Hi Bugs, "Crash" checking in..LOL!!.....

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Hi Bugs, "Crash" checking in..LOL!!.....
10
Sat, 04-26-2003 - 8:31pm
Thank you for all your wonderfun caring messages, emails, ecards, and for caring for me. I love you Bugs, you're the best!!

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)

Hugs,

..

Avatar for emty_nstr
Community Leader
Registered: 05-25-1999
Remember Susie Dakota? She has such pain that she has to take drugs and when I talk to her I know when she has just had some her typing gets a little funny too....lol....

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

Avatar for krsecond3
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
It must have been Dee. I would never suggest "fat-free" (lol). What a scarey thought of your falling. You were so wise to have that phone attached to you. Your next several weeks sound quite intense with therapy and I will understand if you don't have time for a lot of posting. Are you still going to babysit at all? Is Scott old enough to babysit Grandma? Rest and try to be comfortable. Kathey
Kathey
Avatar for 19strawberry50
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
I just want to say, prayers are still going up for your speedy recovery and not to get too dependent on pain killers! After my histerectomy. I was suppose to take them, they made me so doppy that it was a waste of money, I had to flush them! The teens were still with me at that time, so wanted to keep my wits about me! They were all I had to help me out, and they could not do so, because of going to school. I had to be out of work then for a month! Thylenol, is what I used for the pain! I'm glad you are back here! Take it easy my friend! SusieK
SusieBirdy.gif picture by queenymom52
Avatar for blueyz_13_2000
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
OMG!! Slow down there Crash! I can't believe you fell out of your chair! Dear Lord! Was Shelby there to lick your face?? Girlfriend, please take of yourself....you and that "durned" fan!! LOL

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

Photobucket
iVillage Member
Registered: 09-16-1999
Susie, please be careful! Now I'm worried about you. I'm so glad you had a way to call your family over to help you. That is scary to think of you falling like that.

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

Photobucket
Avatar for hope_bou
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Susie- you certainly know what they did to your foot. You also seem in control of the situation. Sorry about the pain, but it will get better. It takes courage to have this kind of surgery, but it takes more guts to have fat/sugar free chocolate when in pain. Kudos to you. Hope you have a good night.

Hug

Hope

Hug Hope
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Good Morning Susie...that was quite the surgery that he did on your foot. Do be careful with that wheelchair, glad you had that phone with you. Enjoy your cholocate when you get it...

Keeping you in my prayers...

Hugs...Pab

Pab

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-05-1999
Susie

Please check your e-mail later today.

Thanks.

F.

 

Avatar for granh
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Susie, Susie, Susie, please be careful. We don't want another hospital stay!!! Glad to hear that you'll have plenty of help. Take care of yourself. Hugs Lynda
Avatar for kacee2002
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Oh Susie, please be careful! Good thinking on having your phone with you. After my DSiL fell outside in her yard last year breaking her ankle and having to crawl to her house in great pain to get to a phone, I have started carrying mine with me ouside especially if I am going up and down ladders washing windows or something. I try to remember to always take it. I have no close neighbors. So nice that DD is close by. Please take care.(((hugs))) KaCee

Poof!!! I'm gone!!

KaCee