Ten weeks in

The Maples - 19th Line

Thanksgiving weekend has come and gone and I was reminded once again how much I have to be thankful for. I spent some quality time with family, ate a whole lotta food, and went for a nice drive with my love. Dufferin County looks great at this time of year - the county looks great at other times too but I'm not thankful for that at the moment. :-)

I had my final follow up appointment today - and the first with the actual surgeon - for the triple arthrodesis on the right foot. I wasn't sure if I'd get a stern rebuke for not wearing the air cast, but it played a part in my leg and knee pain, so I took a chance and went in wearing crocs. No warning ensued. Dr Stevens reviewed my new x-ray images and said it all looked great. The incision wound is healing well even though there is still some scabbing. He jiggled the foot in several directions and was pleased by how firm it felt - and pretty impressed with his own handiwork. I asked about physiotherapy or whether he would recommend a knee brace to combat the issues I encountered last week. He said I didn't really need either. He recommended extra anti inflammatory drugs as needed and a stationary cycling regimen. There is no further follow up appointment for the right foot.

Dr Stevens was proud of his work

I then asked if it was time to start talking about the surgery on the left foot. He had forgotten that I was getting both done, but agreed that it was necessary after doing the foot jiggle test there. I reminded him about the bunion and he made another note on the chart. The next surgery isn't booked yet, but he is recommending a longer wait. He initially said three months between surgeries, but now he said he'd wait till the new year. In some ways that adds some logistical hurdles but in others it makes things easier. The total time to recovery will be longer than I had anticipated but my wife and I will get some reprieve in between.

And we can celebrate Christmas in a less gimpy fashion.