Day 24 - Three week wound check (first view of feet!)

This afternoon I had my three week wound check, which also meant it was the first unveiling of my feet ☺️! Since the op my feet have been in the inch-thick bandages and I've not been able to remove these or get them wet - so I was really really excited about today's appointment and seeing the work my surgeon had done. I was also a little nervous as I've seen so many pictures of be-stitched feet on the internet and wasn't sure how well I would cope with the potential bloody wound.

First things first - the exciting bit - MY FEET! I'm so happy to see the transformation in the shape of my foot, especially my left foot. The left one was the one that looked the worst and had the most pronounced bunion, it also caused me the most grief in that area. The right foot had a much milder bunion but the big toe was permanently bent like it was flexing, so the change was more minimal in looking at it, but fingers crossed the real difference will be when I can finally walk.

Here is my before and after picture of my left foot: 

It looks more pronounced in socks!!

Here are both of my feet - sorry for the picture of the yucky looking nail, but you can see that the bottom looks like it is starting to grow back a little which is a positive sign so fingers crossed! 

So the unveiling was interesting. I was really nervous in the car on the way. I had read in places that it was potentially quite a painful experience having the bandages removed so I took some co-codamol about 15 minutes before arriving - BIG MISTAKE! I wouldn't say that you shouldn't take any painkillers at all, but really avoid anything that could lower your blood pressure or make you feel drowsy! I think it was the anticipation, or the nerves, but after he unveiled the first foot, I suddenly went really dizzy and felt like I was going to be sick any second. The nurse lay me back and got me some water and I just lay there for a few minutes until I thought I could cope with more unveiling. The nurse unveiled the second one and then round two happened, back to lying down, more water, another nurse came in to help (yay me!) - what was wrong with me? I never thought of myself as someone who struggled with medical stuff, I give blood regularly with no problems and I work in health so am surrounded by medical talk frequently - I just really struggled with this.

The next part of the appointment was to go through my range of motion exercises - this involved holding my foot and bending the big toe up and down several times. I was told to take the toe just past the point of pain and back. Oh my gosh this exercise is SO PAINFUL. I have to do this four times a day and I keep having to psych myself up to do it - not fun! However it's really important in order to restore flexibility in the joint and I love to dance and move around so this is important to me to work on!

Had a few more episodes of feeling dizzy during and after the motion exercises so they ended up wheeling me out just so I didn't pass out while standing. The nurse was fantastic and so understanding, I however felt like an idiot!

Since the appointment I unfortunately feel like I've taken a big step backwards in my mobility. It's now really difficult to walk in my boots, which I have to do for another three weeks, and is painful because of the pressure which has increased now there isn't lots of cushioning around them. So I'm back to using two crutches, going really slowly and not being able to carry things. I've also still not felt too good since the appointment, I keep feeling nauseous and have been quite down. I think I just got so overwhelmed which I wasn't expecting.

Another thing that has changed as a result of the appointment, I can now get my feet wet! I can't stand in the shower yet so will need to carry on using the stool, but it will be so nice to finally wash those feet, it's been such a long time.

All in all, whilst today wasn't quite as "Up" as I was expecting, it was great to get to the midway point and to finally see my feet. I now can't wait for the six week appointment and am looking forward to buying some good supportive trainers in the hope that when I walk out of the hospital, they will be on my feet and I can say goodbye to the sexy space shoes!!