*Right: 3 week surgery anniversary*
*Left: 23 week surgery anniversary*
Today marks week 3, meaning I have survived a full week in my boot, and that I am halfway done with the NWB stage!
On Friday, my dad left, so I am on my own now, trying to survive until I can walk and drive again.
I have been completely drug free since Sunday. It was hard to cut out the nightly Percocet, since it also knocks me out so that I don't notice how uncomfortable it is to sleep with my legs elevated, and with my right foot in a boot. I haven't had good sleep the last few nights, but I am determined to stay drug free.
I feel good, my foot doesn't bother me much as long as I keep it elevated. It is still rough dealing with my incisions. I change the gauze dressing on them 1-2 times per day. No bleeding, they just leak a clear fluid with a slight brown tint, especially when my foot swells from not being elevated. It doesn't appear that they are going to scab as bad as my left foot incisions did when trapped under a cast, since I can wash them daily. The steri-strips have survived a whole week. I thought they might fall off by now, but they are still hanging on.
The wrench in the plan has been a skin infection that I got from shaving my left leg before my post-op appointment last Monday. Since I haven't shaved in a while and used a razor that hasn't been used for a few weeks, my leg got infected with bacteria. Just little bumps that started on my left leg, but since my immune system is weakened, they spread all over my body. I went to the doctor to get it checked out, but it is nothing serious. The treatment is just to keep clean with soap and water, and change clothes, sheets, and towels often. I got the smart idea to wash with my surgical soap since it is anti-bacterial and anti-fungal. I have been washing with that 2 times per day for the last several days and luckily it is all clearing up. The problem is even though the bumps are pretty small and non-offensive looking, they itch!
I have been out of my apartment a few times since my dad left. Each time, I have chosen my walker as my mode of transportation. I put my right knee on it and use it as a scooter. I have been able to go a few blocks away from my building and have ridden public transportation with it. I try to do something adventurous, things I probably shouldn't be pushing myself to do, every couple of days to avoid feeling trapped by my injury.
I haven't been able to ride my road bike on its trainer much because of the difficulty I have mounting it with my left foot as my support foot. It requires me to hop on an approximately 2 ft high stool and then position myself on the seat. That jump is difficult with my new left foot. It was no problem for my pre-surgery right foot. I'll have to figure out something else to do for cardio. Probably just means more walker adventures are in my future. I also can't do all the single legged exercises that I used to do with my right, because I am not able to solidly or dependably balance on my left foot. I am pretty much stuck doing floor abs, pushups, functional training, and PT exercises. It really sucks, but at least I only have 3 more weeks of continued deterioration of the fitness I worked so hard to obtain. When this is all over, I have some serious work to do. I am certain I have lost every bit of the fitness gains that I have made in the last two years, everything since I decided to become an endurance athlete. Even everything that I gained from PT over the last 3.5 months. Both of my legs are devoid of muscle, and I have not 1 but 2 baby calves. So sad.
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Reflection
Another week closer to the PWB stage, to my dissertation defense, to my move, to my new job, and to my new life. Still staying positive, focusing intently on not letting this surgery get to me like the last one did.
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