Update

So it's going on 5 days since my pins were removed and it's been great. I was walking around normally with the darco shoe up until yesterday. I bought some Champion sneakers at Target and went up full size. They're very comfortable and very cheaply priced which is good because there is no way I'll be able to wear them once my foot is no longer swollen. I wore them yesterday with my regular socks (of which I have quite the collection due to years of hiding my foot) and drove to lunch!

It felt so good to be able to drive again and I had no pain. I was nervous at first but my foot was fine so off we went! I walked around a lot, we went shopping afterwards and only got tired once we were waiting in the long line at the tea shop. I sat down for a little while our drinks were being prepared and then I was off walking around again. I'm walking around normally but with a slight limp once I'm tired. My foot didn't get as swollen as I thought it would so yay for that!

Here's a picture of my scar:

Yesterday I started wearing the ScarAway silicone sheet (the beige part) taped down with medical tape to keep in in place. I'm wearing it already as a preventative measure. The box says not to use on open wounds and although it appears pinkish, the middle part of the scar has been closed for weeks now. It was really stiff and I can already feel the silicone softening it. The pin holes don't hurt at all but I'm giving the top 2 more time to heal before I move the strip vertically & cover the entire scar.

So this is my last week before I return to work. My goodness these 11 weeks flew by quickly but I've got to say that cable, Netflix, and my laptop made things a lot easier to deal with. Not to mention the recliner I've been nesting in. And I'm still not used to the new look of my foot. I was trying on my flip flops by the mirror and I still can't believe that's my foot in the reflection. I'm so happy I did this. I can hardly believe I actually did it and went through surgery and everything else. I'm proud of myself for not bolting out of the doc's waiting room on my first appointment even though it was all I could think about. I was sitting there with all that doubt in my mind thinking "how could I be this self centered and consider SURGERY for something non-life threatening?". Luckily I got through it and dived right in anyway. It may not have been a life threatening condition but it was holding me back. I sat there and thought about how this past January I was invited to go to Miami at the end of July and how my excitement immediately turned into dread because I'd be worried the entire time about hiding my foot on that beautiful beach :(. My only gripe now is that it's blazing hot outside and I don't want to wear socks & sneakers while I'm out wearing cute outfits...but it's no big deal! It won't be for much longer anyway :) 

Thanks for following & have a great week!

Week 9

My bone stimulator finally arrived yesterday. It's light, portable and I have to wear it for 3 hours a day but I can do it in 60 minute increments. I can walk while wearing it too. I'm wearing it over the fixator right now. 

I had my appointment today. I was scheduled to have the ex-fix removed, however because it took so long for the bone stim. to arrive my doc said he would feel more comfortable removing it two weeks from now. To say that I was disappointed would be an understatement...on a positive note the new x-ray shows even more growth so I do find comfort in knowing that I did pretty good on my own. He just wants me to wear the bone stim. for at least 2 weeks before removal so that my metatarsal will be that much stronger. It makes sense. And at this point even though I'm barely winding down from the feeling of betrayal (LOL), I feel like what's another 2 weeks? I was supposed to be staying at the beach this weekend to celebrate but like they say: life is what happens when you're busy making other plans. Maybe I can still go and just use my cast cover ;)

Here's my x-ray:

My scab came completely off. It was really thick and deep where the 2 pins closest to my toes are. Also my toe is very straight (it almost looks jarring looking at it from the right side as the rest are my toes curve down while at rest) so I asked about it. The doc says I can start pushing it downward at the base of the toe to help  with that and I'll also have therapy once the fixator is off. So anyway here we go again with the waiting! At least this time around I already know my bone is doing great :D

Week 8

This past week has flown by. I've been walking around as normally as possible while wearing the draco shoe and yesterday I did a little walking at home without it. It's getting easier with practice but of course my foot gets a little swollen afterward. This weekend I went out without crutches! I had a nice lunch out on Saturday & Sunday and did a little bit of shopping! It was tiring but so worth it. I also spent a lot of time with friends; they're all so curious about the fixator but I don't show it to them because my scab makes it look worse than it feels (it's starting to come off on it's own finally!). 


My toe is still really straight even after having the brachytoe pin removed. It feels really stiff so I need to ask if therapy will help with that at my next appointment. Speaking of my next appointment, it is fast approaching. I'm set to have the fixator removed next week. I was a little nervous about it because it will be done in the office but now I'm ready to just get it out. Doing a little research on the removal process allowed me to get some peace of mind.


Per Wikipedia on external fixation: "Installation of the external fixator is performed in an operating room, normally under general anesthesia. Removal of the external frame and bolts usually requires special wrenches and can be done with no anesthesia in an office visit." 


This medical journal article shows that 95 out of 106 patients that had an ex-fix removed would do it again without anesthesia. Also, this youtube video shows an ex-fix being removed from the first metatarsal (it's not that graphic but be warned lol). In the video the patient says all she feels is pulling as her doctor turns the pins. This sounds promising, hopefully it won't be too bad  when I have it done ^__^.