Day 7 - End of week one round up

I am delighted to say that exactly one week ago I had my double bunion surgery - whoop! I've officially made it through week one, which I wasn't sure I'd manage for the first few days. Still got a veeeery long way to go, but here are some of the things I've learned/observed during the first few weeks.

1. Expect it to be hard - I hadn't ever envisaged that not being able to walk would be difficult and it really took me by surprise.

2. It will hurt - but the pain will subside by around day 5. Don't get me wrong I do still get some pain, especially if I've been a little too long on the crutches and towards the end of the day, but my pain meds have reduced significantly over the past week.

3. Embrace the heel walkers - they are awful to begin with and very uncomfortable/painful. I was convinced I would crack all the bones in my feet by using them for the first few days, however once the pain subsides a little and you get a technique they are manageable.

4. In addition to the above - go careful on your heel walkers and don't overdo it. The main times that I have experienced pain from walking is when I've been trying to do something that I really shouldn't be, like attempting to carry a cup of tea and using a crutch one handed - it's not safe and if you damage yourself then you will feel awful -it's not worth it and you can easily lose your balance so take it steady.

5. Shower stool is a must - the one I bought is like a little bench and fits snugly in the bath so I can hang my legs over the side propped up on something, then I use the shower hose to wash my upper body with. For me, there is nothing like being clean and having washed hair to make you feel better and even though it takes AGES to get up the stairs, and get washed, it is so lovely and easy with the stool. Make sure you have someone to help with this though!!

This shower seat is great and has sucker pads on the bottom so it doesn't slide around. I ordered it from https://www.completecareshop.co.uk/bathing-aids/bath-seats/medeci-bath-seat-305mm

6. Get lots of food in - the night before surgery I spring cleaned the house, did all the laundry and did a HUGE food shop - this meant that my husband, whilst ferrying around doing everything else for me, had one less thing to worry about, and also meant I had all the things I like in house which you will want when you are feeling down in the dumps.

7. Have someone you trust to help you - I'm not going to lie, I have probably been a nightmare to live with this week, I've been emotional (up and mostly down), I've been indecisive, I've been in pain, I've been immobile and I've also wanted things done exactly how I like them (learning to let go of this one a little) - thankfully my husband agreed to love me no matter what on our wedding day so he sort of had to put up with it, but most people would've run for the hills and so it's really important to have someone you know will accept all the ups and downs you will experience - he has been an absolute pillar for me and I am so grateful.

8. Don't expect to do too much in the first week - I have books, a computer, an iPad, DVDs, Netflix, music, games - all sorts to entertain me - and yet for the first five days I literally stared at the wall as there was no energy in me. Most likely this was due to the pain medication - but just be aware this might happen and I'm pretty sure is ok.

9. Expect all sorts of weird feelings in your feet - I get them all the time, from twitching toes, to severe itching, burning, tingling, stabbing and shooting pains, tightness, stiffness - I've experienced everything. Now I haven't had any check ups yet, that won't happen for another few weeks, and being the anxious person I am, I've spent so much time looking up bunion surgery recovery and what's normal and what to expect etc. I think what I've observed is that generally there is no normal, and that providing the overall pain is going down in your feet, and you're not overdoing it then hopefully all should be fine.

10. Get some pilates experience beforehand - sitting around all day is really hard work, and can be really uncomfortable and make you stiff. I'm grateful I have a few ace stretches up my sleeve that I can call upon when needed, that doesn't affect my feet. The added control you get with your balance and strength is useful for heel walking too.

11. General fitness will help you - when I was in the hospital, the nurses were quite impressed with how I managed to manoeuvre myself off the bed and onto a wheelchair with my arms and not putting my feet down - I'm no gym-nut, and I'm usually just about at the higher end of the normal weight bracket, but the exercise and general healthy lifestyle I usually has did help me. I think I would find this more challenging if I was older, heavier or less fit.

12. Set up a good base which is as near to the toilet as possible and have lots of cushions around you. You will want to prop your feet up in all sorts of positions, and have cushions behind your back to support you so have plenty on hand to make sure you stay comfy. The only thing you will need frequent access to is the toilet so factor this in to the location of where you are going to set up. Also advise to have this ready before you go into hospital so that when you come back you can just flop - you won't feel great when you return home so this was nice to come back to.

13. Some useful items to have in advance are:

• a bed tray - useful for eating your meals so you don't have to get up to the table every time
• wheelchair - only used once this week, but necessary anytime you want to go out of the house really (crutches will take far too long and hurt)
• comfy clothes - I went shopping and bought some new pyjamas, new hoodies, tracksuit bottoms and baggy sports shorts as I wanted to make sure I was super comfy whilst recovering. The boots will be clunky so getting clothes on and off is quite tricky so make sure any trouser/pant style clothes have wide foot holes. 

That list ended up being a lot longer than I thought it would be - whoops! But hopefully might help anyone planning for this sort of procedure in the future. 

Little update from today - my family have all been on at me to get out of the house this week, so ended up rolling down (literally) to my parents' house this evening to eat dinner. They only live a few houses down the road so it wasn't far - it was nice to sit in the garden and get some fresh air and see the sun for a bit. I didn't manage it for too long and quite fancied getting back to my comfort zone - but was still a step in the right direction to moving around

Out and about in my wheelchair