers. I still felt really drowsy and nauseous, so I took a nausea pill and a pain pill. I was in less pain than I thought I would be! It just felt like a very dull ache in my foot. I stayed in bed for the rest of the night.

Background

Hello! I am 20 years old and live in California. I have dealt with brachymetatarsia for over a decade, since I was about ten years old. I have wanted to get surgery for my little toe since I was 13 years old, but never was able to because of financial reasons and the fact that no doctor seemed to want to operate on it. Like everyone with brachymetatarsia mentions, I've had a lot of psychological issues having to deal with this. Hiding my toe from the world became a top priority, and it consumed my life. Within the past few years, I've also started to have more and more pain in my foot since my other toes have to make up for my fourth toe not bearing weight. Long story short, I really really really wanted surgery!! This year, LUCKILY, I found an orthopedic surgeon who would do this procedure for me. So the rest of this blog is going to be my experience through the surgery and post-op healing. I hope this helps anyone who is in my position and wants to get their little toe fixed!!