It's been over three weeks since I got my pins out, and I have to say that things are going extremely well. I am in a boot, which I have to wear whenever I bear weight. The handicapped placard has come in handy, because the boot was pretty awkward to walk in for the first two weeks. I also get to drive to school (which is two blocks away from my apartment) and park in the metered spots on the street for free and for an unlimited amount of time. It's so nice! When I take showers I have my boot off (obviously) and I just stand with the majority of weight on my right foot. I probably should be using a shower chair still but it doesn't hurt me at all.
The swelling has gone down significantly since having the pins out! At my most recent checkup appointment a week and a half ago, the doctor said that swelling is normal and takes months, not weeks, to go away. With that said, I can go a whole day walking around and being on my foot and the swelling is minimal. Since this is now the case, my doctor says I'll soon be able to go from this huge boot to a medical shoe. He said that for the most part it's really up to me when I feel comfortable switching to the medical shoe, and that I'll know I'm ready when there's little to no swelling or discomfort. And I'm at that point already!!
As you'll all see in the pictures below, my toe is laying down wayyy further than the rest of my toes. This is because my doctor overcorrected the toe when he first did the surgery to make sure it didn't rise up like it was originally. I'm grateful that it's laying down and bearing weight, but it's annoying!! It lays so much lower than the rest of the toes that my other toes barely touch the ground themselves anymore. I think it's going to take some time to get back to normal again. The muscles in all my toes, especially my 4th toe, are really weak and so I'm thinking that's part of the reason why I'm experiencing this. I guess it's a good thing for now though, because the extra weight on my fourth toe will hopefully beef it up a little bit! It's so skinny compared to the rest of my toes right now (hehe).
For some random updates, I started using Mederma scar gel about five days ago. I have been using it once a day every day, so I'm hoping to see some progress within the coming month(s). Patience is key for this! Also, I went home to visit my family last weekend and my mom took me to get a PEDICURE!!! It was my first pedicure since I was TEN YEARS OLD. So basically my first real pedicure in a decade. I can't even explain how excited I was/still am!!! The lady went extremely gentle on my left foot, so there was absolutely no discomfort at all. My left foot is SOO much more sensitive than my right foot, so when she scrubbed my left foot I nearly fell off the chair it tickled so much :p
The boot!
It's the same length! So pretty!
It likes to hide behind the third toe...and there's the scar! Not too bad.
Perspective of just how low it sits compared to the rest. Ridiculous!
