stitches-removed

Last Thursday my doc removed the stitches. I haven’t taken a picture yet.

I’m so glad that I had my appointment last Thursday because when I woke up that morning my heel really hurt. It’s the first time I felt any pain in the plantar fascia after the surgery. It made me nervous.

When I got to my appointment my doctor said that my heel was puffy and that there was scar tissue causing the pain. Getting the stitches removed wasn’t bad at all. I’ve never had any type of surgery or broken bones so I had no idea what to expect. I could feel the stitches coming out, but it was just like a little tugging, no pain.

I now have stretching exercises to do three times a day. These are similar to what I had to do when I was first diagnosed with plantar fasciitis. They are stretching exercises. I also have to do this torturous ice/heat routine (contrast bath) where I put my foot in ICE cold water for a few minutes then put it in warm water, three times each.

It’s hard to put my foot in the ice water the first time. We’re talking really cold water here with ice cubes floating around in it and everything. The good news is that the second time I put my foot in the ice water, after it’s been in the warm water for a few minutes, it’s not so bad.

The purpose of this torture is to cause expansion and constriction. Yesterday I did my stretches, then the ice/warm water and then rolled my foot over a frozen water bottle. Apparently that was too much to do at once and my heel got really swollen and hot. I laid down and elevated it and that did the trick. It wasn’t too long before my foot cooled off and the swelling went down. Lesson learned eh?

Today I did the stretches, ice/warm water and then about 30 minutes later took a shower. I still have a stool in the shower because I can’t really put weight on my foot. It’s too painful. After the shower I could see that the incision had opened a little and it was leaking fluid. I bandaged it up with some neosporin and promptly elevated it.

Today I’m at day 19 post op. The inside of my foot has some bruising, but the overall look of my foot is better… except for the incision area. It doesn’t look that great to me.

At night I wear a splint to keep my foot flexed. It’s easier to wear this time than the first time I had to wear it. The first time was several years ago in the early days of treatment.

Tuesday is a big day because I start physical therapy. Yay!! I’ll go twice a week for three weeks and I’m looking forward to it. I know they’ll end up giving me more exercises to do.

It seems the only thing that may possibly hold me back is the incision site on my foot. It doesn’t seem to me that it’s healing like it should. I’ll keep an eye on it though – as will my mom when she returns from church. :)