2nd Post-Op: Day 33 after Cheilectomy

No Pain, No Gain

Pain is usually a warning signal--- our bodies telling us to slow down or stop an activity. My surgeon, Dr. Kessinger, confirmed today, though, that for my great progress to continue I must endure the pain of forcing my toe to the outer limits of its current range of motion. She said that if I'm not challenging the joint and nearly in tears, I'm not doing enough. I'm not fond of pain, but I guess I've been doing okay. It's been 4 1/2 weeks since the surgery, and she said that my toe function and range of motion is similar, on average, to patients after nine weeks. Celebration!

I also picked up some interesting and useful information from the nurse. I learned that the smaller joints in the body such as in the hands and feet take the longest time to heal. When I asked about the value of massaging vitamin E into the scar, she explained that vitamin E or Vaseline would be equally fine, because it's actually massaging the scar that helps to heal the suture line and minimize scaring. Finally, she informed me that sun is the enemy of scar healing; she urged me to wear sunscreen on my scar, treating my scar like a newborn with tender skin that must be protected from harmful rays.

Ah, if only my physical therapy exercises were as easy as putting on sunscreen!

Physical Therapy, Day 28 after Cheilectomy

Productive Pain?

Physical therapy is not for the faint of heart. It hurts! I learned this years ago while recovering from rotator cuff surgery. On Thursday, one day shy of four weeks since my foot surgery, my physical therapist friend, Melissa, grasped my foot with a vice-like grip and kneaded my muscles and bones and fascia and scar tissue for 45 minutes with force that left me grimacing and struggling not to moan. In a mistaken plea for advice, or perhaps sympathy, I asked if perhaps I should take a couple of Ibuprofen before the next visit, to which she promptly told me, with a distinctly unsympathetic twinkle, to "put your big girl panties on." Direct quote. Hmphhf! Clearly, pain is part of the process, but sympathy is not. I was shocked at the force with which she kneaded my incision line, as if working some really hard, old plasticine clay in an attempt to get it to loosen up. If I didn't trust her so much after years of successfully rehabilitating other body parts, I might have run screaming from the room. Evidently, sustained force is required to break up scar tissue. After 45 minutes of pinching, crushing, squeezing, wiggling, kneading, stretching... I stood up. Walked. And the shocking thing was, my gait was more normal than before. She didn't cause permanent damage, but actually made it better!

Big Toe Boogie & First Pedicure: Day 29 after Cheilectomy

Big Toe Wanna Dance!!

As I mentioned before, I'm hoping to return to my ballroom dance team as soon as possible. I've gained a lot of range of motion since my April 1st surgery, but my right toe is far behind my normal left toe. I need a lot more range of motion, and I also need to be able to load that joint. My new PT exercises seem to focus on this: applying weight appropriately as I roll forward from the ball of the foot to the big toe and actively push into the floor. Oh, how we take these simple movements for granted when everything just works.

Here I am in the passenger seat where I caught my big toe doing a boogie on the dashboard, flexing and extending like a champ. Of course, I still can't bend it up very far. I'm only four weeks into the recovery period, so I guess it's early still.

So here's my first ever dancing toe video: 15 seconds of cuteness. Yeah, I know, my toe has grown very narcissistic! Still, I thought folks out there considering this surgery--- or recovering from it--- would like to actually see another kindred toe in movement. Best wishes to you and your dancing toes!


First Pedicure  

Hot water, massage. a little pampering... What's not to love? Actually, not much. None of the foot scrubbing, massage, and manipulation was painful except at an area removed from the actual incision line. The painful area had been visibly bruised in the weeks following surgery, but the bruises are long gone. However, a tender area remains. It's evident that this foot underwent some serious trauma, and it's going to take a while to bounce back.

By the way, shown here is now my favorite sandal to wear. Comfy Birkenstocks protect the joint but also allow more motion than my other pair. Movement may not feel fantastic, but it's what the joint needs for recovery. Actually, at this point in time, my stride feels pretty good, as long as I don't race around. A slow to normal walk feels pretty dang normal. Nice! Now, the PT exercises are another story... Not nice.  Not.  Not nice... but necessary.