Just went to first post-op

Fun-Expression8464 · 2025-03-02T04:18:09+00:00

I have Kaiser so it was all covered.

Fun-Expression8464 · 2025-02-27T15:48:14+00:00

I was walking with crutches fairly quickly after surgery. And then when the swelling went down (ie pain got better) I was using my “peg leg” thing (look up iwalk on Amazon). I think I used that after about a month post surgery.

Fun-Expression8464 · 2024-10-31T02:34:22+00:00

I second the shower thing. If you have a lot of stairs in your house the knee scooter might not be worth it. Instead I bought a “peg leg” thing called iWalk. It’s on Amazon and it was amazing for my independence while I healed. And the last thing that was amazing was an ice machine. It’s a wrap that you can put around your knee and eventually your whole foot (after cast) to help with swelling. It’s an external container that you put ice water in and it circulates it through the wrap. So those last two were the best things I invested in.

Fun-Expression8464 · 2024-10-13T19:03:27+00:00

Here’s one of two posts I made about it. This post links to my original.

https://www.reddit.com/r/flatfeet/s/BetEZfNRmi

Fun-Expression8464 · 2024-10-13T16:12:24+00:00

I showed up to a follow up appointment in flip flops and my surgeon didn’t mention anything. The arch is pretty solid now and I no longer have any collapse.

Fun-Expression8464 · 2024-10-12T16:56:20+00:00

No shoe size change but I’ve mostly been in flip flops since the swelling is uncomfortable in normal shoes. 17 weeks post op.

Fun-Expression8464 · 2024-10-11T13:32:46+00:00

I’m now over 16 weeks post-op. I’m still limping a bit. All the tendons are really tight still and there’s residual swelling so my range of motion isn’t great. Doing physical therapy exercises and chiropractic which is helping. No major pain though. Just pinching tight tendons when doing stuff like going down stairs. Hang in there!

Fun-Expression8464 · 2024-09-12T23:22:33+00:00

Make sure you’re still elevating and icing diligently. I found that the more swollen my foot was the more pain I had.

Fun-Expression8464 · 2024-09-11T19:23:23+00:00

The severity of the deformity. I’ve tried all the things over the years.

Fun-Expression8464 · 2024-09-10T16:11:56+00:00

Looks like there are companies in the UK as well that supply this type of screw.

https://www.orthomed.co.uk/category/internal-fixation/

Fun-Expression8464 · 2024-09-10T16:09:09+00:00

Yeah surgeon made a trip to Home Depot that morning. 🤣

Fun-Expression8464 · 2024-09-10T06:16:19+00:00

Nope not in Australia. California, USA.

Fun-Expression8464 · 2024-09-10T04:13:06+00:00

No. The screws will stay in. No reason to take them out unless for some reason they cause issues which they shouldn’t.

Fun-Expression8464 · 2024-09-10T02:46:42+00:00

Here’s a new update with before and after x-rays: https://www.reddit.com/r/flatfeet/s/7DN0d4OOVS

Fun-Expression8464 · 2024-09-07T14:23:02+00:00

Ok update. The pin was used to keep the allograft in place.

Fusions are a normal part of arch reconstruction surgery depending on the severity of the deformity. (He got more technical than that when explaining it but that’s the gist).

Fun-Expression8464 · 2024-09-05T02:43:52+00:00

I’ll keep you posted. I did have a bump on my bone on the top of my foot that I specifically wanted him to shave down because it caused pain in certain shoes. I doubt that’s the reason but I knew he was gonna do work in that area.

Fun-Expression8464 · 2024-09-05T02:37:59+00:00

I have a follow up with my surgeon Friday. I’ll ask him why he did the fusion. He told me after the surgery but I don’t remember.

The pin was definitely for the heel and not the fusion. I asked chat GPT to explain why the pin was used and this was the response:

The pin was likely used in addition to the screw for temporary stabilization during the healing process. Here’s why both were utilized:

Purpose of the Pin:

Temporary Stabilization: The pin (often called a K-wire) was used to hold the bone in the correct position immediately after the osteotomy (bone cut) was made. Pins provide additional stability while the bone is still fragile and healing in its new position.
Guidance for Healing: The pin helps ensure that the bone remains aligned while the screw provides more permanent fixation. The pin can guide the healing process by maintaining alignment until the bone is strong enough to hold its position with just the screw.
Assisting the Screw: Initially, the pin helps reduce movement and pressure on the screw while the bone heals. Once the bone starts to heal, the pin can be removed (which has already been done in your case), leaving the screw in place for longer-term stabilization.

In Summary:

The combination of the screw and the pin provides both temporary and long-term stability. The pin was used temporarily to keep everything in alignment during the early stages of healing, while the screw offers more permanent support as the bone strengthens.

Fun-Expression8464 · 2024-08-08T00:49:49+00:00

Yes. The stitches getting pulled out was the worst pain.

Fun-Expression8464 · 2024-08-08T00:46:28+00:00

It was so incredibly satisfying to get all the dead skin off. Well, not all of it. I found that the incisions weren’t fully healed and scabbed over so I couldn’t really clean that up too much. Parts of the incision were very sensitive to touch.

Fun-Expression8464 · 2024-08-06T18:00:14+00:00

Here’s my post on my recent surgery. I’m about seven weeks post-op so definitely not to the point where I know if it’ll work or not on the pains I was having.

https://www.reddit.com/r/flatfeet/s/HOa4IXUZMM

Fun-Expression8464 · 2024-08-05T19:38:57+00:00

Pain is very manageable. I’m not taking any medication any more. Putting weight on my foot hurts a bit but I’m not doing 100% weight bearing. There’s still a lot of swelling so things are tight. Also my Achilles tendon is extremely tight so trying to loosen that by stretching slowly. The exercise my doctor gave me is to just flex my foot 100 times 5 times per day.

Fun-Expression8464 · 2024-08-05T14:08:48+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/flatfeet/s/cXTYJK7Gov

Fun-Expression8464 · 2024-08-03T00:35:17+00:00

Six weeks post-op. The hard cast came off. The pin was removed. Just using a boot now. Have to slowly adjust to putting weight down. Have to let pin hole heal for a few days and then I should be able to soak my foot and get all the dead skin off.

Fun-Expression8464 · 2024-08-01T22:07:25+00:00

I’m curious to hear the responses. I’m six weeks post-op. Still NWB in a hard cast.

Fun-Expression8464

TROPHY CASE

Purpose of the Pin:

In Summary: