OK, maybe not this great!

How many of you out there have had foot surgery? What was the pain like afterwards? Do you remember how painful it was to put your foot down? The throbbing, burning pain when the blood rushes back into the area?

Well, I keep waiting for that pain and although I may get little tiny glimmers of it, nothing full blown has happened. I actually had to count twice to make sure it really is only 3 days since my surgery to remove the neuroma from my left foot! (See my post, “Should I Sue?”) So in my musings on the couch, I keep wondering how it is that I feel so good. In fact, I have very little pain – only had to take Tylenol twice yesterday - and I’ve had nothing since.

I think the reason for this incredible difference has to do with two things my podiatrist did this time that my orthopedic surgeon didn’t do last year. And that’s made all the difference in my recovery so far.

First of all, I didn’t have general anesthesia – so no exhaustion that takes weeks to shake off. I sleep better and have more energy. The second difference is that I think my podiatrist really understands post-op care.

To minimize my pain post-operatively, he injected the surgical area with a lot of novacaine to provide 24 hour pain relief. Then he put me in a special orthotic which provides support and reduces post-op swelling. I didn’t get any of that from my orthopedic surgeon last year!

This boot is amazing. It tilts my foot back so that I walk on my heel only and no pressure is applied to the forefoot. It’s called a MaxTrax Walker and it looks like an open-toe ski boot with 5 velcro straps and it goes up to my mid-calf. It’s designed to be used post-operatively to reduce swelling and provide support. Last year I had one of those cheap wooden-soled post-op shoes that had one velcro strap – it was pretty useless.

So I’m thrilled that my podiatrist’s attention to detail has really made a huge difference so far. I have my first post-op visit on Friday and I actually can’t wait to talk to him and get his take on why things have gone so well. I’ll keep you posted.

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