Hi Bugs, "Crash" checking in..LOL!!.....
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| Sat, 04-26-2003 - 8:31pm |
To answer some of your questions...yes, I did have PT lessons in the hospital on how to navigate my wheelchair, I had OT lessons too. I used a wheelchair after my first back surgery too and was quite adept at it, but all of that was in the hospital or in the rehab hospital and not in my home. It's different wheeling that thing around in tight corners and on carpet! I'm managing though.
Outpatient PT came to my home today to do an evaluation and she'll be back on Tuesday to get started with leg and also upper body strengthening exercizes. OT will be coming to my home on Monday to give me some pointers too. A home health care aid will be coming sometime to give me baths/showers. I think that may start on Monday.
Francine..I should be using the wheelchair AND walker for six to eight weeks. I am now using the walker too with holding the surgery foot up and hopping on the other foot. I don't hop well..LOL!! My back surgery took away a lot of my strength, but I'm doing okay.
Here's what they did...cut up the back of my foot/heel area and lengthened the Achillies tendon. Doc thought he'd put two plates in there, one on either side of the tendon; but found in surgery that he could hold it well with just a screw, so there's no plates there.
Then he cut a wedge from my arch up over the top of my foot. There were a couple of bones sticking down below my arch which he trimmed off. The long bones on the top of my foot had all grown together and fused themselves there. He broke them all apart, repositioned closer to where they should be, trimmed some, and screwed them together in a better position. He only needed to use three screws and did not have to use a plate as he'd originally thought he may have had to. This is a good thing because the plates would've made it "bulky". There was also a spur on the top of my foot and he scaled that off too.
So there you have the gory details, "interesting" huh?!! LOL!!
I am in a kind of splint brace now and wrapped with ace type of bandage over white cotton bandage. I will have this for two weeks. Next he'll remove those and take out the stitches. The swelling should be down by then too.
Next he'll put a plaster cast on up to just below my knee. There will be a series of three casts on over a four to six week span of time. After that the final cast will come off and he'll put a high boot type of walking cast on. Then I'll be able to get around much better. For now, I cannot put any weight at all on it.
I normally use a cane all the time, but now I cannot do that just yet til I get the walking boot on. For now I can only use the walker and wheelchair. The pain is under good control now with Percoset, but there still is pain. Each day will get a little better.
Pab and either Dee or Kathey, I think, mentioned that chocolate would help in my recovery. I agree whole heartedly and will get some sugar free, fat free hot French Vanilla hot chocolate in a little bit. Good suggestion!! Won't be quite like the MB fudge, but will still be good..LOL!!
For now I'm sleepy all the time and am resting in my recliner in front of the tv most of the time. That's a good thing too though to aid in healing. I had a big "Oops!!" today...
I fell out of my wheelchair!!! Oh my goodness, that was "interesting"!!
I was reaching up to turn on my ceiling fan wall switch and had forgotten to lock my wheels. The chair started tipping forward and rolling back away from me at the same time. As I slid down out of the chair, I was able to keep my head and lift my surgery foot. I wasn't hurt, everything seems to be okay. There was no way I was even going to attempt getting up myself. I have a phone 'pouch' that has a strap that I slip over my head and wear all the time cross chest style. I just took out my phone, called my DD, and she and my DSIL (of my other DD) came right away to help me up. She used to work as an assistant PT and he is in med school, so they knew how to get me up safely. So it was just another lesson to learn along my life's path..."Lock your wheels!!" LOL!!
So that's how my day went. My DD got my breakfast for me. I didn't get up in the middle of the night so I didn't need her. It made me feel more secure having her there with me though and was nice to get morning help too while trying to get a routine started. I'm looking forward to starting PT and OT next week, and all's well in my world.
I'm very tired not after typing this out, so I'm heading back to my recliner now. Hope you're all doing well and that if there's anything of great importance that I would want to know about, hope someone emails me about it. Take good care everyone and I hope the sun was shining in your parts of the world today. See you again briefly tomorrow.......
.......Hugs, Susie (I know there's a couple of typos here, but I think you can figure it out okay, too tired to fix them)


But for Heaven's sake be careful. And what ever you do don't go out in the street..you will mow someone down.....Do take care. I will be thinking of you while I am in the camper with the rain pouring down....that is what it is supposed to do all next week.
No be a good girl and get some rest.....Janet
I am amazed that you are sounding so well after such extensive surgery. Gotta love those drugs!
You'll be a "Dancin' Queen" in no time at all!
Love you and miss you....
Blu
Thanks for explaining your surgery. Wow, that is interesting what they did to you.
Now, please get some rest, and we will see you later. Love you, Suze.....BB
Hug
Hope
Keeping you in my prayers...
Hugs...Pab
Pab
Please check your e-mail later today.
Thanks.
F.
Poof!!! I'm gone!!
KaCee