The original surgery, Codename: "Bunionectomy", was an outpatient procedure. I went home with the boot you see in the slideshow on the left. Wrapped very tightly and then secured into that boot. I stayed that way the entire first week, until my one week follow up with the podiatrist. I didn't even take off that boot, unless I just couldn't stand it and needed a few moments of relief. Relief?!? Well, other than the fact that the surgical site alone hurt like the dickens, I had blood blisters bulging out over my toes of my right foot. Yes, I said BULGING! When the doctor took off the bandages that first appointment, I so needed some better pain meds. I remember my husband holding my hand and asking me not to hit him. Apparently, I was trying to climb the invisible wall that was around the table I was lying upon. The doctor lanced the blisters that covered about 75% of the top of my right foot. It was excruciating. Then they bundled me up tightly again and sent me home to await the next appointment one week later.
A day or two before that 2nd appt., 2 weeks post-op, I had more blisters and when I lifted up the edge of my bandage and peeked at the blistered area on my big toe, I saw a darkening of the skin. I was so close to my appointment, and it was a weekend, that i just waited till my appointment and let the doctor know. I don't have the pictures from then, but boy were they taken! As the hubby said, it looked like a very professional panic. They determined that I needed to see wound care immediately and that they suspected that the top area of my big toe had turned necrotic. They worried about blood flow and they tried to figure out what I had done to make this happen. Please note that this was not on the incision site, which was on the side of my foot, but where the blood blisters had been on my toe. Wound Care worked with my foot to debride the necrotic tissue off my toe and surrounding areas (I will get those pictures!). The skin over most of my foot eventually sloughed off and regrew fresh, tender skin. The end result, after the debridement, was the photos on the slideshow to the right, almost 6 weeks post-bunionectomy. I was recommended to the Hyperbaric Treatment facility in Dallas, in hopes of accelerating the healing. Why? Well, by then end of the debridement, I had visible bones, tendons and ligaments. You know, those things that we know are there but we aren't supposed to see them? I didn't qualify, but was immediately referred to a plastic surgeon who had experience in wound care and reconstruction. Next Page, Please . . . |
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