Compression Socks


I have been logging my struggles with my surgery this summer. The last three weeks have been especially hard going back to teach. I wish I had known to get a compression sock. A compression sock keeps areas in your body from swelling and keeps blood flow going. They have them for legs and arms. I would have healed faster if I had gotten one as soon as they took the pins out. As it was, I swelled up massively every day and it got much worse when I started going back to work.

Now, here's the kicker, I know most of you that read this blog don't know me. One of my nicknames is Titanium White, after the oil/acrylic paint color. Why? When one of my best friends and I picked up a sorority little sister together we bought her the traditional stuff you decorate for them. One of these items was a wooden cutout of two big sisters holding a little sister's hand. At the time we were sharing the decorating and she painted this wooden cutout. She was an art minor and had taken painting, so she had the professional artist's acrylics. Our little sister was Hispanic so she used some burnt umber, yellow ochre, and titanium white to mix her skin tone. For herself she mixed some yellow ochre, cadmium red, and titanium white. For me she just used titanium white. See color chart below.
Yes, that's right. I'm blinding. So the "nude" compression sock is about ten times too dark for my leg. So in Texas, in SUMMER, I'm wearing pants (unless my boot is on). H-O-T! Literally.

Seriously, get a compression sock if you are going to have any type of invasive surgery.

Physical Therapy and Celebrex

I'm currently undergoing physical therapy for my reconstructive foot surgery I had this summer. I went the first week and my foot seemed to be doing fine. I was walking around last Saturday with no crutches in my boot. I was a little sore but that was it. Sunday during the second set of my routine something popped in my foot. Then the pain came. I couldn't walk without this burning pain. It took me a while to realize what it was.

I went into the surgery with peroneal tendonitis in my foot. Even after resting it all summer it didn't go away. As soon as I really got into exercising the foot, it came back with a vengeance. Since I'm also on Coumadin for the blood clot in my leg, I'm not "allowed" to take anything for the now inflamed tendons in my right foot.


We did an emergency trip to my surgeon and he said it was fine. Apparently to put in the first bone graph he had to seperate the peroneal longus and the peroneal brevis. The popping sound I heard and felt was the tendons popping back into place. No wonder it hurt like hell! He said the bones are doing great and put me in a real shoe to walk around with assistance from my crutches. He also gave me Celebrex. Then I had to call my "blood clot team" to see what the heck I was supposed to do now that I was on an anti-inflammatory. Good times.

Sore Muscles and Epsom Salt

I started Physical Therapy this week. If you've never been you should know that it is going to be hard and it is going to hurt. Why? You are using muscles that have been dormant for several weeks if not months.

I keep telling myself "Don't get impatient!" It took me 90 minutes to complete exercises for my foot that were 3 sets of ten - moving my foot up and down, side to side, clockwise and counter clockwise. Then I had to repeat it all using a theraband. Then I repeated it again with a board on the floor.
So what would take a normal person 15-30 minutes took 90. That should give you an idea about how stiff your joints, tendons, ligaments, and muscles are. In fact I have to do this at home (without the band and board) three times a day. I'm so sore in my foot and calf that I can barely walk. What do I say for soreness since I have a blood clot in my leg and can't get a massage?

Epsom Salt bath!

Warm water, pour in the Epsom Salt until it's salty to your taste and soak 30 minutes. You'll be looser and not as sore. Yes!

Foot Surgery Recovery Advice

1. Don't rush it.

For those of you who have been following the randomness of my blog, and the advice I feel may help others, I'm still in the process of recovery for my foot. I had an Evans Calcaneal Osteotomy, a Cotton Osteotomy, and Achilles Tendon Lengthening. Last Friday I had the pins that were stablizing my bone graphs removed. I was allowed to be weight bearing in a boot with help from crutches.

Now the, pardon the pun, crutch is that I go back to teaching August 12 and the school district I am employed with will not allow me to work on crutches or in a wheelchair. So I have been trying to get weight bearing ASAP. I started using a cane yesterday for a few hours (5) and will try to keep the same schedule today. Then I'm going to try to bump it up to six hours tomorrow. This is for short juants only. For instance, from the chair to the bathroom, bathroom to kitchen, chair to computer. The problem is after about 5 hrs of short trips the pain is there. My biggest advice for anyone experiencing foot surgery is not to rush it. I unfortunately do not have that option.