A Little Over A Month Later..

I haven't updated in a while because I forgot my email.. Silly me! Anyway, this is where I stand a little bit over a month later.

Day 12

The swelling has gone down a little and at this point, I'm just applying neosporin on the incisions and wrapping them. I'm a little skeptical about my second toe bending to the left. Since I didn't have pins in my toes, I'm assuming it may be possible for them to bend while they're still healing. I have an appointment tomorrow and I plan to express my concerns with the doctor.

On another note, my toes are feeling good. I try to bend them everyday and I'm slowly gaining more movement in my toes.

Before And After Pics

I wasn't going to post the before picture because I'm a bit embarrassed but I feel like this blog would be way more effective if readers saw how significant the changes are.

BEFORE:

 

AFTER (11 Days Later): 

Day 10: Goodbye stitches!

The last 3 days haven't been so bad. Little to no pain, aside from the fact that my boyfriend accidentally bumped my toe! OH MY GOODNESS! The throbbing subsided after about 15 minutes. The annoyance has been killing me. I'm dying to get this over with and I really want to do my other foot as soon as yesterday.

Today, Day 10, I went in to get my sutures removed. Once she started, it was extremely painful. The doctor suggested if it was too painful, she can inject Lidocaine to numb my toes. I agreed. I knew I would feel a slight pinch but I was unprepared for how painful it would be! The moment she injected the Lidocaine, I screamed in pain! I immediately started crying, I couldn't hold my tears. The burning sensation was unexplainable. I began to wonder if that's what it feels like to be injected with venom! She injected a dosage per toe and asked if I wanted her to keep going. HELL NO! Had I known it would hurt so terribly, I would have said HELL to the NO to the anesthesia and tolerated the removal of the stitches! I was crying and laughing at the same time!

After that was over, I saw how beautiful my toes are starting to look! They're still swollen and a bit crooked. I bought "Flex-Tastic" for my toes. They're meant to straighten and separate and "restore flexibility". I can't use them just yet but I'm definitely looking forward to trying them out!

MY TOESIES! 

Day 6

I went to the doctor's to have the dressing changed. It didn't hurt at all, I thought the bandages would be stuck to the stitches but they weren't. My doctor was PISSED when she found out I was walking without my crutches. She said its way too soon and even though I feel like I could walk on my own, my body may be deceptive. I guess. So it's back to crutches I go! WOMP WOMP!

I was praying she would take out the stitches today but she promised she'll take them out in 4 days. On the other hand, I finally saw my toes!! I'm so excited!!

My toes are significantly shorter and straighter. They're still a bit stiff, I've been trying to bend them because I don't want them to be stiff forever! (I'm dramatic.)

 

She applied ointment on the incisions and wrapped them again. My foot feels SO MUCH BETTER! The ace band isn't so tight now. Also, if you look close enough, it looks like my second toe has a waistline! HAHA, just a bit of humor.

Days 3-5

I'm just DYING to take this crap off my foot! I'm feeling slight pain, mainly from the stitches. I think they're stuck to the bandages. On a scale from 1-10, I would give it a 2.5-3. I haven't used my crutches in 2 days. I walk with the surgical boot but I still try not to stay on my feet for long.

I'm going to the doctor's office tomorrow to change the dressing; my doctor told me depending on how the incisions look, she might even remove the stitches. I'm PRAYING that she takes them out. I feel like I'm healing very well compared to many blogs I've read that are also sharing their experience and recovery.

I'm so grateful my doctor did not allow me to have both feet done. I have no idea how I'd be able to deal. The only complaints I have so far is that I have come down with a serious case of cabin fever. I'm a homebody but this is too much! And ladies, if being emotional is one of your PMS symptoms, this might affect you!!! LOL. I cried the other night because I didn't know what to do with myself.

Day 2

I slept well last night and when I woke up this morning, I wasn't in that much pain. It still hurts when I lower my foot and blood rushes to it. It's not excruciating though. I didn't have to take any pain medication all day today. For the most part, I only have an annoying sting that happens randomly which is more annoying than painful. I am walking with only one crutch and only applying weight on my heels.

I'm starting to get real frustrated with the fact that I can't go out and explore. It's the summer and I would love to be soaking up some sun. I spent the entire day watching reruns of "Property Virgins". Tonight, I'm not going to take any meds before going to bed. I don't want to start depending on pain medication.

I've been staring at my toes all day. I can't wait to see how they look. The suspense is killing me!

Day 1

I woke up in a lot of pain! It was even more painful once I put my foot down and blood rushed to my feet as I made my way to the bathroom. I would rate the pain a 6 out of 10. Once I was back in bed and I elevated my foot, it didn't feel so bad. After I had breakfast and took a pain killer, I didn't feel anything! I laid in bed and watched some movies with my little brother (he's been a great little helper!).

One thing the doctors tell people who have this surgery is NOT TO SHOWER! Getting your foot wet while the incisions are still fresh and healing is a NO NO! However, I wasn't about to go 2 weeks without showering. NOPE! I immediately began to think of ways I can improvise. I ended up sitting on an upside down bucket with my foot outside of the shower and elevated on a chair. With that being said, I was able to shower. It was a bit awkward but its better than a bed bath!

I discovered that I can place a little bit of weight on my heel which made it easier for me to use the crutches and get around my apartment. I was scared at first but with the surgical boot, I'm not applying all the pressure directly on my foot. I was ecstatic! I went the entire day with little to no pain. I spent the day elevating my foot, and icing my toes and ankles every 20-30 minutes.

I'm sooooo curious to see what my toes look like!

 

 

I was bored and gave myself a pedi. It felt weird only doing one foot though lol. By the way, in 3 weeks, I will be getting the surgery on my other foot. I'm a brave woman, I know!

Post-Op (Same Day of Surgery)

Day of the Surgery

June 15, 2012. I wasn't nervous. I wasn't scared. Just anxious.

My first surgery was on my left foot, on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th toes. I was knocked out for most of the surgery. I remember hearing the doctors' conversation about what is good and what is evil. It was actually a very interesting topic, I wish I could have participated but I was too drugged up lol.

When the surgery was over, they brought me to the recovery room for about an hour, to make sure everything was okay with me. At this point, I was very alert and I didn't feel a thing yet. I was given crutches and using them after the surgery was a bit difficult. Even though I wasn't feeling any pain, I didn't want to cause damage because Lord knows I'm a HUGE klutz! The ride home wasn't too bad until the anesthesia started to wear off and I began to feel my toes stinging. Luckily, we were on our way to pick up the medication.

To get to my apartment, I need to go up two and a half flights of stairs and it took me about 20 minutes. I ended up sitting on the stairs and using my legs to push me up. After that, I laid in my bed, elevated my foot, popped some meds, a took a little nap. For the rest of the day, the pain wasn't so bad. It was just stinging a bit.

I can already tell that the worst part about this recovery will have to be getting around on the crutches. I slept well that night, I was just uncomfortable because I'm so used to sleeping on my stomach..

A Couple Miles in My Shoes on the Road to Recovery..

After years of hiding my toes and being uncomfortable at the beach and at the pool and all throughout the summer, I've finally decided to go through with this surgery. I've always had long toes but years of wearing tight shoes has taken it's toll on my toes.

I don't remember being self conscious about my feet until high school. I began to notice that my toes were unattractive when I would compare them to other girls' toes. I always wanted cute little toes. For some odd reason, I always ended up dating men with foot fetishes and having to explain my insecurity about my feet and lying about how much I hate people touching my feet has been mortifying.

Anywho, I hope I can be of help and support of people who are considering or have already gotten the surgery.