Surviving Peroneal Tendon Surgery: Hopalong’s Tips

People have taken to calling me Hopalong.  Friends, colleagues, family – I should have seen it coming…

Anyhoo, after a quick visit to Dr Narramore’s office yesterday, the good news is that my foot is healing well.

It all started with two concerned emails to him.  I’m a bit of a surgery rookie and get performance anxiety pretty easily.  And not knowing what would be classified as normal, I was getting a little worried.

I think by that point they were more worried about me becoming high-maintenance, so they told me to come in for a cast change and for the doc to have a quick peek at the scar.

So after I made myself comfortable on the bed and he sawed off my cast (!!!!!)…

… our conversation went a little like this:

Doc:  So, I see that you have some concerns and that you have trouble sleeping?

Me:  Well, the sleeping’s not the issue.  But the scar burns, like, permanently, and there’s hectic pain overall.

Doc: Well… you had surgery two weeks ago…

Me: Yeah, but the pain went away and I waited until the point when you said I could put weight on my foot. <mumbling> and then I spring-cleaned the kitchen and rearranged my study.

Doc:  Say that again?!?!?!

Me <mumbling>: er… I spring-cleaned the kitchen and rearranged my study…. ?

Doc: I didn’t mean you could WALK! I meant you could start balancing LIGHTLY on your foot when you brush your teeth!

Da Husband:  HA! That’s what I said!

Me:  OK fine, I won’t do it again.  Anyway… GAARRGGGHHHHHH – what’s wrong with my FOOT?

Doc: There’s nothing wrong.  This is a fine-looking scar.  See? It’s healthy and you have remarkably little swelling.

Me:  BUT…  it looks… GROSS!

Doc: I promise you, I look at scars like these every day.  You are healing well.

<He may have actually said something about him being a doctor and me being, well, not.>

Anyway, he wrapped my foot in cotton wool again, put on a fresh cast and made me promise that I will keep my foot elevated and not put any weight on it until 7 June.

Jeezlike… I just wanted to be a little more mobile!

So, now that I’m in my third week post-surgery, I thought I’d share some more top tips to future Hopalongs.  Don’t make the same mistakes I have until now…

1. When the doc says “elevated and no weight put on it”, he means exactly that.  Preferably on the bed but the couch is good too.  Sitting at a desk, like I am now, is NOT good.  I’ll move along the couch just now… promise.
2. Foot down = swelling.  Foot movement = pain.  Walking on foot = swelling and pain.  It’s normal.  If it happens, you probably asked for it. Just don’t do it.
3. You are going to get bored.  And lonely.  And get cabin fever.  Take a chill pill.  The universe is trying to teach you to slow the hell down and stop being such a control freak. (Yes, even me.)
4. If you have the opportunity to work from home, like me, find a place that’s comfortable and where you can flop over for a power nap when needed.  I find I’m more productive at my desk (foot elevated on another chair) and will hobble to the couch for a quick nap when the pain killers kick in.
5. Keep Skype on so that you can chat to colleagues.
6. Make a to-do list, like you would at the office, and work through it.
7. Keep a little backpack with you to cart things around.  I carry everything from my multi-vitamins to pens to laptop cables and flash sticks – and my knitting needles and wool – in my backpack.
8. Take your multi-vitamins and try to maintain a healthy diet.  You’ll be sitting on your butt all day.  Try your best to not become a fat slob (I’m learning the hard way).
9. Good idea:  giving your housekeeper a shopping list and cash to keep the pantry stocked up.
10. Bad idea: Sneaking in a slab of chocolate, every time you make the above list.
11. If you have a bath, use it.  It’s the pits, I know (I’m a shower gal myself).  But make sure that you put everything you will need – shampoo, face wash, body wash, razor for single leg maintenance, etc – right next to you and within easy reach.
12. Learn how to get into the bath with one leg out BEFORE you need to do it the first time.
13. Include enough fibre in your diet and try to do some leg-raises and crunches while you’re still in bed in the morning. Anti-inflammatories and long-term inactivity aren’t a good combination.  #justsaying
14. If you have help, get her/him/them to sort out the cooking.  If you don’t, stock up on meals beforehand.
15. If you have kids, try to get back to some kind of routine.  I can’t do much for them at the moment, so my new routine is that they do their reading and homework revision on the couch with me when they get home.
16. And FINALLY, when you’re in the bath, try to focus on the job at hand.  Yesterday I had an unfortunate brainfart and I had to spend the next 30 minutes blow-drying the inside of my cast!

    

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