I arrived at St. John’s hospital, Livingston, on Thursday 25th April for day surgery with a deep sense of knowing my body, trusting my instincts, and increased confidence to express my wishes to the medical team.
I was booked in for a cheilectomy (removal of arthritic bone from big toe joint), but during my pre-op assessment, two weeks before, the surgeon had encouraged me to think about having a fusion, which involves using metal clips to stabilise the toe joint. This was not something I wanted due to the lengthy recovery period, and previously had been advised that the bone had naturally fused, therefore adding metal to stabilise the joint was an unlikely requirement. I read all the information given to me, talked to friends and acquaintances about their experiences, considered my own health, and decided that I would only accept a fusion if the bone had crumbled and there was no choice.
When Mr Thomson, a podiatric surgeon, arrived to go through the standard checks, he asked if I wanted local anaesthetic, and I instinctively responded with an affirmative. I’ve had enough operations to know that full recovery from a general anaesthetic can take up to a week, and I wanted to be alert sooner rather than later. However, choosing local anaesthetic wasn’t an easy option because I can be squeamish and have a very vivid imagination. Fortunately I was permitted to take my AirPods and phone with me into the operating theatre, and continued listening to Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver on Audible.
Once I was satisfied my foot was completely numb, I focused on my breathing, slowing down my intake and extending the exhale. Although I was conscious, I was able to zone out and focus on listening to Audible. When I heard what sounded like an angle grinder removing bone, however, my heart started pounding, and I could just hear the heart monitor’s increased beeps. I refocused on deep breathing and turned up my airpods to block out the sound.
Forty five minutes later, after my toe was stitched up, the surgeon confirmed there was enough fused bone, therefore no need for the more invasive fusion procedure. I was so relieved.
Today is day 4 of my recovery, and there is still a long way to go. The bandage will be removed on 9th May so once I can wear trainers on both feet, I can implement a gradual return to building up my fitness levels. I have to be patient, because the more I rest now, the greater the long term success will be. I plan to use this time wisely to complete the sort of tasks I tend to put off in favour of being active, such as reading and writing, sorting photos and deleting old emails and outdated documents from my laptop.
On Thursday evening as soon as my daughter, Lucy arrived with her no-nonsense approach to my recovery, and who delivered warmth, hot food, cups of tea and sympathy, with just the right amount of bossiness, I knew I was off to a good start.
Furthermore, I started from a healthy baseline, have actively tuned into my instincts and am confident for a successful outcome.
Huge thanks go to the incredible Day Surgery Team at St. John’s Hospital, Livingston. In the words of admissions nurse, Esther, ‘everyone has each other’s backs,’ and that was certainly in evidence from the moment of arrival to the moment of discharge, including porters, nurses, surgeons and clerical staff.
It's bound to take off as a fashion trend!!
Huge thanks to @ChristineCouser for the cosy pink sock(s).
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