surgery done

I had my surgery yesterday.  It was done in Prince George, which is a long way from home, but it is the closest place where I could get in quickly.  I had a screw placed in my fifth metatarsal to keep the bones together.  Today I am resting with my foot up to help with the swelling, and finally I have time to blog a little.

I must say, it is always interesting trying to answer the questions of the anesthesiologist about my otherwise medical history.  I have had so many things happen to me, that I feel if I were to disclose them all, he would kind of blank out and think I am either crazy or overly dramatic.  So I am always giving people the abbreviated version:  I had a few abdominal surgeries, all for obstetrical or gyne reasons, lost the uterus, some blood transfusions, and a pneumothorax after one of my surgeries.  This is as abbreviated as I could get the past eight years of my life.

The surgeon informed me that I cannot put the foot down at all, except to lightly rest it on the ground, for the next six weeks.  Likewise, I cannot drive, given that it is my right foot that is in the Aircast boot.  Given these limitations, it is weird to me that people think I am still able to work.  I have to drive back and forth to the hospital to deal with emergencies.  Not to mention that putting casts on people while on crutches is a bit hard too.

Given that I did not work when I was pregnant, from about 20 weeks until the babies were 5 months old, I already know that six weeks is a very short time to take off, and that the world can cope very well without me.  I am not indispensable.  Therefore I am taking off, and keeping my foot safe from harm.

I wonder if I really can run on it in the future.  It has a big a** screw inside my fifth metatarsal, and I just cannot visualize how I can put the pressure of running 20 km on a bionic foot without breaking something.  The surgeon did say that I can remove the screw if I want to, and it is a simple procedure, so hopefully once it is healed, this fifth metatarsal will disappear from my conscious awareness, the same as the other 205 bones in my body.