I have made progress. One week post op, I no longer have to crawl up the stairs and slide down them, I can limp! That feels like a big deal to me! I stayed home from church on Sunday because I didn't think it would work to have my foot propped up high enough to not hurt while modestly wearing a dress. When Miriam heard I wasn't going to church, she generously said, "Do you think you'll need someone to stay home and take care of you?" Nice try Miriam! (She went to church.)
I've discovered that while my foot hurts something crazy if it's down by the floor for any length of time, putting my leg on the counter like a ballerina stretching at the ballet bar allows me to do things in the kitchen without too much pain. Important things like making smoothies, doing dishes, cooking. It absolutely drives me nuts to walk into the kitchen and see every surface covered with things and dishes. I tried to hang out in the living room where I can't see the kitchen as much as possible. But, each time I went into the kitchen, Yikes! Putting my leg up on the counter let me get the dishes washed and the counter cleaned.
Why am I cooking? Let me start by saying I'm so thankful that Dode is willing to make food for me. I eat very differently from him and most of the things I eat he doesn't even consider edible. The first time he made me my hot cereal for breakfast, he had a hard time locating all the ingredients (hot cereal and walnuts in jars in the freezer, cinnamon in the cupboard, bananas on the counter, pears on the microwave in a bowl, dates (which he didn't even know what they looked like) in the fruit drawer, rice milk in the fridge. He carefully sliced and diced everything just right and finally presented me with my breakfast, which had gone cold a while ago. I can whip the same meal up in less than five minutes because I've done it so many times. It's so much easier for me to do it myself that I feel bad to have him do it. With a foot up on the counter and a somewhat willing helper, I can get it done a lot quicker.
The first time the kids saw me with my leg stretched out along the counter, they were pretty impressed with my flexibility. Miriam told me I looked like a ballerina. The big problem with the leg on the counter solution is that I'm pretty much stuck in one place. I've tried using a child to fetch things for me but it's an exercise in patience on both ends. They can't find things right in front of them and I know I could quickly grab it in half a second.
I decided I was healed enough to make dinner Monday night. We usually have dinner on the table within 10 minutes of Dode getting home from work. I decided it was time to get back to the routine while Dode was at work (his first day back since my surgery). I felt bad to think he'd be getting home from work and have to get right to making us a dinner. I knew I could help out and make an easy meal. My foot up trick worked but soon I realized that although I can stand and cook with my foot propped up, assembling the various ingredients requires a lot of walking around. By the time I'd made dinner and we'd eaten, my foot was aching and I was sitting on the couch, foot in the air, hugging myself tightly while waiting for the pain killer to start working. Do you think Dode was pleased that his loving wife made him a great dinner? Nope! He said, "My first day back at work and already you can't behave yourself." I've already assigned the rest of the week's dinners out to the kids.
I was going to ask one of the boys to take my photo Monday night while I was cooking but I haven't had a shower/bath in five days and I'd just looked at myself in the bathroom mirror and noticed that I'd been wearing my v-neck t-shirt backwards all day. No wonder it wasn't fitting right! Must be the pain pills that are making me a bit loopy.
I sure walk like a drunken sailor. My left foot is in a fancy foam shoe with a 2" heel. I walk with just the heel touching. My right foot is bare. In order to have a somewhat even gait, I have to walk on my left heel and right front toes. It doesn't take much for me to loose my balance and teeter a bit before regaining it. The worst part about being up and having my foot start to hurt is that walking becomes more and more painful. There have been quite a few times when I've resorted to getting around by jumping on my right foot just to keep my left foot from touching! By the time I'm healed I'm going to have buns of steel on the right side and be able to kick high like a Rockette on the left!
I'll be happy when getting clean is as simple as stepping into a shower. Currently I have to take a bath and it takes Dode's help to pivot myself in and out of the tub while keeping my foot high and dry. Quite a production and puts us both out of commission in the bathroom, leaving William to ransack the house and fight with the kids.
Doing the dishes
dressed up (a blouse for the 1st time in a week!)
and ready to head to the doctor's office
I had my one week post-op visit on Tuesday. Sharon was nice enough to drive me there since I'm still on pain killers and I'm not sure that I could drive very well with my foot sticking out the window to keep it elevated! I felt like such a big baby. The point of the visit was to change the bandage and let the doctor get a look at how it's healing. Before unwrapping my foot, the nurse told me to tell her if I started feeling funny and she'd tip me back in the chair. She unwrapped the many layers of bandage, me nervous the entire time that it would hurt and we'd get to a layer where the scab was stuck to the gauze. She made it down to my skin just fine and left to get the doctor. I looked at my foot, bruised all over, swollen, with a nice scar with lovely black stitches along it and my tummy started going sideways and I started sweating like crazy. I was ready to have that chair tipped back! I grabbed a magazine from the magazine rack and began frantically fanning myself while willing myself to calm down and relax. Intellectually I felt like an idiot because nothing was really hurting but my body way freaking out and I had no way to stop it. The doctor came in to examine my foot. By then my face had gone all tingly and I was sure my lips had lost all their color. He told me everything looked great and let the nurse bandage me back up. I stopped in the bathroom on my way back to the waiting room, took a bunch of deep breaths and splashed my face with water. I sure hope I can handle myself better next week, when the stitches come out.
Sheri came over this morning to pick up a reluctant Miriam and take her for school. She'd been claiming she didn't feel good when it was time to get ready for school but after a while I could tell that there was nothing wrong with her. Sheri said it sure brought back memories of when I was on bedrest with Isaac when she walked in to the living room and saw me on the couch with eveything arranged around me (books, computer, food ,blanket). At least I know I won't be using my cozy nest as long this time. (I was on bedrest with Isaac for months!)
One week out and still a ways to go. I hate all the hassle of healing but I had gotten to the point where I had to do something. I'm sure looking forward to getting back to exercising and running pain free (at least foot pain free!).
The good new is that for all your gimping around, you looked great!
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