Surgery Completed, Rehab Begins

11 days post op DFO. I was in the hospital for about 3 days and once I was able to go up and down the small staircase in the PT room, they discharged me. I am not going to blog about by hospital stay. It was a painful experience but the staff was fine and met my needs. It's a busy place but they know what they are doing there.

I came home sunday night. It was a 1 1/2 hour ride home and I was so stiff when I got home. I was tired and could barely make it up the stairs. The pain has been excruciating at times, nothing like I've ever felt before. I have to keep on top of taking the pain meds so I can get around and do my activities of daily living.  I stayed upstairs for a few days until the home PT worked with me with crutches to get me down the stairs. I was able to do that for Christmas morning and have been going up and down twice a day. I can't do it alone. I have carpeted stairs and no railing, so either the therapist or my husband have to help me.

The shower chair is a great thing to have as is the walker. I swore I would never use a walker but it really is much easier to use after having something like this. At times I think I can feel where the bone is broken and where the rod is, but it's probably in my mind! I don't have any restrictions, meaning I can bend at my waist and move my leg any way I want, just go by how painful it is. Well, it's painful alright! And I hear a lot of cracking and things moving in the leg. It's been realigned, so it's going to take a while for the alignment to take form. Sometimes when I stand and put weight on it, it wobbles, like the center or gravity is off, which it probably is. All this is normal according to the doctor. 

I was lucky enough to get a very good home physical therapist. She has rehabbed people that have had FOs before, mostly children, but at least she is familiar with the procedure. I only hope that when I go to out patient I have just as good of a therapist. So far no post op injuries or complications, fingers crossed!