At this stage I am winding down on my distraction. To be honest I didn't think I would keep going through this past weekend because of the pain but I did. I kept thinking that I've already gone his far....might as well get the exact length I want! So today might be my last day to turn the screw depending on how my brachy toe looks at the end of today. My 4th followup appointment was at 27 days post op. They unwrapped my dressings and took xrays. The gap is almost 2cm long! The doc said everything looked perfect and said he was still going to leave in the brachytoe pin. He said they were gonna order my bone stimulator now and that I should start putting weight on my foot! I tried a little bit today but it's gonna take me a little bit to get the hang of it :)
My foot looks pretty bruised but it's because of all the distracting and stretching. This picture is at 18 mm. Almost done!
Awesome progress!!! I just read all of your threads and I am so happy for you. I am now nervously awaiting my turn. Did you work at all during this recovery period? If not could you have imagined working during the time?
ReplyDeleteThanks so much! I have not worked at all since the day of surgery; my doc requested for me to be out 12 weeks and fortunately I was approved for the entire length of time at my job (I'll be using my short term disability insurance for income). I haven't been able to go back to work because of the constant need to have my foot raised above heart-level to avoid swelling. When is your surgery scheduled? Were you able to get time off?
ReplyDeleteMy surgery is scheduled for this Thursday morning. My doc said I shouldn't need any more than 2 weeks off since I have a sit down job. I hope that is true!
ReplyDeleteWow that's amazing! I'm sure you'll be fine since you won't be turning a screw :)
ReplyDeleteYou look great! I just found your blog today, I have one too! It is so nice to see more of these, I think they are so helpful tonpeople considering the surgery. I am in Austin, where are you? Do you know how much longer you will have the fixator in?
ReplyDeleteThanks! I'm in Houston. I'm not sure how much longer I'll need I'm hoping it'll be off by July. How about you? How are you feeling? I'm so glad I'm done with turning the screw!
DeleteI'm feeling really good, just ready to get this thing off! I was also so glad to be done turning, although I have an issue with a short toe bone also, which means I'll need an implant as well, which will be put in when the fixator is removed. I go back to the doctor on Monday. I noticed you mentioned getting a bone stimulator. Do you know how your doc was able to make that happen so soon? From what I understand, these are not easy to get.
DeleteI know what you mean! It makes me so anxious. Do you know when your fixator be removed? Will the implant be artificial or bone graft?
ReplyDeleteI went to the doc today and his staff is still working on getting the bone stim approved. They advised me to call my insurance and push them for approval. I will be doing this tomorrow to see what the hold up is. I know they'll probably give me that whole 90 day excuse so I'll be prepared ;)
I'm hoping that when I go back on Monday that I'll find out when I can get the fixator removed. The implant isn't exactly like the full implant used in the metatarsal, it is a small replacement joint that will give extra length to my toe. Good luck today!
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