5:30 AM
Wake up, shower, and get dressed. The kids are already at grandma's house so we don't have to worry about waking them up and getting them ready too. The hospital is only 20 miles away, so we don't have to be up too early. The pre-admission nurse told me to wear loose clothing that will fit over the bandages. A t-shirt and basketball shorts it is.
6:30 AM
We arrived at TOSH (The Specialty Orthopedic Hospital) and checked in at the front desk. After a few minutes of waiting, a nurse took me to a small room with a bed, bathroom, and monitoring devices. I was impressed some of the technology the hospital used and how clean and professional everything is. That may be an advantage to a specialized hospital rather than a full hospital. The temperature reading device was a small hand-held type with a sensor in the end. The nurse rolled it over the side of my face and the temperature was appeared on its screen. I'll have to figure out what it was.
After recording all my vitals and receiving an IV, the anesthesiologist came in and explained the drugs he would be using. He said it would be administered through the IV and the oxygen breathing mask. Most other peroneal repairs I've read about a nerve block was placed behind the knee. I'm okay with no extra needles.
Waiting to go into the OR with my new hat.
A few minutes later the surgeon came in to review the procedure, and recovery with my wife and me. He is an orthopedic surgeon that focuses on feet and ankles. One of the reasons I selected him to be my doctor. He said it would only take an hour, and they would remove the damaged sections of the tendon and sew it back together. We discussed the possibility of cutting a ligament that helps to hold the peroneal tendons behind the ankle in order to make the repair. This would mean a longer recovery time. He also said he would only make an incision as big as he needed to. He only wanted to cut a few millimeters beyond both ends of the damaged tendon. Depending on what was done during the surgery will determine if I am put in a cast, splint, or a cam walking boot and the transition to other walking aids throughout recovery.
7:30 AM
The anesthesiologist came back to my room and took me to the OR. With out my contacts or glasses I can't see any detail, just blurred masses of color. I couldn't tell what anything looked like. It was about 15-20ยบ F colder in the OR than the rest of the hospital. I climbed onto the lowered operating bed while the nurse wrapped me in warm blankets. I remember the oxygen mask going over my nose and mouth and being told to take some deep breaths. The ceiling tiles began to swirl and blend together. I was out.
8:30 AM
The surgeon found my wife in the waiting room and told her everything went well. He only had to make an incision a few inches long. Luckily, the tear was in a location that did not required the ligament to be cut and sewn back in place too. This is good news for me. I don't want the recovery to be any longer than it has to be. Some time before 9:00 am I regained consciousness.
9:00 AM
When I woke up, my eyes opened slowly. I didn't feel tired, groggy, nauseated or have a sore throat. Most importantly, I was not in any pain. The constant sharp stabbing behind my ankle was finally gone! Mostly all the strong meds are to blame, but I'll take it. My sinuses were even clear. I have had a minor cold since Saturday night. Once a child gets a cold in our family it usually gets passed on to everyone at some point. The nurse rolled me into the recovery room were my wife would soon join me.
My foot was wrapped in bandages with a splint. Hopefully this means a quicker recovery time. They reviewed my pain medications with my wife and said I could leave after they monitored me for about an hour while the anesthesia wore off. They wanted to make sure there was no nausea and the pain was manageable. The nurse asked if I needed any pain meds, but I declined. I could feel my toes and some some pressure from the splint and bandages, but felt little to no pain.
10:00 AM
I will be non-weight bearing on my left foot for the next two weeks. We live in a split level home, so too avoid using the stairs as much as possible I set up my living/sleeping area on the couch downstairs. I have never used crutches before. A physical therapist came by to teach me how to distribute my weight and the best ways to get up and down stairs. He then hooked me up to a harness and had me practice walking up and a hall. I also had to go up and down a step he brought with him. I didn't think it would have been too hard to figure out. I never realized the hands should take most of the weight on the grip and the armpit pads are really just to stabilize and keep the crutch in place while swinging your leg forward.
Waiting for the physical therapist and to go home.
10:30 AM
I'm on my way home. A nurse helped me into a wheelchair while my wife went for the car. My prescriptions were filled at the pharmacy there, so we didn't have to stop on the way home. I was prescribed 800 mg of ibuprofen three times a day to reduce the swelling, baby aspirin once a day to reduce blood clots, and 5 mg oxycontin every three hours as needed for pain.
Home
I thought I would sleep more and be in constant pain. I haven't slept yet and have only take one of the pain pills. It is only 3:00 pm and I don't know how I'm going to make it through theses next two weeks of elevating my foot and being non-weight bearing. I feel like I need to be up doing something around the house or playing with the kids. I am grateful for my sick (head cold) and pregnant wife that is still willing to take care of me and the rest of the family. She is amazing.
4 weeks after surgery (9/16/13).
5 weeks after surgery (9/23/13).
6 weeks after surgery (9/30/13).
7 weeks after surgery (10/7/2013). Feels more
8 weeks after surgery (10/14/2013). Swelling almost gone.
Week 9, I took these pictures just after doing
Week 10/11 (11/5/2013).
