Great post on financial aspect of the surgery Emma! Fortunately for me, I was already working (and had good insurance) when I needed surgery; so no insurance issues (I think, I did not get a bill yet!).
I had some different experiences than Emma post-surgery. I had taken the nerve block too which wore out after a day or so. I started taking Vicodin which is a pretty strong pain killer. Even then, I had to bear some moderate pain. I did not experience much nausea and did not throw up at anytime. I was able to get off the pain medication after a week.
I think my surgeon has a slightly different recovery plan than Emma's. After about two weeks, I was put in a hard cast (I found out that the thing I was in just after my surgery was a splint and not a cast). First, they cut through the splint and bandaging and looked at the surgical wound. I was myself pretty anxious to see how it looked like since I had woken up from the surgery all bandaged. I thought that my foot was slightly swollen and looked a little out of shape. My surgeon thought that the wound was healing well. Then, they removed the stitches (I had six of them) which was a little painful. After that, I was put in a hard cast (see the picture below).
The good thing about this is that, it is weight-bearing (there is a special cushion that is put at the bottom of the cast). It was pretty difficult to put weight on it or stand on the first day. The leg felt really weak and fragile. But after a few days, things started getting better. I am able to walk without a lot of pain now. I still can't walk for a long time but it is better than having to use crutches to move around.
I would have to wear this cast for about 4 weeks after which they are going to start physical therapy. For showering, I use a cast cover which you can find in any pharmacy. It protects the cast from getting wet. I think I am on my way to getting back to normal and will update this blog as soon as I reach my next milestone. Adios!
I had some different experiences than Emma post-surgery. I had taken the nerve block too which wore out after a day or so. I started taking Vicodin which is a pretty strong pain killer. Even then, I had to bear some moderate pain. I did not experience much nausea and did not throw up at anytime. I was able to get off the pain medication after a week.
I think my surgeon has a slightly different recovery plan than Emma's. After about two weeks, I was put in a hard cast (I found out that the thing I was in just after my surgery was a splint and not a cast). First, they cut through the splint and bandaging and looked at the surgical wound. I was myself pretty anxious to see how it looked like since I had woken up from the surgery all bandaged. I thought that my foot was slightly swollen and looked a little out of shape. My surgeon thought that the wound was healing well. Then, they removed the stitches (I had six of them) which was a little painful. After that, I was put in a hard cast (see the picture below).
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| Hard cast 2 weeks after surgery (I got to pick the color!) |
I would have to wear this cast for about 4 weeks after which they are going to start physical therapy. For showering, I use a cast cover which you can find in any pharmacy. It protects the cast from getting wet. I think I am on my way to getting back to normal and will update this blog as soon as I reach my next milestone. Adios!
Bhargav, thanks for the awesome post! I remember how much it hurt to pull out those stitches... Ouch! That is very cool that you are in a weight bearing hard cast! With my first surgery I was put into a hard cast (non-weightbearing) after being in a splint for awhile, but after my second surgery, I was very surprised to wake up in the hospital with a hard cast already on! Sadly I didn't get to choose the color or anything, but my first time around I choose green as well! Thanks for the update and I look forward to hearing more in the future!!
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