Instructions . . .

Last night it occurred to me that I had thought through some aspects of the recovery period . . . Thanksgiving break would be perfect for a teacher to have foot surgery, right? And just a few weeks beyond that break would be another 2-week break, providing more rest for my foot.  Perfect! But then I was reading yet another article on the Internet about bunion surgery, and I ran across this little part of post-op instructions from one woman's doc: "No driving for 6 weeks." Ruh roh! THAT is just not going to work. I can't imagine trying to do my life for 6 weeks without driving.  Actually, even one day would be tricky. Mom's taxi, and all that. Maybe I can get good enough driving with my left foot? Sounds risky.  So I bugged Dr. L's office again today for the post-op instructions I meant to ask for yesterday. They FAXed them to me, but those were only for the first 24 hours. Not enough to help me plan for weeks of recovery.  I called back, and she said if she didn't have something on file already, she would have Dr. L write them out and FAX them to me.  I was impressed to see that within the hour they sent me a full page of written instructions from the doc. After about 10 mins of deciphering his true-to-form physician's handwriting, here's what I read:
Julie [I like it! The personal touch!]
1) Rest, ice, and elevation x 72 hours.
2) Stand and walk to tolerance.
3) You can drive when discomfort subsides and you can push brake without pain.
4) Removal of sutures in 2 weeks
5) Physical Therapy starts at 1 month post-op.  2-4 sessions depending on patient.
6) Pain meds: you will use every 4-6 hours for first 3-5 days, depending on which procedure is done.
If you get joint replaced, you should be back to conventional shoes in 4-6 weeks.  If you get structural correction with metatarsal fracture, you should be back to conventional shoes in 8-12 weeks.


Regarding the "which surgery" part, Dr. L says there is a possibility he will go in and find that the joint is further deteriorated than the MRI showed, in which case he'll replace the joint, rather than breaking and fixing it.

So, I'm still not sure I know how long I have to wait to drive, but maybe I can fudge by using the heel of that foot? Good thing Jono has his learner's permit!