It has been exactly eight days since I had an operation to fix a dislocated toe and straighten my big toe at the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS). The leg cast is horribly heavy that I can hardly get around my house. I have been confined to my family room and the kitchen. When I have enough strength to use the walker, I go to the kitchen to make coffee and prepare a light breakfast. I was instructed to follow the 80/20 routine. My leg has to be at the level of the heart 80% of the time.
I tried using the crutches to go downstairs but I fell and was not going to risk breaking my neck. In order to go upstairs I have to use my butt like little children, dragging this huge leg all the way up. By the time I reach the second floor, I am so exhausted that I have to struggle to get up and use the crutches to go to the bathroom, wash up and get ready for bed. Had I known it would be this horrible, I would not have gone through this. I just hope this is worth it! It was not such a minor procedure. The surgeon had to file away part of a huge bunion causing this problem, put a pin through the second toe, graft some bone from my heel, and make some incisions on the leg muscle. My left foot looks like a Halloween prop. I just hope it comes off next week and that they fit me with something I can actually carry around. I miss not being to walk outside. Now I have a much better understanding of what it means to feel trapped and helpless.
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